Phone 910-457-4568/Fax 910-457-9427/e-mail pilot@southport.net Volume 67, Number 42
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Jouthport, NC
Economy
becomes
‘Grand’
By Laura Kimball
Feature Editor
Economic activity in the four
county coastal area of Brunswick,
New Hanover, Pender and Horry
counties rose 13.6 percent over
1997, experts involved in the
N.C./S.C. Border Conference
Initiative said Friday.
The 1997 growth rate for the
national economy was 3.8 percent.
The study, which is a joint pro
ject of Coastal Carolina University
and UNC-Wilmington, is designed
to analyze local economic condi
tions from late 1997 to early 1998
and to forecast the economy for the
next 12 months.
All counties included in the study
are in North Carolina except for
Horry County in South Carolina.
The study examined employment
statistics and records of retail sales
in each county, but focused on the
statistics of all counties combined.
lo some extent, the state bound
ary between North Carolina and
South Carolina is arbitrary,” said
William Hall Jr., director of the
Center for Business and Economics
Services at UNC-Wilmington.
The purpose of the study is to
provide guidance to public infra
structure planners or private busi
- ness owners who want to know
' what to expect uiul plan (">->!' in tKc'
future, Hall said.
The economy of the four-county
area is expected to maintain a high
level of economic activity over the
next 12 months (see graph). For
example, the first quarter of 1999,
which is the area’s off-season, is
expected to have a 9.3-percent
growth rate — far above the
national growth rate of 3.8 percent.
Claude Ferrell, professor of eco
nomics at UNC-Wilmington, said,
“As long as people keep coming to
this area, growth will continue to
happen.... This is the kind of
growth that areas would kill for.”
ECONOMIC FORECAST
ActfcalyCjDwth
Hny, Bnraikk, tb* Hanorar & tedar Oartise
BEACH BEAT
Photo by Jim Harper
Mickey Mills and Steel inspired some backup musicians while performing at the Long Beach cabana
on Saturday. Extensive activities are planned for the cabana on July 2 as part of the Fourth of July
activities, and the next regular Beach Day there will be July 25,
L
Schools’ minority hiring
Continuing problem seen for county
By Laura Kimball
Feature Editor
Concern about the small percent
age of minorities teaching in
Brunswick County schools was a
topic of discussion at the Brunswick
County Board of Education meeting
Monday night.
Joyce Hewett, vice-chairman on
the board, voiced concern on behalf
of the personnel committee that the
county was not hiring and retaining
minorities, and that something need
ed to be done.
“We need to do some work in the
area, but we’re not sure what we
need to do,” she said.
Hewett included African-Ameri
cans, American Indians, Hispanies
and multi-racial persons in her defi
nition of minorities. Only four
schools in the county are above the
40-percent level of minority person
nel, she said.
Also, she has noticed that there is
a higher percentage of minority per
sonnel in the northern part of the
county and hopes to learn what they
are doing to attract and maintain
them.
“I wonder how diversity is being
See Schools, page 6
New rec programming
Southport’s tax rate
expected at 53 cents
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
With the exception of some additional recreation
department programming, the people of Southport
will get about the same from their city government in
the coming year as they did this year, if aldermen
adopt the budget proposal prepared by the city’s bud
get committee.
That $7.06-million budget proposal will be the sub
ject of public hearing to be held at 6 p.m. Thursday,
June 18, at City Hall. The board of aldermen will be
free to adopt a budget — as proposed, or as amended
—* at any time after the conclusion of that public hear
ing, but before midnight June 30.
The proposal the budget committee advances
leaves the city’s property tax rate at 53 cents per $ 100
valuation. With an estimated tax base of $117.7 mil
lion — $8 million more than last year — the property
tax is expected to generate $589,000, about $53,000
more than last year and about 32 percent of the pro
posed $ 1.83-million general fund.
This year’s general fund budget, if adopted sub- -
stantially as proposed, will be about eight percent
larger than last year, but about four percent of that
increase is attributable to the transfer of solid waste
employees’ salaries from an enterprise fund to the
See Tax rate, page 7
Building
bids okay
with city
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
It now appears possible that ground
may be broken for replacement of the
Southport Community Building some
time shortly after this year's N. C.
f ourth of July Festival.
I hat’s ambitious, but possible.
"There are some things that have to
fill into place, but my hope is we’ll
be prepared to go to construction in
at days,” said Ken Mabe, who since
ll)l>5 has spearheaded the drive to
i place the burned Southport
Community Building next to Fort
See Building, page 7
County planning
Subdivision
changes sign
of the times
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Water has a way of making things
grow — including new houses, lots
and subdivisions,^
An ordinance that regulates how
the county should grow, adopted in
1991, faces major overhaul because
some planners are not pleased with
the type development that the docu
ment allows.
A new county subdivision ordi
nance takes into account the rapid
growth of the county and how
water lines and sewer service are
transforming the face of the once
rural community.
“I think the growth rate in the
county is the major factor,” said
Jeff Coutu, Brunswick County
planning director. “We’re seeing a
lot more of the larger developments
than we did in the past. And now
that we’ ve extended public water
even more subdivisions.”
Winding River Plantation off N.
C. 211 near Supply is an example
of how one subdivision can spur
the growth of several others. Since
the development was approved anc
water lines were installed, several
smaller subdivisions adjacent to tht
golf course community have gone
before the planning board for
now that
we’ve extended
public water out to
rural areas, I think
we’ll see even
more subdivisions.’
Jeff Coutu
Planning director
approval.
Some Brunswick County subdivi
' sions have become showcases
while others invite clear-cutting
methods and unimaginative designs
that are also allowed under the
Cvnavuv vnuuvanw. *-v>\ v\xvi
past six months, the Brunswick
County Planning Beard has been
slowly but surely revising the ordi
nance to draft a final produet it
hopes will please developers and
consumers.
“The intent is for both.” said
Coutu. "To come up with reason
able rules that developers can use
See Planning, page 6
Court, agencies
joining the fight
against violence
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Prosecutors believe a pilot pro
gram that battles domestic violence
has sent a strong message to both
defendants and victims in its first
year of operation.
The Family Triage Unit for
Domestic Violence covers the 13th
Judicial District - Brunswick,
Columbus and Bladen counties -
and has just received a $68,494
grant from the Governor’s Crime
Commission for a second year.
County commissioners from the
three-county area match funds to
keep the program alive, including
$26,000 from the Brunswick
County Board of Commissioners for
■fiscal year 1997-98.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve
done,” said assistant district attor
ney Lillian Salcines, coordinator of
the triage unit in Brunswick County.
“I think it's made an impact on the
lives of people in our community.”
The 13th Judicial District was
chosen for the pilot program last
year, and with the funds prosecutors
were able to hire a bilingual investi
gator, special prosecutors and two
support staffpersons. District Court
judges were assigned to work two
special court dates each month in
the county and a sheriff’s detective
was assigned to handle domestic
violence cases exclusively.
The bulk of funds from the
See Violence, page 9
"WTO
BRUNSWICK COUNTY CASELOAD PERCENTS
Family Tfciage Unit
(Judy 8, 3997 tough March 31, 1998)
D ianissed
Appealed
5%
NoW anart
Drawn
6%
Psxling
20%
Not Guilty
7%
Guilty/lb Contest
37%