THE Bd"*","":K<
Twenty-eighth Year, Number 4
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v...o.mnp, imnn uaronna, inursday, November 30, 1989
25C Per Copy 36 Pages, 3 Sections, 2 Inserts
County To Answer SOS's Call
For Help With Staff Support
BY RAHN ADAMS
When the "Save Our Shellfish"
organization initially asked for
county support over a month ago,
Brunswick County Commissioners
said they needed time to review the
request. The board took the time
during two work sessions over the
past week and decided to come to
SOS's rescue not with dollars, but
with manpower.
After a 90-minute discussion
Nov. 21 of the group's work to re
store shellfishing in the Lockwood
Folly River, SOS officials left the
commissioners' special work ses
sion without receiving a definite re
sponse as to whether ur uOi ihe
county would hire a coordinator/
lobbyist to work on the river preser
vation issue.
But during a followup work ses
sion Tuesday, the county commis
sion tentatively agreed to assign the
coordinator's duties to county Plan
ner Don Eggert. As far as creating a
new coordinator position was con
cerned, Chairman Frankie Rabon
commented Tuesday, "1 just don't
see us hiring a full time person for
this...With the resources our plan
ning department has, I just think
they can do it"
Rabon instructed County Mana
ger John T. Smith to talk with Eg
gert and Planning Director John
Harvey, and to report back to com
missioners at their Dec. 4 meeting.
Ail five commissioners were pre
sent at both work sessions. SOS
representatives at last week's meet
ing included President Annie Smi
giel, Wallace Smith, John Holden,
Marlene Varnam and Carson Var
nam, who also is a member of the
N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission.
The county board last week also
instructed its staff to contact the
N.C. Department of Environment,
Health and Natural Resources, and
request that chemical studies be
done of the river and of adjacent
agriculture lands where treated
sludge is used as fertilizer. Mrs.
Smigiel said the studies arc needed
to help pinpoint sources of pollu
tion.
SOS's main thrust continues to be
its effort to convince the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers to reopen
Lockwood Folly Inlet's "Eastern
Channel" ? the original inlet chan
nel that is now blocked by a sandy
peninsula on the far western end of
Oak Island.
Experts including Dr. Walter
Stanaland of USC-Coastal Carolina
have advocated reopening Easicin
Channel as a means of restoring the
now-polluted river's natural flow.
Stanaland also has recommended
the construction of jetties on either
side of Lockwood Folly Inlet to im
prove sluggish water flow and re
duce frequent shoaling there.
Mrs. Smigiel told commissioners
last week that only three of 90
shrimpers and charter boats that sail
out of the Vamamtown/Holden
Beach area can navigate the shallow
inlet, and those three vessels can
pass through the channel only at
high tide, she said.
Eastern Channel, located south of
Sheep Island near the mouth of
Lockwood Folly River, once served
as the inlet between the river and
ocean. When the Atlantic Intra
coastal Waterway was dredged
years ago, the Corps cut the present
inlet about a mile west of the origi
nal channel.
Over the past five years, the fed
eral government has spent an aver
age of $440,000 per year to keep
the new inlet open. Earlier this year,
the federal Energy and Water
Appropriations Bill allotted
S535.000 for maintenance dredging
of the inlet during the current fiscal
year.
In March, Holden was the first to
publicly suggest that reopening
Eastern Channel would allow the
river to flush itself of pollutants thai
state agencies have determined
come from septic tanks and
stormwater runoff in the Lockwood
Folly drainage basin. Holden 's theo
ry was based on his study of maps
dating back to 1733 and aerial pho
tographs of the inlet.
(See COUNTY, Page 2-A)
jinrr rnviu ??'
"SAVE OUR SHELLFISH" OFFICIALS discuss with county commissioners the organization's request for
a countv-funded coordinator/lobbyist to work with local, state and federal efforts to clean up Lock wood
Folly River. Pictured (clockwise from left) are Commissioners Frankie Rabon, Grace Beasley, Gene
Pinkerton, Benny Ludlum and Kelly Holden; and SOS officials Wallace Smith, John Holden, Annie
Smigiel, Marlene Vamam and Carson Varnam.
Developers May Scale Down Marina Proposal
BY DOUG RUTTER
Plans for a controversial marina
on Lockwood Folly River may be
scaled down to include only a pier
and boat ramp, according to a state
official involved in the permitting
process.
Jim Herstine, regional director of
the N.C. Division of Coastal Man
agement, said developers verbally
agreed earlier this month to scrap
plans for a 50-slip marina and
building a pier and boat ramp
instead.
Channel Side Corp., which is
developing the 500-acre Lockwood
Folly golf community near Holden
Beach, had proposed building a
marina on the river to serve
property owners. The corporation
applied for a major CAMA permit
last year that would allow
construction of the facility.
Herstine, whose agency handles
coastal development permits, said
Channel Side officials indicated a
change in plans was forthcoming al
a meeting in early November. Dur
ing the meeting, he said the
developers promised formal sket
ches of the pier and boat ramp plan
within a few days, but nothing has
since been submitted.
Shallotte attorney Mason Ander
son, who is a principal in Channel
Side, refused to confirm or deny the
report of doing away with the pro
posed marina and building a pier
(See DEVELOPERS, Pane 2- A)
County Delays Action On 91 1; Looks At New Funding Formula
BY RAHN ADAMS
Even with 5500,000 already budgeted for an emer
gency telephone system in Brunswick County, com
missioners last week put 911 on hold until they can get
local municipalities on the line to talk about the system
and a new funding plan.
At a work session last Wednesday in Bolivia, Bruns
wick County Emergency Management Coordinator
Cecil Logan informed the board
that the N.C. General Assembly
this year passed legislation which
allows local governments to fund
911 systems through a monthly
surcharge added to telephone sub
scribers' bills. Funds that are
raised can be used to install and
maintain the system, Logan said.
On a motion by Commissioner
Grace Beasley, the board voted 4
0, with Commissioner Benny Lud
lum absent, to delay consideration of 911 until the
Dec. 18 regular commission meeting. The specific date
for a decision was requested by Commissioner Kelly
Holden, who earlier in the meeting had commented
that the matter has been discussed for too long without
action.
In May 1987, commissioners went on record in fa
vor of implementing 911 here and allocated $250,000
for it in both the 1988-89 and 1989-90 budgets.
However, the board has yet to give local telephone
companies ? Atlantic Telephone Membership Corpora
tion and Southern Bell ? the official go-ahead to begin
installing the system. Installation would take approxi
mately two years.
Logan said the estimated installation cost is
5233,000 for three "answering points" ? locations in
the system where emergency calls would be received
and then dispatched to individual public safety agen
cies. The ongoing monthly maintenance cost has been
estimated at approximately SI 1,000.
The emergency management coordinator noted that
the installation cost would be recovered in 18 months
if each of the county's 26,000 telephone subscribers
were billed an additional SO cents per month. The sur
charge, which would raise about 513,000 per month,
could then be used to cover the monthly maintenance
cost.
County Manager John T. Smith said he felt that an
additional 5200,000 should be allocated for 911 in the
1990-91 budget, to raise the 911 fund to 5700,000.
Even with subscribers bearing the installation and
maintenance costs, the county would still have to con
tribute, since the surcharge could not be used to pay
for a 911 communications center or telecommunica
tors' salaries.
Last Wednesday's vote to delay signing an official
letter of intent came shortly after Logan told the board
that last Wednesday ? the day of the work session ?
was the deadline that the phone companies had set for
a decision from the county. He said both the proposed
installation and maintenance costs would increase by
several thousand dollars after the deadline.
Even as Logan talked by phone with Southern Bell
official Bob Fuller about a possible deadline extension,
commissioners voted to put off their decision. Minutes
later during a break in the meeting, Logan told
Commission Chairman Frankie Rabon that Fuller said
the county could probably avoid the cost hikes with ac
tion no later than Dec. 18. However, the official dead
line was extended only until Nov. 30.
County Attorney David Clegg last Wednesday was
instructed to revise a letter of intent that he originally
drafted after a 911 public information meeting and
board work session held in January. At that January
meeting, Ms. Beasley made the motion for the pro
posed letter of intent to be drafted. The board, howev
er, never voted on the letter.
Ms. Beasley's main objection to approving the letter
of intent last week involved her concern about two sec
ondary answering points that Logan said would be lo
cated in Southport and Long Beach. Both she and
Rabon said they felt other communities would want
their own answering points, since the two points would
be located in the Southport area.
Logan explained that the three overall answering
points would correspond with the three full-time radio
dispatching systems currently in operation in the coun
ty ? in Bolivia (county sheriff's department), Southport
and Long Beach. He indicated that other municipalities
have not expressed interest in hiring telecommunica
tors to staff 911 answering points of their own.
He added that individual volunteer fire departments
and rescue squads could continue dispatching their
own calls, even without an answering point in their re
spective communities. After receiving the call, the 91 1
tclecommunicator could reroute it to the proper re
sponding agency.
Another concern was related to the telephone sur
charge. The board told Clegg to contact the county's
17 municipal boards and ask for their support of an or
dinance to levy the charge. Clegg said each town must
concur with the county's ordinance before subscribers
within the respective towns can be charged.
Also, Planning Director John Harvey and Planner
Tom Birmingham reported to commissioners on coun
ty road-naming and house-numbering projects ? work
that must be completed before 911 goes into operation.
County planners have worked for the past year on
eliminating duplicate road names within individual
postal zones. A countywide house-numbering project
cannot be undertaken until road names arc finalized.
Harvey said proposed road name changes possibly will
be presented to the county Planning Board on Dec. 20.
STAFF fttOTO *Y ?AHN ADAMS
Homeward Bound At Sundown
With a gorgeous Ocean Isle sunset as a backdrop, a lone vehicle whirs across the Odell Williamson Bridge
toward the mainland Sunday evening at the end of the long Thanksgiving weekend and, for many part
time residents, the close of another all-too-short year in the South Brunswick Islands.
Fishermen Gathering Modest Oyster Harvest
BY DOUG RUTTER
The oyster season is barely six
weeks old, but it's already the worst
one ever in the mind of Luree Chad
wick, who helps run a family sea
food business at Shell Point.
"It's the worst* year I've ever
seen," she said. "We've been here
about 40 years, and I've never seen
this."
Most years, Mrs. Chadwick said
they purchase hundreds of bushels
of oysters from shellfishermen who
work in Shallotic River. This year,
they've bought only four bushels
since the season opened Oct. IS.
"We're not seeing a whole lot of
oysters, especially down there,"
said Rich Carpenter, district manag
er with the state Division of Marine
Fisheries in Wilmington. "We
weren't real optimistic going into
the season, and we've seen just
about what we expected."
One reason for the small harvest,
he said, are two oyster-killing para
sites that were identified in state
waters for the first time last fall.
Tests for Dermo and MSX this year
have shown that they still exist, but
in smaller concentrations than a
year ago.
"Overall, we haven't seen as
much mortality this year," said Car
penter. "It seems to be more isolated
this season."
"Anybody who can
get a bushel on the
tide's doing good."
? Larry Holden
Holden Seafood
Larry Holden, owner of Holden
Seafood at Shallotte Point, estimat
ed that about 90 percent of the oys
ters in Shallotte River are dead and
cannot be harvested.
"There's not much out there,"
said Holden. "Anybody who can get
a bushel on the tide's doing good."
Due to the scarcity, he said shell
fishermen are getting about $20 a
bushel for oysters, which is a few
dollars higher than last year.
Oyster harvests are below aver
age statewide. But Carpenter said
the problem has been compounded
in Brunswick County because one
of the best sources of oysters ?
Lockwood Folly River ? is closed
to shellfishing.
Since 1980, bacterial pollution
has gradually resulted in the closure
of more and more shellfish beds in
Lockwood Folly River. In recent
years, the river has accounted for
about 40 percent of the county's
commercial oyster harvest.
Over the past 16 months, howev
er, pollution has forced the state to
frequently stop harvesting in the
lower section of the river, which
contains some of the most produc
tive oyster beds in the state.
All of Lockwood Folly River was
closed to harvesting when oyster
season opened in mid-October. The
lower section was later opened to
harvesting for five days before be
ing shut down again due to pollu
tion.
George Gilbert, assistant director
of the state's Shellfish Sanitation
branch, said the state has been sam
pling the river water on a weekly
basis since Lockwood Folly was
closed to harvesting. He refused to
speculate whether the river will re
open to shellfishing before the end
of oyster season.
"We're just going to keep on
sampling and keep on hoping that
we can get it open," said Gilbert. "If
we have an extended dry period,
there's a possibility it could be har
vested."
Due to the lack of available oys
ters and pollution problems, the
Dixon Chapel Oyster Roast in Var
namtown supplemented its menu
with fish for the first time ever this
year. There is a chance the 30-year
old roast won't be held in future
years.
(See FISHERMEN, Page 2-A)