Commissioners Jump From Fire Into
Trying Pan' Water Fight
BY RAHN ADAMS
Preoccupied for the past two weeks with putting out
flames of controversy over their hiring of a new county
manager, Brunswick County Commissioners got back
into a familiar groove Monday night, as the main topic
of discussion was the need for county water service at
Shallotte Point ? an area within Frying Pan precinct
While scattered remarks were made about the board's
aborted hiring attempt (see related story), the lengthy
public comments portion of Monday's 1 1/4-hour regu
lar meeting Monday in Bolivia was dominated by ques
tions from at least six Shallotte Point residents who
wanted to know whether or not the county intends to
run water lines into their community located between
the Shallotte River and Saucepan Creek.
Over the past five years, Shallotte Point residents
have tangled with commissioners periodically over the
absence of county water service in the area, which is
said to have more than 1,000 households. Residents
tlierc say groundwater is in short supply and of poor
quality. Property owner R.C. Eaton told commissioners
Monday that some Shallotte Point wells arc "contami
nated."
Last fall, after members of a group called Shallotte
Point After Water Now (SPAWN) attended several
board meetings to request water service, commissioners
instructed Public Utilities Director Jerry Webb to obtain
cost estimates of serving the area through the county's
special assessment district program.
Also, an effort to incorporate Shallotte Point began
last November. However, the community's incorpora
tion steering committee disbanded after a disagreement
in December. Spokesperson Joyce Land told the
Beacon that she and her neighbors addressed the county
board Monday to help them decide whether or not to re
new work on incorporation.
Webb said he did not complete his cost studies last
fall after he. County Attorney David Clegg and
Commissioner Kelly Holdcn met with Shallotte Point
resident Rozell Hewett in Shallotte to discuss various
means for the area to obtain water service, including in
corporation, privatization and formation of either a spe
cial assessment district or sanitary district.
The utility director said he had assumed that Hewett
represented the community's "ad hoc committee."
Webb also noted that Hewett had indicated he planned
to seek information from the Farmers Home
Administration on financing formation of a sanitary dis
trict.
Hewctt was a member of Ihe Shalloitc Point incorpo
ration committee. However, fellow member Robert
Hoff told Webb Monday, "Mr. Rozell Hewctt, an es
teemed gentleman, is only one person in Shallotte Point
... It may have been an ad hoc committee (that Hewett
represented), but the major committee that was formed
was studying incorporation."
Responding to HofT and other residents, Webb as
sured them that he intends to complete his cost analyses
and present at least two alternatives for commissioners
to consider during 1990-91 budget work. He indicated
he will submit proposals to serve Shallotte Point either
as a special assessment district project or as part of a
county capital improvements project.
Commission Chairman Pinkerton said commissioners
probably will not have a definitive answer on Shallotte
Point water service sooner than May, when the board
generally begins holding budget workshops.
In other business at Monday's commissioners meet
ing, the board:
? Appointed Ginger Sugrue of Shallotte to fill the
unexpired three-year term of John Frink on the
Southeastern Mental Health Board. Frink resigned after
being reappointed to the board Feb. 5.
? Approved a finai draft of the county's shoreline ac
cess plan, as recommended by the county planning
board and Wilmington landscape architect Howard
Capps.
? Awarded a certificate of appreciation to county
Emergency Management Coordinator Cecil Logan for
heading up the rescue of a lost girl in the Green Swamp
earlier this month.
? Authorized nine mosquito control water manage
ment projects, including the Cheers and Williamson
projects in Shalkttte Township; Metz project in
Lock wood Folly Township; Wilson and Smith projects
in Waccamaw Township; Canton, Munell, Willetts and
Sloan projects in Town Creek Township.
? Approved the Brunswick County Public Housing
Authority's annua! contributions contract.
? Were brought up to date on activities of the Marine
Crescent by its new director. Michael Bradley.
? Heard a report on Bninswick County Public
Schools' current membership figures by Superintendent
John Kaufhold.
? Voted to designate the county landfill as the coun
ty's official automobile tire disposal site and to move a
tire slicer from the county bus garage to the landfill.
Local Murder
Trial Begins
Testimony began Tuesday in the
trial of two local men accused of
beating a Southport area man to
death last June, according to the
Brunswick County Clerk of Court's
office.
Ronny Paul Ballard and Jave
Ronald McCowan. both of Smith
Mobile Home Park off N.C. 211
near Southport, were charged with
second-degree murder, in connec
tion with the June 10, 1989, death
of Earl James Pigg Jr. The victim
also lived in the mobile home park.
Jury selection began Monday af
ternoon and concluded Tuesday
morning in Brunswick County Su
perior Court. Judge Giles R. Clark
was presiding.
According to the Brunswick
County Sheriff's Department, the
death followed a brawl that began
outside Pigg's residence and involv
ed the victim and Ballard. Ballard
allegedly struck Pigg in the face
with a slick and with a wooden two
by-four during the fight
The struggle ended inside Bal
lard's mobile home when McCowan
allegedly struck Pigg in the back of
the head with a two-by-four, author
ities said. Pigg was dead on arrival
at Doshcr Memorial Hospital,
South port.
The maximum penalty for sec
ond-degree murder is 50 years in
prison and a fine. The presumptive
prison term is 15 years.
STArf PHOTO BY DOUG RUTTER
Building The Beach
Sandy material dredged from the Shallotte Inlet crossing rushes out the end of a metal pipe placed on the Ocean Isle Beach strand at
Shallotte Boulevard. As part of a federally-funded dredging project, Cornell Engineering Corp. of Chesapeake . Va., started dumping
about 30,000 cubic yards of sand on the east end of Ocean Isle last week and expected to finish this week. Earlier this year, the dredg
ing company deposited sand dredged from Lockwood Folly Inlet on the western end of Long Beach.
Board Bows
(Continued From Page 1-A)
growth and development . . . Salary
and benefits are negotiable." Appli
cations will be received through
April 9.
When asked why he considered
the matter to be an emergency that
could not wait until Monday's regu
lar meeting to be handled,
Pinkerton told the Beacon Friday,
"If you knew the p.rssure on my
head, you'd probably understand it
better."
Holden indicated that much of
the pressure on Pinkerton came
from local Republican Party offi
cials including GOP Chairman Mal
colm Grissett. Holden, Pinkerton
and Rabon are Republicans; Beas
lcy and Ludlum are Democrats.
In an interview Sunday, Grissett
confirmed that he had talked at least
twice to Pinkerton after Feb. 5
about possibly rescinding Kopp's
hiring and that Pinkerton initially
resisted the idea.
Grissett said his position was
based on a "consensus" of local
Republicans who called him to
complain about the apparent haste
in which Kopp was hired. "This re
ally let me know that there was a
cross-section of people out there
who were disenchanted with the
way it was done," Grissett said, af
ter earlier noting, "I don't have a
problem with Mr. Kopp at all."
However, Grissett said the local
GOP never took an official stance
on the issue. "I never did call on the
executive committee to come in and
give me a full tally vote," lie said,
adding that he had offered to call
for a vote if Pinkerton desired one.
The party chairman said his main
concerns with the hiring were that
"it very well could be a big blem
ish" on upcoming elections and that
local residents apparently felt they
had been "short-changed" by the
three commissioners' earlier deci
sion to hire Kopp without holding 2
formal job search.
Raton would not comment in de
tail on his reversal. "I agreed with
the statement that the chairman
(Pinkerton) made Friday," Raton
said Monday. Adding that his deci
sion was not influenced by Grisseu,
the commissioner stated, "I haven't
talked with Malcolm Grisseu."
Contrary to other media reports,
Ms. Beasley told the Beacon Mon
day that her vote Friday was not in
n^enced by local Democratic lead
ers. "No democrat from the execu
tive committee or (Chairman) Glen
Peterson has once called Ms. Beas
ley (about the matter)," she said.
"Whatever decision I made, I made
on my own." Peterson could not be
reached for comment Monday.
While Rabon said Monday he
had received only "three calls" from
the public about Kopp's hiring, both
Pinkerton and Ms. Beasley indicat
ed that they and members of their
families received numerous tele
phone calls last week from irate lo
cal residents.
Echoing remarks Pinkerton made
Feb. 5, Ms. Beasley said Monday
she initially voted to hire Kopp be
cause she felt that residents wanted
a highly-qualified, county native to
head county administration. How
ever, she added, "Evidently the citi
zenry of Brunswick County didn't
feel that way."
Program Topic Is Man-Made Wetlands
The use of constructed wetlands for municipal wastewater
treatment will be the topic of a program next week sponsored by
the Resources Development Commission for Brunswick County.
Gerald Steiner, water and waste engineering program manager
with the Tennessee Valley Authority, will present the program next
Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 9 a.m. in the Public Assembly Building in
Bolivia.
A constructed wetland is a man-made, engineered marsh-like
area that uses the physical, chemical and biological processes in na
ture instead of mechanical systems to treat wastewater.
In the wetlands, organisms and plants use the nutrients in the
wastewater for food. The pollutants are transformed into basic ele
ments, plant mass and compost
Party 'Who's Who' To Join
Demos For Ground-Breaking
U.S. Kep. Charles Rose and U.S.
Sen. Terry Sanford are among the
party dignitaries expected to join
Brunswick County Democrats at the
groundbreaking Saturday for a per
manent party headquarters building.
The ceremony begins at 2 p.m. at
the construction site north of Supply
across from Brunswick Community
College, said Elizabeth Dameron,
with all Democrats invited to at
tend.
Others guests expected to partic
ipate are former Governor Jim
Hunt; state Supreme Court Justice
James G. Ex urn Jr.; state SBI Direc
tor Robert Morgan; state Rep. Den
nis Wicker of Lee County and Rep.
Harry Payne of New Hanover
County; and state Sen. R.C. Soles
Jr. of Columbus County and Sen.
Frank Block of New Hanover
County.
Hotdogs, soft drinks and desserts
will be served.
The prefabricated steel building
with brick facade will be built by
Raysand Construction at a cost of
$65,000. It should be completed by
May 1.
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Sf/7/ Forecast
The spring-like conditions that
have dominated weather in the
Shallotte area over the past several
weeks are expected to continue at
least through the weekend, accord
ing to Shallotte Point meteorologist
Jackson Canady.
Unseasonably mild temperatures
and an above average rainfall level
is forecast for the next several days.
Temperatures should average from
the mid-40s at night to the mid-60s
during the day. Rainfall is expected
to measure about three-quarters of
an inch.
For the period of Feb. 13 through
19, the daily average temperature
was 60 degrees, which Canady said
was 12 degrees above normal.
The average daily high tempera
ture was 69 degrees, and the aver
age nightly low temperature was 50
degrees.
The maximum high temperature
during the period was 77 degrees on
Feb. 14. The minimum low temper
ature was 32 degrees on Feb. 13.
Canady measured 0.93 of an inch
of rain during the seven-day period.
Area Republicans
Kick Off Campaign
The Brunswick County Republi
can party will sponsor a campaign
kick-off fund-raiser Saturday, Feb.
24, at 5 p.m. at the county party
headquarters on U.S. 17 one mile
north of Supply.
Besides local Republicans seek
ing election in 1990, Republican
candidates for the 7th Congression
al District seat ? Fries Shaffner of
Wilmington and Robert Anderson
of Fayeueville, and 13th District
Attorney candidate Frank Stanley of
Whitcville are expected to attend.
Festivities will include a barbe
cue dinner, and a local band, Cross
roads, will entertain with beach and
country music.
Homemade cakes and other foods
will be sold to the highest bidder.
Prizes to be given away include a
riding lawn mower and chain saw.
Tickets cost $30 per couple.
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