March 11,1998
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Phone 910-457-4568/Fax 910-457-9427/e-mail pilot@southport.net . Volume 67, Number 29
50 cents
Beachfront
Yaupon weighs nourishment o
All-county
South Brunswick players hon
Real estate
New section premiers in thi:
Published every Wedn
Crewmen of the Coast Guard buoy tender Gentian shift a buoy on the
forward deck before securing the boom and settling in for the night at
rnoio Dy jim narpcr
Southport’s city pier. The Gentian is a regular visitor at the pier, a
favorite of harborwatchers and a delight for tourists.
already needs update
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
A ten-year facility needs study completed two years
ago for Brunswick County schools already is out of date
and a new ten-year study is needed to justify future
requests for funding of construction projects, Brunswick
County school officials say.
School board members voted 4-1 Monday night to
allocate $26,000 to hire Educational Consultants of
Columbia, SC, to perform a comprehensive facility
needs study of county schools. The report is expected to
be complete in six months and will include student pop
ulation projections as well as future need for expansion
of existing schools and construction of new schools.
“Parts of the 1996 study are still accurate, but parts of
it need to be revamped,” said superintendent of schools
Marion Wise. “The whole purpose of the new study is
that we have to get ready for major renovations in the
school system. County commissioners are going to have
to decide how we get the funding, we have to justify our
needs to the county commissioners, and the county com
missioners have to justify our needs to the community.”
Board member Pat Brown voted against hiring a con
sultant to perform the study, saying there are already
perspnnel in the school system and county government
who could perform a facility needs study without allo
See Schools, page 8
Mining firm, county
make appeal to court
By Terry Pope
County Editor ,
Attorneys for both Martin Marietta and Brunswick County went
before the N. C. Supreme Court on Monday to argue the case that
must now await a ruling from the highest legal authority in this
state.
It could take months to get an opinion on whether a Brunswick
County Superior Court judge was correct to rule Martin Marietta
Aggregates has a legal and constitutional right to mine for lime
stone on a 1,000-acre tract it purchased north of Southport four
years ago.
Brunswick County attorney Huey Marshall said both sides pre
sented their arguments to the Supreme Court on Monday and
See Appeal, page 9
‘It’s an interesting case
because both parties are
arguing that the Court of
Appeals was wrong, but
for different reasons.’
Huey Marshall
County attorney
Should tap
impact fees
be reduced?
\ - ’■ - -
By Richard Nube!
Municipal Editor
|' It cost Yaupon Beach residents
big money to build a public
wastewater management system,
y Some of the cost of that system
was paid up-front by existing
property owners and commercial
interests. Some of those costs
continue to be paid by impact
and tap fees the town charges
new arrivals.
But, should the Town of
Yaupon Beach lower those
wastewater impact and tap fees
to attract business that will
expand the tax base and bring
thousands in sales tax dollars
year after year?
Commissioner Dick Marshal!
says so. He said a group of
investors has expressed interest
in building a spacious resort
hotel in Yaupon Beach, but may
■ not do it if sewer impact fees and
other development fees are too
high. Marshall told fellow com
missioners Monday night he saw
no wrong in lowering impact fees
for this one project in return for
the sales tax revenue it will con
tinue to bring to Yaupon Beach.
“I think it would be very stupid
not to give a little,” Marshall
said, asserting impact fees areaw
ide are not “written in stone.”
|The town would be compensated
1; - See Yaupon, page 6
Acid fumes
pose threat
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
A Long Beach police officer was
overcome by fumes Saturday when
he came to the aid of an elderly
patient who had reportedly swal
lowed acid.
Officer Loren Lewis was treated
See Acid, page 7
County, towns meet
Regional sewer
among highest
plan priorities
By Terry Pope
County Editor
The need for regional sewer was
a main concern in all four focus
groups participating in a three-hour
municipal and county planning ses
sion last week.
About 40 planners from town and
county governments met at the
county government center near
Bolivia to share concerns about
growth issues facing them during
the next ten to 20 years.
After dividing into four groups, .
the top four or five issues were list
ed and sewer seemed to rise to the
top. County planning director Jeff
Coutu said after reviewing the lists
his staff will schedule another
meeting in 60 to 90 days and focus
specifically on the top concerns.
“We want to come up with a mis
sion statement of where we want to
go next,” said Coutu. “This should
ftrUf >fgrwhf*,t '*"* niv'<1 to do, whether
“IO »n on four issues of
just one issue.”
The lack of regional sewer t6 pro
tect the environment and help make
land suitable for development was
‘To be able to net
work in the county
and build upon the
experiences of
other planning
boards will no
doubt be an uplift
ing experience for
all of us.’
Alan Lewis
Planning vice-chairman
the number-one concern on three of
four lists and may likely be the pri
focus when planners return to
tne drawing \>ovnd wuwumv \u
May or June. Planning groups list
See Regional, page 6
County collection
Garbage contract
expected Monday
By Terry Pope
County Editor
County commissioners hope to
sign a six-year contract Monday
with Waste Industries Inc. that will
provide countywide roadside gar
bage collection.
“We are getting very, very close
now,” said Brunswick County attor
ney Huey Marshall on Tuesday. “We
are hoping to have a contract ready
by then.”
The deal was supposed to be final
ized February 23, but attorneys for
the garbage disposal company have
been reviewing the documents at its
home office in Raleigh and are
working out details with its
Brunswick County operations.
Last month, the board of commis
sioners voted 4-1, with Leslie
Collier of District 3 voting no, to
continue negotiations over the $5
million-per-year deal but with assur
ance that the county would sign with
Waste Industries at a later date.
Waste Industries officials say that
vote was necessary so it could order
Guilty verdict in murder case
By Terry Pope
County Editor
All was quiet on fhe North Brunswick campus
Thursday as a jury met in Bolivia to consider the
guilt or innocence of Harold Vernard Greene Jr.,
on trial for second-degree murder in the shoot
ing death of classmate Mark Wescott Jr.
After deliberating for two hours the jury found
Greene guilty of murder, and the 17-year-old
defendant was sentenced by Brunswick County
Superior Court judge William C. Gore Jr. to
serve 12 to 15 years in prison. He will likely
serve 12 years and six months before he is eligi
ble for parole.
The verdict came exactly two years after the
March 5. 1996, shooting in which Wescott was
killed instantly when in the right side of his head
by a shotgun blast fired by Greene inside his
parents’ home on Cedar Hill Road. Defense
attorney Mike Ramos never challenged that
Greene had fired the gun but argued it was an
accidental shooting.
Ramos stressed in his opening and closing
arguments that jurors should set aside their emo
tions in the case. He said evidence shows how
“unplanned and fortuitous” the terrible action
was as the four boys were "skipping school and
See Murder, page 7.
equipment needed to fulfill contract
obligations by July 1.
Marshall said Tuesday it doesn’t
appear that roadside collection will
begin on July 1 even if the contract
is signed Monday. Waste Industries
has indicated that getting enough
90-gallon, roll-out Carts to accom
modate an estimated 40,000 house
holds in the county may take more
time than originally expected.
“If that is the case, it will begin as
soon as it can,” said Marshall.
All five county commissioners
have indicated they agree with the
concept of providing roadside col
lection to citizens and with finding a
way to provide that service. Towns
~ have been asked to sign intergovern
mental agreements to allow for
once-a-week pick-ups even inside
town limits.
Brunswick County plans to im
pose tipping fees at its landfill and
transfer stations on July 1. Com
missioners directed county manager
Jim Vamer to provide copies of the
proposed Waste Industries contract
See Garbage, page 9
What’s inside
Police report 7
Obituaries 10
Business 11
Crossword 12
Church 5B
Calendar 6B
Schools 7B
TV schedule 4C
District Court 6C
Classifieds 7C
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