Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Aug. 4, 1988, edition 1 / Page 1
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J.I Calabash Style? Why eat "Calabash style" seafood when you can eat the real thing in Calabash? That's the message a new merchants association wants to get across. Page 9-B. Greer Wins Again Billy Greer makes the trip from New York State worth his while, as his team wins the Poor Boy Shark Tournament for the second con secutive year. The story and photos are on Page 11 -C. Ramp Debate Over Holden Beach Commissioners ended the debate Monday, reaffirming their support of state plans to build a free boat ramp on the island, not the mainland, Page 7-A. Sunset Beach Water Access Plan Passes BY SUSAN USHER Over the strenuous objections of member Ed Gore, Sunset Beach Council adopted its first water access plan Monday night on a 4-1 vote. Developed by a citizens' committee, the plan is intended to offer guidelines for providing permanent parking for visitors to the beach community?up to 600 spaces by the year 2000 on the island and the adjoining mainland. "We don't have assured parking spaces out there except along the DOT right-of-way," said Mayor Mason Barber. "We would be out of the parking business if the current leases are cancelled." Councihvoman Minnie Hunt's motion was adopted after its second introduction. When she first made the motion, Gore asked her to withdraw it and continue a discussion begun earlier in the meeting during a hearing on the document. While saying the plan had some good ideas, Gore said he didn't think it was in a form suitable for adoption. (See SUNSET, Page 2-A) Five 'White Sentenced; 1 BY RAHN ADAMS i" lve defendants who were indicted on drug trafficking charges in this year's investigative grand jury probe were sentenced last Thursday in Brunswick County Superior Court, while two others entered guilty pleas but were not sentenced. So far, some 30 of the 48 individuals indicted in April's "Operation White Tide" have pleaded guilty. According to the Brunswick County Clerk of Court's office, defendants sentenced last Thursday included Wendell Evans, 23, of Shallotte, Douglas K. Evans of Wilmington, Two Die BY RAHN ADAMS Two Southport men were killed late Sunday night when their pickup truck crashed into a utility pole near Orton Plantation. According to the Brunswick County Sheriff's Department, property that apparently was stolen last weekend from a Southport store was recovered at the accident scene. Highway Patrol spokesperson Ruby Oakley identified the victims ir nm 5 & SONS BOOK BINDERY 127 Si [NGF'ORT MI 49^yd IBHEiBHl GOV. JAMES MARTIN (second I break ground last Wednesday on tl the U.S. 17 Shallottc bypass. Join from left, were Tommy Pollard, m Governor Bi BY DOUG RUTTER Gov. James Martin came to town last week to talk about local traffic conjestion and what the state is doing to eliminate it. About 100 people turned out for the Wednesday afternoon celebration and watched as the governor and other state and local officials broke ground for the second coastruction phase of the U.S. 17 bypass of Shallotte. The N.C. Board of Transportation awarded a $1.4 million contract last month for grading the 2.5 miles which make up the northern half of the bypass, which is part of a four laning project of U.S. 17 from the South Carolina state line to the existing four-lane section north of Bolivia. Last October, the state awarded a $1.5 million contract for clearing and grading the first half of the bypass and is expected to accept bids for paving both sections next fall. During last Wednesday's half-hour ceremony, speakers pointed out that the bypass and four-laning project will serve the area's growing tourism industry as well as the people of Brunswick County. Shallotte Mayor Jerry Jones, who personally thanked the governor for his work improving highways in the state, was one of numerous town and county officials to welcome Martin. "Those of us who live here and Tide' Defend< Fwo Others I and Gary I-ee Phelps, 27, Carlton Jeffery King, 29, and Keith Francis Tatro, 26, all of Supply. Also, Charles Lindberg Smith, 29, of Shallotte, and John Dudley Bryant, 45, of Leland, pleaded guilty. Court records show that Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to traffic in more than 28 grams of cocaine, and two counts of trafficking by possession of more than 28 grams of cocaine. Bryant, who also faced drug charges from a 1986 undercover investigation, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell cocaine, trafficking in i In High-Sf as Melvin Lee Stewart, 34, and James Anthony Phelps, 41, both of Southport. The deaths were the seventh and eighth traffic fatalities in Brunswick County this year. The same number of motorists had died on local roadways by this same time in 1987. According to Ms. Oakley, the double fatality occurred Sunday at 10:50 p.m., miles north of Boiling Spring lakes on N.C. 133. \ 1 - _ ' ^ * From right) helps Board of Transpoi le second phase of secretary of the N ing the governor, and Jerry Jones, n ember of the N.C. reaks Ground work here realize it will be a great relief to get the bypass completed," said Jones. "We're definitely going to see a marked increase in tourism." The positive impact expected on tourism was one of the major points of Martin's speech, who focused on the local benefits as well as the positive impact which will be felt statewide. According to Martin, U.S. 17 in Brunswick County was one of 20 roads identified by the state as a "strategic corridor highway." Eventually, he said, all of those highways will be tied together to create an "intra-state system" of roads which can better serve visitors and the people of North Carolina. "When they are completed we will have a continuous unbroken network of highways that will go throughout our state," said Martin, adding that a better system of roads will attract industries and better jobs to the state. The governor also said that these highways will be given special consideration whenever extra funds become available. Additional funds for these roads, he explained, will move the completion dates closer to the present. Throughout the ceremony, state officials made light of the traffic problems in Shallotte, which should be relieved when the bypass is completed in 1990. ants Are Pl&nrl fii lilfw W ? M W W * * * J more than 28 grams of cocaine and seven counts of selling less than 28 grams of cocaine. Judge C. Preston Cornelius continued Smith's sentencing until it is scheduled by the district attorney's office. Bryant is scheduled to be sentenced during the Aug. 29 term of Superior Court. All five defendants who were sentenced last Thursday received active jail time, ranging from six months to 4years. Douglas Evans, King, Phelps and Wendell Evans entered guilty pleas (Sec FIVE, Page 2-A) >eed Crash; She said the 1977 Toyota pickup, driven by Stewart, was headed north at a high rate of speed when it ran off the right shoulder of the road in a lefthand curve, causing the driver to lose control. The truck came back ontc the roadway, then ran off the left shoulder and sheared a utility pole near McKenzie Creek Bridge, Ms. Oakley said. Both men were thrown from the vehicle into the water. jj^ STAFF PHOTO BY OOUG PUTTER rtation; Tommy Harrelson, deputy .C. Department of Transportation; layor of Shallotte. For Bypass During his brief address, Martin compared the traffic in Shallotte to the traffic in Charlotte. While the populations differ by some 350,000 people, he said the conjestion is equally bad in both places. Tommy Pollard of Jacksonville, who represents Division 3 on the N.C. Board of Transportation, said he accused Mayor Jones of "staging" traffic jams the first few times he visited Shallotte. After a while, however, he said he came to realize the problem was great when the conjestion was just as bad when he came without announcing it ahead of time. Martin also noted during his SDeech that a welcome renier will he built as the four-laning of U.S. 17 nears completion in 1994. It will be located near the bypass intersection with N.C. 130 West and will be I operated by local organizations. He said the addition of welcome centers along non-interstate highways which experience heavy I tourist traffic is very important. A < visitors' center already exists on U.S. 17 near the Virginia border and there ' are several along highways in the I mountains. < Martin, a Republican, is seeking 1 re-election as governor in November. < Commission* Discuss Brun: BY RAHN ADAMS The Brunswick County Airport Commission and representatives of the four governmental boards that appoint its members will meet headto-head next week to hash out differences over the airport commission's controversial lease with Airport Enterprises. TV-J ' iTicinucis ui me airpon commission and other concerned citizens attended the Brunswick County Commissioners regular meeting Monday night to do just that. However, on a motion by Chairman Grace Beasley, the county board halted discussion of the matter and scheduled the special i meeting for Thursday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. in commissioners' chambers. | "This board is going to be prepared to discuss that (the airport lease)," ] said Ms. Beasley. "We're going to do 1 our homework." < Stolen Goc Brunswick County Coroner Greg White said Tuesday that Stewart and Phelps were dead on the scene. Both men died from injuries suffered in the collision and not from drowning, White said. The coroner added that there was no evidence of alcohol use by the driver, although he had not received the results of a toxicology test as of Tuesday morning. Autopsies were not done. ? Sunset B Bridge F< Two-Yec BY DOUG RUTTER t Depending on the point of view, Sunset Beach residents and visitors \ will have two additional years to e either curse or enjoy the old pontoon I hriflpf* hpfnro it ic mnlonn/l 0 ~ .? ? . X-^.QV-^U. The state has delayed construction f of the proposed high-rise bridge two ( years and postponed any more work f on the project pending approval of i several environmental permits, ac- t cording to Tom Shearin, project t engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation. t The high-rise was originally j scheduled to be let to contract next t fiscal year, but will now be postponed [ until early 1991. Design of the bridge should take one year, while actual i construction is expected to take t about two years. The $6.9 million span, which should i now be completed sometime in 1993, i will rise 65 feet over the Atlantic In- i traeoastal Waterway at its highest i point and will allow for simultaneous t boat and vehicular traffic, similar to bridges to Ocean Isle Beach and [ Holden Beach. t Despite the delay with the high-rise \ bridge, the old bridge will add a new < twist to traffic flow when it begins i opening on an hourly schedule next week. Starting Friday, Aug. 12, the pontoon bridge will open to boat traffic every hour on the hour from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. In future years, this opening scheduled will be in effect from j April 1 through October 31. i Because of special conditions t which may be included in the en- i vironmental permits, Shearin said i land acquisition and design of the c new bridge cannot continue until they have been granted. r "It's just a decision to not proceed t with the design because the condi- t tions on the permits could affect the r design," he said. The department of transportation p will have to acquire four permits for ii the bridge project, he said, including c two from the N.C. Division of Coastal is Management for building over h coastal wetlands and for water cer- li ?rs Schedule I swick Airport We're going to do c the airport controver Ms. Beasley said she asked for the 1 special meeting to allow the airport < commission's other three appointing i bodies to participate in the discussion. Her motion was unanimously ? approved. , Brunswick County appoints four of 1 the seven members on the airport < commission. Southport, Long Beach t and Boiling Spring Lakes each appoint one member. i The county's appointees include I Richard Conrad, Harold Hartwig and s Burton K. Myers. Other members in- f elude John Walters of Southport, xJs Found li Also, White said the weather was 1 not a factor in the fatal mishap, since : the wreck happened prior to the I thunderstorm activity in the area i early Monday morning. 1 Brunswick County Sheriff's Capt. Phil Perry said Monday that deputies found merchandise from Southport's Rose's store floating in the water near the wrecked vehicle. The goods, which were still boxed, included two barbeque grills and a t i |M ?> ^ each ces ir Delay ification. Because the bridge will cross the vaterway, permits will also be needid from the U.S. Army Corps of engineers and the IJ.S fnn<d ftnard According to Shearin, the state ap>lied for the CAMA permits and 2orps permit in April, while the U.S. Z.G. permit application was mailed n June. "I was told it will generally ake from six months to a year to get hem," he added. In addition to affecting the actual lesign of the bridge, conditions in the jermit could also cause changes in he exact right-of-way needed for the moject. According to Shearin, the state has ilready acquired eight of the 12 racts needed in the right-of-way. The right-of-way includes nine acres md the estimated cost of nearly $1 million includes relocation of itilities, assistance in moving homes ind administrative costs in addition o land values. Acquisition of the four remaining >ieces of land, which are located on he mainland near where the bridge vill cross the waterway, has been stopped pending approval of the permits. "The permits could, in a minor way, affect the right-of-way we need," said Shearin. "It will not affect any other properties, but it could shift the exact right-of-way." Shearin also noted that the state has altered original bridge plans which called for a slight curve along he entire leneth of the hrid^e and as i result, expects to save about >900,000 in design and construction ;osts. "A bridge with a curve in it is just nore expensive than a tangent >ridge," he said, adding that most of he curve will now be on the nainland side of the bridge. The state wants to replace the old >ontoon bridge primarily because of ncreasing maintenance costs and inreased boat and car traffic. The exsting bridge, according to Shearin, las been used since 1961 and is the ast of its kind in North Carolina. Meeting To Problems )ur homework (on sy)." firnro Ronclow " " " Commission Chairman -avern Tagge of Long Beach and jeorge H. Lanier Jr. of Boiling Sprng Lakes. Albert Parker Jr., who the county appointed to a two-year term in January, resigned last month, saying le was discouraged by the airport :ommission's inability to work ogether. At Monday's meeting, county comnissioners tabled consideration of barker's replacement until the special meeting, despite objections rom citizens. (See SHRIMPERS, Page 2-A) n Truck bicycle. Store officials told the sheriff's department that the items had been taken from a fenced area outside the store sometime over the weekend. Perry said Tuesday that the merchandise was returned to the store and that the matter was no longer under investigation. "The case is closed, as far as we're concerned," he said. ^ . ^ &
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Aug. 4, 1988, edition 1
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