Newspapers / State Port Pilot (Southport, … / Feb. 25, 1998, edition 1 / Page 1
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New rules Long Beach coin! new tree, animal r The beacl When it hasn’t bl it’s been warm an co m L-.O n<s Published every Wednesday in Southport, NC February 25,1998 Phone 910-457-4568/Fax 910-457-9427/e-mail pilot@southport.net Volume 67, Number 27 Southport Citizens address growth By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Although several said they didn’t like it, most of the dozen-or-so Southport citizens who addressed aldermen Thursday night felt city growth is inevitable. About 80 persons were drawn to. a public hearing called by the city governing board to discuss how big the City of Southport should grow. As the city embarks on expansion of sewer system capacity, aldermen sought public opinion on just how far outside corporate limits city ser vices should be offered. Comment, however, often focused more on quality of life issues than on boundary lines. Applause from those in attendance indicated an almost even split between those who favored growth policies and those who wished to stem growth of the City of Southport. “We cannot control what is built outside of this town,” said former alderman W. R. Thorsen. Likening in-migration to the Biblical Goliath, he warned the city would be “eaten up” if growth outside present city limits were not controlled by the City of Southport. He said policies should be established to “take advantage” of growth on Southport’s periphery. “We can’t stop people from com ing here to live,” Thorsen said, “What we want to do is build facili ties so they can.” Ken Stewart agreed, saying annexation of areas on the city’s outskirts is necessary to be fair to residents of the city proper. “Growth is not only inevitable, it is here,” Stewart said. “People building outside the city ... are here because of its proximity to the won derful City of Southport. They are here to enjoy Southport, not to pay for Southport.” Noting property taxes “outside of 12th Street” are only half of those paid by city residents, Stewart said residents of the city’s periphery enjoy city services with sharing responsibility for their costs. With annexation, “We are talking about legitimizing their relationship to Southport,” Stewart said. “You must expand city limits to legit= imize the relationship.” Sandy Mitchell, however, said Southport has grown enough. It is now a city in which all fare well. He predicted property taxes would rise if growth were encouraged. “I don’t want to provide them fur ^ ther facilities at our expense to encourage them, because they are going to come anyway,” Mitchell said of potential Southport area res idents. Mitchell said there are “plenty of businesses now” in Southport, real estate interests are making money and restaurants are full. “We’re not going to stop (growth), See Southport, page 15 ' . Photo by Jim Harper From sea to shining sea means from township to township in Brunswick County this week as communities try to overcome two months of too much rain, too little drainage. In Caswell Beach’s Arboretum residents had put up a “no wake” sign and traffic cones - or were they channel markers? - to keep motorists in bounds. But was our weather all that bad, all that time? See the Neighbors section. Water, water everywhere Record-setting rain has caused inconvenience, damage in Lakes, Southport-Oak Island area By Holly Edwards Feature Editor William Dempsey of Smithville Woods lost his car, heat pump, hot water heater and washer and dryer to February rains that thus far total a record-breaking 10.25 inches in the Southport-Oak Island area. “It finally got to the point I had 15 inches of water in my garage and my wife’s car was totaled just sitting in there,” he said. “The house is almost uninhabitable.” Dempsey said he’s been pumping water off his Pilot Circle property for weeks, but ditches surrounding his home are clogged and there’s no place for the water to drain. “I can’t pump my way out anymore and I still have two inches of water in my garage,” he declared. “This isn’t a good place to be right now. I’m frustrated because I’ve worked hard to get where I am in retire ment, and 1 wasn’t advised by anyone about the water problem before I moved here.” Smithville Woods resident Eileen Currin said she and her husband had to build a make-shift dock between their house and the road, and they haven’t been able to find any local or state agency to help them. “Our house was like a moat last week and we couldn’t See Water, page 7 Countv collection TVash plan negotiation continuing By Terry Pope County Editor It is taking more time than expect ed to work out details of a six-year contract that would provide curbside garbage collection pick-up for every household in Brunswick County. A 14-page draft was presented Brunswick County commissioners on Monday, but that version was amended by the board in a two-hour meeting. Changes must go back to Waste Industries Inc. for further negotiation. The sticking points appear to be over service to persons who live on inaccessible roads, pick-up on Bald Head Island and annual rate increases based on price indexes for inflation. “I hope it works because I’m a Criticism Key negotiator responds to criti cism of how plan was drawn — 6 Contract What are Brunswick County, Waste Industries talking about? — 6 half-mile off the road, and I’m looking forward to being able to leave my trash at the edge of the road rather than hauling it around in my van all day,” said board chairman Jo Ann Bellamy Simmons. The contract would pay Waste Industries $5 million in fiscal year 1998-99 for once-a-week garbage collection from every household in the county, to be hauled to a regional landfill in Sampson County. Yearly adjustments would be based on the Consumer Price Index, with the increases each year negotiable up to the current CPI level, rather than on rising fuel costs. Also on Monday, Ms. Simmons established another committee to explore how to best serve commercial garbage accounts, which is not addressed in the latest agreement. She named District 3 commissioner Leslie Collier of Long Beach to head the commit tee and Long Beach councilor Kevin Bell as its first appointee. Commissioners will each appoint someone from the five electoral districts at,the regular board meeting Monday, March 2, 6:30 p.m. It was Bell who asked commissioners Monday to move the deadline with Waste Industries back, form a committee and See Garbage, page 6 ‘I see it as our job to pressure the vendor to go as far as it can go to service our residents.’ Leslie Collier District 3 commissioner Paladin Club plan is drawn By Terry Pope County Editor A master plan has been approved for the 689-acre Paladin Club development at St. James Plantation west of Southport on N. C. 211. The new golf course community includes 1,035 resi dential lots and 2,243 housing units in a planned unit development, said David Bowman of East Coast Engineering Co. of Shallotte, designers of the project by St. James Development Co. The plan approved by the Brunswick County Planning Board last week shows the Paladin Club just west of St. James Drive at the entrance to the St See Paladin, page 7 Island thoroughfare plan crosses paths with county By Terry Pope County Editor Changes in Raleigh at the N. C. Department of Transportation have affected development of Brunswick County’s thoroughfare plan, which began when an appointed committee met with DOT planners last spring. With Oak Island towns pushing for ward with a plan that includes a second bridge to the island, DOT officials want to make sure the county is in the same boat. Mainland changes would include a five-lane Long Beach Road and four-lan ing of N. C. 211 from River Run Shopping Center to Midway Road. “We really need to get moving on the Brunswick County plan,” said Kim Hinton, planner for DOT’S Division of Statewide Planning who was assigned to help develop the county plan last year. “Southport, Oak Island and Shallotte have all requested thoroughfare plans.” When county officials got word of the mainland changes proposed under Oak Island’s thoroughfare plan last week, they were surprised and concerned because work on the county plan has somehow stalled. Gov. Jim Hunt recent ly appointed a new DOT secretary amid a State Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged misuse of funds on highway projects, including access to the second Oak Island bridge that runs through property owned by the family of former DOT board member Odell Williamson. Commissioners named 14 representa tives to the advisory committee — one from each electoral district, four town representatives and other at-large mem See Road plan, page 7 Ordinance has adult businesses covered Long Beach sets public hearing on proposal By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Everybody knows an “Adult business” when he or she sees one, but a proposed Adult Establishment Regulatory and Licensing Ordinance for the Town of Long Beach sets out at least a dozen separate businesses that fall into that category. From adult bookstore, to escort services to exotic car wash es, the proposed adult business ordinance for Long Beach has it covered - literally. , The proposed ordinance will be the subject of a public hear ing prior to the March 17 town council meeting. Councilors got a peek at the draft last week. Mayor Joan Altman said the ordinance was drafted in reac tion to news that adult businesses were “creeping across the border from Myrtle Beach.” Brunswick County’s first adult business was just approved by Calabash commissioners last week. The mayor said the ordinance was further made necessary by the fact Long Beach has a small commercial area bordered by residential development in which adult business are “not suit able.” The primary defense against a proliferation of adult busi See Adult, page 15 What’s inside Police report 9 Business 10 Obituaries 11 Calendar 6B Church 7B Schools 8B TV schedule 3C District Court 5C Classifieds 6C NEWS on the NET: www.southport.net
State Port Pilot (Southport, N.C.)
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Feb. 25, 1998, edition 1
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