Our Town Beach renourishment may begin next Monday on Bald Head South Beach — Page 2 South Brunswick opens Waccamaw 2A/3A action on the road Tuesday — 1C Neighbors Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday will be celebrated Sunday and Monday — IB ’Best use' of tracts debated By Terry Pope County Editor A battle has developed over large industrial tracts in the growing Leland area. Are they best suited for future in dustrial uses, or should the tracts be rezoned to make way for more hous ing developments'.' The Brunswick County Planning Board has denied two applications that attempt to re/one heavy manu facturing tracts to residential zones. But the final decision must come from Brunswick County commissioners. Commissioners want to hold an other public hearing on the matter next month so I .eland area residents can first have a say. "Our position, and the position maintained by the planning board, is that there is a primary need in the county for heavy manufacturing," said Brunswick County planning di rector Wade Horne. "Less than three See Tracts, page 6 Town Creek squad may bill patients By Terry Pope County Editor Town Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad has become the first agency in the county authorized by Brunswick County commissioners to bill its pa tients for emergency transport. It’s a move that is expected to help the department survive a budget crunch. “Our mechanism is already in place right now.” said Ernest Coleman of Town Creek Rescue Squad. “We do not intend to do aggressive collection. The people that we’re going to pick up are the people that I've known for 20 some years, and I don’t want them throwing rocks at me.” Last July, county commissioners approved the concept to allow squads to bill patients or insurance compa nies when an emergency transport is made. The plan was to allow the county’s Emergency Medical Ser vices department to process bills for all squads that chose to participate. But county manager Jim Varner said he met with the rescue squads last week and learned that EMS still has a problem in getting a computer pro gram to do the billing. County com missioners agreed last week to allow Town Creek to venture out on its own. Rural squads, said Coleman, are suffering from a lack of both funds and trained volunteers. Efforts are made to recruit new members and to raise money, but not enough people are buying chicken dinners or studio portraits to make ends meet. “We feel like we are dying on the vine,” said Coleman. “We have no support or funding other than what we See Patients, page 8 CASTING OFF Photo by Jim Harper With a little nudge from its outboard-powered ten der the schooner New Hiyi gets underway from the pier at Southport Marina in Tuesday morning’s chill. The Philadelphia-based vessel visited here over the weekend on a southern cruise designed to show a new way to troubled youths from the Philadelphia area. See the “Waterfront” column for more infor mation. LCFWSA project Study could reveal county sewer needs By Terry Pope County Editor What started out as a regional sewer study for the Leland community may now include all of Brunswick County. County officials say they will speak with Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority executive director Kurt Taube about expanding the project. LCFWSA has joined with the Leland Sanitary District to help draft a comprehensive study on the need for regional sewer in the northern Leland Belville area. That plan was also officially endorsed last week by the Brunswick County Board of Com See Sewer, page 9 ‘I think the future looks bright. Most people in Brunswick County right now are talking, in some fashion, about sewer.’ Robert Ibcker County engineer County, 'discovery[ Dosher offices have been left off tax scrolls By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Dosher Memorial Hospital may owe the City of Southport and Brunswick County current year and five prior years’ property taxes and penalties on over $1 million worth of real estate for which it was never billed. Brunswick County tax supervisor Boyd Williamson said this week the various physicians’ offices and other real estate, owned by the hospital but rented for profit, are subject to prop erty taxation under the state’s Machin ery Act, that body of law governing property taxation in North Carolina. Dosher Memorial Hospital owns physicians offices and other real es See Tax scrolls, page 8 ‘I don’t think the location has anything to do with it, whether it is on the hospital grounds or not. In my opinion, these are properties that should be taxed.’ Boyd Williamson County tax collector Thursday meeting Schools weigh keeping PBAP By Holly Edwards Feature Editor How successful have Brunswick County schools been in improving stu dent performance? What changes will occur this year when the state Department of Public Instruction implements its new pro gram, the “New ABCs of Public Edu cation”? How will the school board and in dividual schools work together in de veloping strategies to improve educa tion in Brunswick County? These questions are at the heart of a pending decision by the Brunswick County Board of Education on whether to extend the county’s Perfor mance-Based Accountability Program (PBAP) plan, change it or abolish it until the new state program takes ef fect later this year. Under the PBAP plan, each school developed its own strategies for im proving student performance to meet goals established by the school board. The board will discuss the fate of the PBAP plan this Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Union Elementary School. Some school board members say it's time to scrap the PBAP plan and be gin the planning process anew. “If we already know there are con flicts with the existing programs, in my opinion it’s unacceptable to con tinue under those programs,” said board member Billy Carter. “It’s time to reinvent the wheel.” ‘If we already know there are conflicts with the existing programs, in my opinion it’s unacceptable to continue under those programs.’ Billy Carter District 3 member School board chairman Clara Carter agreed. “It’s time we came together as a whole and figure out what we’re go ing to do,” she said. “I think we need to clear the ground, but that doesn't mean we’ll do away with all of the ideas behind the PBAP plans.” One aspect of each school’s PBAP See Schools, page 8 Forecast The winter storm that moved through our area this past week left behind 'artic' temperatures. We can expect the cold weather to continue through this week. King celebration is planned March, discussions highlight observance Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday will begin Sunday, January 14,2 p.m., with a community march organized by the Southport chapter of the NAACP, the Southport Human Relations Committee \ and the Southport-Oak Island Interchurch Fellowship. Organizers hope as many as 500 people will participate in the march to show support for King’s dream of racial harmony and a respect for others’ differences. “We are asking for 500 citizens to come out and show that the dream is a reality when all of God’s people can come together to help cel ebrate King’s birthday,” said Nat Parker, president of the Southport chapter of the NAACP. lire march will begin at the ILA Hall on Lord Street. A youth program staged by Brunswick County high school students will be presented at the ILA Hall at 2:30 p.m. Students will perform skits, plays and read selected writings of the civil rights leader. A roundtable discussion and community breakfast will be held Monday, January IS, 8 p.m., at the N. C. Baptist Assembly. Donations of $7 will be accepted. “This will give everyone a chance to voice their opinions about different See Celebration, page 9

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