Newspapers / State Port Pilot (Southport, … / March 26, 1997, edition 1 / Page 7
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ITC rnoto Dy tioiiy Lawaras ' ' ngressman Mike McIntyre met with Long Beach and Yaupon Beach officials Ttiesday to learn about the proposed $5-million Sea Turtle Habitat Restoration Project. If the project is implemented, 1.2 million cubic yards of sand will be placed along a one-mile stretch of Long Beach. McIntyre visits Long Beach to learn about turtle project By Holly Edwards Feature Editor Congressman Mike McIntyre visited Long Beach Tuesday afternoon to learn about the town’s proposed Sea Turtle Habitat Restoration Project. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers developed the project after the town submitted information on the effect beach erosion had on nesting sea turtles, said town manager Jerry Walters. Two nesting sea turtles have been hit by cars and killed on Beach Drive because there was no dune to stop them, 27 sea turtle nests were lost due to erosion or storms last year in Long Beach, and approximately 600 hatchlings were lost because they headed for the street rather than the ocean, said Long Beach recreation direc tor and sea turtle program coordinator Tina Pritchard. The habitat restoration project would involve creating an 11-foot dune line along a one-mile stretch of beach from 58th Street SE to 30th Street SE, Walters explained. Sand would be tapered for three-fourths of a mile on each end of the the one-mile stretch, he said. The project would require 1.2 million cubic yards of sand and cost about $5 million. Walters said the federal government would pay about 75 percent of the project, while local and state govern ments would be required to pay the remaining 25 per cent. “The project is for more than turtles,” he said. “It would also help tourism and it would help protect the value of our beachfront property.” ► Long Beach Continued from page 1 government to place sand along the 125-foot span of the Long Beach cabana, one of the last places she and her parents visited while they were living. Only commissioner Helen Cashwell opposed the resolution creating the trust. She questioned language in the resolution she called “redundant.” The Beach Preservation Trust Fund will allow Long Beach to receive and hold other gifts of money for beach nourishment pro jects. The idea for the trust was first broached by council at a recent retreat. “1 believe this provides a gear opportunity to build goodwill for the town and to help fund any nour ishment project,” mayor Joan Altman wrote in a memorandum to council last week. “Preserving the beach is personally important to many people for many different rea sons. Those who are financially able would like an opportunity to give more for a cause in which they are interested.” To date, no beach nourishment project has been advanced at Long Beach. In October, 1996, however, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers was handed a $500,000 appropria tion to design a nourishment project aimed at protecting sea turtle nest ing areas in a three-linear-mile area centered at 58th Street. Mayor Altman reported 7th District congressman Mike McIntyre had visited that potential nourishment site Tuesday and had pledged his support to see the pro ject funded. Councilor Horace Collier, who made a recent trip to Washington, said he had been suc cessful in enlisting the support of congressman Walter Jones and sen ators Jesse Helms and Lauch Faircloth. Faircloth sent a represen tative to Long Beach last week, he said. “The Beach Preservation Trust Fund shall function ... as a capital reserve fund, requiring council action for each specific use of funds accumulated in the trust,” the reso lution establishing the fund reads. “The council may establish commit tees from time to time to advise council on the most appropriate activities to be undertaken by the trust." FIRE AND RESCUE TAX DISTRICTS Money raised at home should stay at home, council said in directing mayor Altman to write county com missioners in support of a proposal to establish several fire and rescue tax districts in Brunswick County. Town manager Jerry Walters said the several proposals under consid eration by a county fire and rescue tax study committee could have a Boat House Gifts Your Cairn Studio Headquarters fa • Victorian Enamel Eggs • Madame Alexander Dolls • Collectible Barbies •Ty Beanie Babies • Wind Chimes Coming March 31st. All God's Children - 3 Statues Retiring Cairn Studios - 29 Statues Retiring 5606 E. Oak Island Drive Long Beach 278-9856 “dramatic impact” on fire and res cue funding in Long Beach. “Options being discussed include a countywide dedicated tax, taxing districts in a variety of configura tions and a number of other funding variables," Walters wrote in a mem orandum to council. The manager urged council to go on record before county commis sioners receive the study committee report on April 14. Altman’s letter will stress coun cil’s belief that any countywide funding should be distributed for base-level services on an equal basis to all county fire departments. Funds generated by fire and rescue district taxes should supplement base-level distributions and should be used in the districts which gener ated the tax, council believes. Currently, Walters said. Long Beach pays about $90,000 annually to support the Long Beach volunteer fire and rescue units, which are actually departments of town go\ ernment. About ten percent of all property tax generated in Long Beach goes to support these two departments, he said. In a related matter, mayor Altman was directed to write county com missioners seeking additional funds for upgrading equipment housed in Long Beach for the Brunswick County 911 emergency notification program. Long Beach serves as a backup to the county’s central communica tions center, but when Brunswick County recently upgraded equip ment, Long Beach dispatch center was not included. m SURF CINEMAS 4836 LongBchRd. ?;[ Southport r Starting Friday TURBO POWER RANGERS <■<-» 2:10, 4:00, 7:10, 9:00 JUNGLE TO JUNGLE (PC) Starring Tim Allen. * 1:50,4:10,6:50,9:10 | fey-. - . ---- Shining Jim Curey- Honestly LIAR, LIAR 2:00,4:00,7:00,9:00 Matinees Sat. & Sun Long Beach strand project Mayor says letter info incomplete, erroneous By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Long Beach mayor Joan Altman this week said recently published letters to the Pilot, concerning a pro posed federal beach nourishment program to restore Loggerhead tur tle nesting areas, contained “incom plete and “erroneous” information. Altman also challenged directly the contentions in a February 26 let ter from Long Beach resident Rupert Riley, who ran unsuccessful ly to unseat the mayor in the munic ipal election of 1995. Writing February 26, Riley assert ed a Turtle Habitat Restoration Program beach nourishment project now under study by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers was but a “smoke screen” designed to “con” other levels of government into pro viding funds for beach nourishment at Long Beach. “... in reality (the nourishment program) is for economic reasons," Riley wrote. Altman, responding to Riley in writing this week, says the Turtle Habitat Restoration Program, for which the corps this year was awarded $500,000 to begin design work, is exactly what the name of the project implies. The project tar gets beach and dune restoration in a one-mile area centered at 58th Street. The nourished beachfront will taper for one mile in each direc tion of the target one-mile restora tion area. "The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is developing a one-time beach nourishment program designed to restore an important sea turtle nesting habitat in Long Beach,” Altman wrote. “This very important and innovative project will cost about $5.3 million to be paid with a combination of federal, state and local dollars. Depending on how the town council decides to f und the local share of the project, the cost to the average Long Beach taxpayer could be around $30.” Altman says the proposed project enjoys the strong support of local, state and federal wildlife manage ment olficials. Although Congress this year pro vided half-million-dollar funding for design of the habitat restoration program, no funds have been allo cated for construction of the Long Beach project. In all discussion of Long Beach turtle efforts are praised Sea turtle protection efforts at Long Beach are “exemplary,” an official of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a March 24 let ter to mayor Joan Altman. John M. Hefner, a field supervisor with the service’s Raleigh office, said an earlier letter, critical of Long Beach citing its spring, 1996, dune reconstruction effort, has been reviewed. The matter has been “satisfactorily resolved” as a “one-time misunderstanding” and no fine will be levied against Long Beach. “We believe the Oak Island Sea Turtle Project, its program leader and the numerous volunteers who work on standings, education and protection efforts, conduct surveys and move threatened nests, are doing an outstanding job,” Hefner wrote. “In our opinion, the Town of Long Beach’s program is exemplary in all respects. You and other town officials are actively pursuing the protection of natural resources, such as nesting sea turtles and the entire beach strand community, dune ecosystems, maritime forests and soundside wetlands within your jurisdiction. You are proactive ly linking natural resource protection and preservation with educa tional, recreational and aesthetic opportunities for the general pub lic.” the project, the federal share of costs for construction have been set at $4 million, but beach nourishment pro jects have been all but stopped by the Clinton administration. “Long Beach is a sea turtle sanctu ary and has long supported the Turtle Watch program,” mayor Altman wrote. “Turtle Watch volun teers attended 94 nests in 1996. About 20 of the nests were moved from the proposed habitat restora tion area because there was not enough stable, dry dune for the nests’ survival.” In his late February letter, Riley also asserted the Town of Long Beach showed a lack of concern for Loggerhead turtle nesting in May, 1996, when it bulldozed beach sand “during a period of time set aside for turtle nesting protection." Riley wrote Long Beach had been fined $2,500 by state coastal man agement officials for this bulldoz ing. Not so, says Altman. “The town has not been assessed a civil penalty (fine) associated with pushing sand in May, 1996,” Altman wrote. “The state Division of Coastal Management proposed assessing a penalty because the town pushed sand dunes May 15-22 which violated the town’s permit” to move sand on the beachfront. “On May 8, the town requested emergency permission to push sand because of severe erosion. In previ ous years, such emergency work was quickly permitted. Because of poor communication between the permitting agencies, the town did not receive a response. By May 15 the town could wait no longer and proceeded with the work. No sea turtle nests were laid during this time." IS Coastal Stamper Rubber Art Stamps Large selection of new stamps, paper making kits & envelope template arriving this week. Adult & Children clesses available. Closed Tues. & Wed. 1100 Yaupon Dr. • 910-201-4153 Adjoining Shells Etc... ^ SUPERSTORE QUANTITIES LIMITED ON SOME ITEMS. RAIN CHECKS ON ANY SOLD OUT SPECIALS SPECIALS GOOD 7 Days OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK _ PHOTO COPY MACHINE Help Is Just Around The Comer, many specials not listed SHOP OUR DISCOUNT TOOL SECTION • YOU MUST BRING COUPONS E-Z Kart' Flat Latax Wall Finish, ezfi k 354217 m PREMIUM QUALITY Flat Acrylic Latax House Paint, k 3si 643 F4 THU-TEST. 95 S-Qallon PVA-Latax Drywall Rrimar. PVA1 K 134 034 1 J99 bargain of the month Smoko A Fin Detector. Test with any flashlight. H 289 779 F6 FimAletr 24” lO-Ycar Smoka i Datactor with lithium battery: guaranteed 10-year life and warranty, n 675 M2 i First Alert' NOTICE THIS IS A COUPON AD 429 Your cho loo 10x29' Roll Of Plastic Shooting is multi-purpose! Clear or black. MK728/9 H 151 183/54* F4 DISCOUNT CIGARETTES 365 Days Per Year winston, Camels $11.39 ctn. SALEM, KENT $10.39 ctn. CARLTON. KOOL, NOW, NEWPORT, PALL mall, Virginia sums $13.39 cm. All other cigarettes not listed are also discounted. 2-Liter Coke & Pepsi «fi£ 99C SALE E. Oak Island Drive/ Long Beach • Open Seven Days a Week PHONE 278-5806 FAX 278-5492 KEYS MADE FEDX SERVICE UPS-RPS SHIPPING L.P. GAS $9.95 EXCH FAX SERVICE
State Port Pilot (Southport, N.C.)
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March 26, 1997, edition 1
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