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50 CENTS SOUTHPORT, N.C VOLUME 65/ NUMBER 18 The younger Parkers have a star to follow as Carl reaches new heights -- 1C ■ Neighbors 1 Traditions are different for everybody, but they are special to everyone — IB Our Town 1 The Southeast Brunswick Sanitary District searches for the special site — Page 2 Schools feeling impact By Holly Edwards Feature Editor The rapid influx of new residents to Brunswick County has brought overcrowded schools while state and federal spending for school construc tion is at an all-time low. Fight of the county’s 12 school buildings are operating above capac ity and the new Belville Elementary School will be at capacity when it opens next fall. “As we look at the growth pro See Schools, page 7 Keeping pace with growth 'Quality' attracting residents By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor A superior quality of life is what has attracted a wave of new year round residents to the three Oak Is land communities in the first half of the 1990s, municipal officials say. “1 think there’s a very simple an swer to it,” Long Beach town man ager Jerry Walters said. “That’s quality of life. There are a bunch of things that factor into that, but it’s a MUNICIPAL POPULATION GROWTH 1 990*94 APRIL JULY INCREASE %0F RANK CITY 1990 1994 CHANGE SIZE LONG BEACH 3816 4805 989 25.9 14 2500-9,999 BOILING SPRING LAKES 1650 1968 318 19.3 21 1000-2499 YAUPON 734 873 139 18.9 23 <1000 CASWELL 175 208 33 18.9 24 <1000 SOUTHPORT 2369 2482 114 4.8 N/A 1000-2499' quality of life issue.” Statistics released by the N. C. Of fice of Planning indicate Long Beach experienced an extraordinary 25.9 percent' increase in full-time popula tion between 1990 and 1994. Long Beach population growth ranked it the 14th fastest-growing municipality in the state with a population between 2,500 and 9,990. Populations at Caswell Beach and Yaupon Beach grew 18.9 percent each in the period, ranking them 23rd and 24th, respec See Residents, page 9 Industrial progress helping meet costs By Terry Pope County Editor As 1995 slips away, industrial recruiters and homebuilders may need a break just to catch their breath. It was the busiest year ever in Brunswick County for new indus tries. And new home construction has climbed the charts as well in the second-fastest growing county in North Carolina. “This has been a sleeping pearl that has continued to grow,” said Jim Varner, county manager. “And it's going to continue to grow.” As of December 1, the county had issued 230 permits this year for new homes with a value of $17.3 million, plus 46 commercial per See Progress, page 8 City up some, BSL is rising By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Boiling Spring Lakes in the first half of the 1990s grew at a pace com parable to the beach communities because of its easy, trouble-free pace and its "country style” manner, mayor Mark Stewart said. Southport, however, grew at a much more modest rate than did the beach communities. Former mayor Norman Holden said that is because the city lacks an industrial base with its attendant jobs and points to the , need for annexation. "1 would think one of the biggest reasons we have grown is because it is a nice, quiet place to live,” mayor Stewart said. He points to an absence of traffic and other urban-like prob lems other area municipalities have encountered. According to statistics released by the N. C. Office of State Planning, Boiling Spring Lakes’ growth in the period between 1990 and 1994 ranked it the 23rd fastest-growing city in the state among those with populations between 1,000 and 2,499. Population in Boiling Spring Lakes rose 19.3 percent to 1,968 in 1994. Southport, on the other hand, ex perienced a lesser rate of growth than did the beach communities and Boil See Rising, page 7 Judge considers BCAE’s request Superior Court judge Coy E. Brewer is not expected to rule until after January 9 on a Brunswick County Association of Educators re quest for a temporary order reinstating weekly half-days in county schoojs. The BCAE says it is suing the board of education to reinstate weekly half-days to allow educators time to implement student performance improvement plans. If teachers do not have time to implement the plans student performance will suffer, argued Tom Stern, BCAE at torney. I School board members abolished the early-release policy this year M because they said it was academically disruptive and created an addi tional burden on parents to provide day care and babysitting services. The early-release policy was implemented after the state Board of Education granted the Brunswick County school system a waiver to conduct one shortened instructional day per week as long as the other See Request, page 6 Though the term “frostbiter” is most often applied to small-boat sailors in cold weather there is a good deal of big-boat frostbiting which goes on in the Photo by Jim Harper Southport harbor each winter, especially on bright, crisp afternoons such as this one. County settles lawsuit By Terry Pope County Editor An out-of-court settlement will pay former clerk to the board of commis sioners Regina Alexander $163,000 and keep the case from going to trial. The agreement reached by Brunswick County commissioners and attorneys for Ms. Alexander last week forwards $54,000 in county funds plus a $109,000 insurance pay ment to the disgruntled employee who filed suit in January, 1993, as a result of her June, 1991, firing. “Commissioners were extremely reluctant to pay her anything," said county attorney Mike Ramos. "But if the insurance company was willing to pay two-thirds, it was best to get this over with.” Ms. Alexander was longtime clerk to the board when after the Novem ber, 1990, election her reappointment as clerk was officially placed on hold by the Republican majority board. However, she continued to work un til June, 1991, when the board voted 3-2 to eliminate her position from the budget and named Kelly Barefoot to a combined position as clerk and sec retary to the county manager. The agreement signed by the plain tiff and three defendants named indi vidually — commissioner Jerry Jones and former commissioners Kelly Holden and Donald Shaw — offers a cash settlement. Ms. Alexander is See Lawsuit, page 8 Forecast A cold front moves through the area bringing with it winter weather. Highs each day only in the 40's. Brunswick newsmakers Our ' quotable notables' of 1995 New county leaders emerged in 1995. Jim Varner was hired as county manager. School superinten dent Ralph Johnston resigned. Five new school board mem bers and three new county commissioners made their mark. The story is b$st told with the most notable quotes: ■January 4 — “We can go to court. We can do a lot of things. But my personal feeling is this is a winning solution. ” Boyd Williamson, Brunswick County tax supervisor, on an $800,000 settlement with the DuPont Co. over taxes ■January 11 — “Any employee ought to feel free to express their opinion without fear of retaliation. ” Clara Carter, school board chairman, prepares for a state performance audit of the schools ■January 18 — “Thatplace down there is an accident wait ing to happen. ” District 5 county commissioner Bill Sue calls for a new school central office ■January 25 — “The world didn’t end. It was just the end of an election. ” Rep. David Redwine (D-Ocean Isle Beach), after Repub licans gain control of the State House Blanuary 25 — “Obviously, there has been a breakdown in the system. ” Sheriff Ronald Hewett, on the escape of ftigitive Darryl Alexis Hewett from the Brunswick County jail ■ February 1 — “/ think a lot of people feel like they lost their identity in that fire. ” Ken Mabe, Southport Community Building Board of Di rectors chairman, after fire destroyed the landmark ■ February 1 — “I don't hold anything against the Highway Patrol / Ye learned that everything happens for a reason. But l missed law enforcement. Once you get it in your blood, it’s there to stay." Brian Barnhardt, hired as Leland’s new police chief ■February 15— “If we continue to expand the benefits given to criminals instead of demanding more protection for the com mon man, me and you, then we will soon have anarchy. ” District attorney Rex Gore appeals to state legislators for more prosecutors ■February 22 — “We’ve finally got the heated argument be hind us, and now the two boards can sit down and start to work together. ” School board member Olaf (Bud) Thorsen, after a fund ing dispute is settled with commissioners ■ March 8 — “One of the things people don't realize is how common cancer is already. They don’t realize that one out of every three people will likely get cancer at some point in their life.” Dr. Tim Aldrich, N. C. Central Cancer Registry, after a cancer cluster is reported in Brunswick County ' See Notables, page 8
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