Imaginatioi Youthful exuberanc classroom and in Fi Park is a highlight c North Brunswick April 28,1999 THE STATE PORT Phone 910-457-4568/Fax 910-457-9427/e-mail pUot@southport.net Published 1 Southport, NC Volume 68, Number 36 MOSE LEWIS HONORED Mose Lewis and his family — wife Doris, son Cliff and daughter Ola — give Lewis Rock its first rub, inaugurating a tradition to bring good Photo by Jim Harper Cougar fortunes and great memories of the former South Brunswick High School principal. By Diana D’Abruzzo Staff Writer Cameras in hand and eyes wide with anticipa tion, scores of people waited for Mose Lewis to make his way toward the South Brunswick High School football stadium. When his car finally pulled up, the eager crowd swarmed. It was a battle of sorts as each person tried to catch their own glimpse, wave or smile from Lewis, a former principal of South Brunswick High: The crowd was so thick it was difficult to weave his wheelchair through the mass of well-wishers, who gave hugs, blew kisses and would stop him to whisper sentiments in his ear. Though the gathering on Wednesday was an opportunity to honor Lewis, who achieved suc cess in the classroom and on the ballfield during his tenure as principal, the reunion of old friends and colleagues was more than that. It was a chance to say “thank you” to the man who is a mentor, a friend, a cheering squad to everyone he meets. It was a chance to show sup port for their comrade who has been battling Lou Gehrig’s disease for close to five years. “During his tenure, he earned the utmost respect of his students, his faculty and members of the community,” said Baxter Stirling, a member of South's Cougar Club. “South Brunswick became an institute of learning in which the students and community could take pride. The school rose to a level of competitiveness in the classrooms and on the athletic fields never seen before in its history. “Mose was not afraid of conflict and would often take action, then get permission later, but he always did what he thought was right and fair.” Lewis came to South Brunswick High School as principal in 1982 and was at the helm for 11 ‘ years before being offered a job in Brunswick County schools’ central office. Friends, students and colleagues from past and See Lewis, page 6 ‘(Mose Lewis) was a principal and a friend who cared about people down to the last person. He cares about everyone.’ Paul Faulk Former baseball coach Bright Ideas District asks only BEMC to make offer By Richard Nubel Staff Writer . Southeast Brunswick Sanitary District commissioners hope to have within 60 days enough information to decide whether or not to sell the dis trict's $11-million wastewater manage ment system to Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation. In contentious sessions Wednesday and Thursday, commissioners Lucille Laster, James W. (Bubba) Smith and Charles Welling voted to give BEMC alone that much time to complete a fea sibility study and business plan for pur chase and operation of the district facil ities. The three commissioners voted Wednesday to conduct a Thursday meeting with BEMC officials only. The Wednesday special session, recon vened on Thursday, was called by com missioners Laster and Welling, who presented an agenda that listed a num ber of items tabled by the board one week earlier. Item two of that agenda said only "BEMC." District chairman Gene Formy Duval and commissioner Ginger Harper voted Thursday against offering BEMC the exclusive opportunity to bid for the district's wastewater manage ment infrastructure. By the same 3-2 margin, commissioners refused to hear proposals to take over the sanitary dis trict wastewater operation from the Town of Oak Island, the City of Southport. Brunswick County and a private development company based in the Charleston. S. C.. area. Commissioners' surprise renewal of interest in BEMC's January request to purchase district infrastructure came as the political rift among SBSD commis sioners intensified. One week prior. Formy-Duval and Harper voted to demand I aster's resignation from the board, charging her with conflict of interest because her family business profited from work it did for the district. Smith and Welling voted against Harper's motion to demand Lasteds res ignation. Welling also refused a Wednesday ‘Our magnificent and major investment in the area is designed to fulfill growth. We are pre pared for growth in this area regardless of its magnitude.’ David Batten BEMC general manager call for his resignation by district resi dent Jenny Austin, of Oakwood Glen. Austin asserted Welling had to look at Laster each time a vote was called for an indication as to how he should cast his vote. "I feel vour uncommitted attitude ren ders you ineffective," Austin told Welling, demanding he look at her as she spoke. "I talked to a lot of people," Welling said, one month after challenging Austin to get a petition to get him "kicked out" of office. "I've been acting in the interest of all of the people and f will not resign." BEMC general manager David Batten told commissioners Thursday the 47,000-customer electric coop could bring a strong organization that already provides elements of the ser vice needed to the district. "Our good-faith offer places a very important role on customer service," Batten said in his pitch to win the 60 days necessary to complete a business plan. BEMC has about 1.800 electrici ty accounts in SBSD right now, he said. Batten said a bill approved by a N. C. House of Representatives panel just See System, page 7 Menhaden ban sinks in House t- • . . • . . Commercial menhaden fishing will ; remain unregulated off the beaches of jj Brunswick County. ( The N. C. House Environment and Natural Resources Committee last ; week voted decisively not to issue a ; favorable report of HB 571, an act f which would have forced commercial menhaden boats 1.5 miles off the coun ty’s shore between May 1 and September 30 each year. Opposition to the bill was over whelming, said Bob Black, president of Oak Island Fishing Club. Black and other sports fishermen joined local • elected officials in Raleigh on Wednes < day to speak in support of the seasonal L menhaden regulation. , | “It was hard to tell if anyone really f voted for it,” Black said. ; Chief among opponents of the bill, > sponsored by Rep. E. David Redwine f of Brunswick County, were Jule 5 Wheat-ley, owner of Beaufort ■ Fisheries Inc., and Jeny Schill, execu tive director of the N. C. Fisheries Association. A huge lobbying effort was successful in sinking the Redwine bill. t . Consortium facing tough task Corps may shift sand to beaches By Richard Nubel Staff Writer Nearly eight million cubic yards of sand suitable for beach stabilization will be pumped from the mouth of the Cape Fear River during the Wilmington Harbor Project beginning in April, 2000. U. S. Army Corps of Engineers offi cials Monday told members of the Brunswick Beaches Consortium that sand could be theirs to place on Bald Head Island, Caswell Beach, Yaupon Beach, Long Beach and Holden Beach, if they can figure out how to divide it, commit to paying a local cost share and provide the corps with a letter of inter est by June 30 of this year. “A year from April, we want to pro duce sand,” said Col. Terry Youngbluth of the corps’ Wilmington District office. “What we need from you is a plan on how to divide the 7.75 million cubic yards up.” D. Wayne Bissette, chief of the corps’ project management branch, told repre sentatives of the eight local govern ments comprising the Brunswick Beaches Consortium the quantity of * Wilmington Harbor Project involves stretch of Cape Fear. sand was sufficient to create a 150-foot wide berm over ten miles of beachfront. The five towns which stand to benefit feature about 18 linear miles of sandy beaches, so sections of beachfront suf fering most critically from erosion in each of these towns may be targeted to receive sand. Placement of the sand, and the rate at which sand is placed, will be left to members of the Brunswick Beaches Consortium. Consortium members may also decide to place less sand per linear foot and cover a more lengthy section of beachfront in the five towns. Bisselte said the corps could place the dredged sand at widths of 150 feet, l(X) feet or 50 feet per 1 inear foot. “The consortium is going to have to decide where we are going to put it." said Holden Beach town manager Mike Morgan. He and Long Beach town manager Jerry Walters have served as interim staff to the consortium. The coalition, which also includes Ocean Isle Beach. Sunset Beach and Brunswick County, which will not receive sand from the Wilmington Harbor Project, is preparing to move to phase II of its new operation. This new phase of development will include hir ing or contracting for professional staff. “The group is going to say. ‘Where tire the areas on the island that we want it?’” Morgan said. "It’s not a matter of starting at Bald Head Island and when we're out, we’re out. It's going to be tough. It's going to be tough when you go to your elected officials and try to sell this." Funds for construction of the $329 million Wilmington Harbor Project will be contained in President Clinton's fis See Dredging, page 10 SCHOOLS Tragedy is chance for action By Terry Pope Staff Writer As the nation voices its concern about school safety after the Colorado shooting incident, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Depart ment is seeking a state grant to better equip its resource officers in local schools. If the grant from the North Carolina Governor’s Crime Com mission is approved, Brunswick County will chip-in $49,656 as its portion to help match what is pro jected to be a $198,625 deal in state and federal funds to improve equip ment for county school officers. Deputies assigned to provide pro tection and security at die schools often receive “hand-me-down equip ment” front the patrol division because of the lack of funding to pur chase new vehicles, radios and gear, | See Grant, page 6 1 * NEWS on the Nf l: www.southport.net

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