L> IBrunswick Clt . BY DOUG RUTTER Brunswick County fishermen were rewarded week for their traditionally strong support of hand ( ming when the state Marine Fisheries Commission d ed to keep mechanical harvesters out of local watei Meeting hist Thursday and Friday in Morehead the commission decided to limit mechanical harvesting to those areas where it has lie en perrr within the past 11 years. The ruling, effective Sept. 1, will permit mccha harvest in Core Sound, Bogue Sound. North Net River. White Oak River, New River and the Atlant tracoastal Waterway north of Topsail Beach. 'Hie decision, which was made in accordance w state Division of Marine Fisheries recommendation a compromise of sorts between two other prop before the commission last week. One proposal w open all stale waters to mechanical harvesting, whil other was to ban clam dredging statewide. Included in the adopted ruling is a provision to i V*?? r Twenty-sixth Year, Number 33 Numbers Required .g? By Sept. 1 Ipf Business operators in downtown T Shaliottc last week began tacking. nscllnn ~?l : - i/c*oitn? utiu uiiivi wise auauning ^" street addresses to the facades of 1 Yf / their establishments as the town's f / f house numbering project shifted into f / high Rear. / / The activity came in response to a { large batch of letters mailed June 10 ' that informed residents and business owners of the house niunbering or- f dinance. 1 ^ Mayor Jerry Jones said he was / pleased to put numbers on thp front of his building, in what is expected to jk be the last address change ever in ohallotte. His new business address, ' fi r] Hits Main Street, was posted last Krl- fjjg day, while his residence at Shallotte Estates has sported its new address for several weeks. J ;'3S| "Most people have heen real receptive to house numbering," said R ,J| Jones. "We think they were ready for ? 'sjjB Apparently most residents and g busiress owners were prepared for IjJ'irT the letter they received, which spells " 1 out the town ordinance requiring house numbers at least 33?inches tall SHALLOT and 110 taller tluin seven inches be 'ront ^oor 1 placed on the front of every building Shallotte a in town no later than Sept. 1. Town Clerk Cynthia Ixing said mailed abo there have been very few phone calls and Brierv to town hall about the house number- area of tow ing system and apparently very little its letters. 1 confusion. sion shou The first group of letters informing number ass property owners of the system was few weeks. Clerk Of Cour Drainage Distr BY RAHN ADAMS an organi Following a four-month selection decide whal process, Brunswick County Clerk of there," Ms. Court Diana Morgan this week ap- much up to pointed three " experienced" She expli drainage commissioners to oversee commissior reactivation of the Cawcaw Drainage reactivate District. firanee any On Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Morgan The drair announced the appointments of 0. to define t Kendall Bellamy and Wendell Ben- according t nett, both of Hickman's Crossroads, and Water and Jennings Edge of Thotnasboro. Board Chai She also appointed Bellamy to serve "We'll w< as chairman of the drainage district missioners) board. day. "Anyb Bellamy and Bennett were all we cant drainage commissioners when the County Ci board was dissolved in 1976. Edge Ls pell, who n also a former drainage cornmis- includes th sioner. Tuesday Hi "I waited as long as I could for peo- selections h pie to express an interest in it," Ms. "1 think Morgan said. "I chose them Chappellsa . Bellamy, Bennett and Edge) gressive.. because they were experienced." ing and sei She added that only three or four alleviated a other individuals expressed interest Chappell; in serving on the drainage board. tits ago h The three commissioners will federal legi: serve staggered terms on the board, area to ri with vacancies to be filled by the drainage d clerk of court's office, Ms. Morgan received ru said. Bellamy will serve three years; any of the 1 Edge, two years; and Bennett one ments fror year. have been * The next step is for them to have The I 35 jmmers W Bottle last Nobody wanted any new iccid- areas open. It was pretty cj.y obvious." clam ?William Hogarth uttcd Director of Marine Fisheries nical clam dredging in state-regulated areas of the Atlantic vport Ocean. The state controls ocean waters up to three miles ic In- offshore. William Hogarth, director of the state Division of nth a Marine Fisheries, said the commission decided to open , was the ocean to mechanical harvesting, something which osals hasn't been permitted for the past decade, because there as to signs of clam populations developing offshore. He adthe tied that the environmental impact of using clam dredges in the ocean would be "minimal." allow The decision to limit mechanical harvesting to 1989 TMI WUNSWtCK Bf ACOM Shallotte, North Carolina, ' ^ 41 Aff rHOIC RV DOUG CIJIIIB re MAYOR JERRY JONES pastes the new address over the of his dowctown business last week. All houses and businesses in re to display the numbers by the first of September. ut a month ago, she said, The house numbering system, mod Estates is the only which the town board of aldermen n which has not received adopted in March, was developed by Residents of that subdivi- the town planning board in conjuncId be receiving their lion with the Brunswick County Planiignments within the next ning Department. (See SHALLOTTE, Page2-AI \ Appoints ict Commissioners zational meeting and District?formally called Brunswick t they're going to do from County Drainage District 1?was Morgan said. "It's pretty established in 195&. Construction of th.m." approximately 16.5 miles of canals lined that the drainage began in 1963 and was completed in lers must decide how to 1967. The district was originally the district and how to designed to drain about 40,000 acres work that is done. of farmland. lage board also will have But much of the affected area now he district's boundaries, includes valuable residential and o Brunswick County Soil commercial property. Flooding is Conservation District common due to poor drainage in the rman James Bellamy. overgrown, neglected canal system, irk with them (the com- In December 1976 the Brunswick Bellamy said Tues- County Clerk of Court's office ody that's there, we'll do dissolved the drainage district, o work with them." although opinions issued by the N.C. ommissioner Chris Chap- Attorney General's office in 1977 and presents the area which 1987 stated that the dissolution was e drainage district, said improper. ? was pleased that the ad been made. Renewed discussion of reacthey're all fine folks," tivating the district began last Ocid. "1 hope they'll be pro- tober by local, state and federal soil . I want to see it gel mov- and water conservation officials. ; the potential problems Also, about 175 residents of the area is soon as possible." in and around the drainage district added that about 1 'i nion- supported its reactivation at a public e contacted state and hearing held Nov. 6 in Calabash slators who represent this On Feb 29, Ms. Morgan cleared the [. quest funding for the way for reactivation of the district by istrict. Although he lias setting aside the 1976 order which ) formal responses from dissolved it. Her action was in egislators, informal coin- respoase to a request made last n the state lawmakers December by the county eoiiunis' very positive," he said. sioners and the soil and water conserCawcaw Drainage vation board. Against Mt Carteret and Onslow counties followed inns held throughout the coastal regi hearing, held May 9, brought about 900 down the proposal to allow meet statewide. Most people were opposed harvesting," said Hogarth, who attenc ings. "Nobody wanted any new areas i obvious." Mechanical clam harvesting, whic ficient than the traditional hand mel ffilir mnnllw LM ' ? "ui ui uic year wnue nam mitted year-round. Although there are about 14,000 I the state and only 350 mechanical ban harvest is almost evenly split betweei This economic inequality and the fac clam harvesting is known to have h various types of marine life has create the two groups. Thursday, June 23, !9R8 Commissi Wrestle V BY RAHN ADAMS After rehashing various budget matters for2'2 hours Tuesday night, Brunswick County Commissioners were no closer to adopting a 1988-89 county budget than they were when work on it began last month. The work session, which began Tuesday at fi:HO p.m. and ended at 10:45 p.m., was interrupted by a l34-hour "break" while Commissioner Frankie Kabon attended a Brunswick County Board of Health meeting, also at the county complex in Bolivia. (Commissioners were scheduled to hole another work session?their fifth-Wednesday night i June 'Jl i '.> school system administrators aaii emergency Management Coordinator Cecil Logan were to appear before the board to discuss budget requests, including partial funding for a 911 emergency telephone system. The commission has until the end of June to adopt its 1988-89 budget. Chairman Grace Beasley gave no indication Tuesday whether or not the budget would be voted on the following night. As requested by commissioners No Action After meeting behind closed do for 2'i- hours regarding an undiscl matter, Brunswick County Board ol took no action in open session. "We talked about the same prob personnel as last time," he said, rru specifics. "I think we got it woi everything will be fine." Rabon said he had scheduled meeting last Friday afternoon. H press was not notified by the health i until Monday afternoon. The state Open Meetings law special meetings, "written notice given of the time and purpose of al Holden A* BY SUSAN USHER Holden Beach Commissioners, meeting Monday morning in special session, quietly adopted a $880,338 budget for the coming year that includes $35,000 for a wastewater treatment engineering study and $50,000 to initiate a property-owner participation underground utilities project. While the town has increased the cost of tapping on tc. the water system, both the 14 cents per $100 value tax rate and the water rate will remain the same. The board also acted on the impending sale of water refundi g bonds: discussed Shrimp Street's unique parking and traffic situation: approved an equipment purchase for Tri-Beach Volunteer Fire Department; amended the town code to reflect an increase in water tap-on fees and amended the 1087-80 budget to balance several line item expenditures. The vote on the budget was unanimous, following discussion of ?'?y one continuing point of contention?the board's intent to continue schanical h seven public hear- Annie Smigie on. The first such month's public hi to Bolivia to shout protect local wat lanical clamming decision will cei shellfishcrmen. to mechanical "Our concern led all of the hear- she said. "If the a ipen. It was pretty and ruin their bo want 'em here." h is much more ef- In addition to Ihod, is permitted harvesting durin 1 clamming is per- fishermen also c meetings. Some s land clammers in every time the st ,'esters, the annual dredging. i the two factions. "I really thin t that mechanical Unless something armful effects on state eommissior ;d friction between impact of mecha closure, he said t S i 25c Per Copy oners Cont Vith County earlier this month. County Manager t i i' r? ?: *?- ? juiin i. cMimn on 1 uesuay presented commissioners with a revised budget proposal which reflects no increase in the county's current 50'-j-cent property tax rate. Smith's revised budget amounts tc $26.2 million?some S5.G million less than his original $31.8 million proposal. His original budget included a Pi1 .-cent tax rate increase. The county manager said his proposed cuts come from changes in the county's group insurance package and elimination of both the 911 system and a proposed anti-littei department. Other cuts come in the operatint budget of the county's 30 depart meats, he said Also, only 10 of -10 net county positions are figured inl Smith's revised proposal. Smith sai he allotted $3.1 million from th capital reserve contingency fund am $387,495 from the [inappropriate* fund balance for operational ser vices. '! think they icountv departments) can get by with, whatever we do." Smith told the board. "Our problem is we cannot increase services if there's an increase in demand." Taken At My ors Tuesday night (except emergen osed "personnel" vance" by postin ; Health members or principal bulle the media or othf lems and the same such, tking available no At its June ked out. I think lengthily in exec issue it discussed Tuesday's special it returned to pul owever. the local llabon said bi department's staff June 13 discussioi to go ahead and < provides that for At its July 1 is required to be have two month 1 special meetings business has beei dopts $880,0 use of a reserve fund for beachfront erosion control, not for canalfront bulkhead repairs that might be flooding-relaled. As adopted the budget includes general fund operating expenses of $543,309 of which an estimated $383,800 would Ix- generated by pro pertv taxes. The enterprise or water fund of $.137,025 reflects added ineoiiie from the increased tap-on fees approved Monday. Effective July 1, a standard3 i-ineh trip will cost $500. up from $275. larger taps will be charged at the rate of cost plus 10 percent, as in the past, but with a minimum charge of $000 rather than $300. One major item in the budget is $50,000 in start-up funds for a proposed underground utilities project. If the town is granted authority from the state to assess property owners for the installations, the property owners would reimburse the town for funds advanced to begin the work. Another $35,000 will finance an engineering study by Lewis & Associates on wastewater treatment needs and alternatives. Also included are $11,000 for pur larvesting 1 of Varnamtown, who spoke out at last ;aring and has been active in trying to ers from additional pollution, said the "tainly bring relief to a lot of local is keeping our waters just as they arc," ther counties is willing to let them go in ttoms, that's up to them. But we don't voicing opposition to mechanical clam g last month's public hearing, local omplained about the frequency of the aid they were tired of driving to Bolivia ate proposed opening the area to clam ik it's settled this time," said Hogarth. ; happens to the clam population or the i is convinced that the environmental inical harvesting warrants permanent he issue should be laid to rest. 36 Pages iisue so ' Budget Commissioners took no action on Smith's revised budget. Responding to a question from Ms. Beasley, Smith said the county would face a 12-cent to 14-cent tax increase in 1989-90 if commissioners don't i raise the tax rate this year. Smith again explained that this year's budget problems are caused by a shortfall in revenue, because commissioners allocated S4.fi million for operational services from the i county's fund balance in the 1987-88 ! amended budget. He compared using the fund balance?monies which are carried over from the previous year?to buy; ing with a credit card "You've got to pay it back sometime," he said. K 0 v^uuiiuiasiuuur:) iuusuay aeaio d budget requests from represene talives of Brunswick Community Colj lege including President Mike 1 Heaves and Business Manager Ben DeBlois isee related story). Also, Brunswick County Fire and Rescue Association President (iene Sellers and seven membt-is of the Pilot Club of South Brunswick Islands attended the work session to voice their support of the 911 system. stery Meet cy meetings > at least 48 hours in adg at the public body's meeting place tin board, and by mail or delivery to irs who have made written request of 13 regular meeting, the board met utive session on the same personnel Tuesday, also taking no action when )lic session. sard members debated continuing the ti until their July meeting, but decided settle the matter. 1 meeting, he added, the board will is' work to do, since little regular n taken care of in June. 00 Budget chase of a new four-wheel drive pickup truck for the water department: S lll.OOO for purchase of a new police vehicle: sale of a 1980 Dodge pickup in the water department to the inspections department for $8,000, to replace the Toyota now in use: and a $10,090 reserve for salary increases. $20,000 Fund Commissioner Gay Atkins questioned the hoard's specification that $20,000 1 about one cent of the tax rate 1 continue to be set aside as a reserve in the event that erosion of the front duneline threatens the infrastructure or property. She wanted the board to agree that the funds could also be used to correct damage caused by inland flood-related damage on the island, such as bulkhead failure on a canal street. Fellow commissioners echoed Commissioner Bob Buck, who assured her that if a bulkhead needed repair and funds were not available elsewhere in the budget, that the board would use funds from the onecent reserve, because the repair (See HOI.DF.N. l'nge 2-A i k L

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