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Another tough loss for the
Cougars; now comes cross
county battle out West - 1C
Bri$
and dan
in Fran
rs
i in song
le spirits
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rvations
City bd
about old yacht basin bed
and-breakfast plan- Page 2
Caswell
options
Town to bid
water system
maintenance
By Richard Nubel
News Editor
Although it has received two pre
vious proposals from the Town of
Long Beach outlining services and
costs of maintaining its municipal
water system, Caswell Beach will
seek yet another proposal from Long
Beach and one from Brunswick
County
This tune, however, Caswell Beach
has outlined exactly how it wants the
proposal to manage its consolidated
water distribution system bid. Bid
specifications were sent both the
county and Long Beach on August 26.
Commissioner Bill Boyd, though he
was deposed by fellow commission
ers last month as the. commissioner
charged with dealing in contractual
matters, did not indicate when com
missioners met Thursday that either
Long Beach or Brunswick County
had responded to the August 26 re
quest for proposal.
"I did get a draft copy this week
end from the county," Boyd said.
Without disclosing the contents or
substance of the county's offer, Boyd
said he returned the "draft" proposal
See Caswell, page 9
Brunswick
may come
to rescue
By Richard Nubel
News Editor
Volunteer service to the town res
cue squad is but one of many oppor
tunities for service in an increasingly
busy society, Long Beach town man
ager Jerry Walters said this week.
Partially because of this, the Long
Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad, like
others around the county and state,
suffers a manpower shortage and fre
quently can't muster full crews. Ad
ditional professional emergency
medical assistance to the Southport
Oak Island area may be available be
fore Christmas. Brunswick County
EMS diredpf Tracy Jackson said.
“I suspect we’ve got more volun
teer opportunities demanding more
people hours and less of a pool for
traditional volunteer services,”
Walters said.
The Long Beach town manager’s
observation was prompted by a de
mand from mayor Dot Kelly of neigh
boring Yaupon Beach last week to
renegotiate an annual payment to the
Town of Long Beach for rescue ser
vice. Under terms of a contract be
tween the two towns, Yaupon Beach
is to pay 16 percent of rescue squad
See Rescue, page 6 _
Photu by Jim Harper
Some cameramen will go to great lengths, and occasionally to precarious heights, to get just the right pic
ture, as bystanders saw as filming of “The Wedding” continued on Bay Street. Movie-makers will again be
evident this week along the Southport waterfront.
County authorizes tax
on short-term rentals
By Richard Nubel
News Editor
By the first of the year, it will cost guests of Brunswick County
lodging facilities another penny on the dollar to stay here.
County commissioners Monday night reviewed and ordered minor
changes to an ordinance establishing a one-percent countywide
occupancy tax on short-term lodging rentals. If the ordinance, which
was the subject of public hearing that night, stays on track, it will
become effective January 1, 1998.
County attorney Huey Marshall was directed to refine the measure and
to return a second draft to commissioners on October 6. With the re
quired public hearing completed, commissioners are free to ratify ihe
measure at any time.'
See County, page 9
‘Our concern is that
this is a tourism tax....
Expertise has to come
from people in the
tourism business.’
THpp Sloane
Ocean Isle Beach
Long Beach
Beach trust
is approved
By Richard Niibel
News Editor
In five separate actions Tuesday
night, town council formally created
a seven-member Long Beach
Preservation Trust, integrated it into
municipal government structure and
empowered it to begin its five
pronged plan of work, including the
raising and receiving of private
funds to promote beach ’stabiliza
tion.
In other business before council:
Staff was directed to develop a third
proposal to manage the Caswell
Beach water delivery system for a
fee; a recommendation of the plan
ning board to not change provisions
of a sign ordinance, as Oak Island
Presbyterian Church had requested,
was accepted; conditions at
Middleton Park and treatment of
inmate labor was discussed; and.
town manager Jerry Walters report
ed he would respond within the
month to those who have com
plained about the town’s chief
building inspector.
After a public hearing matter,
council also accepted Mat
Construction Co.’s $371,000 bid tt
pave 17 southeast and southwest
street-ends, several portions of
Pelican Drive and White Lane. The
$129,362 bid of Virtexco Corpo
ration to build an extension of Town
Hall also was accepted.
Taking up an August report of the
town’s preservation trust fund advi
sory committee, council upon staff's
recommendation voted unanimous
ly to create a seven-member Long
Beach Preservation Trust Fund
Advisory Board. Members will
serve staggered three-year terms of
office.
The five persons who made up the
advisory committee offering recoin
mendations for the trust board were
appointed as its original members.
Two more members will be appoint
ed when council meets October 21.
As outlined by the committee, the
Long Beach Preservation Trust
Fund Advisory Board has been
established to promote private and
corporate donations for beach stabi
lization projects. The fund board
also will work to educate the public
on beach stabilization techniques
and the need for beach stabilization
as public policy. It will seek grant
funding wherever available and will
make recommendations about
See Long Beach, page 7
Harbor Oaks project
City annexes
131-acre tract
By Richard Nubel
News Editor
Southport grew by about 131 acres
Thursday night.
Without any substantial discussion,
aldermen voted unanimously to an
nex a single parcel to be developed
as Harbor Oaks subdivision by Ole
ander Development Company. The
parcel straddles Price’s Creek and lies
between Leonard and Moore streets.
The annexation of the future Har
bor Oaks subdivision comes at the
request of Oleander Development
Company. Earlier this year aldermen
virtually made voluntary annexation
a condition of extending needed
wastewater management service to
the development, which is expected
to include over 200 single-family
homesites to be built in phases.
The parcel abuts existing city lim
its and had been subject to city land
rise and housing standards ordi
nances, under the city’s extraterrito
rial jurisdiction.
Now that the Oleander Develop
'Making Waves for Children'
Seminar fosters concern for youth
By Holly Edward*
Feature Editor
How to reduce the number of Brunswick County children in
foster care, and the time they spend in foster care, were topics of
a two-day seminar last week. ,
Brunswick was among 13 counties selected to participate in a
demonstration project to explore ways to reform the foster care
system.
In conjunction with the "Making Wa'\es for Children” con
ference. conducted bv the Jordan rani.il> Institute and held at
Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation headquarters, a
candlelight vigil was held in memory of the 43 children who
died in North Carolina last year as a result of abuse or neglect.
And, a display entitled “Torn Souls” was exhibited at Columbia
Brunswick Hospital to draw attention to the 950 cases of child
abuse or nestled reported last year in Brunswick County. The
display included 950 pairs ot old shoes.
Over 70 people spent two day* discussing what is wrong with
the foster care system, swhat is right with the system and what
$ee Youth, page 8
With the possibility
of additional
residential units
within the next
several years,
aldermen have
scheduled a public
workshop on utility
expansion
ment property, formerly owned by
Pfizer Inc., is legally a part of the city,
“its citizens and property shall be sub
ject to all debts, laws, ordinances and
regulations in force in the City of
Southport and shall be entitled to the
See Tract, page 9
INSIDE
Police report 11
District Court 12
Notices 13
Business 15
Obituaries 16
Church 4B
TV schedule 6B
Calendar SB
Grid contest 3C
NASCAR sc
Fishing report 8C
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