Letters
(Continued From Preceding Page)
sponsible and then to ascertain how
much it cost the taxpayers.
This information should be given
to the public. The board need not
have a closed session on the subject
bccause the public is already aware
of it Mr. Worth should be made to
refund every penny. The person
who uncovered this chicanery was
Rudi Fallon, the efficient finance
officer.
While on the subject of the
school board, we feel the public
should know that the Brunswick
County School Foundation was the
brainchild of school board member
Robert Slocket. This foundation
now offers 14 scholarships to coun
ty school children. It is to be hoped
that other board members will show
the same dedication to the children
in a non-partisan way.
Eileen Kcllaghcr
Long Beach
M. L. LaMar
Yaupon Beach
Reassurance
For Next Year
To the editor.
The general manager of Bruns
wick Electric Membersliip Corpora
tion declares in the January 1991 is
sue of BEMC's Tell-O-Watt that
"We move forward into the new
year with a reded ication toward
working at controlling costs..." The
following heading of "Challenges
for 1991" reflects, among other
things, a desire by BEMC to imple
ment programs that help lower elec
trical demand and ..."save our mem
bers money."
Immediately following these well
-intentioned declarations is a head
ing entitled, "New Rate Design,"
which euphemistically, is a nice
way of telling BEMC customers
that their electric bills will reflect a
five percent increase in February. 1
don't know what BEMC promised
last year but it is reassuring to read
of its commitment to the future.
Francis W. Niland
Shallotte
Parents Do Their
Part In Operation
To the editor
I would like to thank all the par
ents who have so unselfishly given
their cnildren to the thing we call
"Operation Desert Shield."
Of course the guys in Saudi
Arabia need your support, but so do
the parents of the boys and girls
who are over there. Let's think
about the parents and what they do.
First off, they give their children
to the militarv lr> nrotert nnr wav of
life. Then they stand back and sup
port them 100 percent and ask for
nothing in return.
They send them "care packages"
with goodies galore, hoping that
this will ease the burden of being
out in the desert They wait for so
long to get a call from their son or
daughter, and when they get it, they
let five minutes suffice.
When it comes down to it they
wait and wonder if they will ever
see their child again. They tie yel
low ribbons around trees, car anten
nas, doors and flag poles to signify
their sacrifice for their county.
They even stand behind their
children when others begin to dwin
dle and not really care. They watch
the news ever so constantly to hear
word of a peaceful resolve. They
help their children financially be
cause they know their children have
other responsibilities.
But, best of all, through all of this
they still have time to be parents.
Thanks, Henry and Shirley Hewett,
for just being mom and dad. I will
be home soon.
SRA Shawn Hewett
USAF, proudly serving
in the gulf.
SOUTH WIND
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HOLDEN BEACH ROAD
PUBLIC SALE
The contents of storage
unit #10 located at U.S. 17
Self-Storage Company,
Hwy. 17 South at Grisset
town will be sold at public
sale to recover unpaid rent,
as authorized by N.C.
General Statutes.
The sale will take place
Saturday, Jan. 12 at 10:00
a.m. at the site.
Reflections On
A Beautiful Day
BY BILL FAVER
No one would believe the kind of day we had at the beach Jan. 6.
After several days of warm but cloudy, threatening
weather, we experienced the most beautiful winter
day anyone could imagine.
After the early morning sunshine gave way to
gathering clouds, I thought we would have another
gray day. But clouds moved on through, the sun
shine prevailed and I spent most of the afternoon on
the deck in shirt sleeves, reading and watching the
birds and porpoises on the calm waters.
A few people walked on the beach to enjoy the
weather and to get some much-ncedcd exercise af
ter the excesses of holiday eating. The birds circled
over the water, probed at the water's edge, or stood like quiet sentinels
high up on the sand. A few pelicans and gulls were diving, probably for
fun, since I failed to see one pelican bill raised high for swallowing fish.
A slight breeze ruffled the flags out on the deck and waved some
strands of beach grass. I couldn't help but think of other January days
when a cold wind made it almost impossible to be outside. The book I
had been reading was about winter in the Ozarks aid how the snow and
ice made roads impassable and life was brought to a standstill. The
birds and animals suffered and the weather took its toll on humans as
well. Life was difficult and spring was a distant promise of relief.
We can have some rough weather here, too, but most of it only lasts
for a few days at most. Then we experience some of the other extremes
of nice days to help us forget. Maybe this is why we had such a beauti
ful day at the beach this day. We needed sunshine and calm to help us
forget the week of cloudy, gray days.
Those of us who live or visit the Brunswick County beaches know
how fortunate we are to experience this special place. We know we
share these beautiful days with the birds and the insects and the animals
who were here before we came. We need reminding each day of our
stewardship responsibilities for all of life. These kinds of beautiful days
help us know that!
HAZARDS CAN BE REDUCED
Forest Ranger Says 7 990
Was Mild Year For Fires
FAVER
Brunswick County Forest Ranger
Miller Caison said 1990 was a mild
year, with only 113 wildfires burri
ing 1,606 acres of land.
But the year could have been
even better if more owners of tim
ber land had taken advantage of a
program that encourages people to
bum their land under proper condi
tions.
The N.C. Division of Forest Re
sources landowner hazard reduction
burning program emphasizes pre
scribed burning, a forest manage
ment tool that cuts down on un
wanted undergrowth and brush from
timber stands.
The program is designed to elimi
nate the build-up of pine needles,
grasses and twigs on the forest floor
that can bum quickly and easily
during periods of extreme dryness
and high winds.
The growth is eliminated by pre
scribed burning with a low-intensity
tire during moderate weather condi
tions, according to a state news re
lease.
Caison said 47 of the 113 forest
fires in Brunswick County last year
were classified as debris fires. They
were started when landowners lost
control of piles of burning debris.
The forest ranger said some of
those could have been prevented if
the debris had been burned in areas
where the landowner hazard reduc
tion program had been employed.
Furthermore, Caison said other
forest fires could have been mini
mized if more people used the pro
gram and cut down on the amount
of undergrowth in their timber
stands.
Caison said there were only three
large forest fires in 1990. The larg
est occurred Oct. 15 when 648 acres
burned beside N.C. 211 north of
Supply.
Approximately 287 acres of land
burned Sept. 16 in the Maco area in
northwestern Brunswick County.
Another 253 acres off N.C. 211
south of Supply were blackened
April 8.
The hazard reduction burning
program is a cooperative effort be
tween the forest landowner and the
stale forestry division, according to
the news release.
Under the program, the division
provides a written burning plan,
plows fire lines and notifies the
landowner when weailiei conditions
arc suitable for burning.
The landowner designates all fire
line locations and structures that
should be protected and agrees not
to hold the state responsible for any
damage that may occur while the
fire lines arc being constructed or
the land is being burned.
The hazard reduction burning
program is available through Febru
ary. For more information, call the
Bolivia Fire Tower at 253-5297.
ATTENTION BEACH HOUSE OWNERS:
Now's the best time to spruce up your beach
house before rental season'starts!
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INTERIM CLERK RESiGNS
Ocean Isle Beach Officials Take
Next Step Toward Sewer Expansion
BY DOUG RUTTER
Ocean Isle Beach officials this
week took another step toward a pro
ject that could allow all homeowners
to hook on to the town sewer plant
Town commissioners voted Tues
day to begin searching for an engi
neering firm to design what would
be the first expansion of the plant
since it began operating abou' four
years ago.
Mayor Betty Williamson and
Ocean Isle's Streets and Water
Commissioner Odcll Williamson
were asked to contact two or three
engineering firms and bring propos
als to the Feb. 12 town meeting.
This week's action was the sec
ond major step the town board has
taken toward the proposed expan
sion project.
The town paid approximately
$450,000 last year for land off Four
Mile Road that would be needed to
expand the sewer plant's capacity.
Ocean Isle Beach's sewer system
presently serves about 80 percent of
the town. Service is available to all
areas except the east end of the in
land, where residents have asked for
sewer service.
Clerk Resigns
Interim Town Clerk Doris Stanley
will resign her post effective Jan. 17.
The move will leave Ocean Isle
Beach with a fourth different person
in that position in less than a year.
Marianne Mctz, who has worked
3 1/2 years for the town and is pre
sently in charge of accounting, will
take over as interim clerk starting
Jan. 18.
Commissioners accepted Mrs.
Stanley's resignation and named a
replacement following a 10-minutc
executive session Tuesday. Mrs.
Stanley said she resigned because
her husband is being transferred to
Lynchburg, Va.
Mayor Williamson said Mrs.
Stanley has been a dedicated em
ployee since she started working for
the town in June 1987. The mayor
said Mrs. Stanley has agreed to help
the town as needed through the
month of February.
Mrs. Metz will be the third per
son to serve as town clerk or interim
town clerk since Alberta Tatum re
tired March 31, 1990. Mrs. Tatum
had worked as town clerk for more
than 15 years.
Other Business
In other business Tuesday, com
missioners:
? Asked the town planning board to
look at changing the zoning ordi
nance so the town gradually can get
rid of mobile signs in the extraterri
torial area (ETA). Town Attorney
Elva Jess said the town can require
that mobile signs be removed or con
verted to permanent signs within a
certain period of time. Town officials
said they arc concemcd about mobile
signs in the event of a hurricane.
? Heard the December building in
spections report from Building In
spector Druied Roberson. He issued
10 permits in town on a construc
tion valuation of $294,125 and col
lected $2,413 in fees. Roberson is
sued one permit in the ETA and col
lected S307 in fees on a construc
tion valuation of 538,448.
December 1 990 Was Steamy
Compared To Frosty 1 989
What a difference a year makes.
December 1990 was nothing like
December 1989 in terms of weather
in southeastern North Carolina.
After enduring bone-chilling cold
temperatures and a record-breaking
snowfall in December 1989, area
residents last month enjoyed the
seventh warmest December record
ed by the National Weather Service
in Wilmington since it began keep
ing records in 1871. It ended what
the service described as its warmest
year on record, with an average
temperature of 66.5 degrees, com
pared to the previous record of 65.8,
which was set in 1985.
The average temperature last
month was 54.8 degrees, compared
to an average of 38.6 degrees in
December 1989, according to the
weather service's monthly climato
logical report.
Last month's average daily tem
perature was 6.6 degrees above nor
mal, while the average temperature
in December 1989 was 9.6 degrees
below normal.
The highest temperature recorded
in December 1990 was 79 degrees
Dec. 22, a record high for that date.
Another record was broken Dec. 23
when the temperature reached 78
degrees.
The lowest temperature for the
month was 29 degrees Dec. 6 and
25. The low reading Christmas Day
was still 29 degrees higher than
Christmas Day 1989 when the tem
perature was zero degrees, a record
low for the area.
Rainfall during December 1990
totalled 2.65 inches, which was .78
inches below normal. Measurable
rainfall occurred on seven days. The
greatest rainfall in 24 hours was
1.33 inches between Dec. 7 and 8.
There was no snowfall recorded
There's still time to go...
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during the month, compared to 15.3
inches in December 1989, accord
ing to the weather service.
Heating degree day units for the
month totalled 327, which was 194
below normal. There were 13 cool
ing degree day units in December,
which vas 13 above normal.
There were 22 cloudy days dur
ing the month, six clear days and
three partly cloudy days. Heavy fog
occurred five days in December.
Due to the cloudiness, the area
received only 51 percent of the pos
sible sunshine during the month.
The average daily wind speed
was 8.2 mph. The highest one
minute wind speed was 29 mph
from the southwest Dec. 18. The
highest wind gust during the month
was 38 mph from the southwest
Dec. 19.
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