The State Port
I VOLUME 67/ NUMBER 1 7 SOUTHPORT N.C. _50 CENTS
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Southport
Citizens
protest
trailer
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Establishing a daycare center in a
modular unit at the Brunswick
Learning Center in Southport would
diminish property values, increase
noise levels and damage the appear
ance of the Lord Street neighbor
hood, residents told the Southport
Board of Aldermen Tuesday night.
“Why do you want to put it in our
neighborhood?” Southport resident
Ludelphia Rogers asked the board
during a public hearing. “How
much noise will there be? We do
have to live there, you know.”
Resident Leroy Parker asked
alderman Paul Fisher if he’d like to
live that close to nearly 30 children.
“To answer you specifically, no,”
Fisher responded.
While the city’s zoning ordinance
allows modular units and prohibits
trailers in that neighborhood, Parker
and Rogers said they fear the struc
ture will look like a trailer.
The board voted to table any deci
See Trailer, page 12
School
finances
praised
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
A state performance audit of the
Brunswick County school system
two years ago revealed severe inter
nal control weaknesses in the
finance department that affected
operation of the entire school sys
tem.
Monday night, members of the
board of education expressed grati
tude and relief when a certified pub
lic accountant proclaimed the
finance department “free of materi
al weaknesses,” or weaknesses that
could lead to undetected accounting
mistakes.
“The finance department reflects
an attitude of commitment to excel
lence and to the school system as a
whole,” said certified public
accountant Sam Rose, ot the
Wilmington firm McGladrey and
Pullen.
But the audit did uncover one
reportable condition in internal con
trol that could adversely affect the
school system's ability to accurately
summarize financial reports. The
condition involves a lack of moni
toring of work performed by indi
vidual school treasurers, but Rose
stressed that similar conditions exist
See Finances, page 12
Photo b_v Jim Harper
There were angels by the armful at the Bolivia Volunteer Fire Department Christmas parade Saturday as
the community celebrated the holiday season. Earlier many of the participants were in Leland for the parade
sponsored by the Unity Group of North Brunswick.
Ttash hauling
crisis is solved
with agreement
By Richard Nubel
News Editor
Brunswick County may not have solved its solid waste crisis, but it now
has a five-point agreement with Waste Industries Inc. whereby county
garbage will be hauled to a landfill in Sampson County at a cost of $32.95
per ton until June 30. 1998.
The agreement — written on two typed pages — “shows the art of negoti
ation at its finest,” county attorney Huey Marshall told county commission
ers minutes before a 4-1 vote of adoption was cast. District 3 commission
er Leslie Collier voted against the agreement after questioning a provision
which appears to ensure Waste Industries will continue to provide transport
and disposal services for the county even if it does not perform collection
services after June 30 of next year.
The agreement holds:
■ Waste Industries will continue to provide exclusive service to
Brunswick County at existing green box sites and transfer stations through
See Hauling, page 12
Caswell
rent tax
approved
By Richard Nube!
News Editor
Beginning February 1, it will
cost vacation cottage and condo-'
minium renters two percent
more to visit Caswell Reach than
it wilt those enjoying similar
accommodations elsewhere on
Oak Island.
After a public hearing at which
no dissension was voiced,
Caswell Beach commissioners
Thursday voted unanimously to
raise the town’s occupancy tax
to five percent. Under terms of
1997 legislation, proceeds from
the additional two-percent tax
See Rent tax, page 6
Beach council
Second bridge
without delay,
petition asks
By Richard Nubel
News Editor
Many had a great deal to say to
town council about prospects for a
second bridge to Oak Island
Tuesday night, but few had any
thing at all to say about a Second
Bridge to Oak Island Corridor
Development Study which has been
proposed as an amendment to the
state-mandated land use plan of the
Town of Long Beach.
And, while the second bridge was
the topic of the evening, the
December meeting of council was
also a celebratory affair. Departing
councilors Frances Allen, Flelen
Cashwell and Jeff Ensminger were
awarded plaques recognizing their
contributions to the town. Mayor
Joan Altman and councilors Horace
Collier, Kevin Bell and Mary
Snead were sworn to succeed them
selves. New councilors J K.
Somers and Mike Oxford were also
sworn to office.
Council called the hearing it con
ducted Tuesday night to receive
public comment on the second
bridge corridor plan, which dis
cusses appropriate land uses and
development policies in the ro.: ;
way corridor which will access tr.e
bridge from the area of N. C. 211 at
Midway Road. The public hearing
was recessed that night and will be
reconvened January 20 at 7:30 p.m.
so that commissioners newly seated
Tuesday can be privy to additional
comment before they vote on
whether or not to pass the proposed
land use plan amendment on to the
Council was pre
sented a petition
bearing the signa
tures of 2,286 peo
ple who oppose
any delay in con
struction of the sec
ond bridge
state’s Coastal Resources
Commission for ratification.
Written comment on the Second
Bridge to Oak Island Corridor
Development Study will be
received at Town Hall through
January 20 also.
While the corridor study plan was
the official issue of the night, most
in attendance were satisfied to urge
council to do whatever it took to
keep state Department of
Transportation officials on track to
complete the second bridge and
access road on time.
Resident Dara Royal presented
council with a petition bearing the
signatures of 2.286 people who
oppose any delay in construction of
the second bridge.
Later in the meeting, on a motion
by councilor Jeff Ensminger, mayor
Joan Altman was directed to for
See Bridge, page 7
New foundation
to support, unify
charitable causes
A Brunswick County Community
Foundation has been created to sup
port charitable causes and non-prof
it organizations in Brunswick
County.
The purpose of the Brunswick
County Community Foundation is
to establish a number of endowment
funds, said board president Russ
Thompson. The organization also
should unify and support the work
of non-profit organizations.
“Funds can be established through
the foundation for local non-profit
organizations, churches, schools
and other organizations as well to
meet the charitable goals of individ
uals, families and corporations,”
Thompson said. “We have a lot of
resources in Brunswick County, as
well as many needs that can be met
through the use of this foundation.”
Brunswick is the 19th county in
eastern North Carolina and the 37th
in the state to establish an affiliate
organization of the North Carolina
Community Foundation.
"What this means,” said Anne L.
Steele of the North Carolina
See Support, page 12
What’s inside
Opinion 4
Police report 6
Public notices 12
Obituaries 13
Church 6B
Calendar 8B
Business 4C
District Court 5C
TV schedule 6C
Real estate ID
Early edition
Next week’s edition of The State
Port Pilot will fc>e published a day
early, on Tuesday. Deadline for real
estate advertising will be noon
Friday and classified ads Monday at
3 p.m., as usual. Deadline for news
items and other display advertising
will be noon Monday.
Cookie contest winners
Sugar and spice and
everything nice goes into
Christmas cookie recipes,
and the Pilot contest
winners offer some taste
tempting delights.
Page 2B
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