Commissioners Agree To Settlement
In Long Beach Water Rate Dispute
BY RAHN ADAMS
After 18 months of negotiations,
Brunswick County and the Town of
Long Beach have come to
terms? basically the county's
terms? over the price the town will
pay for county water.
At the county board's meeting
Monday night in Bolivia, commis
sioners unanimously approved a
water contract amendment and
agreement with Long Beach. Formal
talks between County Attorney David
Clegg and Long Beach officials had
been underway since January 1988.
although the dispute was then
already about 14 years old.
Commission Chairman Frankie
Rabon, who presented the matter to
the board in Clegg's absence Mon
day, explained briefly that the pro
posed amendment and agreement
sets out that I-ong Beach will pay the
same water rate as do other towns
that buy water from the county. Also,
Ix>ng Beach has agreed to make
$88,635.77 in late water payments,
Rabon said.
When contacted Tuesday. Long
Beach Mayor John Vereen confirmed
Rabon's outline of the agreement.
Vereen added that the county agreed
r.ot to raise Long Beach's water rate
unless the rates of every other major
water customer is raised in turn.
"We got as good a deal as we're go
ing to get," Vereen said of the agree
ment. "The thing had drug on too
long, and it needed to be settled." He
added that Long Beach officials were
satisfied with the new contract.
In January 1988, when the issue
was last discussed in depth by com
missioners, Clegg said the rate
dispute began when the county raised
its wholesale water rate to $1.20 per
1,000 gallons and I>ong Beach con
tinued paying at the town's 1980 con
tract rate of $1 per 1,000 gallons.
At that time, Long Beach maintain
ed that the old contract should re
main in effect, despite the county's
contention that the town's water rate
was raised to help pay for expansion
of the county's 'unified" water
system. Long Beach is served by the
county's old water plant on N.C. 211,
not the new Northwest Treatment
Plant.
Other Water Matters
Also at Monday's meeting, com
missioners unanimously approved
several other water-related matters,
most of which dealt with special
assessment water districts. The ac
tions were taken at the recommenda
tion of the Brunswick County Utility
Operations Board.
In Southport
BRinG KO1V1E
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THE ? BEACON
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MARKET EXPRESS
MINUTE MAN
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PORT GAS STATION
POST OFFICE
RESORT PLAZA
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SCOTCHMAN
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TWILIGHT MOTEL
WILSON'S
SHALLOTTE PLAZA
'We got as good a deai as we're
going \o get."
? John Vereen
__ Long Beach Mayor
Commissioners confirmed the final
assessment role for SAD 4, located in
the Sea Pines area on Long Beach
Road. Property owners there will be
billed for water line extensions at a
rate of $5.38 per front foot to recoup
$171,271.99 in project costs.
The county board adopted the
preliminary assessment roll and set
an assessment rate of $6.86 for SAD 5,
located in the Pine Acres and Ocean
Pine Acres area off N.C. 179. A public
hearing on the preliminary assess
ment roll will be beld or. Aug. 22, at 7
p.m., in the Public Assembly
Building, Bolivia.
In other action, commissioners
agreed to give Tax Collector Nancy
Moore the authority to identify needy
SAD property owners and allow them
to participate in an installment pay
ment plan, even if they do not meet
income guidelines.
Also, Planning Director John
Harvey informed the board that a
long-range study of the county water
system's needs will not be finished
until mid-October. William G. Daniel
& Associates of Cary was contracted
last June for the $20,000 study, which
was to be completed last month.
In a letter to the county, engineer
Ed Odom stated that the company
"grossly underestimated" the
amount of time necessary for the
study. Additional costs incurred by
the extension will be absorbed by the
company, he said.
Positions Sought
On a motion by Commissioner
Gene Pinkerton, the board voted 3-2
to amend the county hiring freeze
and allow County Manager John T.
Smith to fill two positions created in
the 1989-90 budget and a third post
that was funded last year hut left va
cant.
The two new positions are for a
county engineer and county purchas
ing agent. The engineer's annual
salary and wages are budgeted at
$43,308, while an original salary and
wage figure for the purchasing agent
was $22,872.
Commissioners Benny I.udlum and
Kelly Holden voted against Pinker
ton's motion, after Holden questioned
a provision in the motion to raise the
purchasing agent's annual salary
from the budgeted amount to about
$26,000.
The third position is for a Clean
County Department coordinator, a
post which was advertised in
February. A list of 72 applicants was
narrowed to four finalist*; for the
$22,872 per year job, before the hiring
was put on hold while officials work
ed on the county budget.
Other Business
In other action at Monday's
meeting, the commissioners:
? Approved several year-ending
budget amendments involving no
local funds in the Health Depart
ment, Public Housing and Operation
Services budgets.
?Reappointed Boyd Williamson
and Nancy Moore to their positions
as tax administrator and tax collec
tor, respectively.
?Voted to officially inform
Brunswick Community College
trustees that the county is interested
in sharing the college's old ad
ministration building near Supply.
They also instructed Smith to
prepare a plan by Aug. 7 as to how
county offices can be rearranged to
help relieve overcrowding.
Water Source Heat
Pumps To Be Topic
Water source heat pumps will be
the subject of a public workshop next
week sponsored by Brunswick Elec
tric Membership Corp. and
Brunswick Community College.
The session by Ronald D. Mahan of
Nesco Inc. of Monroe will be held
Wednesday, July 12, at 6 p.m. at
BCC's Supply campus.
To make reservations to attend call
BEMC at 754-4391, Ext. 218.
siAFf photo by rahn adams
Boys Of Summer
Danny Pragel and his father, Mike Pragel, of Rochester, N.Y., show that
boys of all ages enjoy the national pastime, as the pair take advantage of
pleasant weather Sunday afternoon in the South Brunswick Islands to enjoy
a game of catch. The Pragels were spending the Fourth of July holiday with
relatives who live near Sunset Beach.
Beary Elegant
?This Week's special?
25% Off All Baskets
Decorator, wicker, willow, grapevine,
& hand-painted thru Saturday
Sonrise Sq^
Sunset Beach
579-5990
STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG BUTTER
Like Father, Like Daughter
Toni McLamb of Fayette ville, left, fills another bucket of sand while her father, Tony McLamb, digs a tunnel to
their miniature kingdom in the sand at Holden Beach Saturday. The MeLambs were ?imong thousands of families
vacationing on the South Brunswick Islands during the Independence Day holiday.
Expo Contest Seeking Photos Of Region
Photographs which depict the
varied marine resources of the Cape
Fear Coast are being sought for the
Marine Expo '89 Photography Con
test.
Categories for subject matter are
the following: education and
research, commercial and business,
and recreatiion and conservation.
Residents of Brunswick Npw
Hanover and Pender counties are
eligible to enter. Photos must also be
taken in one of these three counties.
Marine Expo, held every other
"Air nnnonrrpnt ivith WHmincrtnn'c
J - - ? o
Riverfest, emphasizes the impor
tance of the region's marine
resources to the economy and the
local quality of life.
Expo Publicist Teresa McLamb
said through programs, exhibits and
special events, Expo strives to in
crease awareness of how coastal
resources affect residents' lives and
vice versa.
In selecting subjects for their
photos, she suggested, entrants
should consider the goals of Marine
Expo.
Photos may be submitted as color
or black and white prints no smaller
than a 5x7 photo, with a minimum
mount of 8x10 and a maximum of
Sea Coast
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16x20. They may be borderless. Each
entry should be mounted, unframed
and unsigned on the front.
Entries are limited to three per
person in each subject matter
category. Each entry should also in
clude a card with the name, address
and telephone number of the
photographer, title of the work (if
any) and the date and location where
the photo was taken.
A $100 purchase prize will be
awarded to the best photograph in
the advanced division and in the
beginner/inierinediaie division.
First place prizes will also be
awarded in each subject matter
category.
Ail entries wiii be displayed at the
New Hanover County Public Library
during September and at the
Coastline Convention Center during
Marine Expo/Riverfest '89, Oct. 1-8.
Judges will be selected by the
Marine Expo executive committee.
?Lots oegin at oniy $22,900
with 90% financing
to qualified buyers
?Limited Grand Opening
Specials
?Special Multiple Lot
Purchase
?FREE-One year golf
membership with purchase
FEATURING Lakefront. Golf
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Entries become the property of
Marine Expo and may be used for
promoting future events in our
coastal area.
Entries must have been
photographed within two years of the
deadline for submitting entries, Aug.
15.
Entries may be taken to Coastal
Foto, 4609 Wrightsville Avenue or
Plaza East Shopping Center.
For more information call
Mcl^amb at 799-3252.
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2 P.M. TIL 7 P.M.
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DELIVERED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 4,
TIME: 5 P.M. T!L 6 P.M.