June 16,1999
Phone 910-457-4568/Fax 910-457-9427/e-mail pilot@southport.net Volume 68, Number 43
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BRUNSWICK
Long-range
sewer plan
presented
By Terry Pope
Staff Writer
A plan to provide countywide sewer.
service over the next 20 years was un
veiled before Brunswick County com
missioners Monday.
It calls for three phases of action and
anticipates three large sewer treatment
plants in the Leland, Southport and
Shallotte areas. Estimated rates for the
first phase, which should be completed
by the year 2010, are $32 per month
per household. By the end of phase ID,
in 2020, the cost should decrease to
$27 a month,
The Stormwater Management Over
sight Committee, appointed by the
board of commissioners last year, hired
HDR Engineering Inc. of the Carolinas
to draft the long-range plan that will
help guide the county to implement a
sewer system to replace individual sep
tic tanks that may be harming the envi
ronment.
“We have a wastewater problem in
Brunswick County." said committee
chairman May Moore. “Pollution is
only going to become worse as our
county develops in the future.”
Since work began on the long-range
plan, the committee has received 18
resolutions of support from local
municipalities. Brunswick County
already has taken the first step in
regional sewer in the northern area
where a joint effort is underway to pro
vide service to the North Brunswick
Sanitary District, Leland and Navassa.
Two other districts — Southeast
Brunswick Sanitary District in the
Southport- Oak Island area and South
Brunswick Water and Sewer Authority
in the Calabash area — either have
sewer projects underway or in devel
opment.
Commissioners agreed with the
committee Monday to open discus
sions with state officials about effluent
disposal options for its three proposed
regional plants and to pursue reform of
See Brunswick, page 7
Military
presence
in festival
The military, prominent in Fourth of
July celebrations here since the late
18th century, will again play a major
roltAs the city hosts North Carolina’s
official observance of Independence
Day.
The 2nd Marine Division Band will
present a pre-Fourth concert on
Saturday, June 26. The performance
will be on the grounds of Fort
Johnston, overlooking the Cape Fear
River, where several patriotic events
are scheduled during the N. C. Fourth
of July Festival July 1-5.
The Moving Wall, a half-size replica
of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,
will be exhibited on the Garrison dur
ing the period July 1-8. The 440th
Army Band will perform in concert
there on Saturday, July 3, and Marine
units from Camp Lejeune will be dis
played along the Southport waterfront
during the festival.
A Monday observance at the historic
Southport cemetery will honor two of
the city’s founding fathers who served
in the Revolutionary War. -
While the military has been involved
in the celebration for more than two
centuries, the Southport festival has
expanded far beyond the'21-gun
salutes. Arts and crafts, waterfront
entertainment, a parade — held July 5
this year because the Fourth falls on a
Sunday — and a fireworks display
over the river are highlights that draw
See Fourth, page 11
YOUNG CREWMEN
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Setting sail
A little help from the big guys is always appreciated as
youngsters in Cape Fear Yacht Club’s Optimist and Sunfish
training program get underway from the Southport shore.
Graduation for the summer’s first class was Sund ay; a new
two-week course is now in progress (photos hv .ton Harper)
Nighttime response
Rescue volunteers
want to answer call
By Richard Nubel
Staff Writer
Oak Island rescue volunteers will make their
case to remain in charge of nighttime emer
gency medical service tonight (Wednesday)
when Yaupon Beach commissioners and Long
Beach town councilors meet in what is to be the
last of their budget workshops for the year.
Last Wednesday, June 9, rescue volunteers
told the two governing boards they could devise
a plan to assure all calls for assistance are
answered between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Noting 103
calls had not been answered during that period
of time this year, elected officials earlier had
approved Long Beach town councilor Jeff
Ensminger’s motion to employ professional
emergency medical technicians to work the 12
hour evening shift. Professionals will soon com
plete one year of service to the Long Beach
Rescue Squad. They work daytime hours only,
seven days a week.
At the conclusion of the Wednesday night ses
We realize there is a
problem. It's a matter of
us sitting down as a
group and getting up
schedules.’
Kim Belanovich
Rescue squad chid
sion, council told the rescue volunteers they had
a week to devise a plan lor 100-percent night
time emergency medical coverage.
“Money for paid personnel remains in the
See Rescue, page 7 .
LONG BEACH
Crossings
approved
By Richard Nubel
Staff Writer
Meeting for the last time in regular
monthly session as Long Beach Town
Council Tuesday night, members
went to see a man about a bridge.
In fact, they saw consulting engi
neer John Kuske of Andrew and
Kuske Consulting Engineers Inc.
about two bridges, and bought them
both.
Council agreed to pay about
$755,000 for construction of bridges
across “Little” Davijs.Canal at 15th
Street SW and at 28th Street SW. The
bridges will replace earthen dams and •
culverts that connect the mainland to
Pine Island at 15 th Street SW and to
Island Drive at 28th Street SW.
The bridges, long considered by a
numberof governing boards and long
See Long Beach, page 9
Sand funds added
Caswell tax
is 38 cents
By Richard Nubel
Staff Writer
Property tax rate for the Town of Caswell Beach next fis
cal-year will be 38 cents per $100 valuation, the town's
board of commissioners decided Thursday on a 4-1 vote.
The approved tax rate for next year is 14 cents higher than
that proposed by commissioners one week earlier.
Commissioners Thursday bowed to public demand to
fund the anticipated local share of a federal beach nourish
ment project, adding 12 cents to the tax rate to generate
approximately $151,000. _
Though Caswell Beach
and Town of Oak Island
officials are still in negotia
tion over a fee for rescue
service, commissioners
added another two cents to
the tax rate to generate
another $25,160 toward
that fee to Oak Island. That
sum may be added to the
$7,300 commissioners ear
lier earmarked for rescue
service.
Only commissioner Paul
O'Connor voted against
the town’s budget and the
tax rate substantially high
er than the one he proposed
last week as co-budget
chairman. Fellow co-bud
get chairman Bob Spake
joined commissioners BiU
Boyd. Billy Coleman and
‘This will
show our
partners, fed
eral, state and
county, that
we are com
mitted to
beach renour
ishmen.’
Dutch O’Connell
Caswell resident
_6
Marcia Whiting to adopt the budget and its 38-cent tax rate.
Commissioners last week unveiled a $775,755 spending
plan for the year to begin July 1 which was silent on the
issue of beach nourishment and did not anticipate how1
much money Oak Island officials would ask for rescue ser
vice next year. The two issues — particularly citizens' will
See Caswell, page 11
St. James incorporation
If gate stays,
no state funds
By Richard Nubel
Staff Writer
If the gate stays up, St. James can become a town, but it
can't accept state pass-through revenues.
That's the compromise Rep. E. David Redwine has
offered those who wish to incorporate the gated and guard
ed St. James Plantation as the Town of St. James.
Mayor-designate Earl Dye floated the compromise
before proposed town leaders Tuesday. *
“If they agree not to accept state money, we'll let them be
a town and they can nin it on their own." Redwine said
Tuesday from his office in Raleigh.
The deal to become a municipal corporation ineligible for
state funds was offered as Redwine and state Sen. R. C.
Soles Jr. became suspicious of St. James developers' will
ingness to remove the gate and guardhouse that restricts
entry to St. James Plantation. Redwine met with St. James
See St James, page 11
Instrument flight training
Veteran space walker
is earning new wings
By Diana D-Abruzzo
Staff Writer
When you’ve been through space and orbited Earth
a couple hundred times, flying in an airplane through
a few clouds doesn’t seem like too big a deal.
But for Kathryn Thornton, it is.
The NASA astronaut, whose career has taken her
aboard the space shuttles Discovery, Endeavor and
Columbia, arrived in Brunswick County on Saturday
to learn the ins and outs of airplane Hying from a res
ident expert.
Thornton already has her private pilot’s certificate,
but she came here to learn how to fly using instru
ments.
“I just like to learn new things, and it's fun to go Hy
ing,” Thornton said alter aiming at Brunswick
County Aii |X)it to red carpet treatment.
Thornton turned at the airport behind the wheel of
a Bonanza airplane owned by instructor Jimmy
Kilboume, who accompanied her along w ith his wile.
Acrowd of onlookers gathered at the airport to meet
the “real, live astronaut.
The astronaut s visit to Brunswick, County \\\m’t go •
unnoticed — in between her rigorous instrument rat
ing training, Thornton will speak at the Southport
Rotary Club ;utd Brunswick County Airport
See Astronaut, page IS
i
Photo by Jim Harper
Astronaut Thornton and co-pilot Jimmy Kilbourne train at Brunswick County Airport
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