Season finale South BrunswicJ, Fairmont Friday’ . .. . ...... Jigjiga Wheels were heads at Vehicle Published e1 o- o «■ »T * ;V)au * 1 jpra>- * ■ > -J o •nto, - » 13 ' 3 f j * 03 * * OfOHM * ■ 11.0 I r 3 :,‘.i to. fa • ?j;: in Southport, NC November 4, 1998 * ' ■ Phone 910-457-4568/Fax 910-457-9427/e-mail pilot@southport.net Volume 68, Number 11 50 cents Oak Island Bridge decision possible By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor A meeting of the minds on where to site a corridor to a second Oak Island bridge may come as soon as next Thursday. “It is conceivable we could reach consensus at this meeting,” said Gail Grimes, an engineer with the Planning and Environmental Branch of N. C. Department of Transporta tion. “We have updated land suitabili ty and aerial photography. We could reach agreement.” An agreement on a path for the road to a second Oak Island bridge would end a tremendously frustrating phase of proposed bridge development which began in early 1997 when DOT released its first corridor preferences. Critical decisions apparently were delayed by political shakeups on the N. C. Board of Transportation and possibly even by local political squab bling. The November 12 meeting in Raleigh at which agreement may come is one of many interagency meetings DOT holds routinely with T "" representatives of some 17 or more environmental agencies asked to com ment on NCDOT projects. At this interagency meeting, DOT’s planning and environmental branch will pre sent updated information, gathered to address concerns the review agencies expressed earlier this year over a DOT preliminary decision to select one of three corridor alternatives link ing, in direct fashion, a proposed bridge at Middleton Street to the mainland opposite it with the N. C. 211 and Midway Road area. Transportation engineers involved say data collected recently advances the argument for a road corridor from Midway Road to Middleton Street and a Sunset Harbor Road alternative does not address the real transporta tion needs of the people of Oak Island and Brunswick County. Long Beach mayor Joan Altman and Brunswick County commissioners’ chairman JoAnn Bellamy Simmons have been invited to the interagency meeting to present a local perspective on the pro posed bridge project. DOT presented three Middleton-to Midway corridor alternatives in a February 10, 1997, report which con tained an environmental assessment of five route alternatives. Two other western alternatives, which would See Bridge, page 7 ON THE AIR From a news van to a fire truck, students at Southport Elementary School saw it all Thursday dur ing Career Vehicle Day. These students gave televisipn journal ism a try and seemed like natu rals, but if they didn’t like it there were no strings attached. They could just move on to th& next demonstration. (Photos by Laura Kimball) More on Career Vehicle Day Page IB Brunswic CO. 1-) 'J -> :> tion Voters back incumbents By Terry Pope County Editor Incumbents won. That’s the big news from Brunswick County elections Tuesday. But the margin of victory in some races was about as tight as local political lead ers can recall. District 1 incumbent Brunswick County commissioner Don Warren of Ocean Isle Beach defeated Republican challenger Debbie Rupp, also of Ocean Isle Beach, by less than one percent with unofficial totals at 9,468 to 9,313. District 2 incumbent commissioner David Sandifer of Holden Beach trailed through the first 16 of 23 precincts reporting but pulled out a win in similar fashion over Democratic challenger Allan Dameron of Holden Beach, 9,294 to 9,145, unofficially. It means political control of the five member Brunswick County Board of Commissioners will not change as Democrats retain three of the seats and two seats stay in Republican hands. The race for sheriff wasn’t as close. Democrat incumbent Ronald HeWett eas ily won reelection over Republican chal lenger and former deputy Robert (Mike) Allen of Leland, 13*653 to 5,627. Hewett, who was elected to his first term in 1994, Will serve another four-year term and swept in with 70.8 percent of the vote. Now back to the close races. District 3 school board member William D.. (Billy) Carter of Yaupon Beach survived the closest race of the night in narrowly fighting off a challenge from Republican Patricia (Patt) Carney, 9,365 to 9,259. Carney, of Southport, a See Election, page 7 ELECTION RESULTS State House Hill (D) 8971 Redwine (D) 10619 Babson (R) 7769 Quinn (R) ‘ 7419 Sheriff Hewett (D) 13653 Allen (R) 5627 Commissioner District 1 Warren (D) 9468 Rupp (R) 9313 District 2 Dameron (D) 9145 Sandifer (R) 9294 School board District 3 Carter (D) 9365 Carney (R) 9259 District 5 Browning (D) 10472 Bright (R) 8064 Clerk of Court Morgan (D) 11338 Hardee (R) 7289 Precinct-by-precinct, page 6 Modular homes build as Lakes controversy By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Prospects for easing current restrictions on placement of modular homes in the city have rumors running rampant through Boiling Spring Lakes and the issue has exposed a big rift in the city's board of commissioners. Though a public workshop session to be facilitated by former mayor Mark Stewart was scheduled for next Monday night at City Hall, commissioner Jack Redmond Tuesday night broke ranks with fellow commissioners and said he See Modular, page 7 i RusseU to be reassigned 1 New ferry will serve Southport-Fort Fisher run The motor vessel Southport will get a new sailing partner with which to split duties on the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry run. The U. S. Congress last week adopted a spending bill which included $2 million for the N. C. Department of Transportation to have a new ferry built for the route connecting major transportation arteries in Brunswick and New Hanover counties on opposite sides of the Cape Fear River. The State of North Carolina is expected to pick up the $3-million balance for construction of a mod em, 180-foot river class ferry boat which will replace the M/V Governor Daniel Russell, the ferry now on the Southport-Fort Fisher line which was named for the only governor of the state native to Brunswick County. The Russell will The M/V Southport will be joined by a similar vessel, replacing the M/V Governor Daniel Russell on the Southport-Fort Fisher route. be relocated to the NCDOT Division of Ferries operation. The new Cape Fear River ferry is expected to be ready for service about one year after contract for its purchase is awarded. The Southport Fort Fisher Ferry Line last year transported about 400,000 persons and 130,000 vehicles across the river. Ferry traffic in recent years has been targeted by downtown Southport merchants as an impor tant market on which to capitalize. Ferry traffic this year is expected to exceed last year’s record level. Seventh District U. S. congress man Mike McIntyre announced the federal appropriation last week. ‘This is welcome news for resi dents and visitors of the Cape Fear region,” McIntyre said. “The North Carolina ferry system is a vital link to the transportation heeds of our coastal area and this new ferry will be a great complement to the state’s system.” The M/V Southport was added to the Southport-Fort Fisher line as a new vessel only a few years ago. When plans for its purchase were announced, great local interest was shown in selection of the new ves sel’s name. Southport aldermen quickly fired off a resolution to NCDOT requesting the name M/V Southport a,id a considerable cam paign on behalf of that name was waged. State transportation officials say they will talk to public officials in the Cape Fear region before naming the new vessel. The two ferries on the Southport Fort Fisher line leave from berths on opposite sides of the Cape Fear Jt River every 45 minutes May '■£; through October. ffi NEWS on the NET: www.southport.net1

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