Sports Pro golfer Fred Couples visits the Winding River course he designed - 1C Nei New eroS sures bein£ Oak Island 1 ~~oi ; Innovative ;r may aid in cc dam age from the sea — Page 2 Zoning relaxed 'Commercial' was restricted by 1994 rules By Terry Pope County Editor Until now, county zoning laws have been strict against property owners who want to build homes in commer cial zones. But an amendment approved last week relaxes such restrictions, a move that will please some long-time prop erty owners who have felt trapped by the growth of commercial areas since county zoning was approved in Janu ary, 1994. If a person doesn’t mind living next to a shopping center or business dis trict, now the county doesn’t mind either. Families will be allowed to build in any commercial low-density (C-LD) zone with a special exception permit from the county board of ad justments. “It would not apply to someone who wants to subdivide a parcel," explained interim county planning director Judy Russell. “It would al low an individual property owner who owns a piece of land and wants to put a house on it to now do so." Single-family units, modular homes and manufactured housing will be allowed on lots platted and re corded prior to January, 1994. The homes must meet the front-, side- and rear-yard setback requirements and be situated a minimum of 50 feet from any commercial use or structure. The amendment was approved unanimously on a motion by District 3 county commissioner Leslie Collier of Long Beach. Since county zoning was enacted in 1994, the Brunswick County Plan ning Board has struggled with how See Zoning, page 9 D .. . Photo f>\ Jim H;i Balloon sculpting was among the arts demonstrated at Saturday’s Art in the Pari and no one apprcc ed the process, and the product, more than this youngster. iat CAMA permitting left to state Town says inspection work not cost-effective By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor It may take those wishing to build structures in the state’s coastal zone up to three weeks to get permits to do so, but the Town of Long Beach will not step in to speed the permit pro cess along. Mayor Joan Altman last week broke a tie vote of town council to, in effect, keep the town's building in spections department out of the CAMA minor permitting process. In formulating its budget for the current year in June, 1996, council deter mined the tow n's inspections depart ment did not receive adequate state reimbursement to continue issuing CAMA minor permits, needed for some construction in town. Code en forcement officer David Clemmons said the state’s Division of Coastal Management formerly paid the town $50 to issue a minor permit, hut local inspectors may have to spend a half day measuring a lot before that per mil could be issued. The town is paid only $40 for a final inspection, he said. With the town out of the CAMA permit issuing business this year, one employee of DCM, headquartered in Wilmington, has been given charge el all permitting in New I lanovet and Brunswick counties He cannot keep up w nil the workload and onl\ sched ules .i half-day e\er\ two weeks m Brunswick County, Clemmons said. ( ouncilor Jell Itnsmmgci last I uesday said permitting delavs now between three and four weeks war ranted a reassessment ot council’s See CAM A, page Long Beach: Reservations should cancel Redwine bill By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Take us out of the mix, Long Beach Town Council has told the area’s leg islative delegation. In separate letters to representatives E. David Redwine, Dewey Hill and Thomas Wright, mayor Joan Altman this week asked Long Beach be ex cluded from House Bill 859, the bill that seeks to consolidate occupancy taxing authority in Brunswick County. “The town council and I are op posed to HB 859," Altman wrote. "We request that you remove the pro vision pertaining to the Town of Long Beach from this bill.” HB 859 came into being this year after the two Brunswick County chambers of commerce sought to es tablish a one-percent countywide ac commodations tax to raise an esti mated $450,000 to fund a travel and tourism promotion bureau. In a meet ing with representatives of area mu nicipalities Rep. Redwine, of Brun swick County, formed a task force of chamber members and municipal in ‘We continue to support efforts to better fund Brunswick County tourism promotion; however, we cannot support legislation that diminishes the town’s ability and authority to raise necessary funds.’ terests to iron-out the parameters of a bill to set the one-percent countywide tax in motion. Municipalities were assured that the one-percent countywide tax on short-term rentals would not affect their ability to charge accommoda See Redwine, page 6 REDWfNE: Strings attached on any new tax By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Although reaction to his hill consolidating occupancy taxing au thority in Brunswick County and establishing a one-percent tax for travel and tourism promotion has been mostly positive. Rep. E. David Redwine Tuesday said he would schedule a meeting next month wdth all concerned to once again discuss the tax proposal. "After May 1, I am going to ask for another meeting of the task force and again start from square one to explain what we have and try to arrive at some consensus,” Redwine said. “I think everybody could See New tax, page 6 ‘I think everybody could feel like they were in a win situation, instead of towns like Long Beach and Caswell Beach feeling like losers if this passes.’ Forecast The extended forecast calls for mostly sunny skies Thursday through Saturday with highs in the 7()'s. INSIDE Police report , Business. Obituaries ... Schools ... *. Church. Calendar .... Classifieds ... TV schedule .. District Court . 11 . 14 . 15 . 6B . 7B . 8B . ID . 9D ,11D Another day at the office Daughters follow parents' footsteps ny Holly towards Feature Hditor More than 2(10 young women in the Sou(hport-Oak Island area parlieipated in lake Your Daughter To Work Day, a na tional program that brings millions of girls into the workplace. The Ms. Foundation founded the event five years ago after highly publicized research studies concluded that girls' self confidence and self-esteem dropped markedly during adoles cence. Several studies suggested that subtle differences in the way girls were treated at school played a role in the decimation of their sense of self-worth. Ft. Col. Margaret Savelle, second In command at Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, agreed that subtle action can carry a strong message. "Studies in schools showed that teachers lend to call on boys far more frequently than they call on girls,” she said. “Subtle actions like tins on the teacher's pari can semi the message to girls that men aie going to be called on mme olten tor answers and looked to more frequently lor leadership. It's no surprise that e\entuallv most girls stop raising then Hands " Sunny Point ins ited both daughteis and sons to spend I luirs day at the letnnnal. although most ol the I 4 \ oung people w ho participated were girls. Savelle called the program a "uondetlul opportiimlv ’ tor young people to learn about the v at iel\ ol tubs a\ ail able in then community. "Kids get out and see that there reallv aie people in their own community who have jobs like this and that llicc can do this it they want.' she said. “I firmly be I tew e that an \ one w ho can do a job ought to Iv given the opportunitv to do t Although women can be found in vntuailv all militarv posi tions, Savelle said she doesn't think the inl.uitiv will ever be "enlightened enough to allow women in front-line combat po sitions. I'hc public also would be reluctant to accept women in such roles, she added. "People don't want to think about their mothers and daugh ters getting killed in combat, but women are already put in harm's way in many situations,” she said. “I wouldn't want to have to tell anybody that their child was killed in action, whether that person is male or female." Young people were given a tour of the ammunition terminal Thursday and Sunny Point personnel explained what function each department performs. The tour included offices at the headquarters building, the fire department and the railroad maintenance department. I low ever, many young people said they were most impressed w ith forester Tony Claw's demonstration of how Sunny Point personnel clean up spills of oil and other substances. "I thought it was neat because he spilled coffee and poured See Daughters, page 12 TOP STORIES ON THE INTERNET Www.southport.net

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