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HOAG & SONS BOOK BINOERY
12/31 /99
PO BOX 162
SF'R I NGF'ORT MI 49284
Twenty-ninth Year, Number 1 8
nnmiwwwncmfco*, Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, March 7, 1991
25* Per Copy
i 32 Pages, 3 Sections, 1 Insert
Bring On The Beach!
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staff photo rr susan ushm
Ambassadors representing the South Brunswick and Southport-Oak Island Chambers of
Commerce are "blitzing" communities along 1-40 from Asheville to Mount Olive this week, en
couraging visits to the area and leaving behind a bit of the beach, along with free vacations and
other gifts donatfd by local businesses. Above, Al Laughinghouse joins other bu^ness sponsors
and " blitz* rs" in filling a tub with sand from local beaches. Also shown (from left) at e Zckrina
Hodges, Susanne Sartelle, Libby Bostic, Terry Barbee and Vicki Spencer.
Holden Beach To Seek State Law
Leaving Annexation Up To Voters
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holden Beach Commissioners will ask state legisla
tors to pass a law that would prevent the town board
from taking steps toward annexation without first hold
ing a referendum of the town's registered voters and
property owners.
On a 3-1 vote Monday night, commissioners adopted
a resolution endorsing the annexation referendum and
requesting that the N.C. General Assembly enact legis
lation requiring a vote on any proposed changes to the
town boundaries.
Mayor Pro tem Gloria Barrett and Commissioners
Bob Buck and Judy Bryan voted to pass the resolution.
They have each voted against mainland annexation in
the past.
Commissioner Gay Atkins, a proponent of annexa
tion, voted against the resolution, saying she disagreed
with the wording: "It's not the annexation problem it
self, it's the way this was written."
Mainland annexation has been a controversial issue
at Holden Beach for a number of years and proved to be
the deciding factor in the 1989 town election, when four
candidates opposed to annexation were elected.
Those four town commissioners made good on their
campaign promises early last year when they voted to
overturn an annexation ordinance that had been adopted
by a previous board in the summer of 1989.
The ordinance would have brought into the town limits
about 67 acres of property bordering the mainland cause
way. The annexation was scheduled to take effect in June
1990.
The Holden Beach resolution adopted Monday night
asks Brunswick County's representatives in the General
Assembly to introduce a local bill that would modify
annexation provisions set forth in the state's general
statutes.
The resolution states: "Before the commissioners of
tne Town of Holden Beach can initiate any steps toward
extension of the town's boundaries, either upon petition
by land owners outside the town boundaries or upon the
commission's own initiative, the question of whether to
annex the designated area must be put to a referendum
to be voted upon by all registered voters residing within
the town limits and all owners of property within the
town limits not otherwise registered to vote in the town.
The town board shall take no action toward annexation
'7 am in full support of the
resolution. Annexation is a
major factor affecting all
property owners
? Commissioner Bob Buck
Holden Beach
without approval by referendum."
The question of whether to extend town boundaries
should be decided by all property owners who would be
affected, the resolution says. Under current state law, as
few as three town commissioners could change the
town limits.
Holden Beach is described in the resolution as a re
sort community less than one-fourth mile wide and less
than eight miles long, surrounded by water with a great
portion of its land mass being marshland that needs pro
tection.
It points out that at least three-fourths of Holden
Beach's properly owners are non-residents, who pay
more than 75 percent of the town taxes but are not eligi
ble to vote for elected officials of the town.
The resolution says extending town boundaries to in
clude mainland areas could upset priorities regarding
environmental concerns, because the island's potential
to gain registered voters is limited due to geographic
boundaries and other growth restrictions.
Prior to adoption of the resolution Monday,
Commissioner Atkins had asked that the vote be post
poned. An issue relating to town board appointments
was tabled earlier in the meeting due to its controversial
nature and the absence of Mayor John Tandy and
Commissioner Kenner Amos.
However, other board members refused to delay ac
tion on the resolution. Mrs. Bryan, who initiated the pro
posed referendum last month, said local bills must be in
troduced in the legislature by April 1 to be considered
this year.
Although the board denied Ms. Atkins' request to
(See ANNEXATION, Page 2-A)
TOWN CREEK COMMUNITY ANGRY
County Asks State To Listen
To Residents On Crematorium
BY TERRY POPE
Brunswick County Commission
ers have requested a public hearing
from the state regarding a proposed
animal crematorium that has been
targeted for the Town Creek com
munity.
Angry residents packed the com
missioners' chambers at Monday
night's meeting to ask that the coun
ty do what it can to stop construc
tion of the project. A cement foun
dation for the building has already
been poured.
Ron Currie, owner of the pro
posed crematorium, has filed for a
permit from the air qiiality section
of the N.C. Divisio .. of Environ
mental Management The business
would be built off of Town Creek
Road (State Road 1413), about two
miles west of U.S. 17. It would be
called Southeastern Pet Cremation.
Currie is New Hanover County's
animal control supervisor.
Commissioners voted unani
mously Monday to ask the state to
conduct a public hearing on the per
mit to give residents a chance to
voice their concerns about possih!*.
damage to air and water quality 111
their neighborhood. The 320
square-foot building would sit on a
nine-acre tract and house an inciner
ator that's 32 square feet.
The public has until Saturday,
March 9, to file written complaints
with the Division of Environmental
Management to comment on whe
ther the incinerator would be envi
ronmentally unsound
Commissioner Frankie Rabon
told the group of residents that fil
led the meeting room Monday that
I he is equaiiy concerned about the
crematorium.
"I live less than a quarter mile of
the site," Rabon said. "There are
wetlands surrounding there. I think
"Our homes were here first. I just think
something like this can be placed some
other place."
? Pamela Wall
Town Creek Resident
thai hopefully we can have this pub
lic hearing so that people in our
community can voice their con
cerns. It's up to the people in Ra
leigh to make that decision."
Chairman Kelly Holden told the
group that county zoning could
haw prevented someone from
building a crematorium in a residen
tial area. Countywide zoning is
something the commissioners are
working toward, he said.
"I don't think you're going to get
any disagreement from anyone on
this board," Holden told Pamela
Wall, a resident who was the first to
speak. Commissioner Donald Shaw
said he had been contacted by angry
residents and advised them to attend
the commissioners' meeting to
voice their concerns.
Ms. Wall told the boa>d that be
cause the area is unzoned doesn't
mean someone should have the
right to endan
ger the safety of
people in a
community.
"No one can
guarantee me
100 percent that
some type of
contamination
will not be
involved," she
said. "Our
homes were here first I just think
something like this can be placed
some other place."
WALL
The crematorium would be used
to cremate cats and dogs and to burn
carcasses from research laboratories,
slaughterhouses, animal pounds and
similar sources. Residents auending
the meeting Monday had obtained
copies of the state permit which list
ed the uses of an animal crematori
um. Veterinarians and pet owners
who want to have a pel cremated
would also use the facility.
The permit would allow a maxi
mum of 75 pounds of waste per
hour or 78 tons yearly to be burned
by natural gas. A concrete founda
tion has already been poured for the
project, one resident said Monday.
The county has issued a building
permit, but it is not listed as a com
mercial buildirg project since it
would not produce commercial traf
fic.
Jane Moore lives about two miles
from the proposed site on State
Road 1412. She said she moved to
Brunswick County to escape the
pollution in Maryland. She ques
tioned if it was right for a business
to produce heavy traffic in a resi
dential neighborhood and if the
county would have to pay to im
prove the road to the site.
"A pet crematorium is not appro
priate in a residential area, zoning
be damned," Ms. Moore said.
A petition has gathered about 546
names in the area that oppose the
crematorium. Resident Michael
(See CREMATORIUM, Pg. 2-A)
Redwine Seeks Parties7 Ideas
About County Governing Boards
Rep. David Redwine has an issue
he would like both the Democratic
and Republican parties to discuss
during their upcoming county con
ventions.
He wants to know members'
views on how long a term commis
sioners and school board members
should serve, whetner school board
elections should be non-partisan and
related questions ? "the whole gov
ernance issue in Brunswick Coun
ty," said Redwine. Redwine said
Tuesday he was writing letters to the
chairmen of the parties requesting
the item be placed on convention
agendas.
Republicans gather 2 p.m. Satur
day at GOP headquarters north of
Supply, while Democrats will con
vene April 6 at their headquarters,
also on U.S. 17 northe of Supply.
"Most of the people actively in
volved in the parties attend the con
Republicans
Meet Saturday
Brunswick County Republican
Party members will elect a new
county chairman and other officers
at its county convention, Saturday,
March 9, at 2 pjn. at the Republi
can headquarters building on U.S.
17 a mile north of Supply.
Featured speaker will be Joe Dean,
secretary of the N.C. Department of
Crime Control and Public Safety.
Republicans will also elect town
ship chairpersons and delegates to
auend the GOP state convention to
be held in Wilmington May 31-June
1 , said Chairman Malcolm Grissett.
Resolutions will also be voted on
at the county convention to decide
if they should be taken to the state
convention. Gnsseu has announced
that he will not be a candidate for
the chairman's position this year.
"We have some important issues
to discuss and decisions to make for
the coming year," Grissett said. "We
urge all precinct delegates and offi
cers to turn out for (his event. We
also are in urgent need to raise
monies for our building fund. This
will be an important agenda item."
The convention is open to all
Brunswick County Republicans or
interested persons.
vention and I hope this will spark
even more inierest in attending the
conventions," said Redwine. "I want
as much input on this as I can get."
County Democrats have addres
sed part of the issue once before.
Redwine's attention to (he issue
began last year when the Brunswick
County Democratic Convention
passed by a narrow margin a resolu
tion requesting that he introduce
legislation to set the terms of county
commissioners at two years.
Since then he has received "mix
ed" responses to the idea, while also
hearing at the same time sugges
tions for other types of changes.
"It's more complex than just this
one issue. There are a lot of differ
ent constituencies interested in ihe
overall governance question. That
resolution sort of opened the door
for all these other questions. I'd like
to tackle them all at once and re
solve them."
The deadline for introducing lo
cal legislation is April 4, Red wine
said, but he plans to Introduce a
dummy bill to leave the option open
for a local government bill.
In other activity this past week,
Redwine co-sponsored H.B. 98,
which would permit a member of
the Teachers and State Employees
Retirement System to retire after 28
years with the system instead of 30
without a reduction of benefits.
Redwine plans to support a bill
that would allow people who own
their own homes to obtain so-called
"reverse" mortgages, whereby lend
(See REDWINE, Page 2-A)
North-End Detour Starts
March 1 5 On Highway 1 7
BY SUSAN USHER
Starting next Friday, March IS, traffic on U.S. 17 north of Shallotie
will be rerouted while the connector to the Shalloue bypass is built, a
project that is scheduled for completion by the busy Memorial Day
weekend.
Citing potential bad weather, last December the contractor on the
bypass project, Propst Construction Co. of Concord, delayed comple
tion of the job until the arrival of warmer weather.
North- and south-bound vehicles will be de toured along Redbug
Road and Hoi den Beach Road for a period of two to three months.
An initial notice from the N.C. Department of Traasportation noted
the closing as for 90 days.
However, a time requirement in the slate's contract with Propst calls
for traffic to be rerouted onto the Shallotie bypass by the Memorial Day
holiday or else the company could face stiff penalties.
"It may go into the record as 90 days, but it won't be for 90 days,"
said Dave W. Boy lesion, resident engineer for the project with the N.C.
Department of Transportation. "The contractor said he didn't anticipate
problems unless the weather really gets bad."
Propst was awarded a $3.86 million contract in late 1989 to grade
and pave the 4.8-mile bypass. The final completion date for the entire
project is August 1991. That time frame includes landscaping and ad
justment of highway markings.
When work resumes next week, Propst will continue building the
roadway embankment to grade level, then stoning and paving it to con
nect with U.S. 17.
Where the bypass and highway connect, new roadway paved last
fall will become part of U.S. 17, while the previously existing roadway
will become part of the bypass.
The completed bypass will have two traffic lights, one at the intei
section of the bypass and the service road at the north end of town and
the other at N.C. 130 west and the bypass, near West Brunswick High
School.