4
y Brunswic
*
I Twenty-seventh Year, Numb*
9 B B I
noiaen a
BY DOUG RUTTER
A bill limiting the height of
buildings on Holden Beach will get a
second run through the state
legislature, and town officials hope it
comes out right this time.
A state law approved last summer
effectively limits the height of structures
on the island to 35 feet, but does
not include a clause requested by
town commissioners that would have
required a referendum of registered
voters to change the restriction. As it
stands now, the town board can vote
to change the height limitation.
Stale Rep. David Redwine, who introduced
the Holden Beach bill last
June, said last week that he planned
to amend a similar bill introduced
last month for the Town of Long
Beach to include Holden Beach.
The amended House Bill 927 would
limit the building height in both
municipalities to 35 feet and would
require a referendum of town voters
1 1
s. Si
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BALD HEAD VILLAGE MANAGI
Brunswick County Commissioners IV
Board R
M 0\ai Q<~.
> 1WYV
BY RAHN ADAMS
Despite objections voiced over the
past month by officials ip local resort
towns, Brunswick County Commissioners
this week "readopted" a
resolution to split state sales tax
revenue among municipalities according
to their populations, not their
property values.
Monday's 4-1 vote?with Commissioner
Benny Ludlum objecting?was
a replay of the board's March 20 decision
to change to a per capita method
of distribution from an ad valorem
method that has been used here since
1971. In doing so, Brunswick joins the
ranks of 61 other of the state's 100
counties.
After the meeting, County Attorney
David Clegg said he suggested that
the resolution be readopted because
state law requires the action to be
taken during the month of April, even
though the board's vote last month
was for the resolution to go into effect
in April. "I just wanted to make sure
we were on real firm footing," Clegg
told the Beacon.
During the public comments section
of Monday's meeting, the tax
distribution issue was a favorite topic
v: of discussion, as Bald Head Island
I All Aboard I
BY DOUG BUTTER
All aboard escaped serious injury
when a charter fishing boat that left
the docks of Calabash Saturday morning
later burned and sank, forcing
its two crew members and six
passengers into the Atlantic Ocean.
The seven men and one woman
drifted approximately 10 hours in a
small life raft before their rescue by
helicopter late Saturday, according
to Petty Officer James Turner of the
U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston, S.C.
The "Connie D," a 50-foot vessel
owned and captained by Mike
Brewster of Murrells Inlet, had left
Captain Jim's Marina at Calabash
is
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?r 24 c: 1989 IHt BRUNSWICK BEACON
?each Heigh
to change the limitation, he said.
Redwine said the original Holden
Beach bill ran into trouble last year
and had to be amended when it was
being considered by the Local
Government Committee. The committee
chairman at that time, Robert
L. McAlister of Rockingham, opposed
the Holden Beach proposal and all
other local bills that included an initiative
for a referendum of the people.
"It affected more than just mine,"
Redwine said. "He held up all the
bills that had a referendum initiative
in it." McAlister is no longer a state
representative.
Holden Beach Commissioners
adopted a resolution last May requesting
the state legislation and
were under the impression that it had
passed as requested until April 7,
when Town Administrator Gus
Ulrich noticed that the ratified law
was different from the draft.
CR Wallace Martin (standing) asks
londay to reconsider their decision to
eaffirms Eg
les Tax Dis
"You've made some
been inequitable fo
Village Manager Wallace Martin,
Caswell Beach Town Commissioner
Bill Boyd and Southport Alderman
Bob Thorsen addressed commissioners.
Decision Questioned
The county commissioners' decision
to change distribution methods
has officially drawn fire from officials
at Bald Head Island, Ocean
Isle Beach and Caswell Beach?three
municipalities which stand to lose
revenue from the change.
Commission Chairman Frankie
Rabon said Monday the board has
received letters opposing the change
from Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Betty
Williamson and Caswell Beach
Mayor Jack Cook. Martin personally
delivered a letter from Bald Head officials
Monday. Also, Rabon said he
has received numerous letters of protest
from property owners at Ocean
Isle Beach and Bald Head Island.
:scape As Ch
early Saturday morning for an allday
fishing trip.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m., the boat's
two engines shut off suddenly and the
vessel caught fire. It sank about 30
miles offshore, almost due east of
Myrtle Beach, said Turner.
"They don't know what caused it,"
he said of the fire. The incident is being
investigated by the coast guard's
marine safety office.
The passengers and crew, none of
whom are from Brunswick County,
jumped into a six-man life raft equipped
with an electronic traasmitter.
The raft drifted approximately 11
miles north during the day.
OME SHOW
SO0K |
bt)X 3
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mm. 3
Shallotte, North Carolin
it Limit Bill <
It was fust someth
happened to fall th
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me cracKS.
?State Rep. Da
Redwine admitted last week that
he was at fault for not notifying town
officials of the change in the bill, but
said he sent a copy to the town shortly
after it was ratified on June 29.
"It was just an oversight on my
part," he said. "It was just
something that happened to fall
through the cracks."
Town officials were visibly upset
about the apparent lack of communication
when the matter was
discussed during a special meeting
last Wednesday night.
Commissioner Bob Buck called the
JPS'fvr.
BP^'V "'!* ' .v.;,.' .;< ? ;-v -,- \\$*?\
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distribute sales tax revenue based 01
stead, they reaffirmed their previous
irlier Stand
tribution M
*thing fair that's
r years."
?Bob Thorsen
Southport Alderman
Locally, the change in distribution
will result in losses of approximately
$50,000 per year at Ocean Isle Beach,
about $30,000 at Holden Beach, and
between $300,000 and $400,000 for
county government itself. The revision
is expected to either increase
revenues or cause little change in
distributions to Shallotte, Sunset
Beach and Calabash.
Martin told the board Monday that
Bald Head Village will lose an
estimated $95,000 under the per
capita method?the largest loss of
any municipality in the county. With
a permanent population of less than
38, Bald Head property owners pay
about $675,000 in county taxes on a
property valuation of around $1
million, he said.
The village manager denied
speculation that Bald Head is pursuing
plans to secede from Brunswick
County and become a part of New
iarter Boat Bi
Late in the afternoon, Turner said
a signal from the transmitter was
picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard,
which dispatched a helicopter from
Savannah, Ga.
The helicopter picked up the
charter boat's six passengers at approximately
7:30 p.m. and
transported them to Grand Strand
Airport before refueling and returning
for Brewster and his mate at
about 8:45 p.m.
The only female passenger was
treated for shock at Grand Strand
General Hospital. All eight of those
rescued suffered mild hypothermia
after spending so long in the
60-degree water, said Turner.
" Supplemen
a, Thursday, April 20, 1989
3ets Second
i/ng that
y ^ -sst mm
II uuyi I ^ T
vid Redwine Jffijhj '
situation a "stunning development"
and commented, "I am confident '
that there ain't no grass going to j
grow under this one."
In response to the change in the
local bill by the legislative commit- i
tee, Buck said, "I absolutely cannot i
believe that one or two individuals on i
some committee can just literally ;
wipe out a resolution of this board. (
But that's exactly what happened." (
Mayor John Tandy said he was
shocked by the discovery and noted ;
that the height limitation and |
referendum clause was something of \
which town officials were very pro- i
STAFF PHOTO BY RAHN ADAMS
i local municipalities' populations. In;
vote.
i
On
ethod ;
i
Hanover County. "That's the farthest (
thing from anyone's (
mind ... There's been no thought of ,
moving up there," Martin said, ?
although he admitted that the idea
"popped up" at a recent village s
meeting. s
Martin suggested that the county ^
alternate between the two methods of f
distribution each year. "I don't think
tins wouild be an unreasonable alter- j
native to consider," he said. Boyd t
agreed and encouraged the commis- v
sioners to find a "happy meeting f
ground." t
However, Thorsen?whose town s
(Southport) will receive increased
revenue from the change?urged the t
county board to stick to its decision, s
saying, "You've made something v
fair that's been inequitable for r
years." a
Commissioner Gene Pinkerton, t
who initiated the change with his mo- "
tion last month, reiterated that his s
motive was to make the distribution
more fair. He added that his action t
was not politically motivated, since v
three municipalities that will lose
money?Bald Head, Caswell Beach
and Long Beach?are in his district.
(See LONG BEACH, Page 2-A)
urns At Sea
Me said the passengers and crew of
the charter were fortunate that the
beacon on the life raft worked properly.
Without it, he said the group
might have spent another day or two
at sea before a search started.
"I would say they were lucky to get
off the boat without being injured or
burned," he added.
The "Connie D" is the second
charter boat fishing out of Captain
Jim's Marina in the past two years to
catch fire and sink offshore.
On Oct. 10, 1987, the "Capt. Jim"
burned and sank. All four crew
members and 56 passengers were
rescued.
t Inside Th
25c Per Copy 62 P<
I Shot Sn Leg
ud. "I'm sure some people bought
real estate based on that," he added.
While town officials wait for the bill
to go through a second time, they indicated
during last week's meeting
that they have no plans to amend the
existing height limitation as the
board is presently authorized to do.
"This board's not going to change
it," said Commissioner William
Williamson. Other officials nodded in
approval.
Board member Georgia Langley,
who was out of town last week on a
Family matter and missed the
meeting, said she was upset with the
mayor and commissioners who were
aware of the problem with the bill but
did not make it public during either
of the two board meetings on April 10.
She contacted The Brunswick
Beacon and Wilmington Star News
From her home in Raleigh after learning
about the situation last Wednesday.
The commissioner said the
State To Pr
Canal For I
BY DOUG RUTTER 1
State officials hope to learn within >
the next few months if water flowing f
into and out of Davis Canal at Lone ^
Beach is having any impact on water i
quality in Lockwood Folly River.
The state Division of Environmen- <
tal Management will start sampling <
water in and around the canal for I
fecal coliform bacteria, an indicator
of pollution, within the next two
weeks, said Don Safrit, regional
supervisor of the division's water I
quality section.
The findings of the study should 1
either support or reject the theory of !
a number of area residents who i
aelieve that Davis Canal is at least '
aartially responsible for water quali- <
:y problems in Lockwood Folly t
ttiver. '
Annie Smigiel of Varnamtown, 1
aresident of the local conservation
jroup Save Our Shellfish, said many 1
oeals tied to the river feel that Davis t
Danal is one of a number of areas t
;ontributing to pollution problems f
ind causing frequent temporary <
ihellfish closures in the river. i
Since last August, the state Divi- 1
lion of Health Services' shellfish
ianitation branch has closed more t
han 650 acres of shellfish beds due to ?
lollution.
Separate state studies conducted
his year concerning water aualitv in
he river have been contradictory,
vith one concluding that bacterial
iroblems are primarily due to septic
anks and the other pinpointing
tormwater runoff. 1
Mrs. Smigiel said the same sand- (
tars that shellfishermen and some
tate officials believe are restricting I
rater flow in the area around the
nouth of Lockwood Folly River are 5
tlso keeping the water in Davis t
lanal from flushing out pollutants. ?
That water just kinda stays there," t
he said. C
Brunswick County Planning Direeor
John Harvey said Davis Canal I
fas an original tributary of
Heavy Rainft
Shellfishina !
d
Brunswick County shellfishermen
after the state closed all oyster and cl
coastal counties last Tuesday due to i
Heavy rainfall early last week for
the maintained channel of the Atlanti
mainland creeks and tributaries in Bi
Onslow and Carteret counties.
During periods of heavy rainfall,!
rivers and increases levels of fecal c
pollution.
Bob Benton, supervisor of the state
Tuesday afternoon that officials have
and hope to reopen shellfish waters ir
"We've not found anything yet tl
have just had too much rain."
The Shallotte area received appro
seven days between last Tuesday i
meteorologist Jackson Canady of Shai
is Issue! (
ages, 4 Sections, Plus Insert
lislature
situation might never been discussed
in public had she not notified the
press.
T ? * * * *
ivirs. i_angiey, wno naa pusnea
hard for the legislation and referendum
requirement after being elected
to the town board in 1987, also said
she does believe that Redwine simply
forgot to tell town officials that the
bill had been revised.
"I do not believe it slipped his
mind," she said, adding that she
thinks Redwine may have failed to
notify town officials as a means of
avoiding controversy prior to last
November's general election.
Redwine said last week he did not
expect any problem getting the new
height limitation bill through the
General Assembly this session, but
could not say when it may be acted
on.
"Even when there's no controversy,"
he said, "it takes a while to get it
through the proper channels."
obe Davis
Pollution
.ockwood Folly River before the
Vtlantic Intracoastal Waterway was
ormed. On certain tides, he said
vater in the canal flows into the
iver.
He also noted that there is high
lensity along the canal. "It's solidly
ieveloped with houses and maybe a
:ew condos," said Harvey.
Safrit said last week he did not.
know what the study would reveal.
"Until we take the samples, I don't
know what to expect really."
Although exact monitoring stations
tad not been selected as of last week,
Safrit said regional water quality
staff members will likely be taking
samples from Davis Canal, Eastern
Channel and the Atlantic Inxacoastal
Waterway between Davis
tanal and the mouth of Lockwood
?olly River.
He said samples will probably be
aken from each station every two or
hree weeks for a period of about
hree months. Officials will be
'athering data on water temperature
ind other common field
neasurements, but will focus on the
evel of fecal coliform.
"Right now, that's the parameter
hat everybody's concerned about,"
said Safrit.
Local Man Indicted
On Drug Charges
A Shallotte area man whn wac ar.
ested last month on marijuana
:harges was among five individuals
ndicted on various charges Monday
>y a Brunswick County grand jury.
Alan Kurt Greer, 38, of Route 9,
lhallotte, was named in three true
>ills of indictment involving controll:d
substance charges, according to
he Brunswick County Clerk of
-ourt's office.
Greer was arrested May 31 at his
trick Landing area residence on
(See JURY, Page 2-A)
3// Causes
Shut Down
i remained high and dry this week
am beds in the five southernmost
ainfall and runoff,
ced the closure of shellfish beds in
ic Intracoastal Waterway and all
runswick, New Hanover, Pender,
stormwater runoff drains into the
oliform bacteria, an indicator of
j Shellfish Sanitation branch, said
been sampling water for bacteria
i the near future,
hat we can open," he said. "We
ximately 2.7 inches of rain in the
ind this Monday, according to
llotte Point.
i.