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C1W1 THE BRUNSWICK BEACON
Twenty-ninth Year, Number 19 Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, March 14, 1991 25? Per Copy 32 Pages, 3 Sections
Soldier Due Home
From Middle East
U.S. Army SgL William Rob
inson Jr. of Bolivia is coming
home Saturday after five months
in Saudi Arabia.
His family and neighbors plan
to welcome him back in style,
his mother, Mrs. William Robin
son Sr., said Tuesday.
Robinson ana liie iOisi Air
borne, based at Fort Campbell,
Ky., shipped out for the Middle
East on Oct. 21, and have since
played a part in Operation Des
ert Storm.
Mrs. William Robinson Sr.
said her son arrived at New
York's LaGuardia Airport Sun
day via Pan Am. After checking
in at Fort Campbell, he's travel
ing home with a friend to Chi
cago before both head south
again to Robinson's home.
"Thcv'rc leavinj Chicaao Fri
J O - P- "
day and are due in Saturday, but
we don't have any idea what
time," said Mrs. Robinson.
When the soldiers arrive, the
Robinsons and their neighbors
on Brown Road will be wailing.
They plan to line the roadsides,
bearing flags, yellow ribbons,
smiles and videocameras.
INSIDE
Talent On Parade
Claire Hankins, 7, sings "Amcrica
the Beautiful" during the Black Arts
Festival Friday night at Biunswick
Community College. More photos
arc .on Page4-B.
Fitness Pays
That's the maxim touted by
Brunswick County health educator
Rita Hatcher, a power lifter, as she
promotes prevention o; diabetes and
osteoporosis. See Page 12-B.
Judge Rules
On Unusual
Bond Motion
For 'Lady7
BY TERRY POPE
Lady, an alleged female pit and
boxer mixed, has been behind bars
since Dec. 28, when she was caught
by the Brunswick County Animal
Control and placed in the animal
shelter in Supply.
Her owner, Steve Simmons of
Ash, has been awaiting trial in
Brunswick County Superior Court
on charges of failing to confine or
leash a vicious animal
In Superior Court Monday, Judge
Giles R. Clark ruled on a bond hear
ing concerning the case, but the
bond request wasn't for Simmons, it
was for Lady.
In Brunswick County District
Court Feb. 4, Simmons was found
guilty of failing to confine his dog,
which animal control supervisor
(See JUDGE, Page 2-A)
Seaside Gunfight Results
In Grand Jury Indictment
A
, A
BY TERRY POPE
A Calabash man injured in a gun
fight at a Seaside business Feb. 19
has been indicted by a Brunswick
County Grand Jury for shooting a
man authorities believe was an in
nocent bystander.
Julian Herscnel Allen of Valley
Road, Calabash, was indicted Mon
day for the shooting of William For
rest Taylor Jr., who was injured dur
ing a shootout at the T&T Develop
ment Co. office at Seaside Plaza.
Allen, who was shot twice in the
gunfight, remains hospitalized and
in fair condition at New Hanover
Regional Medical Center in Wilm
ington.
The indictment accuses Allen of
assault with a deadly weapon with
intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
Allen and Taylor's father, Wil
liam F. "Bookie" Taylor Sr., are
business partners. The two men met
at the office to discuss a business
deal around 8:08 p.m. on Feb. 19,
but ended up firing guns at one an
other after a heated argument began,
said Brunswick County Sheriff's
Detective Billy Hughes.
Both men drew weapons and be
gan firing shots, Hughes said.
"Bookie" Taylor allegedly fired a
.38-caliber revolver at Allen, hitting
him twice, once in the upper chest
and again in the elbow.
Allen is believed to have fired
shots from two guns, a .38-caliber
revolver and a .357-caliber pistol.
When the shooting began, William
Taylor Jr. was at a nearby business
and rushed into his father's office.
Taylor Jr. was hit once by a bullet
in the ann, Det. Hughes reported.
He was taken to The Brunswick
Hospital in Supply, where he was
kept overnight, treated and released.
In all, about 10 to 11 shots were
fired, Hughes said.
(See GRAND JURY, Page 2-A)
CRC To Talk Coastal Erosion
Options available to local gov
ernments interested in controlling
coastal erosion will be one of the
major items discussed when the
N.C. Coastal Resources Commis
sion meets next week in Wrights
ville Beach.
The state panel meets next Wed
nesday afternoon and all day Thurs
day and Friday at the Holiday Inn,
said Jeaneue Johnson, spokesperson
for the N.C. Division of Coastal
Management.
On Thursday, the coastal commis
sion is expected to resume a discus
sion that started at its last meeting
concerning the state's ban on sea
walls, groins, bulkheads and other
structures that "harden" the beach.
Also Thursday, a public hearing
is scheduled for 4 p.m. on a propos
al to expand the CRC's regulatory
authority to inland primary nursery
areas designed by the N.C. Wildlife
Resources Commission.
Primary nursery areas are water
where baby fish and other marine
specimens spend their first growing
seasons. Presently, the CRC has the
power to regulate activity in coastal
nursery areas only, which are desig
nated by the N.C. Marine Fisheries
Commission.
Bill Hogarth, director of the N.C.
Division of Marine Fisheries, will
report on the criteria and standards
for coastal primary nursery areas
Wednesday afternoon.
CRC members also will hear oth
er reports next week on marina
trends and permitting, state and fed
eral wetlands preservation regula
tions and a system for rating wet
lands based on productivity.
ii i i
SWF PHOTOS BY SUSAN USHE*
NEWLY-ELECTED OFFICERS of the Brunswick County Republican Party are (from left) Marty
Cooke of Ocean Isle Beach, secretary; Phil Norris of Ash, treasurer; Millie Murrow of lj)ng Beach,
vice chairman; and James Payne of Shallotte, chairman
GOP Opposes Two-Year Terms,
Partisan Education Elections
BY SUSAN USHER
With the aroma of fish frying in the background,
Brunswick County Republicans took stands Saturday
against partisan school board elections and two-year
terms for county commissioners.
A standing-room-only crowd of between 150 and
200 packed the Brunswick County Republican Party
Headquarters Building north of Supply to hear guest
speaker Joseph Dean and to begin another year under
new leadership, with James Payne as chairman.
"The Democratic leadership wanted this," said
Mavis Freeman, supporting the party's position against
two-year terms for county commissioners.
Few speakers Saturday had little good to say about
the two-year term proposal. One was Wallace Smith,
who said the county's been "stuck" with bad commis
sioners in the past, unable to do anything about it "I
say let's go for two-year terms and make them live up
to this."
Last year the Brunswick County Democratic Party
voted 39-23 to ask Rep. E. David Redwine to intro
duce local legislation to shorten the terms of county
commissioners. Commissioners, and their counter
parts on the Brunswick County Board of Education,
presently serve staggered four-year terms.
Last week, Redwine asked the chairmen of both the
Republican and Democratic parties to check their par
ty's positions on issues relating to county governance.
Most of those at the convention Saturday agreed
with Mrs. Freeman, saying the board needed the con
tinuity of leadership provided by staggered terms and
that the proposal smacked of Democratic manipula
tion in an attempt to weaken the power of the
Republican Party, which now holds four of five seats
on the board of commissioners.
Malcolm Grissett, immediate past chairman, called
for a screening procedure for party candidates.
(See GOP, Page 2-A)
Ocean Isle Beach Backs Off Regional Sewer Plan
BY DOUG RUTTER
Ocean Isle Beach officials have
backed away from the idea of play
ing a leading role in establishing a
regional sewer system. But they're
not ruling out the proposal entirely.
Instead, town commissioners de
cided at their regular monthly
meeting Tuesday to take care of the
town's immediate sewer service
needs and keep the big picture in
mind.
Ocean Isle officials plan to ex
pand the town sewer system so it
serves the entire community. The
existing system doesn't serve the
east end of the island.
While in the planning stages,
commissioners have been consider
ing alternative sewage treatment op
tions and the possibility of leading
the way toward a sewer system that
could serve areas outside the town
limits.
Odell Williamson, the island's ma
jor developer and the town's utilities
commissioner, first suggested the
concept of the regional facility to the
town board at its Feb. 11 meeting.
However, Williamson recom
mended this week that town officials
take care of the town's needs first,
and put the idea of a regional sewer
system on hold for two reasons.
Williamson told the town board
Tuesday that he thinks Ocean Isle
"It doesn't mean that we won't pursue
this route to serve the area. But in the
short run, we won't have to spend any
extra money."
? Odell Williamson
OIB Utilities Commissioner
Beach voters would be "a little re
luctant" to pass a bond issue to fi
nance a regional system.
Secondly, the developer said he
thinks the town can pay for im
provements to the town sewer sys
tem as it is designed and construct
ed without a general obligation
bond issue.
Williamson also noted that some
of the areas that could have been
served by a regional sewer system
in southwestern Brunswick County
apparently aren't interested in it.
Sunset Beach oiflcials are plan
ning a sewer system that would serve
the town, possibly working out an
arrangement to use treated wastewa
ter for golf course irrigation.
To take care of Ocean Isle's
needs, Williamson has recommend
ed that the town construct a holding
pond where wastewater could be
stored until it can be applied to
spray fields.
Williamson said the town could
use the holding pond in the summer
to store excess wastewater, and then
spray the water in the fall when the
tourists are gone and water usage
slacks off.
The utilities commissioner said
building a holding pond would be
the quickest way to provide sewer
service to the east end of the island,
which has been the town's number
one priority all along.
A holding pond could buy the
town two or three years of time be
fore it would need to expand its
spray fields, he said.
Ocean Isle Beach Commissioners
met with Williamson in executive
session for about 50 minutes Tues
day to discuss hiring an engineering
firm to design the holding pond.
Town officials did not choose an
engineer, but will meet with repre
sentatives of three engineering
firms Thursday, March 21, at 3:30
p.m. at the town hall.
The companies are Andrew and
Kuske of Shallotte, Boney and As
sociates of Raleigh and Houston
and Associates of Shallotle. They
were among the half dozen engi
neering firms commissioners met
with during a Feb. 19 workshop.
Williamson emphasized that buil
ding a holding pond to take care oi
the town's immediate needs won't
preclude the town from considering
a regional sewer system in the future.
"What we're doing would proba
bly be needed in any circumstance,"
he said. "It doesn't mean that we
won't pursue this route to serve the
area. But in the short run, we won't
have to spend any extra money."
Williamson said a holding pond
probably would be needed even if
the town decided to expand its plant
to handle another million gallons of
wastewater per day.
Other Business
In other business Tuesday, com
missioners:
?Agreed to post "No Parking"
signs at the oceanfront end of Shal
lotte Boulevard and on Fayetteville
Street between Second and Third
streets. A property owner near the
cast end of the island had asked the
town board in a letter to close those
areas to vehicular traffic because
visitors have damaged the dunes
and caused the beach to erode.
?Authorized Mayor Betty William
son to write a letter to Brunswick
County's state representatives urg
ing them not to cut funds paid to
towns. The mayor had received a
letter from the governor's office
saying the state might reduce the
amount of utilities franchise tax rev
enues paid to towns due to the slate
budget crisis.
?Discussed doing away with the
town's underground gas storage
tank at the old town hall and con
tracting with a service station or
buying a new above-ground storage
tank. Odell Williamson suggested
the town implement a better method
of controlling who has access to the
gas tank and when it can be used.
? Heard the monthly building in
spections report for February. Dru
ied Roberson issued two permits in
the extraterritorial area and collect
ed $59 in fees on construction val
ued at $7,500. He issued 16 permits
in town and collected $1,350 in fees
on construction valued at $90,585.
?Authorized the mayor and town
clerk to accept the best offer for an
old police car the town wants to
sell.
NO WORD ON PUBLIC HEARING
Health Board Has
Questions About
Proposed Crematorium
BY TERRY POPE
Brunswick County Manager David Clcgg
said Tuesday he has received no word from
the state on whether a public hearing will be
held on a proposed animal crematorium tar
geted for the Town Creek community.
Brunswick County commissioners re
quested a public hearing last week after res
idents packed the commissioners' chambers
asking that the board do what it can to stop
construction of the project.
The proposed crematorium is a concern
for the Brunswick County Board of Health,
which has asked Health Director Michael
Rhodes to investigate ihe project. Board
members said Monday they want to know if
the disposal of frozen animals is an opera
tion that would require inspections by the
health department for potential public
health hazards.
Southeastern Pet Cremation has proposed
building the crematorium just off Town
Creek Road (State Road 1413) about two
miles from U.S. 17. The owner, Ron Currie,
animal control supervisor for New Hanover
County, has applied to the N.C. Department
of Environmental Management for an air
quality permit.
Residents had until March 9 to file writ
ten comments on the permit application, but
one permit for the project has already been
revoked.
Following the commissioners meeting
last week, Clegg revoked Currie's county
building permit, which stated the building
was to be a 320- square-foot "residential
workshop".
The building would sit on a nine-acre
tract and house an incinerator that's 32
square feet. The animals would be burned
by natural gas. The facility would be used
to cremate pets, carcasses, organs and
wastes from animal pounds and slaughter
houses.
"It doesn't sound like a residential work
shop to me," Clegg said.
Cunie ran reapply for the building per
mit, Clegg added. The county would have
to apply the correct volumes of the state
building code to the project to see if the
proposed building would be acceptable.
"I don't know how I could sit here,
knowing what I did, without investigating it
further," Clegg said of his decision to deny
the permit.
A cement foundation has already been
poured at the building site.
Health Board Vice Chairman Jerry Lewis
questioned Monday if the county would
have to inspect the burning of animals at an
incinerator to make sure there were no pub
lic health hazards involved.
"I don't know where our authority lies
with that particular issue," Rhodes said. "If
the animals are frozen they must be dis
posed of within a certain period of lime."
Rhodes said he had no information on
how the incinerator would operate, but that
he would request data from the applicant.
"I ihink it'd be good public relations for
them to tell us," sail
Board Member HJ. "Skip" Davis said if
inspections would be needed then the board
would have to adopt an inspection policy
for animal crematoriums.
"It's a definite health issue," added
Davis.
Environmental Health Supervisor John
Crowder said local governments must dis
pose of dead animals within 24 hours if
they are to be buried.
"As long as they're not disposing of any
thing into the ground and the operations are
not causing any air quality problems it's not
considered a health hazard," Rhodes added.
Lewis said it was his understanding that
the state is concerned whether the site cho
sen for the crematorium could be consid
ered a wetland. Rhodes said the U.S. Corps
of Engineers was "looking at that situation
now."
Town Creek residents oppose the crema
\
torium because they say it will pose envi
ronmental and health problems and cause
their land values to drop. Those speaking at
the commissioners' meeting last week said
a commercial building should not be al
lowed in a residential neighborhood.
Clegg said if the county had a zoning or
dinance in place the Town Creek area
would likely have been in a "residential
classification with an overlay of agricultur
al."
"I'm assuming a crematorium would
have been light industrial or light commer
cial," he added. "It would not have been
considered for a residential or agricultural
zone."
Countywide zoning is an issue county
commissioners are hoping to tackle this cal
endar year. Clegg said he believes the coun
ty should first adopt a subdivision ordi
nance and then turn its attention to zoning.
"The subdivision ordinance is perking
right along," Clegg added.