THE BRI
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HO AG & SONS BOOK BINDERY
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BOX 162
i-F-Rl NGF'ORT M 3. 49284
Twenty-eighth Year, Number 18
CIMO TX6 BHUNSWIC.
Jay, March 15, 1990
25C Per Copy
36 Pages, 3 Sections
UOB Gets Preliminary Results Of County Water System Study
BY RAHN ADAMS
Brunswick County utility officials got a taste
Monday of a long-awaited engineering study whose
purpose is to identify major "missing links" in the
county water system.
Ed Odom of a Cary engineering firm, William G.
Daniel & Associates, presented preliminary results of
the $20,000 study to members of the Brunswick County
Utility Operations Board Monday night in Bolivia.
Board members D.V. Jones, Robert Nubcl, Rudy
Simmons, A1 Morrison and John Jones were present for
the nearly two-hour session.
The 12-page preliminary report is the first informa
tion the county has received from the company, which
was authorized to begin the long-range water system
analysis in June 1988. The entire study was supposed to
be finished by March 1989; however, repeated post
ponements have pushed the completion date back until
July.
In explanation of the delays, Odom told UOB mem
bers Monday that the county water system was too
complex for a computer program his firm initially de
velopcd to use on smaller municipal water systems. A
computer model Odom has created of the county sys
tem contains data on every component of the system,
including small parts such as valves and fire hydrants.
Objectives of the study are to determine where addi
tional trunk lines, pump stations and storage tanks will
be required for the system to adequately serve the coun
ty's population over the next 20 years. Population pro
jections were supplied to the engineers by the county
Planning Department.
While waiting for the study over the past year,
county commissioners have put off water system im
provements that the utility board, town of Sunset Beach
and Shallotte Point residents have described as critical
in meeting water needs southwest of Shallotte.
The UOB and the town are concerned about a possi
ble shortfall in the water supply during peak summer
usage periods, such as the Fourth of July; Shallotte
Point residents want county water service because their
groundwater is of poor quality.
As a September 1988 short-term study by a local
engineering firm, Houston & Associates, pointed out.
the Northwest Treatment Plant can pump nine million
gallons of water per day to Shallotte but only two mil
lion gallons per day past the town.
As a result, the UOB recommended in early 1989
that the county undertake a S5 million capital improve
ments project to enhance the system southwest of
Shallotte. Commissioners have taken no action on the
proposal, despite Sunset Beach's recent pleas for the
county to proceed with the project.
The proposed project includes construction of a
2,200-gallon-pcr- minute booster pump station near the
intersection of N.C. 179 and N.C. 904; a one-million
gallor elevated storage tank near the intersection of
N.C. 904 and Old Georgetown Road; and a 12-inch
trunk line on Old Georgetown Road from N.C. 904 to
N.C. 179 near Calabash.
As far as new trunk mains are concerncd, the pre
liminary Daniel report lists three coastal areas that con
tain "missing links" in the system; the section of the
county southwest of Shallotte; the Holden Beach and
Oak Island areas; and Southport and nearby industries.
"You've got all of your heavy users drinking
through a really long straw," Odom commented.
In the preliminary report, the engineer emphasized
that "these possibilities for providing additional water
service are not firmly set. These merely reflect the
routes that we have investigated." Also, Odom remind
ed the board that "this (study) is not looking at minor
(water) distribution at all. This is looking at moving
large amounts of water."
Odom's proposal for the southwestern section of the
county involves construction of a trunk line on U.S. 17
from Shallotte to Thorn asboro, with smaller mains
branching off along Ocean Isle Beach Road, N.C. 9()4
and Thomasboro Road to connect with the present trunk
line running from Shallotte to Calabash via N.C. 179.
Two additional pump stations and two additional ele
vated tanks would be needed. Estimated costs for two
different alternatives are S7 million and S7.3 million.
In the Holden Beach and Oak Island areas, the pre
liminary study proposes running trunk lines from U.S.
17 at Supply to the N.C. 211 Treatment Plant and to
Sabbath Home Road along Stone Chimney Road, as
(See PRELIMINARY, Page 2-A)
'12th Street'
Dpfpnfjrintc
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Settle With
Sunset Beach
BY RAHN ADAMS
An undeveloped street at Sunset
Beach can be opened as a thorough
fare but not as a parking lot, accord
ing to the settlement of a two-year
old lawsuit between a group of non
resident property owners and the
Town of Sunset Beach.
Sunset Bcach Town Attorney
Michael Isenbcrg said the town
council accepted the defendant pro
perty owners' ofTcr of a settlement
in the 12th Street suit during an ex
ecutive session at the board's March
5 meeting. The suit was decided in
the town's favor last November in
Brunswick County Superior Court;
however, the property owners then
appealed to the N.C. Court of Ap
peals.
Defendants were Mr. and Mrs.
Everett L. Wohlbruck, and Mr. and
Mrs. John F. Youngblood III, all of
Mecklenburg County; Mr. and Mrs.
Richard L. Layton of St. Croix, U.S.
Virgin Islands; Mr. and Mrs. Sam
uel S. Conly III of Lewisburg, W.
Va.; Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hogg of
Wake County; and Mr. and Mrs.
Larry W. Calhoun of Horry County,
S.C.
Isenberg told the Beacon Friday
that the agreement gives the town
the right to open 12th Street; how
ever, the property cannot be devel
oped as a beach access area, as the
town initially planned.
(See 12th STREET, Page 2-A)
SWF PHOTO BY RAHN ADAMS
' Gullible ' Feathered Friends
Brick Landing residents E.G. Sulky and his son, Brandon
Bailey, take time out during an afternoon on the strand at Ocean
Isle Beach to feed a eager flock of always-hungry seagulls.
CONDEMNATION CANCFI Fn
Holden Beach To Purchase Property
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holdcn Beach Commissioners
have reversed an earlier decision to
condemn property on Davis Street
to expand the town hall facilities
and instead will buy the property.
Commissioners voted March 1 to
begin the legal process that would
have allowed the town to take over
ownership of the lot and two-story
house at the southwest comer of
Davis Street and Brunswick Ave
nue. The property, owned by Lynda
Thomas of Oakland, NJ., is valued
at $71,120.
After meeting with relatives of
the property owner Monday, how
ever, town officials voted 4-1 to buy
the house and lot for $100,000.
Holdcn Beach will also pay closing
costs, estimated at $135, arid current
year taxes, which will be about
$100.
Commissioner Gay Atkins voted
against purchasing the property
Monday. She said she wanted to get
a septic tank permit for land already
owned by the town before buying
" It'll be a long , long time before the
town needs any more space"
? John Tandy
Mayor of Holden Beach
the additional property.
Following Monday's meeting,
Mayor John Tandy said the town
will probably end up saving money
as a result of the decision. However,
he added that he doesn't know how
much the savings will be because
the town wpuld have had to pay
what the court ordered if the proper
ty had been condemned.
The mayor noted that estimates
for the legal costs associated with
condemnation ranged from $6,000
to $20,000. "That's a savings right
there," he said.
After the board's recent vote to
condemn the property, Tandy said
the town and property owner could
not come to an agreement on a pur
chase price. But the mayor said this
week that the vote to condemn was
partly the result of an "unfortunate
lack of communication" between
the town and Mrs. Thomas. He said
the owner never received the town's
original proposal, which apparently
was lost in the mail.
Monday's vote to purchase the
property followed an 80-minute ex
ecutive session called to discuss a
real estate matter. During the ses
sion, town officials met with the
property owner's husband, son and
son-in-law, said Tandy.
With the additional property, the
town plans to reshuffle offices in
the crowded town hall and possibly
add bays to the garage area. Tandy
said, "It'll be a long, long time bc
(See PROPERTY, Page 2-A)
Democrat Bows Out Of Commissioners Contest
Democrat J.N. "Joe" Gainey of Lcland Tuesday an
nounced his withdrawal from the Democratic primary
race for the District 5 scat on the Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners.
Gainey, 65, told The Brunswick Beacon Tuesday
morning that "prior commitments had come through."
If elected in November, Gainey said he would not have
enough time to devote to the job.
He had advised the Brunswick County Board of
Elections of his decision by telephone, and also
planned to send a letter.
Gainey's withdrawal narrows to three the number
of Democratic candidates in the May 8 primary for the
seat. Incumbcnt Grace Beaslcy, 53, of Route 3, Lcland,
now faces from fellow Democrats Mike Holmes, 40, a
political newcomer, and former county commissioner
V.A. Creech Jr., 63, both of Lcland.
Gainey, a former member of the Brunswick County
Board of Education, is the second candidate to with
draw before the primary elections.
Republican Richard F. Bangs of Shallotlc has with
drawn from !hc District 2 Board of Education contest,
leaving W. James Payne, also of Shallotte, as the GOP
nominee.
Commissioners Leaning
Toward Plan To Finance
$25 Million In Projects
BY RAHN ADAMS
After consulting with two financial experts for more
than an hour Friday, Brunswick County Commissioners
seemed to favor a plan to fund an estimated S25 million
in capital improvements, mainly through an installment
method of financing approved last year by state law
makers.
The full board met Friday afternoon in Bolivia with
Ed Regan, executive director of the N.C. Association of
County Commissioners, and Raleigh attorney A.R
Carlton to discuss ways to finance at least eight projects
that commissioners have dcscribcd as "immediate
needs" of the county.
No decisions were made 1-riday. However, commis
sioners indicated that they would hold additional work
sessions soon to decide a capital improvements plan to
pursue and to review cost estimate.? of individual pro
jects. Regan suggested that commissioners formulate a
five-year plan and keep in mind that it would need to
be a "realistic plan" and not a "wish list."
Six Financing Options
Regan, who led most of the discussion, said he
based his presentation on talks with Commission Chair
man Gene Pinkcrton last month in Raleigh. In that pri
vate meeting, Pinkcrton briefed Regan on the county's
capital needs. Commissioners held a work session
March 5 and basically confirmed the chairman's posi
tion that the proposed projects "arc mandated either by
the people or by the state."
New capital projects mentioned Friday included
construction of a 911 emergency telephone system
communications center, an emergency medical services
facility, a building for ihe county recreation and water
departments, a new school at Supply to serve students
in grades kindergarten through five, a new sewer sys
tem for the county government center, a courthouse and
water system improvements.
Regan also included construction of a new
Department of Social Services building ? for which
bids were awarded Friday ? and already-planned capi
tal improvements at Brunswick Community College in
the proposed package he presented to the board. His
package did not include the courthouse project, because
discussion of it first surfaced at the board's March 5
work session.
The association director began by reviewing six fi
nancing optioas that are available to the county: general
obligation bonds, revenue bonds, special obligation
bonds, installment sales contracts, lease purchases and
continuing contracts.
Public approval is nccessary to approve general
obligation and revenue bond projects; no vote is needed
for special obligation bonds, which Regan said could
be used only for solid waste-related projects such as im
provements to the county landfill. Revenue bonds could
be issued only for revenue-producing facilities.
Installment sales contracts and lease purchases are
relatively new financing methods that do not require
public votes. Rc^uii siucl cgunUw arc using uiux> mtui*
ods to fund construction projects ? such as jails-? that
are unpopular with referendum voters. An installment
plan is similar to mortgage financing, in which the fa
cilities themselves are treated as collateral; a lease pur
chase allows ihc financing firm te hold ti'Je to the facil
ity until the contract is paid.
Continuing contracts generally arc used to fund
school projects, Regan said. In that method, commis
sioners would guarantee construction funds to the
school board over a period of years, even though the ac
tion would commit future boards of commissioners to
the appropriations.
Using liberal cost estimates totaling $20,925,000,
Regan offered a proposed financing plan in which the
Social Services building, recreation/water building, 911
center, EMS facility and complex sewer system would
be funded through the installment sales contract method
over a 15-year period, while the middle school, water
system enhancements and BCC capital improvements
would be funded through general obligation bonds over
a 20-year period. (BCC expects to soon issue the finai
$4 million of $8 million in general obligation bonds ap
proved by county voters several years ago. The funds
would be used to build an auditorium, the last project in
the college's capital improvement plan.)
Regan's plan would require the county to make an
nual payments of $958,500 in the 1990-91 fiscal year;
$2,053,500 in 1991-92; and $2,459,500 in 1992-93,
representing tax rate increases of 2.5 cents in each of
the first two years and an additional one cent in the
third year.
Regan noted that the installment financing method
currendy is being legally challenged in Wayne County,
where commissioners arc attempting to use the arrange -
(See COMMISSIONERS, Page 2-A)
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STAFF PHOTO ?Y DOUG RUTTf R
Brush Fires Abound
Shallolte firefighters Danny Roden, right, and Kenny Smith douse a brush fire Monday morning
outside the Sun & Surf Containers building near Shallotte. There were reports of at least two other
brush fires in the Calabash and Sunset Beach fire districts Tuesday as rising temperatures, low hu
midity and rainfall and high winds made conditions favorable for wild fires.