Officials Storting To Work Early On Brunswick County Budget BY RAHN ADAMS If department heads and commissioners stick to Interim County Manager David Clegg's schedule, Brunswick County's new budget will be in the bag by June 4 ? but Clegg says he would settle for June 18, which would still be two weeks under the wire. With a 3 1/2-weck head start on budget work this year, departmental budget requests arc due on Clegg's desk Monday. "I was really concerned that we get start cd early," the interim manager said Friday. "I think it should be a very methodical process, and we have some highly significant issues that must be resolved in this butfgeL" Commissioners themselves got on the budget band wagon Monday as they began talks regarding capital projects facing the county (see related story). Clcgg noted that four of the county's most pressing capital needs are water system expansion, construction of a 91 1 communications centcr, and the addition of more office space and maintenance facilities at the county govern ment complex. While the commissioners decide which capital pro jects to pursue, Clegg continues to work on proposals involving county operational costs. "I am sure people will just have the breath knocked out of them when they see my budget," he predicted, "because it will be a real istic view of Brunswick County operations . . . I'm not going to play palty-cakc with the budget" Although he won't have an idea of next year's pro posed tax rate until later in the budget process, Clegg added that he hopes to provide commissioners with the information they need to adopt a viable budget without them having to meet with the county's more than 30 de partment heads individually, as was done last year. Last May and June, the county board bogged down in (See BUDGET, Page 2-A) THE ?SV -.'.J :? ^Twenty-eighth Year, Number 17 ???? the brunswick beacon Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, March 8, 1990 25C Per Copy 36 Pages, 3 Sections, Plus Insert STAFF mo TO Br KAHH ADAMS BRUNSWICK COUNTY OFFICIAIJi tour the county complex grounds Monday afternoon to look at possible building sites. Pictured (from left ) are Clerk to the Board Regina Alexander, Commissioner Gene Pinkerton, Commissioner Grace Beasley, Interim County Manager David Clegg, County Engineer Robert Tucker, Commissioner Kelly Holden and Commissioner Frankie Rabon. f "* m f ? <?? ^v y*/^ * H J - ? ? -i- ? n? , ? , ? , f V^UUl B I V \^KJ I I II I II^IUi irr? ^ yi u 1 1 i^jiji I I I M Proposed Capita! Improvement Plan BY RAHN' ADAMS Brunswick County Commission ers went shopping for building sites at the county complex Monday af ternoon, but they were only brows ing ? or "brainstorming." as Cnair man Gene Pinkerton put During the 2 1/2-hour work ses sion, which included an impromptu tour of the complex grounds, the five commissioners discussed, in general, more than 10 proposed capital improvement projects that "are mandated either by the people or by the state," Pinkerton said. Friday, the board will meet in re cessed session with Edward Regan, executive director of the N.C. Asso ciation of County Commissioners, and Raleigh attorney A.P. Carlton to talk about financing options avail able to the county. The meeting be gins Friday at 1 p.m. in the Admin istration Building. The project that drew the most board discussion Monday was the proposed construction of a facility to house the county's 911 emergen cy telephone systera, which is ex pected to be in operation by January 1992, and eventually a county emergency medical service as well. Other projects included water system expansion, landfill improve ments and construction of a new courthouse, new office space for several county departments and a scwci SySiCili fuf uiC COunty CCui plex. Pinkerton also said buildings at the complex will need up to SI. 5 million in roofing work within the nexi two 10 three years. "Out of 12 or 14 projects, which ones are you serious about?" the chairman asked at the outset of the work session. He added that he has trouble prioritizing the projects be cause he feels all of them are "im mediate needs" that must be ad dressed. A telephone company official said in late January that the county would have to pick a location for the 911 communications center within "several months." Interim County Manager David Clegg com mented Monday, "I just know we've got a deadline, and it's got to be housed." In budget talks last spring, com missioners initially decided to lo cate the 911 center in the old Agri cultural Extension Service/ Bruns wick Community College building in Supply. The facility now houses the Volunteer and Information Center, Aging/Older Adults and Clean County. However, Pinkerton said Monday he is embarrassed about the Supply building's appearance and that the departments must keep their offices there due to lack of sufficient space at the complex. He also noted that the county eventually will need a paid EMS and a facility that would be large enough to house the ambu lance service, 911 and emergency moTia^Criivut. The board learned Monday that the county-owned Red and White Building in Bolivia Plaza Shopping Center apparently is not a viabie op tion to house 91 1, as has been previ ously suggested. Pinkerton said the building is in such bad shape that "all you have are two or three ma sonry walls...It's looking like we don't have a lot of value in that building." The county purchased the Bolivia Plaza property for 575,000 in early 1988. Pinkerton said Monday that repairs to the structure's roof alone would cost an estimated 548,000. The building's electrical system, heating and air conditioning system, and plumbing also are in disrepair, he added. Though they made no decision, commissioners discussed the possi bilities of constructing a metal 911/EMS building ? similar to Dare County's EMS facility ? either on the Red and White Buiiding site or off U.S. 17 just south of the main complex grounds. According to Pinkerton, simply clearing the Red and White Buiiding site would cost 528,000. Concerning a proposed new courthouse, Clegg reminded the commissioners that the 13ih Judi cial District will be assigned a sec ond resident superior court judge next year, probably increasing the number of court sessions that will be held in Bolivia. Clegg said court officials already have discussed moving some civil court sessions ?k? ? *1 *- - UUVK IU u?v v/iu vvsuiity tUUl UIUU^C III Southport and holding court in the Public Assembly Building. 'They haven't put any pressure on us," Pinkerton said of the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, "but I can see it coming." However, the N.C. Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources has put pressure on the county to conect problems with op erauon of the complex's sewer sys tem ? the same problems that the county spent $160,000 to try to cor rect two years ago. Fined S2.355 in January for im proper maintenance and operation of the system, the county settled with the state earlier this month for less than the amount of the fine. The county also agreed to build a new sewer system, Clegg told the Beacon Tuesday. The sewer project is being head ed up by County Engineer Robert Tucker. Clegg said topographic sur veys and some land clearing have been done on property toward the rear of the complex to help officials determine what type of system to install. He indicated that no cost es timate has been made for the pro ject, and no funds have been allo cated yet. Commissioners Monday also dis cussed constructing new office and maintenance space for the recre ation and water departments in a building similar to one built in house last year for the operations services and landfill departments. Cum uf uic uuiiunig w<u about $48,000 for materials alone or an estimated $64,000 including county labor. Shallotte Woman Killed In Weekend Auto Mishap A local woman was killed in a single-car accident late Friday near Shallotte. Paula Melzer Reeves, 26, of Shallotte, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 10:45 p.m. wreck four miles south of Shallotte on N.C. 179, according to Highway Patrol spokesperson Ruby Oakley and Brunswick County Coroner Greg White. Ms. Reeves' death was the sec ond fatality this year on Brunswick County roadways. Ms. Oakley said five traffic deaths had occurred in the county by this same time last year. The fatal wreck occurred when Ms. Reeves' 1989 Ford ran off the right side of N.C. 179 and over turned, throwing the driver from the vehicle. A passenger ? Jessie Thomas Reeves, 35, also of Shal lottc ? was not injured. Jessie Reeves told Trooper B.L. Wilkes that an unidentified vehicle had forced the Reeves car off the road, Ms. Oakley said. She added that the accident was not alcohol re lated and that the Reeves auto ap parcnUy was traveling 55 mph when the wreck h^pened. Wilkes e amated damage to the car at $6,(X *). No charges were Hied in connection with the accident. In another local wreck, four South Brunswick Middle School students were slightly injured in a school bus accident Monday on N.C. 87 about 2.5 miles northeast of Bolivia. Thirty-three children were (See SHALLOTTE, Page 2-A) Developers Scale Down River Marina Plans BY DOUG RUTTER The future of a controversial pro posal to construct a marina in the resource-rich waters of Lock wood Folly River is once again in the hands of the state Division of Coastal Management Developers of the Lock wood Folly golf community near Holder. Beach have submitted a new permit application and scaled-down set of plans for a marina that has been on the drawing board for nearly two years. "They made it a whole lot small er than it was," said Jim Hcrstinc, chief of the Division of Coastal Management's Wilmington office. "It's a very, very scaled down pro ject." Channel Side Corp. submitted its original permit application in April 1988 with plans to build a private 50-slip marina and dry storage area near some of the richest shellfish beds in iiic lower Lockwood Foiiy Rivci. Hcrstinc said the location of the proposed Genoa Point Roat Basin hasn't changcd, but the developers have reduced plans to include 26 slips, one boat ramp and no dry storage area. The original plans were strongly opposed by local shell fishermen who have depended on oysters and clams in Lockwood Folly River for their livelihood. They argued that construction of the marina would result in more pollution in the river, which is frequently closed to shell fishing because of unsafe levels of fecal coliform bacteria. "I'm still against it," Annie Smi giel, president of the local preserva tion group Save Our Shellfish, said Tuesday when told about the new plans. "We've got enough pollution in the Lockwood Folly River now without adding any more to it." Three Channel Side officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon, but they have said all along they are just as con cerned about the environment as the fishermen. Hcrstinc, who rcccivcd ihc major CAMA permit application and new plans last month, said a decision on whether to grant the permit will probably be made before the end of April. Under slate permit guide lines, he said the latest a decision could be made is July. Before a final decision is made, however, 14 state and federal agen cies will have the opportunity to re view and comment on the new per mit application. When the original application was reviewed, the state Division of Marine Fisheries was the only agen cy to oppose the marina, although other groups had concerns about po tential environmental impacts. The old CAMA permit applica tion had been on "administrative hold" since September 1988 pend ing submission of sewage treatment plans. According to a form submitted with the new permit application de scribing the proposed marina, there arc no plans for wastewater treat ment facilities. There would be no toilets, showers or "pump-out" fa cilities for docked boats. The form also stales that the depth of the marina channel will in crease from the boat ramp to the channel entrance and there will be no constrictions at the channel's mouth. These two factors are ex pected to promote flushing of the boat basin and reduce negative ef fects on water quality. To create the upland boat basin, approximately 2,500 cubic yards of material would have to excavated. None of the work would require ex cavation of wetlands, the form states. Natural vegetative buffers, seed ing, mulching and silt fencing would be used to control erosion. Water runoff would be directed through vegetative filters prior to entering any surface waters. Also, no boats longer than 21 feet would be allowed and there would be no fuel facilities. State Plans Oyster Relay The first oyster relay in Brans wick County waters since 1988 will begin later this month in the Shal lotte River. "We're back in the relay busi ness," Rich Carpenter, regional di rector of the state Division of Marine Fisheries, said Tuesday. The oyster relay has tentatively been scheduled for March 20 through 23 and Aprii 3 tnrougn 6 in the lower section of Shallotte River, said Carpenter. Under the program, the state pays fishermen SI per bushel to move oysters from polluted areas closed to shellfishing to clean waters where the oysters cleanse them selves and become safe for harvest ing. Carpenter said oysters will be moved from an area in Shallotte River where oyster growth has been "stunted" downstream to an area known as "Tile Swash," winch iiC described as "a real good growing area." (See OYSTER RELAY, Page 2-A) Commissioners Pick New Brunswick ABC Chairman BY RAHN ADAMS Long Beach resident Joyce Vereen went to Monday night's county commissioners meeting simply hoping to be appointed to the Brunswick County Alcoholic Beverage Control board and left as the three-member panel's new chairman. Mrs. Vereen, wife of Long Beach Mayor Johnny Vereen, was appointed to complete the three-year term of former ABC Chairman Wilbcr Rabon, who resigned his three-week-old post Feb. 23. Nominated by Commission Chairman Gene Pinkerton, Mrs. Vereen was elected on a 3-2 vote along party lines. Republican Commis sioners Pinkerton, Frankie Rabon and Kelly Holden supported Mrs. Vereen 's nomination. Democrat* Grace Beasley and Benny Ludlum supported Navassa Mayor Louis "Bobby" Brown, who was nominated by Ms. Beasley. Mrs. Vereen, who is employed as office manager for a Long Beach cable television of ficc, was then elected ABC chairman by accla mation. Ludlum nominated her for the chair manship. "It's a litlle frightening," Mrs. Vereen said afterwards of her new role as head of the county ABC board, "but with the people on there, I think we can do a good job for Brunswick County." Other board members are John Ramsey, also of Long Beach, and Raymond Babson of Ash. The board is charged with administering Brunswick County's ABC system and opening a county ABC store. A successful countywide alcohol referendum last November cleared the way for the county system. The board members are expected to attend training classes soon in Raleigh. Commissioners named Rabon, Ramsey and Babson to the ABC board Feb. 5, appointing them to three-, two- and one-year terms, respec tively. Rabon, a Winnabow resident who is an older brother of Commissioner Frankic Rabon, resigned in a Feb. 23 letter that county officials received Feb. 26. "It is with deep regret that I must decline this appointment," Rabon wrote. "My present commitments to my family and the responsibili ties of my job are the primary factors in my de cision." Rabon, a former county commissioner and school board member, is employed as chief purchasing agent for Federal Paper Board Company in Riegelwood. Commissioners almost adjourned Monday's meeting without filling the vacancy. Ludlum, who said he had earlier asked for the appoint ment to be added to the meeting agenda, stopped board members as they voted on Commissioner Rabon 's motion to adjourn. Ms. Beasley immediately nominated Brown after Ludlum chided the board for attempting to delay the appointment. Ludlum commented, "I feel like we're dragging our feet, and we need to get on with it."

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