South Brunswick’s 5-2 win
Tuesday night was first in
playoffs since 1988 -- 1C
Neighbors
Southport Elementary pays
fitting tribute to former prin
cipal Latty Stanley — IB
Our Town
Boiling Spring Lakes will
host its annual 1 estival of
Lakes on weekend — Page 2
Summit
looks at
schools
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
A day-long educational summit
Tbesday, May 28, at Brunswick Com
munity College will provide county
residents the opportunity to learn
about all aspects of the Brunswick
County school system, from educa
tional programs and budget develop
ment to food service and transporta
tion, school officials say.
“We’ve had summits on beach ero
sion and hog farms, but I don’t know
of anything more important than edu
cation,” declared interim superinten
dent John Jones. “The educational
summit will help everyone become
better informed and make sugges
tions. We’re going to be all ears that
day.”
State school board chairman Jay
Robinson will describe the state’s
new school improvement plan — the
New ABCs — which is under review
in the N. C. General Assembly, at
8:45 a.m. in the Odell Williamson
Auditorium.
Summit participants also will have
the opportunity to chat with the new
superintendent of schools, Marion
Wise, who will assume the position
July 1.
Group sessions on a variety of top
ics will be held at 10:30 and 11:30
a.m. Participants should plan to attend
any two sessions on the following
topics: curriculum; elementary
See Schools, page 7
Leland
will face
decision
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A new twist has turned up in the
sewer debate in northern Brunswick
County.
Developers of a 200-acre tract in
side Leland town limits have asked
the town for permission to tap onto
neighboring Belville’s sewer treat
ment plant.
Councilmen say they don’t want to
hold up progress on the proposed
shopping center and apartment com
plex which represents approximately
a fifth the size of Leland. It will be
built by the Leland Land Develop
ment Corp. behind North Brunswick
Shopping Center, between Village
Road and U. S. 74-76.
But allowing Belville’s sewer lines
See Decision, page 6
Forecast
i'i
!•
A break from the hot temperatures
may be in store for the weekend. High
temperatures should be in themid to
upper 80's.
INSIDE
Opinion. 4
Obituaries.15
Church.4B
Schools.6B
Business.8C
Classifieds.ID
Pilot TV.9D
District Court . .11D
Rate proposal may swamp towns
County water charge up 33 percent under plan
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Long Beach, Southport and Caswell Beach officials are still
reeling, assessing the impact of a proposed 33-percent increase
in wholesale water rates Brunswick County has proposed — a
rate increase that could push residential and commercial water
costs in these towns well over $2 per thousand gallons.
Long Beach and Caswell Beach purchase all water deliv
ered to their customers from Brunswick County’s water sys
tem. Southport delivers to its water customers a mix of county
water and groundwater from city-owned wells.
Area managers and officials first learned of the county’s
substantial proposed water rate increase at a Thursday meet
ing with county manager Jim Varner. County commissioners
earlier in the week approved a $ 12.8-million water system
budget that will increase wholesale rates from the present $ 1.45
per thousand gallons delivered to $1.98 per thousand.
Municipalities buying water from Brunswick County are
generally forced to pass rate increases along to their custom
ers.
“Obviously a rate increase of that magnitude would have to
Without doing the calculations, I
can’t say what the rate for our
customers would be except,
obviously, substantially increased.’
Jerry Walters
Long Beach manager
be adjusted and built into our rate,” Long Beach town man
ager Jerry Walters said. “Without doing the calculations, I
can’t say what the rate for our customers would be except,
obviously, substantially increased.”
Southport City manager Rob Gandy says Southport faces a
double whammy with the prospect of increased wholesale
water rates and a need to install expensive treatment equip
ment in the city compatible with Brunswick County’s.
Included in the county water system budget is a $2.6-mil
lion appropriation for upgrade of the N. C. 211 plant. The
county plans to finance that 211 plant “rehabilitation” over
three years. This additional debt service is the driving force in
the rate increase.
Rehabilitation will require the installation of a new ammo
nia disinfecting system at both county water plants. The am
monia disinfecting system is to be more effective than the pres
ently used chlorine disinfecting system for preventing the oc
currence of trihalomethane, a carcinogenic gas that occurs when
chlorine and organic matter react.
“We’re going to have a problem,” Southport’s Gandy said.
Varner and assistant county manager Robert Hyatt told mu
nicipal officials Thursday that when the system is converted
June 16 to the ammonia disinfectant system, the temporary
mix of ammonia and chlorine in the system will likely create a
foul odor and bad taste in system water. As Southport mixes
its own well water disinfected with chlorine with county wa
ter, to be disinfected with ammonia, the odor and taste may be
present each time the city accepts delivery of water from
See Proposal, page 7
AKING OFF
This Falcon 50 jet represents the increasing number of high-dollar
clientele entering the Southport-Oak Island area via Brunswick
County Airport, says airport manager Howie Franklin. Three jets
Photo by Jim Harper
landed at the airport Friday; Franklin said on a typical good-weather
weekend 20 to 35 aircraft arrive from across the country. Airport traf
fic has increased 33 percent in the past year.
CP&L spokesman:
No great rush
to deregulate
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
There appears no great push for
deregulation of the electric distribu
tion industry, a Carolina Power and
Light Co. spokesman said this week,
and that company would urge North
Carolina utility regulators to move
cautiously if it chooses to deregulate
electric wholesale and retail provid
ers.
“Where we’re coming from at
CP&L is, our rates have actually been
coming down,” said Wade Pridgen,
CP&L’s director of issues manage
ment. In that capacity Pridgen is
charged with tracking emerging is
sues, like deregulation, in the indus
try. “Our rates have been coming
down since 1990. We’re going to con
tinue on that path. We really don't feel
there is a pressing need to experiment
with retail deregulation.”
Retail deregulation would allow
broader customer choice in selecting
an electric provider offering lowest
rates, much as telephone customers
‘Electric costs here
are below the
national average.
We think North
Carolina should take
a cautious approach
to deregulation.’
Wade Pridgen
now can pick and choose among long
distance services. Wholesale deregu
lation would allow electric generators
and distributors broader latitude to
buy and sell power on an open ev
change, much as commodities are
brokered.
The issue of deregulation o! the
power industry was brought to
See Rush, page 7
BHI fires manager,
seeks replacement
Former official
is top candidate
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
Former Bald Head Island village
manager Wallace Martin is expected
to be renamed to that post on an in
terim basis this Saturday by the vil
lage council, which last Saturday
asked for the resignation of Alexis
Jones, who had replaced Martin last
August.
Jones is to resign effective June 1,
mayor Tom Bradshaw said Tuesday,
and the council is seeking immedi
ate help in preparing the 1996-97
budget that is due to be implemented
by June 30.
“The first choice is Wallace Mar
tin,” Bradshaw said. “Wallace is
clearly the direction the council is
trying to go in. My intent is to nego
tiate a contract with Wallace on Sat
urday.”
The council, which already had a
budget workshop scheduled for 9
a.m. at the village hall, will go into
closed session at 10:30 a.m. there to
talk with Martin about an interim
See Replacement, page 6
Term
limits
changed
Long Beach votes
for staggered terms
Bv Richard Nu Bel
Municipal Fditor
I.uny Beach low n councilors will
he elected to serve four-year terms
of office beginning with the election
of 1997.
With little discussion Tuesday
night, councilors Kevin Bell, Jeff
Hnsminger, Horace Collier and
Dons Hertel voted a return to four
year staggered terms of office over
the dissenting votes of councilors
Frances Allen and Helen C'ashwell.
The action comes in the form of a
charter amendment and a fait
avcomplit. No referendum of voters
is required and no action of the N.
C. General Assembly is needed. The
term of the mayor is not affected by
the action. A mayor will continue to
be elected every two years.
In other business brought before
the regular monthly meeting of
town council: Brunswick F.lectric
Membership Corporation's plans to
construct an electric distribution
substation between 50th and 51st
See Cong Beach, page 8
The roles of outgoing village manager Wallace Martin and incoming
manager Alexis Jones are likely to be reversed (from this August, 1995,
photo) on Saturday as the Bald Head Island Village Council meets to
seek an interim replacement for Jones, who has resigned effective June
1. Martin, who served as the village’s first manager, has been in retire
ment in Virginia.