Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / April 23, 1987, edition 1 / Page 4
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Mobile Home Families: Are They Good Neighbors? A stick of potential dj'namite ma}' soon be lighted in the North Carolina General Assembly, one that will send planning bosTGE and town comniLqsiQners all over Brunswick County right straight into orbit Ha\'ing squeaked past Sen. R.C. Soles judidaiy commit tee by \irtue of his affirmative vote, a bill to outlaw discrimination against mobile homes is now in a finance com mittee, beaded for the Senate. Simply put the bill says manufactured housing must be allowed in e%’eiy single^amily residential area in the state. In other words, there goes the neighborhood! That’s the dismayed reaction of many homeowners. Their vision is that of a tacky shoe-box of a trailer moving next door to a $S.OOO brick home, the etq>osed imdersides of the trailer a haven for rusty appliances, l^oken toy’s, and trash Aside from aesthetics, these panic-stricken owners of “fine” homes see their property value plummetinc with single- and doufale-wides as neighbors. And oificiais in beach towns have of head-'icHe rf th.'-;;" flam mable, and if one catches on fire, it bums quic^v.” nnr com missioner observed, “and on the beach, houses bty st clnsr together, that’s really dangerous.” It’s easy to commiserate witti people concsmac ahnii; tJv appearance, value and safety of their neishhorhoAo Bniry. human, we all worry more about our eimramnen: thai. vn At alwut unfair treatment of the manufactured hnusinf nulu.srr'. However, before hysteria sett m. it wnuid K w^tr.nita-1 careful loc* at Sen. Plyler’s bill and a: today’s mnnilf homes Just for starters, the mamiactared iioust. alwnvjk ^ hnm to the lower-income family, is now about ^ oniy hnuiuni n*- fordable by the young and tiie elasrij. At haf tlu tirucr n; y modest “stick-biiilt" house, a widow or. mcumii. nr newlyweds womng for TniTimurr waee. car. naw tiwr own In respect to The a^vearance of these the picture has changed considerably’. Peaked roofs, bay windows, built- on porches, and flower gardens are among the features adorn ing many of today’s manufactured houses, boft single and double. Increasingly, manufacturers are adding decorative touches to that stark rectangle, and exterior covering resembles more and more that of many sate-built hon^ Lap siding of wood or aluminum is more atttactive than the flimsy aluminum panels coi*ering early traders. Interiors are. of course, practically indistinguishable from those of the finest houses, but we're talking outside ap pearance right now. .And. with brick underpinning, that tq>- pearance. in recently^-built mobile homes, is a x’asJ iznjK'ove- ment o\’er the stsreoty’pical trader. Safety factors have improx’ed, too. Whereas once, thin wood paneJiry: cm»ejed interior walls, now dry gypsum, similar le sheetrock is required. ITw modem manfactured hiiiise hums nr- tastpr than a~ other, Mnhilr Twines mist! moo: ^yloral Hfl'TT* safety r^ulations, white nwrtular home.- l)w larg.esl nwdeliv with croTwr brac ing cnmfnm t/ -staif hiijlrtli^ ,'oites Now to:tntrr » i/w^ o. ihr nrqiwsor. h^pslation. While it .says 1 cnan^ n fotij ,'ai srwv'l^ Ir. zoning laws that man- ro.''tnro )vnis«>> K- Uvwtoi mi'’wht,>re angle-family resirtorL-e- ac?. oiiotcor, !. rloes allov for some requirements. nlanrtoTs; Voi. .wr., lo hGptr. widu require tTw roino\» o htichfts wheels anr r.vtes Ir addition, y’ou can 'rypuih 3 minimuii sft{u»a'V'.footagf of heated ^wce and cer- tati ejctoTin" dimotssions. and cstahlLsd. criteria for ap- paa'Ron.’s rsawi is- nsr-iu-uilar kinds ni roofing mateiialsl, Solfs- iteciahet. 'fif iruiRicinnlities study this carerui- ly. lho» ,-sn liw j -p- ,-onirnI where mobile homes are ’ ^ingte-wnneN a; sfwst. .'•nuld be nds^ out, be said. TTre a. 'h/lunK'Mnalities. however, exposes the leEislation simply because municipalities are not in ine driver’s seat. They believe the bill overrides local zoning authority, something state iegisiaiors should not take from local gevem- ment Attorney’s for the League say that, instead, towns should be enccHiraged to re-examine their zoning ordinances and allow more flexible placement of manufactured houses. The prerogative for change should lie with towns, not the General .Assembly. Tliere are reasons, then, to both defend and attack Senate Bill 306, and its accompanying House Bill 507, but no reason for despair. In fairness to the housing industry, any home meeting state as well as federal building codes should have equal ac cess to any part of town. The key words here are “as well as; ” ail manufactured housing except modular is presently exempt from meeting state codes, some of which are more stringent than those of HUD. In fairness to homeowners, they should have some assurance that their pre^rty’ will not be devalued by unat tractive houses. Homes of similar value have tended to con gregate in neighborhoods. Why should this practice not in clude the manufactured house? The most telling point is the matter of jurisdiction. The closer to the people such an anti-discrimination decision is, the more sound it’s apt to be, and the more readily accepted. State legislators should probably leave this one to county commif^sioners, or even better, to the municipalities. We don’t need anymore inroads on local government. However, the consciences of town commissioners should be bea\-ily pricked to take another look at today’s manufac tured ho’iising. They should include in our communities to a greater extent those families whose houses were built in fac- tiffies. Such families can make mighty good neighbors. Opinion Page THE BRUMSWICKiRAOM Edward M. jsdCarul^'a H. S«ig,aitt AiiAdMss Edward M. S«'eatt — ... SAor SuMin I'-brr ... i ..Aocs EtStm Maijo™- Mrptrm 4Mwriaif EJiHa Etta Tniitfa Juhmiy Crai^ Spcaits Editor Mary Pottfr .............C^^firp Maaijtrii (>;c(dia Gurr & Snhan Bardoal...4dr«rt»iii^ itepresemtttzcrr Tamssc A. Oaga«i»y BrracBaxi .... Bill McGowsm. * .......... Brenda tHemmon- ..... ..Phtno lecmuciMO Ixiiime Sprinkle.... ..............,4eairtanf Pressman Clyde and Mattie ^Houl. Pboebe Clemmons... ...Circolatioa Pagt 4-A Tnnrsday, April a. 1987 Calendar Of Evenis Thursday, April 23 A PROGRAM ON RECREA’HONAL FISHING is oSered at ti* West Brunswick Branch Library, Shallotte. 1 p jn. GAME NIGHT at the .American Legion Post one mile south of Shallotte. UA. 17, 7; 30 p.m. Friday, April 24 A FREE BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC will be held by the Brunswick Hospital at the Ocean Ide tirandi of United Carolina Bank, 10 a.m.-12 noon. PRESCHOOL STORY TIME will be held at the Leland Branch Library. 10 a.m.-10;45 a.iii., 11 am.-ll :4S a.m. BOWHL NTERS uKeresled in forming a county bowfaunters and archery club meet at Margie’s Homestyie Restaurant, Shallotte. 7:30 pun. For more hi- formahor. call Ricky Holden or Larry Oxendine. GAME MGHT at the Shallotte Point Volunteer Fire Department, will be held at a new Ume 'oeginning this week. 8 p.m. SHALLOTTE AL AN1N F.AMH.Y GEQLT rr^K at Canm United Methodist Church. 8 p.m. This is a support groigi for families of alcoholics. CLOSED MEETING of Aieohohes Ananymous for individuals who have a pro- DiGd WILD &1CQQQI. AA ouuCuu^. O^SScwvWD, S SHALLOTTE tVHEEL .AND DEALERS Square Dance Club dances each Fri day at the American Legion Hut south of Shallotte, 8 p.m. Public welcome. GAME NIGHT at the Sunset Beach Volunteer Fire Department, 8 pm. Saturday, April 25 CALABASH VOLUNTEER RESCUE SQUAD THRIFT SHOP, beside tlie squad builduig on N.C. 179, will be open. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. DEADLDVE IS TODAY lor entering the Teen and Junior Miss Brunswick County Pageants lages 9-16). For more information contact Dinia Woodard or Karen Mashoures. GAME NIGHT wU] be held at the Calabash Volunteer Fire Department 8 p.m. Sunday, April 28 OPEK MEETING b)' Alcoholics Anonymous at the AA Building, Grissettown. 8 p.m Monday, April 27 UTILITY OPEIRATTONS BOARD meets to discusses special assessment water districts, conference room. Planning and Resources BuBding, Brunswick County Government Center, 3:30 p.m. BRUNSWICK COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES meets in the social services department. Brunswick County Government Center, 5:30 p.m. OPEN MEETING by the Holden Beach Property Owners Associatioo on the referendum on two-year terms fw town commissianers, at the Holden Beach Town HaU, 7:30 p.m. ^^EABASH \ FW LADIES AUXILIARY meets at Ella's Restaurant Calabash, 7:30 p.m. axiSED MEETING for individuals who have a problem with alcc^ Alcoholics Ano.-!ymous Building, Grisettvwn, 8 pm Tuesday, April 28 PREISCHOOL STORY TTMEL West Brunswick Branch library, ^lallotte 10 a.m.-10:48 a m.. 11 a.m.-ll:45 a.m. A BKE PROGRAM for youngsters ages 8 to 13 will be held at the West Brunswick Branch Ubrary, Shallotte. 3:30 p.m-5 p.m. PILOT CLUB of the South Brunswidt Islands meets in the Brunswkk Electric Membership Corp. community room, 6:30 p.m Wednesday, April 29 BRUNSWICK TOASTMASTERS meet at the Ship’s Chandler in Southport 7 a.m-8 a.m Guests welcome. Call 7S4-5062 e^'enings and weekesxls for more infonnatioa PRESCHOOL STORYTIME is offered at the main library in Southport 10 a.m.-!0:t£ s.m, 11 a.m-ll;tf a.m A BKE PROGRAM for youngsters ages 8-13 arill be held at the main library, Southport 3:30 p.m-5 p.m CLOSED Meeting for individuals who have a problem with aicohoi, at the Alcoholics Anonymous Building, Grissettown, 8 p.m Ev^erybody Was A Winner At Special Olympics vx\t ntisnaec thr Strusw.Kt r3n37» 5b»kib. Dtymnics as jTTCsgj “£ tnase eTsas with 5—CNN, Tub: sumegimr essn was me n- sarauar tta; comss irctE seemp roccuEe and dnsmunaiirri m the factt: of ahou: SOP special educanot! sttraems frosn ttirougSKun the county. Tbs haff rrtrru* frnm Hjf. feren: seboois m Uie count?- to com- pete for trophies in track. baL throw and long jump events. But to these special participants the events meant more than just winning a Cophy. • They gave the participants a chance tc belie\-e in themselves, and to acconphsb what most of us take for granted. For instance. I saw children’s faces covered with laughter—brought on by that ^>ecial joy felt when you’ve accomplished something important And there were faces that sym- 'nolixed coorage, worn by par ticipants in the track events. Some of those paiticqiants rolled across the finish line in wheelchairs, but not an inkling of doubt in themselves was e\’ident Opt young 'Doy was panicuiariy touching. .After he completed the long jump he yeDed, “I did it I jumped!” .Another little boy who won a ribbon in the ball-thrcrwing event asked me, ■’See my ribbem? See bow far I threw that ball?” .And then there were the other win ners in the crowd—they loo had smiles on their faces. They were me many volunteers busy coordinating the different events. Many of them are teenagers who attend local high schools. Standing at the finish line prepar ing to ;hokxgrapb a race, I was merr- ed bj- those young men and women. They were i^iously eicated to be a part of this ertraordinarj- event. There were the specnal education teachers who cheered and jumped up and down with excitement after one of their students won in an event. They were winners, too. The enthusiasm shared by everj’body who attended was only one of the prizes we fook home. We also took with us a lesson in what courage and determination can ac- ccHnpUsh. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Zoninq Is Vital To Survival Take Back Your Trash BY FILL FAA’ER An earh morning walk alimg the waterway reveals all kinds of debris and refuse. Bits of lumber scraps, foam cups, plastic bottles, drink cans, floats, wire, miss- matched socks, insulation, and more adorn the fringes of the mudflats and marshes. ScHoe decewate the sisTibs, left high by the syzygy tides or wake from a passing beet The high tide line along the beaches reveals much of the same discards—sym bols of our way of life. High tide does its cleanup of the waters by depositing these floating pieces of trash back up chi the land. It’s almost as if the waters said, "No thanks! Take it back! Take back your trash!” The higher the tide, the farther up on land it goes. In marshes, where elevation differences of only a few inches may emver a wide area, trash can be strewn for many yards frtro the deeper water itself. Most of the trash, of ccwrse, comes from c:areless or imea-ring boaters, fishermen, and strollers who find it easier to throw their used bottles and ranc and innrh wrappings in the water than to (kposit them in a plastic bag to take baede few d’lqKsal Some of the trash comes from stonns and accudents where trash gets in the water by mistake. Some of it comes freun ocean liners that dunqi their trash and garbage in the ocean out past the jurisdktticHial limits of regulations. Americans are not the only offenders, of course. We find trash in many parts of the world. But too erften what we find is tied to an attitude similnr to ours. Several years ago, I was in Beirut with a group and we were stating one of the beautiful white sand beaches on the Mediterranean. TYash was eseo’where along the high tide line, A lady in our group asked the guide, “wny do ibese people ihrow ibeir trash on the beach? Don’t diey have any pride?” Tlie answer was an embarassing one: “They don’t throw trash on the beach. This trash comes from gar bage dumped by cruise ships like yours carrying rich Amerirtins and Europeans chi holidav!” What are our excuses? No doubt many of the same folk who throw trash frenn their cars also feel it is “natural” to get rid of their refuse in the streams and marshes. The vastness of the ocean makes it seem like a good dumping ground. But we can see at each high tide that the ocean is telling us to take it back! Do something else with it! Take back your trash! To the editor: We are indeed fortunate to have a man of the caliber cf (Brunswick County CcHnmissioner) Jim Poede to represent those of us who understand the need and value of zoning. The ob vious deterioration of parts of our county can only spread and worsen in the absence of some fonn of senable regulation and land use. .Anyone who has lived in a zoned community and compares it to an un zoned one can readily see the value of zoning. A study to develp a sensitde, resident-friendly zoning ordinance is vita! to t ——• —-- ^ • Me vw atM ettnt tMtIXM |/t xn our exmununity. It will take ceurage, commitment and salesmanship to effect a workable CHdinance. For the sake of our cdiildren it murt be done. The exHiunisaoners must bite the bullet and tackle this pro blem before it is too late. Zoning, coupled with a bottle/depodt law will help effect the miracle needed to clean up and ensure a brighter en vironment for all of us. k R. C Kochersberger ' Sunset Beach Artificial Seaweetd: Does It Help Or Hurt? Nothing can stop the ocean from devouring the shcneline. But over the iaa few years, artificial seaweed has bwn touted as a liable option for ero sion contrei. Yet coastal experts cxntinue to question its effeedh'eness. In theory, the long strips or tufts of fiber called “fronds” act as an under water sand fence traf^iing «anrf ano forming an offshore sandbar or reef. Dense, floating quantities of the seaweed resemWe breakwaters that can cart the force of waves. Since its inception in the early 1960’s, artificial seaweed has taken root in North Carolina, other states and Europe. One of the most widdy publiciied and acclaimed seaweed installation l»x>jecis occurred at the Cape Hat- teras Lighthouse in 1981. A flow build-19 of the beach pro mpted addittonai applications in an effort to ease severe eixsion rates (20 to 24 feet each year once 1823) and the threat of losing the nation’s tallest lighthouse. The build-iip also incited mactat scientists to take a cdoso’ lock at the seaweed’s effects. Evidence ccHrelating the seaweed aiKi acxretian was shaiiow. 'Identists ccodaded that the build- op was most likely due to die natural shoreline fluctuations. Their tests, and tests throughout the United States and Ehtrepe, con sistently have shown that artifldal seaweed is inefiective in controlling shoreline erosian produced by waves, says ^>o)cer R^ers, Sea Grant’s coastal engineer. Although some European products show potential in contrdling tidal scour as around offshore oil plat- forno, their appikatian to wave- induced erosion is entirely different, Roger says. Sea Grant has a publica- uOii for more ixuormatiuu on ar tificial seaweed. For-a copy of Ar- tiSdal Seaweed for Shoreline Ero- rion Cmtrd? b>' ^lencer Rogers, write Sea Grant, Box 8605, North Caredina State Univeraty, Raleigh, NC 2769S«05. The cort is $1. Sea Grant Ls a federal and state program that promotes the wise use of coastal mid marine resources through rc.search, cductation and ex tension. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE BRUNSWICK^BEACON POST OFFICE BOX 3SAa ^ POST OFFICE BOX 2558 SHAUOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA 28459 For Award-Winning News Coveroge ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL) In Brunswick County ..D750 Elsewhere in North Corolino PIO OO Outside North Corolino (j ) 2 50 Complete And Return To Above Addiett Nome Address City, State Zip Sr. CMne □ 6.50 □ 9.00 □ 11.50
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 23, 1987, edition 1
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