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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