February 18, iqqk
Volume 67, Number 26
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Published every Wednesday in Southport, NC
Long Beach
Regional
wastewater
plan sought
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Opening yet another door to
development of a regional waste
water management system, Long
Beach Town Council Tuesday night
voted unanimously to adopt a reso
lution calling on Brunswick County
to establish a central sewage treat
ment plant to serve the region.
The same resolution states the
town’s intention to participate in
capitalizing a central treatment plant
and to build a municipal wastewater
■ collection system to provide flow to
a county-operated treatment plant.
“The Town of Long Bach shall
participate with Brunswick County
in the planning of a wastewater
treatment facility located in'an area
of mutual choice,” the resolution
begins.
Earlier Tuesday, county commis
sioners authorized Brunswick
County’s stormwater and waste
water committee to begin drawing
lines for wastewater service dis
tricts, councilor Horace Collier
reported.
In other business brought before
Long Beach Town Council, mem
bers disappointed a number of resi
dents who supported a temporary
rescission of a ban on burning yard
debris. Commissioner Jim Locke’s
motion to interrupt the burning ban
whilelhe town awaits delivery of a
leaf vacuum was defeated by a 5-1
margin. Though Locke would not
name another councilor, he implied
one or more councilors might have
reneged on a campaign promise to
ease burning restrictions. Mayor
Joan Altman said council had dis
cussed the burning issue at a recent
retreat and had decided then to keep
the ban in force.
Councilors also Tuesday night set
workshops or public hearings on
proposed ordinance amendments to
regulate the removal of trees on pri
vate property, to control animals and
to regulate establishment of adult
entertainment businesses. The tree
preservation ordinance will be dis
cussed with the planning board and
recreation advisory board on March
4. The animal control ordinance will
be the subject of a public hearing
before council’s regular April 21
meeting and the adult entertainment
ordinance will be the subject of a
public hearing to be held before
council’s regular March 17 meeting.
Wastewater proposal
Councilor Kevin Bell said the
wastewater resolution to county
commissioners was a product-of the
county’s stormwater management
and sewage treatment oversight
committee he has served for over a
year. The committee has decided the
best approach to wastewater man
agement is to divide Brunswick
County into^ewer service regions.
The committee envisions — and
the resolution seeks — Brunswick
County ownership and operation of
one or more regional wastewater
treatment facilities, fed by county
population centers.
Bell said each of Brunswick
Continued on page 6
What’s inside
Opinion 4
Police reports 9
Business ,10
Notices 11
Obituaries 13
Schools 4B
Church . 8B
TV schedule 3C
District Court 5C
Classifieds 6C
Photo by Jim Harper
Dune repair has been a critical part of town response to a series of nor’easters which struck Oak Island
and the Brunswick County shoreline last week. The effort at Long Beach has included use of the town’s wheel
loader. Long Beach crews are now doing beachfront maintenance work the town previously had to hire con
tractors to do.
Brunswick County
Board proceeds with
trash collection plans
By Terry Pope
County Editor
At least one county commissioner is not pleased with
the way a six-year, countywide garbage disposal con
tract that may be approved February 23 is taking
shape.
After meeting in closed session for more than an
hour Monday, the Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners voted 4-1 to assure Waste Industries
Inc. it wants to negotiate a deal that will pay the hauler
$5 million during fiscal year 1998-99. Commissioner
Bill Sjie’s motion stipulates the 18 towns and munici
palities in the county will get a chance this week to
read the contract before it is voted on next Monday.
District 3 commissioner Leslie Collier of Long
Beach says she is not pleased with the way negotia
tions have gone, and she cast the only dissenting vote
to Sue’s motion. The contract would provide curbside,
once-a-week pickup throughout the county, even inside
towns where garbage collection is offered.
“As I’ve stated before, I have felt uncomfortable with
this process of negotiating and working out the solid
waste proposal,” said Collier. “I would like to have
seen a more formal bid process from the beginning. I
See Collection, page 13
criticized
By terry Pope
County Editor
County officials fear a state permit issued February 5
to Bell Construction Co. to mine sand from 23 acres
adjoining Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point north
of Southport will damage groundwater in the area.
The N. C. Department of Environment, Health and
Natural Resources issued the permit without holding a
public hearing and apparently before a 30-day com
ment period had expired. County attorney Huey
Marshall was instructed Monday to pursue a hearing
on the borrow pit. County commissioners say they
want to be heard and warn they will take “appropriate
legal action if needed.”
The permit includes conditions that prohibit pumping
water off-site to prevent sedimentation problems.
There are no restrictions, however, to keep the compa
ny from pumping water to one area of the property
while digging continues in another. The company will
use the sand to build a protective berm at the edge, of
the military depot to deflect the impact of an accidental
explosion. Sunny Point is the nation’s largest military
ammunitions port.
The project involves a 19-acre borrow pit, a plot of
See Digging, page 6
Oak Island
Bridge still
on schedule
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
A state probe of alleged wrong
doing by former Board of
Transportation member Odell
Williamson will not delay comple
tion of a second bridge to Oak
Island scheduled for late 2000 or
early 2001.
In fact, $6.5 million recently was
added to the second bridge to Oak
Island project to keep it on track
for timely completion, said
Michael Mills, a N. C. Board of
Transporta-tion member-at-large.
Mills, of Wilmington, who has
strong family ties to Brunswick
County, has carefully monitored
the second bridge to Oak Island
project since Williamson’s
November 7 forced resignation as
District 3 representative.
Williamson has been accused of
using his position as a transporta
tion board member to influence the
siting of a road corridor to the
bridge through land he or his fami
ly owns. The State Bureau of
Investigation is said to have
focused its investigation, however,
on Williamson’s role in improve
ment-of Old Georgetown Road in
See Bridge, page 6
County
supports
project
By Terry Pope :
County Editor
As far back as 1959 there was
talk of a bridge that would one
day link Oak Island with the
mainland at Sunset Harbor.
Now, nearly 40 years later, -
with the project stalled by a
“recent controversy” over plans,
the Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners passed a resolu
tion Monday it hopes will keep
the project E. F. Middleton first
envisioned on the front burner. %
“I hope this resolution will
send a strong message to the
state and a few who are fighting k,
this bridge,” said District 3 com
See Project, page 6
^ * ** * v ' **'*’**
County schools
New facilities,
fresh outlook
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Settling into their new office building at the Brunswick County
Government Center this week, school administrators said it wasn’t the ele
gant furniture, lushly carpeted floors or freshly painted walls that impressed
them most.
After moving out of dilapidated trailers and a 65-year-old building with
rotting floors and ceilings, these employees said they most appreciated
problems they will no longer have to endure, like flying termites, leaky
See Facilities, page 6
Superintendent of schools Marion Wise unpacks j i the new central
office building at the Brunswick County Government Center. Wise said
he expects the new facility to improve employee mi rale, enhance the
school system’s public image and improve its recruit nent effort.
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