North Carolina Newspapers

mm THEL: OAr E;r., '' £•/ * ■ fl NDER'^ ■ ■ •.*r A/; i :*/•:, j / 9*-/ Twenty-fifth Year. Number 47 1907 THl 00UNSW1CK 0(ACOt Shallotte, North Caroim^^, nursday October 1 1987 »i/» i wno competed in the World Oyster Opening Championship fn Galway, Ireland Saturday are, from left, bottom row—Frank Baer of Norway, 9th; Cathy Carlisle of Brunswick Coun ty. USA, 8th; Peter ManrI of England. 6th; Josle Burke of Ireland, World Champion; second row—Robert vSchimcr of Canada, llti; Filadelfio Grasso of Switzerland. 5th; back row—I.ennart Karlsson id Sweden, 2nd; Louis Key of France, 3rd; and Walter WolgasI of Ger many, 7th. County s Champ Finishes Eighth In World Oyster Competition BY EDDIE SWEAT! AND CAROLYN SWEAT! "At least I didn’t finish last," Cathy Carli sle griimed as results of the World Oyster Open ing Championship were posted in Galway, Ireland Saturday afternoon. The pretty 24-year-old blonde from Bnmswick County finished eighth in a field of nine national champions in international com petition. opening 30 oysters in 3:34 minutes, an average of one every 7.13 seconds. ITic world championship was won, for the third time, by Ireland’s own Josie Burke, who shucked an oyster every 5.03 seconds to post a time of 2:31. Burke, whose family owns an oyster house near Galway, won the world championship in 1974, 1984, and made another comeback this year. Although Norway’s champion, Frank Baer, finished 15 seconds faster than Ms. Carli sle, he lost 59 seconds in penalties to finish at the bottom, with an adjusted time of 4:18, com pared to Mrs. Carlisle’s 4:01. which included only 27 seconds in penalties. The defending world champion from last year, England’s Peter Manzi, finished in sixth place this year with an adjusted time of 3:18. just 43 seconds faster than Mrs. Carlisle’s ad justed eighth-place time. Mrs. Carlisle was just 57 seconds behind the fourth-place finisher, Robert Schimer, Canada's national champion, who she defeated ■ year in Maryland during the U.S. National last Oyster Shucking Contest when he was representing the state of Waslunglon. And. while Mrs. Carlisle, the only female national champion, may not have opened oysters quite as fast as seven of the other com petitors. the hearts of festival-goers opened to the Boone’s Neck woman who has shucked oysters for the past seven years at Lloyd Milliken's Oyster House at Shallotte Point. She was definitely a favorite of the au dience and the toast of the 33rd consecutive Galway International Oyster Festival. Mrs. Carlisle won the U.S. national cham pionship last fall in Leonardstown, Maryland, where she shucked and arranged 24 oysters in 2:40.77 minutes. The leonardstown Rotary Club, which sponsors the annual national championship, pays the winner’s expenses to the international contest in Ireland. She became eligible for the national cham pionship after claiming the state title during the 1986 North Carolina Oyster Festival spon sored annually here by the South Brunswick Islands Chamber of Commerce. Her accomplishments in national competi tion won her recogition last May in Raleigh from Gov. James G. Martin and state represen tatives, including Rep. E. David Redwine, at the capitol. The fanfare at Raleigh paled, however, in comparison to the festival in Ireland last week when Mrs. Carlisle and other national cham pions were wined, dined, paraded and inter viewed. HEARING SET Oa. 5 TCACON 25c Per Copy 36 Pages Plus Inset Is Commission Delays Water Policy Decision BY RAHN ADAMS Brunswick County Commissioners delayed action Monday on a proposed policy that if adopted would change the county’s direction in supplying water service to new subdivisions. The commissioners, who met last Wednesday with the Brunswick County Utility Operations Board, had indicated they would lake action on the policy when they continued that meeting until Monday. The proposed policy, drafted by Commissioner Chris Chappell and County Attorney David Clegg, first would affect the Lockwood Folly sub division in the Holden Beach- Vamumtown area, which has re quested water service. Commissioners Monday night tabl ed discussion of the I^ckwood Folly water project after Commissioner Benny Ludlum questioned whether or not Lockwood Folly intended to eventually dedicate its water lines to the county system. However, UOB Administrator John Harvey told commissioners that Ix)ckwood Folly had informed the UOB in June that the subdivision’s five miles of water lines would be given to the county. Also, Water System Manager Ken neth Hewett said Lockwood Folly’s state permit application indicates that the water lines would be dedicated to the county system. Commissioner Frankie Rabon made the motion to table the matter until the county board's Oct 5 regular meeting. Commission Chairman Grace Beasley said l/>ckwood Folly representatives would be given the ;pporlur.ity to appear at that Ireland was not Uu.* onlv Unni; to/oign to Mrs. Carlisle, who sa'd llu- Galway oysters us ed in the international cornpclitioi; are vastly different from thase .she is accu.slomed to shucking locally. I’he Galway oyster is smaller and tougher to open, the cliampion .says. Arriving in Ireland on Tuesday before Saturday’s competition, she had .several chances to practice opening the •foreign” oysters, and was coached by the young Irishman who won the world title for the third time, and last year’s national Irish champion who has competed for 14 years. Mrs. Carlisle is accustomed to shucking oysters by prying them open at the ‘ hinge’’ side. She was advised to open the smaller Galway oyster at the "Up’’ or thin side, but had difficulty adapting to this method .since it is more apt to break or shatter the shell, she noted. One of her coaches ground the blade of an oyster knife to a sharper, thinner point to make it easier to open the opposite side, but Mrs. Carlisle decided tc stay with her own style. That style, while perhaps slower, ap parently is neater. Since the presentation of the platter of oysters is important in scoring, she lost less in penalties for broken shells than did five other contestants. The 1987 Galway International Oyster Festival got underway Thursday night and Mrs. Carlisle watched as contestanLs m the Irish Oyster Ooening ('hampionship competed (See COUNTY'S CHAMP. Page lO-.A meeting to explain the subdivision’s mlenlions. U the “rough draft" policy propos ed by commissioners is approved, the county and the developer of Lockwood Folly would each pay roughly half the cost of running water lines the 1.6 miles to the en trance road to the subdivision. The county would then allow I.xx:kwood Folly to reclaim its costs through free connections to the subdivision water system. .According to Chappell, the propos ed policy, which in effect underwrites the cost of extending water lines to a major subdivision, could also apply to future extensions, to "get the most use for our water and get .somi- Iini*'^ in the ground. " The UOB earlier went on record op posing the commissionor.s’ proposal, which was presented to the uiilitics board for comment at its .Kept i \ meeting. The UOB, in turn, rccommondod »o commissioners that the county l)«>ard adopt a policy simiUr to ils original special asscs.sment district pohry The UOB asked that the comity r*’ quire the developer to pay the max imum six-inch line a.s.*Nessmenl f(»i property owners along the extcn.'^ion who would not be assessed under llio terms of the commission prnp«isal. At a Sept. 23 joint meeting. TOH Chairman Robert Nubcl outlined ’.hat proposal and several other policy op tions for commls.sioners. He tenned the commissioners’ proposal i!ie "Idast desirable’’ alternative. Nubel said the UOB’.s main con cems about the commi.ssitm pi tiposal were the need for fairne.ss" in assessing for water line instaliations and that the county’s revolving fund would not be replenished for future water projects. Ms. Beasley emphasizdl that her board’s proposal was simply a "rough draft" and that “it was not something that was car\*ed in .stone. " Also, Ms. Beasley, t.liappell and Clegg all reiterated that the policy draft had not been previou.slv discussed in executive session by th*- commissioners, despite indication.s in UOB meeting minute.s that the draft was given to Hai-vey ir im a county commission meeting" mi Sept. 14. Clegg said the proposed nidii y wa . distributed to commission uimnla i' al the end of Ihe lOi', Uierc was no di:>cui.sion ■ i the ‘U«i:T. Also at the Sept. 28 johit meeting, commissioners acccptcil -letaii>i; plans and specification.s for .v:ucr projects planned for special .assess ment districts No. I and No and authorized the county staff to submit the material to the .stale for r-vie;\ S.A.D. No. 1 Is located in the Noi tl: Holden Beach area; .S.A.D. Nu. 2 is located in the Brick Unding IManta tion and Bent Tree Plantation area Harvey told commLs.sioneis that the projects should be ready to begin by mid-November. Calabash Council To Stagger Terms BY DOUG RUTTER Calabash Town Council Monday unanimously approved an ordinance amending the lowii charter to create staggered four-year terms for coun cil and the mayor. The ordinance will first take effect following the 1989 municipal election. At that time, the three elected coun cil members receiving the fewest number of votes will initially .servo two-year term. The next election for these llirt i seats will be in 1901. Thereafu-r these three seats will be up for el- tion every four years. The two elected council meinhei receiving the highest mimber . votes during the 1989 election -*» ‘ » (See CALABASH. Page ‘’ A i Beach Access, County Zoning Among Policies Supported In CAAAA Plan BY RAHN ADAMS "Brunswick County supports the current growth trend being ex perienced and, to the extent possible, will plan for and accommodate future growth while simultaneously maintaining and improving the quali ty of life for current and future residents." That is the “over-riding theme" of Brunswick County's proposed Coastal Area Management Act fCAMA) I^nd U.se Plan, which citizens will liave the opportunity to comment on during a public hearing Oct. 5 at 7:30 in Bolivia. The most significant changes from pnsl plans arc policy .statements sup porting beach acce.ss programs and couniywide zoning. According to Brunswick County Planning Director John Harvey, it is an “excellenl plan"- one that plann ing officials don’t expect will draw the .same criticism as did an earlier draft submitted lo the stale last year. The current CAMA draft was prepared by the Brunswick County Planning Board, with technical assistance from the Brunswick Coun ty Planning Department and plann ing consulting firm Edward D. Stone Jr. and Associates of Wilmington. The land use plan, which must be updated every five years, te intended to deal with projected land use needs and potential related problems fac ing Brunswick County, which is iden tified as the second fastest growing county in the stale next to Dare Coun ty. According to population growth estimates outlined in the plan, Brunswick County's current popula tion of more than 51,000 will increase lo 75,500 by the year 2000 and to 96,800 draft of the county’s CAMA plan, which wa.s submitted to the CRC last September, was "sent back for more citizen input." As a result, work on the revised draft included public hearings held May 11 through 14 at the I .eland Com munity Center, South Brunswick High School, West Brunswick High School and the Brunswick County Government Complex. Public workshops previously wore held in November 1985 in the Nor thwest, Lockwood Folly, Town Creek. Smithvilie, Waccamaw and Shallotte townships. A total of 77 per- soas attended those workshops. Harvey says he doesn’t expect the current "public hearing draft" of the proposed CAMA plan to attract as ■’Through all the work.shop.s and hearings on the current update), the public has not shown the intere.st that they had in the 19BWll update." Harvey said. “Far fewer people have shown up at the public hearings." County coiiuni.s.sioner.*^ and plann ing board memlHT.s parlicipated in special work .se.ssion.s la.sl month, to iron out details of the draft. During those ses.sions. planning coasultanls Glenn Harbeck and Barn' Griffith emphasized the draft's [wlicy sec tion. in 2010. But the land u.se plan in iUsclf has been something of a problem in receiving approval from the Coastal He.sources Commission iCRC). According to llaiTcy. an original attcntiCM as previous updates. Me said approximately 500 people appeared at a public hearing on the 1980-81 plan, w ilh main topics of con cern being urban growth and the passibility of an oil refinery being located on the Cape Fear River. "The policy section is the section that people outside RruiLswick (‘oun- ty are going lo be really looking at," Harbeck told told county officials. Earlier this month, copies of the pnhlic dr;»f! were di.stributcd to the N.C. Division of (‘oaslal Management. 14 local municipalities. Wilnnnglini and neighboring counties ineluding Col umbus, Nev\ Hanover aiul Horr>' County, S.C. Har\'ey said la.st week he has received no comments “of substance" on the proposed plan from any other governmental bodies. During a special joint work session last month with planning board members, Bnmswick County Com missioners voiced no opposition to any specific parts of the CAMA plan, including inclusion for the first time of a policy which supports county participation in state ^ach acce.ss programs. The proposed policy slates: “Brunswick County supports and en courages efforts to provide reasonable public access to the beaches and coastal waterfronts." However, the policy does not specify that the county participate in the beach access programs with financial support. Commission Chairman Grace Rea.sley said following the work ses sion tlial she did not conuiicnt on the lM?ach acce.ss policy since she knew the commission wuiild be getting public input on it at (he hearing. "WTien it's their itlu- pnblii'-;i dollars you’re spending. tli.-> h;>.. the right to give their mpiil .uid Imv.- it heard." Mrs. Beasley said last month. She added that cuuiily mvolvemeni in future beach access programs would be considered on an indu oiual basis, with cost as a determining fa- tor. Work .ses.siuns la.st mnntli .iKo yielded suggested changes m Hie CAMA plan including: (rcain»n of separate policies relating to mannas and floating homo.s, lodtsmurage l!i* location of floating homes m Brunswick Coumy; deletion of the tenn “floating zone” in anoihei policy, lo avoid the inferenre ih;*i creation of floating zones is suj. ported here: and addilh)n of a poln y to encourage the eventual con.striK- lion of mulergroiind nlilituvs m i|i.’ county.