It’s a whole new ball game for South, which hosts West Columbus on Friday — 1C September 27,1995 Neighbors The State Port VOLUME 65/ NUMBER 5 SOUTHPORT, N.C. 50 CENTS Saturday’s fishing school was a lesson in angling — and harsh weather too -- IB Our Town The Open is just around the buoy and fishermen are baiting the hooks — Page 2 4195349953 J&fjy SSeac/i', ^S'X) Family Fest f95 Saturday Lordy, Lordy... By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor In celebration of its 40th anniver sary of incorporation, the Town of Long Beach is poised to welcome all comers to Family Fest IW5 Saturday at Middleton Park. The day of fun and fellowship will begin with an 11 a.m. official wel come by mayor Joan Altman and a presentation by the Brunswick Con cert Band. Begun last year. Family Fest is an opportunity for Long Beach residents, their neighbors and admirers to cel ebrate life in Long Beach — a grand scale community picnic. “This is really a great opportunity for all residents of Long Beach to come out and get together,” said town councilman Bob Boyd, who has pulled double municipal duty as this year's Family Fest chairman. “We have had a core planning committee which has been meeting ever since January to prepare.” The 1995 Family Fest celebration coincides with the 40th anniversary of the town’s incorporation on May 17, 1955. It was on that date that the N. C. Senate ratified a previously ap proved House bill of incorporation, by Rep. Kirby Sullivan, designating Long Beach as a municipal corpora tion. That bill of incorporation also designated E. F. Middleton a mem ber of the new town’s first governing board and in July, 1955, he was for mally elected the town’s first mayor. It is fitting the 40th anniversary celebration of Family Fest will be held in the park named for the town’s first mayor and first major developer after Hurricane Hazel wiped out most structures October, 1954. Throughout the Family Fest cel ebration at least ten booths and dis plays will be offered by non-profit organizations, Boyd said. Among the exhibitors will the Oak Island Lions, the town itself, the Long Beach Vol unteer Fire Department, the town po lice department and Oak Island Turtle Watch. Food and beverages will be avail See Family Fest, page 8 OUT TO PASTURE Brunswick County cooperative extension direc tor, Milton Coleman, will retire Friday after nearly 30 years service to the county. Over the years, Coleman said, the county has grown from a sparsely populated community of low-income farms to a thriving conglomeration of tourism, industry and farming. 30 years of service Longtime ag director O n Coleman steps down By Holly Edwards Feature Editor On the week of his retirement after nearly 30 years of service to Brunswick County, cooperative extension director Milton Coleman sat cheerfully behind his enormous desk, covered with its usual two-foot-deep layer of agricultural papers and journals, and declared: “If you retire one year before you want to, cooperative extension in 1951 when he was only nine years old -- the 4-H Club. Raised on a swine and cattle farm in Columbus County, Coleman earned several national titles for his local 4-H chapter by raising champion swine. He remained involved in 4-H until his first year at Campbell College, and said the club provided him the opportunity to travel to 47 states and judge several national vegetable See Coleman, page 7 Huge deficit cited County water likely to seek higher level By Terry Pope County Editor County water rates likely will in crease next month in a move to cut system deficits predicted to reach $5.8 million by the year 1999 if existing rates hold steady. A study released by consultants David M. Griffith and Associates on Monday also recommends the county adjust its retail rate structure, a plan which will cut the amount minimum users now pay and increase the price of water for larger consumers. Brunswick County's water system has operated on an interim budget since July 1 pending Griffith's recom mendations of what to do. Jerry Jones, chairman of the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners, says the system has already dug itself into a $500,000 hole. ’ “We’re either going to have to do this and get the new increase this year, or we’re going to have to find that $500,000 somewhere in the budget,” said Jones. ‘Everybody will pay the same amount for every gallon of water they use.... For customers that don’t use very much water; their bills may very well go down. ’ Robert Dolecki Griffith and Associates Brunswick County utilities has ap proximately 4,800 retail customers and also provides water to 16 indus trial and municipal customers on a wholesale basis. On its present See Level, page 8 But not mobiles Zoning to permit site-built housing By Terry Pope County Editor County planners will recommend a new residential zone which allows higher density but excludes mobile homes. SBR (site-built residential) allows single-family site-built homes only, but it will adopt the R-6000 density level typically found where mobile homes are allowed. There are some neighborhoods that want smaller lot sizes but do not want to open their doors to mobile home dwellers. “What this allows is more flexibil ity,” said John Thompson, Brunswick County Planning Board chairman. “I think it’s a good thing.” SBR zones will encourage con struction of homes and the continued use of land for single-family homesites. It would prohibit commer cial and industrial use of the land or any other use that would interfere with housing developments. “There are a number of people who ask for more density but don’t want mobile homes," said Wade Horne, Brunswick County planning director. Brunswick County’s zoning ordi nance allows mobile homes in ap proximately 85 percent of the county. Doublewide units are allowed in R 7500 designated zones and singlewides in R-6000 zones. Both types of units are allowed in RU (ru ral) areas. A typical county would allow mo bile homes on approximately 20 per cent of the land and stick-built homes on 80 percent of available lots. Brunswick County has those figures reversed, said Horne. The amount of See Zoning, page 7 Work on the Yacht Drive paving project also involves construction of drainage swales and ditching. - Pitching is a concern Council votes to proceed with Yacht Drive project By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Let the project go forward. Long Beach Town Council said in a spe cially called meeting Tuesday night. The project is the ditching and drainage swale system done in con cert with the paving of Yacht Drive. Work on the project was halted this week after residents of some sec tions of East Yacht Drive com plained of the gaping ditches and some feared additional and more expensive measures would have to be taken to drain the roadway. After protracted debate, a majority of councilmen reckoned the project was not completed, and would look better and likely function as it was designed to do. The ditches and swales are engineered to protect the road from the effects of 50-year storms. “All anybody’s seen is ditching,” mayor Joan Altman said. “Nobody’s seen a completed project.” She said the contract for Yacht Drive includ ed the “most effective” drainage techniques to protect the road. The drainage portion of the project was not designed to promote drainage See Ditching, page 11 Forecast The extended forecast calls for con tinued autumn weather and partly cloudy skies. Highs each day in the mid 70's. Tide table HIGH LOW THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 12:01a.m. 7:30 a.m. 12:25 p.m. 8:06 p.m. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 2:16 a.m. 8:21a.m. 2:50 p.m. 9:02 p.m. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER'30 3:09 a.m. 9:15 a.m. 3:44 p.m. 10:00 p.m. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 4:04 a.m. 10:10 a.m. 4:38 p.m. 10:57 p.m. MONDAY, OCTOBER 2 4:59 a.m. 11:04 a.m. 5:29 p.m. 11:49 p.m. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3 5:51a.m. lt:S5a.m. 6:17 p.m. --p.m. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4 6:39 a.m. 12:36 a.m. 7:01a.m. 12:43 p.m. The following adjustments should be made: Bald Head Island, high -10, low -7; Caswell Beach, high -5, low -I; Southport, high 47, low 415; Lockwood Folly, high -22, low -8. j

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