Comr BY SUSAN USHER A previously-rejected request to set up a revolving loan fund to help subdivisions improve their roads fell upon new ears at a Brunswick County Board of Comnvssioners meeting Monday. On Commissioner Jim Poole's moticn, the beerd instructed County At torney David Clegg to draft a preliminary' resolution for consideration on Feb. 4. the first step of a process that coniri take several months. That action was part of a lengthy meeting which saw only the fifth agenda item considered after two hours. They also met behind closed doors for about two hours, until approximately Ii p.m., to discuss lop candidates for the county finance officer position. They did not encumber any county funds as yet and will not for at least several months. In November 1984 the previous board rejected the loan fund idea on a split vote, but residents of Brooks Road in the Seaside area took thenCommissioner, now Chairman, Chi is Chappell at his word when he sug r-l riu, Lull BY TERRY POPE Monday morning's bitter cold temperatures weren't exactly what Brunswick County school officials were hoping to see following a week of high absences due iu colds and influenza. Several county schools last Friday reported absentee rates of 25 percent to 30 percent of the student enrollment due to flu Absenteeism rates soared to around 50 percent at several schools Monday morning as a result of both the weather and the recent flu outbreak. At Shallotte Middle School, 412 studenis oui of i ,077 enrolled did not show up after schools opened one hour later than normal Monday morning. Secretary Elaine Wright said an average of 100 to 150 students were, absent each day last week with the flu. Coici-Weati I I BY SUSAN USHER As temperatures piummeieu across the area, demand for electrical power from Brunswick Electric Membership Corp. reached a record peak Monday morning. General Manager David Batten said. Even wltn loaa management Controls in operation, demand surpassed the reeord 102,000 KW summer peak established !" iiw hv several thousand KW, Batten said, for a record peak demand equivalent to about 106 or 107 megawatts. Demand for electrical power is highest normally between 5:30 a.m. and 8 a.m., peaking about 7:30 a.m. Batten said Monday's high occurred closer to 8:15 a.m.. probably in relation to later openings ot schools and BEMC has connected 1,482 services with load management switches, with plans to install 10,000 over Sunset Br Struck Ac 1 Continued F r He said several factors made it possible for crews to restore traffic so quickly Last week, including good working weather and cooperation from both other departments and from local volunteei fire and rescue units. "They took a load off us and we were able to concentrate our efforts on one thing," he said. The Brunswick County road maintenance crew took over 11* small boat ferry service from volunteers late Sunday and operated Monday and maybe Tuesday," said Rill Ren ton countv road engineer TV> also built and maintained the rsmns for tkp Landing craft Imtv o?r vice that operated between Bcnapsrte Landing and the island causeway. That service was 8BB2822SSS f fj "u 1 i 4 missioners V Rested they conic hock und try c^oin with the new board. could ,4opcn ? c:*n nf worms." causing more problems that it solved. l \m aU It 3 ??f=?U!!!fc?! r 'Ii .as u5u last week,' Ms. Wright said. "Parents have just been keeping their children home if they think they may be coming down with the flu." The entire fiftH-orade muut at Shallotte Middle was without heat Monday morning as county maintenance employees worked to repair the problem, Ms. Wright said At West Brunswick High, the cold spell struck amid first-semester exams. An hour delay in opening school Monday morning sent teachers and students scurrying to class as Principal Roland English announced the exam schedule would remain as planned through Wednesday. Attendance Secretary Ruth Johnson said that of West's 969 enrolled students, 138 students were absent last Thursday while 112 were absent on Friday. She spent Monday ier Power De a three-year period. The rural cooperative went on load management automatically about 5:30 a.m. and came off It about 9 a.m. Monday, Ratten said, saving about 2,500 KW cf ueiimnu. At a demand charge cf $10.29 per KW. Batten estimated sav lugs of $20,725 for the co-op Monday morning. The unusual demand and severe cold weather put strains on the system, with outages experienced in varying locations. Isolated problems began occurring about 11 p.m. Sunday, but most interruptions in power occurred dunng the peak hours between 5:20 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Monday The longest outage, affecting the heaviiv-ioaded west end of i>oiig Reach laden annrnvimatelv three hours, Batten said. When transmission was lost, he said, BEMC had trouble picking it back up because it irlrsf^ ? jain am Page 1-A) operated by tlic state's ferry division, while the traffic services division made directional signs and helped with traffic control, he added Sunset Beach residents generally praised the speed with which state agencies responded to the emergency. At a meeting after the bridge was struck, Sunset Beach Town Manager U/olloss* ?? ? u r* kill iomj J'eirpu ireali, Slate Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safetv. "It f#?lt of*A h<.inti able to get bold of state officials on a Saturday It sure reduces your level of frustration." And one 'oca! realtor, Greg Gore, confessed, "You always think of the state as being slow, but they responded fast The fart we got surh a fast response eased a lot of the tension." A The residents, with Mrs. Marshall Brooks as their spokesperson, want commissioners to advance them the money to bring their road up to the standards required for acceptance in the state secondary road system, then allow them a year after tile work is completed in winch to repay the loan. Under the plan the county would add the bill to their county tax notice, along with each property owners' pro-rated cost of the proceedings. Several residents have refused to help pay for the work in advance, but nlnrr Providing rather than when it whs coniplstcd. Rather than a gift or simple loan, the advance is technically a "statutory special assessment," Ciegg noted. Conuiiissioners must ciivci a t-u cuiiuiuii > lesuiuuon, noia a hearing, advertise and then vote to adopt an assessment resolution. Thei'i the cycle ucgiiis again as tliey develop, certify and approve an assessment roll. The appeals procedure available to property owners who disagree with the assessment extends into district court. "There is no way to get around it," said Clegg. "This is what we have to do." About 40 to 45 peopie live on Brooks Drive, which has about 80 lots. All lots have been sold and the developer is no longer obligated to maintained the streets and the residents are not providing maintenance themselves. The road has fallen into disrepair. At one point mail delivery was halted temporarily because of road conditions. Their petition was the first of three requesting an advance of funds. The i i I^I i other parts where there is little heat. The maintenance men have hail their hands full." After learning of the heating situation at Union Primary Monday, Ms. Varnum said, many parents began picking their children up from school. The last school bus had arrived at Bolivia Elementary School by 11:15 a.m Monday morning, said Secretary Kay Lemlcy. Of the school's 495 students, 168?or about 35 percent?were absent Monday, she said. The school was not experiencing difficulties with heating. "Since Christmas, the flu has been keeping our attendance down," Ms. l/tmley said. last week, 30 students were out on Monday, 28 on Tuesday, 45 or Wednesday, 48 on Thursday, and 29 on Friday, she saiu. rior Record Mo rlusnUuid most ol Uw collirelated problems in three categories 1) lightning-scarred lines or conduc tors tiiat drew up and snapped in tin cold and required resleeving; 2 blown transformers as a result ol overload in ? particular area; ami 3; blown fuses in even inure localized situations. BEMC buys its electricity from Carolina Power & Light Co. CP&I. reduced its voltage by i>% ui ubuui j a.m. Monday, but the difference should not have been noticeable. Customers are also being asked to coascrvc energy. Ac. .. .A&wumki ie Cards uzza" CHOCOLATE Heart Boxes 5 $!6" eaters 25% OFF ts Up to 14 OFF >ats Up to 60% OFF earib 5 i4!! Up Vi Price Vi Price - 1 / M.f ins vi rrico Up To ?ar. Vi Price >tton H4* yd. Volue* to $35 jans *14" THE BRUNSWICK BEACON, 1 Revolving I second group has since privately obtained the money needed. The third is uan. urove uoau, where residents want a loan for paving. *r? 1 nAtM< a' uvai a viut Gwen Ellis, representing Social Worker Supervisor Evelyn Johnson of the Brunswick County Department of Social Services, askeu for clarification of the board's recent vote establishing itself as the county's focal point on aging, a status previously assigned their department. Chairman Chris Chappell said the department 110 longer has that responsibility and that a decision will be made soon regarding a related half-time position in the department. He said commissioners took the responsibility themselves to allow time to establish the kind of program for the elderly they want the county to have. Things To Come In response to a question from Brunswick County Department of Social Services employee Debbie AUlridge of Southoort. Countv Manager Billy Carter reaffirmed that county personnel who worked overtime during Hurricane Uiana last September would receive either overtime or compensatory time cff. The county is appealing a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency not to award grant relief for that purpose. Depending in part on the results of the appeal, the enmity will decide later on whether to pay overtime. Whether compensatory time off is the only compensation available, or il Ls i'nu uiuiiiuu chosen by the employee, the employee will not lose those credits, he said. Earlier in ttie meeting Ms. Aldridgc told conuuissioncrs that. In her opinion, a policy that requires all county employees to live in the county could backfire. She suggested that because employees live in the county doesn't mean they will necessarily do a better job. She said the policy could result in the county losing the opportunity to hire qualified employees, i that the county could suffer in terms of employee performance She added, "There are a lot of peo;?!;i hjriul frnm u/ifhtn thn emmtu nrwl believe me, some of them ore slack." t (J};;.- Iljj-U.... In other business, the board: Heard Crom Tax Collector Nancy Mwirt thai un ot Jun. 1, fVtt.0% ot Dw 1984 $12.4 niillion U*x levy lu** !.H?cr collected, along with $270,000 in back ' taxes through foreclosures. 1 Approved plans for encouraging nubile nartielruitinn jn rfyixlntl of Hie county's CAMA land use plan. These i Include, at three stages in the planning process, Joint public workshops by the commissioners and planning board members most directly related to each township, meetings with special interest groups for input and coordinating efforts with those of nearby counties and municipalities Approved advertising to fill the lib'i Boxed Sc Vale With Er Brachs Bag Conversatit Cinnamon Irr Most Winter i Merchandise Reduced I ens '// !. OEPARTMil 2H3J3CHZE Downtown Shallotte ['hui sday, January 24, 1985?Page 3-A .oans water management and mosquito control equipment operator position previously lield by Wayne Edwards, salary' $12,532. -Approved a change order, with a $2,637.84 cost increase, for 232 addi tional feet of pipe installed by Somersett Landscaping Inc. in 1 4U _ M.-ina liaa ICllA-OUllg VI1C VUUIIVJ nuvvi 1U1C away from the north approach of the new Holden Beach Bridge. Even with the increase, the contract is still cheaper than the second bidder's. County Engineer Dan Shields said. Agreed with County Manager Billy Carter and staff's recommendation to reject an $874 grant offer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to repair stream blockage irom Hurricane Diana. Carter said it would cost the county more to spend the money than it would receive, but that the documentation of the blockage?even though much of it did not qualify under the disaster program?would give the county data it needs to seek "finer and better tilings" in the area of water management through other state and federal programs. Appointed Marie Brown, nurse, District I; anu reappointed Fred Lesh, pharmacist, District 3; to the Brunswick County Board of Health; reappointed Pauline Morgan and Kenneth Bellamy, District 3, to the Brunswick County Hospital Authority; ami appointed Commissioner Grace Bcusley to the COG Regional Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee; and at Ms. Benslcy's recommendation, appointed County AttOiTiey DnVid Cicgg to the l.ower Cape I'"ear Water and Sewer Autliorlty. Announced the official resignation of Chris Chappcll and former Commissioner Carl "Mackic" Kormy Duval from the Brunswick County Social Services Board. Accepted for referral to the state Slt-2 petitions to add Basin Street and Westover Drive and the roads in Oak Haven subdivision to the statemaintained secondary road system. Because not all property owners along the right-of-way had signed, took no action on a request to submit a petition to the state to abandon proposed Stella Bond near Inland. County Attorney David Clegg advised commissioners they had no authority in the family road dispute, which he said was more properly a matter for the state transportation department i t?r Uw court*. 'Ww \?rnY*>Mw\ vr*k*\ i would provide the only access to a t subdivision that lias received preliminary plut approval from the I county planning board. Accepted (he dedication of the Hock Crab subdivision water distribution system to the county. At Chairman Chris Chappeli's direction, asked Engineer Dan Shields to report 011 voluntary growth Ul tile Wldcf ? I'n'iii niong its southwestern seumcnt. includlnu footage of water lines dedicated by developers to the county, their value, number of lots served, and tire like. llpr* :hool Kids ntines welopes ged Candies n Hearts & iDerial Hearts Ladies' Winter n x_ DUUI3 Reduced .*4 ?* ft*!***** WACOM .J .V rpiio *T STORE J 754 4846