20 Different Ballots
Involved In
Tuesday's Municipal Elections
BY SUSAN USHER
The Brunswick County Board of
Elections and its staff won't forget
Nov. 7, 1989, any time soon.
That's when die board will con
duct IS municipal elections, two
special district elections and a coun
tywide referendum on four alco
holic beverage control issues.
"Eighteen ballots ? that's the most
I've ever had," said Lynda Britt,
elections supervisor.
"It's more complex," she contin
ued. "Because of the types of bal
lots, we have to make sure we get
every precinct programmed as it
should be." Some machines must be
set up to handle as many as four
ballots, others only one.
In addition, Holden Beach and
Ocean Isle Beach are conducting
their own municipal elections,
bringing the total number of ballots
out Tuesday to 20.
In all, 133 candidates ? including
one write-in ? are seeking 80 seats.
The number of registered voters
in the towns range from a low of 82
in Belville to a high of 2389 in
Long Beach.
Three towns are holding their
first elections: Varnamtown, Sandy
Creek and Leland. Also conducting
elections are the recently expanded
town of Calabash, Sunset Beach,
Shallotte, Bolivia, Yaupon Beach,
Caswell Beach. Long Beach, South
port, Boiling Spring Lakes, Bolivia,
Belville and Navassa. The only
town not conducting an election is
the Village of Bald Head Island,
which names its governing board in
another fashion.
Voters will also elect members to
the boards of two quasi-govemmen
tal bodies, the Leland Sanitary
District and the Dosher Memorial
Hospital Board of Trustees.
Countywide, 25,550 people are
eligible to vote in the countywide
ABC referendum, said Mrs. Britt.
All issues apply to only unincorpo
rated areas, those outside towns and
cities.
Four issues are on the ABE bal
lot:
? Whether to permit sale of malt
beverages such as beer for on- and
off-premises consumption;
? Whether to permit sale of un
fortified (table) wines for on- and
off-premises consumption;
? Whether to allow the sale of
mixed beverages in hotels, restau
rants, private clubs, community the
aters and convention centers; and
? Whether to allow the operation
of ABC stores.
If the county votes to permit
ABC stores to sell liquor, said Doug
Robinson, assistant administrator of
the State Alcoholic Beverage Con
trol Board, "a dividend of that
would be the automatic sale of un
fortified and fortified wines" in
businesses such as grocery and con
venience stores in the unincorporat
ed areas.
Alcohol sales of one sort or an
other are legal now in a majority of
the county's municipalities. Also,
golf courses in the unincorporated
areas of the county can obtain ABC
permits as a result of special legisla
tion obtained two years ago by Rep.
David E. Redwine.
Referring to this and earlier spe
cial bills, Robinson quipped, "Don't
you think there's been enough spe
cial legislation passed for Bruns
wick County so that those who want
to drink can?"
Should any or all of the issues
pass, Robinson said he was not cer
tain of the effect on the municipal
ABC systems.
Meanwhile, even with 18 ballots
to deal with, Elections Supervisor
Britt said that by using voting ma
chines for all issues, returns should
come in rapidly.
"If all goes well we should have
the results quickly except where
they have these write-in candi
dates," she said.
There is at least one write-in can
didate at Sunset Beach, with rumors
of one or more write-in candidates
for seats on the Leland Sanitary
District board.
Candidates Profiled,
Pages 6-A-9-A ? 8-B? 11-B
?~ STAFF PHOTO IY DOUG ItUTTOt
THIS SNEAK PREVIEW of the Ocean Isle Nature Center is on display at town hall.
Ocean Isle Board OKs Site For Nature Center
Varying Legal
Opinions Cited
On Annexation
BY DOUG RUTTER
Construction is to begin immcdi
.itely on a natural museum at Ocean
Isle Beach that organizers hope will
eventually showcase the area's
wildlife and marine specimens.
The town's zoning board of ad
justment Monday cleared the way
for construction of the Ocean Isle
Nature Center with a unanimous
vote to allow the facility to be built
in a residential district
Board action was required be
cause the proposed nature center is
to be built in an R-l or residential
zoning district. Town Building In
spector Druid Roberson said recre
ational facilities such as museums
can be built in R-l districts as long
as they are approved by the board of
adjustment.
With Ocean Isle Museum Found
ation President Stuart Ingram the
only person in the audience and no
public objection to the structure, the
board needea only five minutes
Monday morning to approve the
permitted use.
Following the vote, board chair
man Debbie Fox said, "I think, even
though it abuts a residential area,
it's a quiet activity. It isn't a noise
maker."
The nature center will be built
between East Second Street and a
dirt road extension of East Third
Street across from a row of canal
homes on Laurinburg Street The
area has been staked out, and In
gram said Monday that work on the
building would begin as soon as the
weather cleared up.
The museum foundation has con
tracted with R.H. McClure Builders
of Ocean Isle to construct the cen
ter. Ingram said the structure will be
built this fall and the interior com
pleted during the winter.
He said (he museum foundation
has raised more than $100,000 and
wiil continue to seek donations.
Another $100,000 will be needed to
complete the interior of the nature
center and build a reef room that
will feature marine specimens com
mon to the area.
"It's going to take a lot more than
the $100,000 we have to complete
the building and build the reef room
and purchase the displays and ex
hibits," said Ingram. "But we intend
to make something nice."
Roberson said the exterior of the
building will resemble the new
town hall. "It has more of a large
residence look than an office build
ing," he added.
The nature center will have about
7,000 square feet of interior space
and will face the extension of East
Third Street. That road is just a dirt
path now leading into the town
park, but town officials indicated
Monday there is a good chance it
will be improved in the future.
First proposed last September,
plans for the nature center solidified
about a year ago when Ocean Isle
developer Odell Williamson agreed
to a long-term lease of the land. The
half-acre tract is situated about one
block east of the causeway.
Organizers eventually hope to ex
hibit animals common to the area,
shore and land birds, shells and lo
cal artifacts.
A sneak preview of the nature
center featuring a stuffed deer, rac
coon and alligator can be viewed in
the town hall lobby. All three ani
mals were donated to the museum
foundation. Ingram said the alliga
tor was caught in Brunswick Coun
ty and presented by the N.C. Wild
life Resources Commission.
BY DOUG RUTTER
Candidates for the Holden Beach
Board of Commissioners aren't the
only ones with different opinions on
a divisive mainland annexation is
sue.
Experts trained in municipal law
are also spreading conflicting opin
ions over whether an ordinance to
annex the causeway area can be
overturned before it takes effect
next year.
After several years of study and
debate, the town board voted 3-2 in
July to annex approximately 67
acres on both sides of the mainland
causeway. The annexation is sched
uled to take effect June 30, 1990.
However, since the vote there has
been talk of rescinding the ordi
nance. Whether or not to annex the
causeway has emerged as a major
election issue.
Four candidates for town board ?
incumbent Bob Buck and chal
lengers Kenner Amos, Gloria Bar
rett and Judy Bryan? have openly
said they would vote to rescind the
annexation ordinance.
Meanwhile, three other candi
dates ? George Bradshaw, Don
Pollard and Carole Rogers ? have
campaigned on the basis that the de
cision to annex cannot be reversed.
With the differing legal opinions
and the municipal election set for
next Tuesday, Mayor John Ibndy
said the issue has divided the town.
"I think some good friendships have
been split on this thing and it's not
worth it."
Legal opinions vary on whether
the town board can rescind the an
nexation ordinance. However, attor
neys agree on one thing; That there
is nothing in the state annexation
statutes addressing the issue. They
also say there is no case law relating
to the matter.
Jake Wicker, an assistant director
of the N.C. Institute of Government,
is one of three persons contacted by
The Brunswick Beacon who is
knowledgeable in municipal law
and who said they think the annexa
tion ordinance can be repealed.
But like others, he stressed that it
is only his opinion. The state statute
dealing with annexation does not
address whether or not an annexa
tion ordinance can be rescinded.
"At this point, it's a matter of
opinion and not absolute by any
means," he said. "It's a question of
interpretation."
Wicker said if the new town
board votes to rescind the annexa
tion ordinance, it could be chal
lenged in court He said annexation
ordinances have been overturned
elsewhere but have never been chal
lenged.
Town Attorney Doug Ledgett
said he believes the annexation can
be stopped if the ordinance is re
scinded before it takes effect in
(See VARYING, Page 2-A)
Welcome Center Back On Front Burner.
Despite threats of postponement by Transportation
Secretary Jim Harrington, a rest area or welcome center
planned for the Shallotte bypass will still be built next
spring.
The facility, to be built off N.C. 130 West when the
bypass is paved, replaces a rest area now located on
U.S. 17 near Bolivia
Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Jones
said the department had received a letter from Joe
Augustine of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of
Commerce, representing the local parties involved, re
garding agreement not to use state monies for operation
of the center. "I can't comment on its exact contents,
however," he said, "because it's still in our legal depart
ment getting worked on."
The agreement should be worked out in sufficient
time for construction to proceed on its original sched
ule, in conjunction with paving of the bypass. The facil
ity is to be completed by fall at a projected cost of
$1,150,000.
Area chambers of commerce had high hopes for the
facility, expecting it to evolve into much more than a
rest area. While operated locally at first, sponsors had
hoped that, with a track record established, it could
someday join the ranks of state welcome centers.
In an agreement reached with the state several
years ago with the help of Rep. David Redwine, the
South Brunswick Islands, Southport-Oak Island and
Greater Wilmington chambers of commerce had agreed
to staff the facility as a visitor information center if the
state agreed to build a suitable facility.
A similar agreement was worked out for a compara
ble center that was recently completed on U.S. 17 near
the Virginia state line, at Camden. The facilities were
intended to provide information on not just local attrac
tions, but those statewide. A third locally-operated fa
cility, near Tuxedo in western North Carolina, fell into
the same category.
However, two budget provisions approved near the
close of the past legislative session last week put that
agreement in jeopardy.
Secretary Harrington announced construction of the
center would be postponed indefinitely. The move came
in response to the General Assembly's decision in
August to divert money from the Department of
Transportation's personalized license tag revenue fund
to support for the local/state welcome centers.
'That just threw me for a loop," said Redwine, who
added that he was never contacted by Harrington re
garding the decision. Shortly after hearing of the post
ponement, Redwine called Harrington in an attempt to
intervene. Reminding Harrington that he is a Brunswick
County taxpayer, Redwine said he told Harrington, "I
can't believe you're going to punish us for trying to do
Details Of Agreement Not Available
something good to help the people down here."
With a four-laned U.S. 17 a major north-south thor
oughfare, he continued, "What better way is there to
promote tourism in eastern North Carolina or all of
North Carolina?"
Harrington later agreed to reinstate the project, pro
vided local sponsors agreed not to use state funds for
operations.
?KBfBBhfciBi
Barn Takes The Prize
For the second consecutive year, The Seafood Barn restaurant captured first place in the N.C. Festival By
The Sea parade Saturday. Its fun-loving, laid-back theme set the tone for the festival, which drew an
estimated 30,000 visitors to Holden Beach. Coverage of Festival events can be found throughout this issue.
But when the legislature reconvenes in early 1990,
Redwine said he'll try to address the issue again. He
has also brought the question of funding to the attention
of the General Assembly's Government Operations
Committee, an oversight panel that monitors depart
mental activity when the legislature is not meeting.
A majority of the vanity tag revenues finance
DOT's roadside wildflower and beautification program.
However, portions of the fund have been used for non
departmental projects in the past, said Rep. Redwine,
noting that the bill set no new precedent.
What specifically incensed Harrington?
The legislature adopted, first, a measure introduced
by three Democrats, Reps. Vernon James of Pasquo
tank, Charles Beall of Haywood, and Redwine, that re
quired DOT to spend $50,000 in vanity tag revenues
during 1989-90 and $150,000 during 1990-91 to help
underwrite staffing of the local/state visitor information
centers.
Since the Camden facility opened, the Albemarle
Commission has spent more than $100,000 in cash and
in-kind staffing it, said Redwine. Its immense populari
ty with the traveling public prompted the legislators to
seek state support He joined the effort, seeing the op
portunity for partial support of the local center upon its
completion next year.
In addition, the legislators approved a measure by
Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Dare, that doubled the cost of
personalized plates from $10 to $20. The extra money
goes not to the Department of Transportation, but to the
Natural Heritage Trust Fund to help buy pristine or oth
er sensitive lands endangered by development
Harrington objected to both measures, saying visitor
information centers are not to be likened to the network
of eight welcome centers operated by the Department of
Commerce's Travel and Tourism Division. Funding the
three centers, he feared, would set precedent for the
state being asked to finance other visitor information
centers, especially given the state's current surge of
highway construction activity.
He was concerned also that the higher tag price
would dampen sales of the personalized license tags.
In addition to postponing construction of the center,
Harrington also delayed approximately 20 beautifica
tion projects pending outcome of the feud.