Keeping score What impact will Brunswick’s $83.5-million school bond issue have on athletic facilities? 1 Cja^Yi Deceinbei;!, 1999/^0 cents Published every Wednesday in Southport, N. G. Winnabow golf course plan heard By Terry Pope Staff Writer The Brunswick County Planning Board will resume a public hearing tonight (Wednesday) on a 1,226-acre golf course subdivision proposed for the rural Winnabow community. A hearing that began November 17 Was cut short by the sudden death of Winnabow resident John Troy Lewis Sr., who collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack after he addressed the board and spoke in favor of the pro ject The board recessed the meeting until December 1, at 7 p.m. The hearing will continue in com mission chambers in the public assem bly building at the county government center near Bolivia. Before the hearing was halted two weeks ago, some resi dents spoke in favor of the project while others were opposed. They expressed concerns about traffic and environmental damage to surrounding creeks and streams. Bluegreen Golf Clubs Inc. has applied to rezone the large tract owned by International Paper Realty Corp. of Georgetown, S. C., from rural to R 7500, for medium-density residential. The company plans to file for a planned unit development (PUD) that will allow it to turn the timber tract into a golf course and residential subdivi sion bordering Rice’s Creek. Not everyone who wanted to speak at the hearing had done so before it was recessed two weeks ago. Representa tives of Bluegreen Golf Clubs did not have a chance to respond to concerns raised by residents and had not formal ly addressed the board before the hear ing was recessed. Planners will resume the hearing and vote on whether to recommend ap proval or denial of the rezoning request to county commissioners, who "have the final say. Commissioners must hold a second public hearing before they vote on the matter. The large tract extends from U. S. 17, just south of the N. C. 87 intersection at Bell Swamp, to Governor’s Road. Although no preliminary plats have been filed with the county planning See Project, page 14 OH, CHRISTMAS TREE MZ ife W' Photo by Jim Harper Southport’s Christinas tree appeared in its usual place over Thanksgiving, but not in its usual way, and Lew Cabral and Elton Jackson found themselves Monday decorating a living tree provided by an anonymous donor. The official lighting at the foot of Howe Street will be at 6 pan. Friday. Sinai change forgiven, but not Mg bucks By Terry Pope Staff Writer Some Brunswick County taxpayers are getting a break. That is, if they owe $2.50 or less. A resolution adopted by the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners directs county tax supervisor Boyd Williamson’s office to not send bills when a per son owes $2.50 or less in property taxes. It takes at least $2.50 just to print, address and mail a bill to someone with a relatively small amount due. Under state law, governing bodies which tax prop erty owners and collect their own taxes can direct assessors or collectors not to collect anything when the taxes and fees total no more than $5. Brunswick County has opted not to go that high, but to instead set the minimum at $2.50. That policy also will apply to accounts for munici palities or sanitary districts which contract with the county tax department to collect their taxes due. When a bill is $2.50 or less, a record is kept and a report is given to commissioners at the time the bill is settled or excused. The new policy starts immediately and applies to fis cal year 1999-2000. While tax collectors aren’t worried about small stuff, they are aggressively collecting the $3.53 million in back taxes that residents owe dating back to 1988. County tax personnel can seek ways to force pay ment of delinquent accounts dating back ten years — See County tax, page 10 Continued from page 1 Oak Island Annexation plan moves past N.C. 211 By Richard Nubel Staff Writer “Welcome to Lowe’s of Oak Island." “The Hampton Inn of Oak Island welcomes you." might hear these, or similar, words uttered frequently as soon as March, 2001, if the Town of Oak Island stays on schedule to complete the annexation of 255 acres in the Long Beach Road corridor and on N. C. 211. ‘Total- tax base value of the annexa tion area is $35,708,815," said Nancy Wilson, assistant to the Oak Island town manager. “Based on the current Oak Island tax rate of 34 cents per $ 1 (X) valuation, anticipated revenues from the annexation area are $ 121,410." Town council Monday night voted unanimously to adopt a resolution of intent to annex what is essentially the remaining commercial lots on either side of Long Beach Road, from, the town’s present corporate limits at Fish Factory Road to N. C 21 1. The annex ation territory extends east and west along N . C . 211 from the site of the new Hampton Inn on the south side of N. C. ‘We know we will be heard, but will you be listen Rosetta Short Oak Island resident 211 to Jones' shopping center on the north side of the highway. Ms. Wilson said the territory pro posed for annexation contains 93 com mercial, 11 residential and two industri al properties. In addition to Lowe’s and the Hampton Inn. now berth under con struction, significant commercial prop erties that will become part of Oak Island include those in Live Oak Village Shopping Center and Riven Ruii Shopping Center. This new annexation proposal of See Annexation, page 7 North Brunswick Student charged with starting fire By Diana D’Abruzzo Staff Writer ^ \, . A North Brunswick High School student was jailed Tuesday morning under $500,000 bond, charged with breaking into his school and setting the library afire. David Leon McKoy Jr., 17, of Northwest was apprehended as he left North Brunswick High School around 3:30 a.m. carrying a computer laser printer, said Leland police chief Brian Bamhardt. McKoy, a senior at North Brunswick, was charged with felony burning of a school house, breaking and entering, larceny, possession of burglary tools and injury to personal property, Bamhardt said. Fire damage was minimal, estimated at $5,000, and the school was opened for classes later that morning, Bamhardt said. Police were alerted to the break-in when the silent burglar alarm was activated, Bamhardt said. Within five minutes, Leland police Sgt. Roger Greenwood was on the scene and noticed lights on in the library. Moments later, McKoy emerged from the school. “The officer confronted him and told him to put his hands in the air," Bamhardt See School fire, page 9 Stairs step up interest ■ r Oceanfront owners at odds to ; figure out just how to rebuild gf fmm fhptr hmnvc tn Hv staircases from their homes to the beachfront in compliance with „ ; Oak Island’s new guidelines can take a deep breath. Help is on the way. Monday night, town council authorized building inspector . Oavid Clemmons to visit each staircase job site to assist home 1 owners in their efforts to place , staircases. Co-mayor Joan f ^hman said inspections officials where staircases may land. ; The direction to Qemmons and the inspections department is l a signal of some flexibility on the i : town’s part The budding inspeo See Dunes, page 14 , Fund balance Money in the bank helps with recovery By Richard Nubel Staff Writer Oak Island could not have begun to deal with the estimated $5 million in public costs associated with Hurricane Floyd mitigation had the town not had a solid unappropriated general fund balance, town manager Jerry Walters said Tuesday. When Hurricane Floyd devastated the town’s oceanfront, Oak Island had to reach deeply into its unappropriated cash on hand to foot die cost of clean-up and security and berm reconstruction. Federal officials are traditionally slow to reim burse towns for the cost of hurricane mit igation. “We are still out-of-pocket a consider able amount today,” Walters said. “We’ve See Recovery, page 6 “We are still going to be dealing with it for a considerable amount of time, but in lesser degrees than when we were involved in debris removal and sand management’ Jerry Walters Long Beach manager Photo by Jim Harper The autumn storms provided challenges in depth for Oak Island’s public works department While cleanup and repair mnfinnpH last week on the oceanfront other town workers were installing storm drains where heavy rains had created a flooding problem on 47th Street NE.

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