STAFF PHOTO BY SUSAN USHER
THIS WAS THE VIEW from JR's Steakhouse on H olden Reach
Road midafternoon Friday. The lineup of cars headed into
Shallotte extended beyond the new traffic light at Red Rug Road
and hacked up several miles north of Shallotte on U.S. 17. Still, at
least one local businessman said the detour didn't make traffic any
worse than it has been over past Easter weekends.
Weekend Gets Mixed Reviews
(Continued From Page 1-A)
said it took 35 minutes to get from
the north side of Shallotte to JR's
Steakhousc on Holden Beach Road.
Mike Blandino of TJ's Auto
Electric said traffic seemed to be
moving smoothly until noon Friday.
By mid-afternoon, however, cars
were backed up so far north of his
shop on U.S. 17 that he couldn't see
the end of the line.
"It's seems like every year on
Good Friday it's always backed up
past our shop," Blandino said. "I
don't think the detour made it any
worse than usual."
Wages May Be Taken For Taxes
(Continued From Page 1-A)
targets would be people who are four
years or more behind in payments.
A county printout could show
who those people are and how
much each owes, added Clcgg.
"Conceivably, you would be gar
nishing for everything that was not
paid," he added, "because all of it's
still due."
District 3 Commissioner Gene
Pinkerton said he wanted to make
sure residents were given a warning
and time to pay up before their pay
checks were touched.
"That's a really, really touchy and
embarrassing situation for any em
ployee," Pinkerton said.
The county's property tax rate is
68.5 cents per S100 of valuation.
According to Tax Collector Nancy
Moore, about 85 percent of county
residents pay their taxes before the
deadline in January. Another 10 per
cent usually pay before the delin
quent list is printed in April.
Other Business
In other business Monday, the
board:
?Took no action on Parks and Rec
reation Director Bobby Jones' re
quest to allow park managers to
drive county vehicics home. Jones
said a policy requiring that vehicles
stay parked at the government com
plex in Bolivia is putting unneces
sary mileage on them. Clegg had
denied the request.
?Accepted 55,400 from the state to
pay for weaiherizaiion work on four
housing units.
?Established an inspection fee of
$21.25 for electrical inspections of
cable television booster stations for
county franchises.
?Clegg informed the board of a let
ter from the Brunswick County Air
port Commission that the town of
Boiling Spring Lakes wishes to
withdraw its representative on the
board while Yaupon Beach has re
quested a seat. Commissioners ap
point one members to the board
while Long Beach, Southport and
Boiling Spring Lakes also appoint
members.
?Agreed for Rabon to represent
Brunswick County at a meeting in
Lake Waccamaw Thursday, April 4,
to discuss with paper company offi
cials beaver damage in area counties.
?Adopted county proclamations
making April 1-7, National Com
munity Development Week; April
15-20, National Public Health
Week; April, 22-27 National Volun
teer Recognition Week; and April as
National Keep America Beautiful
Month.
?Approved two budget amend
ments, one to accept SI, 154 from
the state for the county's cniki
health program, and one to transfer
funds for the county's S733.000 in
lease purchase payments.
?Agreed to advertise a bid of
52,660 for property the county orig
inally bought for a trash green bo*,
site near Town Creek. A higher bid
could be accepted by commission
ers. Tne county no ionger needs the
land for trash boxes.
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ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: Sr. Citizen
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N.C. Sales Tax .32 .27
Postage Charge 3.68 3.68
TOTAL 10.30 9.25
Elsewhere in North Carolina ae.SO Q5.30
N.C. Sales Tax .32 .27
Postage Charge 8.18 8.18
TOTAL 14.80 13.75
Outside North Carolina Q6.30 Q5.30
Postage Charge 9.65 9.65
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ANNEXATION EFFORTS QUESTIONED
Sunset Beach Owners Spotlight Security
BY SUSAN USHER
When Sunset Beach police offi
cers recovered property stolen in a
series of more than 50 break-ins on
the island in January, they ran into a
problem of a different sort. Police
Chief J.B. Bucll told members of
the Sunset Beach Taxpayers Associ
ation Saturday.
"None of it was marked and we
couldn't identify who it belonged
to," he said. "Some of it we still
have at the office."
The department was invited to
discuss crime prevention with SB
TA members, many of whom arc
non-resident property owners.
The brief program and question
and-answer session highlighted a
quiet two-hour meeting that drew
approximately 70 property owners
to the fire department. The police
department's actions in apprehend
ing suspects in the break-ins won an
ovation from the group.
Now the police chief and his offi
cers arc seeking property owners'
cooperation in marking items in
their home and in posting house
numbers outside their residences to
improve response by emergency
personnel.
They also urged those present to
write the district attorney's office,
seeking the maximum sentence
available for the three Columbus
County men charged in connection
with the break-ins.
All three suspects, Bobby L.
Watts, Roger Dale Godwin and
Albert Lee Soles, all have "long"
prior arrest records. They are trying
" Our goal is to reduce or eliminate the
opportunity (for crime)."
? Anna Redmond
Crime Prevention Officer
to negotiate a plea bargain with the
prosecutor's office.
Officers arc marking the recov
ered property as it is returned, with
the owner's permission.
In addition, Anna Redmond,
crime prevention officer for the de
partment, was busy Saturday setting
up appointments with individual
property owners. Owners were sign
ing up for either a security survey to
lcam the most economical way to
secure their property and/or engrav
ing of items such as microwaves,
television sets, 35mm cameras,
radar detectors and car radios with
their driver's license.
Ms. Redmond said a license
number is easier to trace than a So
cial Security number, speeding the
return of recovered stolen property.
She said pawn shops tend not to buy
items that arc marked unless the li
cense number matches that of the
holder.
As more people move to the is
land, she said, the potential for
crimes increases. "We want to do as
much prevention as possible," she
said. "Our goal is to reduce or elim
inate the opportunity."
Officers also answered questions
about the town's noise ordinance
and dispatching of calls through the
sheriff's department.
Buell said "excessive noise" is
not allowed any time of day, but
that the noise level must be "pretty
loud" to be considered excessive.
Only limited construction site activ
ity is allowed before 8 a.m. If
called, Buell said an officer will re
spond to the scene. He discouraged
property owners from making any
contact with those responsible for
the noise.
Response time may vary, depend
ing on whether the officer on duty is
busy, and the priority given the call
if it is routed through the sheriff's
dispatcher.
One audience member had an an
swer to concerns raised about the
town's dune protection ordinance
and damage to the dunes. Saying it
was an "educational process," the
speaker suggested owners support
the Museum of the Coastal Caro
linas, which will open this summer
at Ocean Isle Beach. Its educational
programming will include informa
tion on dunes formation and their
importance to beach stability.
SBTA President Clctus Waldmil
ler briefed members on the status of
the suit filed against state and feder
al transportation agcncies to block
construction of a planned high-rise
bridge to Sunset Bridge. He also ex
pressed his personal concerns about
the town's growth-related activity.
"We hope the U.S. Attorney's of
fice decides in favor of an environ
mental impact statement rather than
the appeal," said Waldmiller, "but
we have no indication it will do so."
The transportation agencies have
appealed the lower court ruling to
the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of
Appeals in Richmond, Va. No date
has been set for oral arguments.
Meanwhile the SBTA owes
515,124 in legal fees relating to the
bridge case. Should the appeal fail
to overturn the lower court decision,
die SBTA and other plaintiffs in the
suit can seek to recover that money.
SBTA has already paid S8.000 in le
gal Ices relating to the bridge.
The town has begun seeking
funds for a sewer system, which
would have an estimated cost of be
tween S7.5 million to S9.5 million.
A second sewer project workshop
scheduled Tuesday, April 16, at
7:30 p.m. at the town hall.
The town recently annexed a tract
of land that extended the town lim
its to the Seaside intersection and is
proposing to annex Oyster Bay
Colony condominium project and
Sugar Sands patio home subdivi
sions I and II.
"What I see is they arc annexing
areas with additional people, addi
tional voters," said Waldmiller.
'The voice of the people who live
on the beach will be diminished."
i
t
Si
5
i
Vision
Square
OPENING FALL 1991
WITH SPECIALTIES W
OPTOMETRY
OPT1CIANRY
OPHTHALMOLOGY
? DENISTRY
? PHARMACY
MEDICINE
? "* pfw&i
?
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DESIGN SERVICE
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rOMMiroAMATWM CALL
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VISION SQUARE will open
at a site that has been vacant
for at least five years.
New Business
(Continued From Page 1-A)
Vision Square
A sign went up last week an
nouncing a planned fall opening for
Vision Square on U.S. 17 at the site
of a former convenience store.
The center is cxpcctcd to house a
number of health-related specialties
including a pharmacy and medical,
dental, and vision care.
The property has been vacant for
a number of years. Most recenUy
dentist Harry Rickenbacker had an
nounced plans for an office at the
site.
Neither he nor optometrist Chris
Moshoures, who is also involved in
the project, could be reached for
comment before press time.
Democrats
Change
Convention
The Brunswick County Demo
cratic Party has rescheduled its an
nual convention to Saturday, April
13, at 2 p.m. at the party headquar
ters on U.S. 17 north of Supply.
The event had been set for
Saturday, April 6.
The change is being made to ac
commodate the schedule of Rep. E.
David Redwine, said Glen R. Peter
son, county party chairman.
FREE
USED TIRES'
FOR THE TAKING 1
COME BY 8 AM TO 5:30 PM
HWY. 130 WEST. SHALLOTTE i
lWARD'SBODI
SHOP
Bankruptcy Auction Marks End
Of Caribbean Carriers Battle
BY TERRY POPE
Persistence is starling to pay off
for Brunswick County.
After a lengthy bankruptcy court
battle involving a former shipping
company, the county has received
S58.000 and hopes to collect more
at a public auction in Wilmington
this Saturday, April 6.
Possessions of Carolina Carib
bean Carriers, a company that had
its home office in Puerto Rico, will
be sold to the highest bidder. The
county once stood to lose about
560,000 in the court proceedings,
but it now hopes to add much more
than that to its general fund instead.
Caribbean Carriers filed bank
ruptcy in September 1987, two years
after receiving $750,000 in federal
money to help open a shipping com
pany along the Cape Fear River on
Eagle Island in northern Brunswick
County. The company imported and
exported furniture and other items
on container barges.
The federal Community Develop
ment Block Grant was awarded in
1986, channeled by the state to the
Brunswick County's Resources De
velopment Commission, which is
sued CCC S735.000 to begin the
business and kept S15.000 to cover
the county's administrative costs.
CCC was to repay the county in
installments. The county had plan
ned to place the money into a devel
opmcnt fund to aid future industrial
projects.
When the company folded, state
officials gave up the hope of ever
recovering any of its money, said
Brunswick County Manager David
Clcgg.
"1 didn't really believe that,"
Clcgg said. "1 just wouldn't let it
go."
Files containing court records of
the four-year struggle fill boxes in
Clcgg's office. The ease entered in
to and out of court in Puerto Rico,
where the company originally filed
for bankruptcy, and in the United
States.
"You have to stay aggressive,"
Clegg said. "You should not just roll
over and play dead if one of these
companies goes belly-up."
Brunswick County contends it
acted as a banker would when it is
sued the grant to Caribbean Car
riers. The county successfully fore
closed on the property in September
1988 and, in the process, managed
to keep other creditors who lost
money in the company from filing
countersuits against the county.
"We are now out of the case,"
Clegg said. "I wanted reimbursement
for what it cost to save the county
from lawsuits. What I got was basi
cally a complete repayment of all of
my costs. I think all things consid
ered, we've done extremely well."
Friday Rains Relieve Dryness;
Normal Temperatures Ahead
Stormy weather Friday night
dumped 1.7 inches of rain in the
South Brunswick islands area, put
ting an early damper on the long
Easter weekend but relieving the tin
derbox conditions of recent weeks.
Over the next few days the area
could see more rainfall, but at nor
mal levels.
Shallouc Point meteorologist Jack
son Canady said the outlook calls for
near normal temperatures and rain
fall. He expects about a half-inch of
rain. Temperatures should average
from the lower 50s at nighttime to
the lower 70s during the daytime.
Friday's heavy rains and winds
were on the edge of a storm system
sparked by a low pressure front.
The front spawned tornadoes and
thunderstorms that swept across
Norui Carolina causiug ai least 2.4
million in damage, according to the
Associated Press. While high winds
occurred, no damage was reported
in Brunswick County.
For the period of March 26
through April 1 Canady recorded a
maximum high of 77 degrees,
which occurred on March 27, and a
minimum low of 37 degrees, which
occurred April 1.
A daily average temperature of
72 degrees combined with an aver
age nightly low of 53 degrees for an
average daily temperature of 62 de
grees, which he said was about 3
degrees above normal.
When the air had cleared, Bruns
wick County had possession of all
items seized from the Caribbean
Carriers location. The equipment
and officc supplies will be sold Sat
urday, at 10 a.m., at the Cardinal
Moving and Storage Co., North
23rd Street, Wilmington.
Sale items include marine load
ing and shipping equipment, a 1952
GMC tank truck dial has "Thclma
Vol. Fire Department" painted on its
red tank, desks, chairs, computers,
typewriters, lamps, telephones,
shelving, file cabinets and other of
ficc supplies.
"What we've got is marketable. It
just sal in a warehouse for three
years," said Clegg.
After Caribbean Carriers filed for
bankruptcy, the state relieved
Brunswick County of all rcsponsi
bilty for the $750,000 block grant.
The county, arguing that it held a
security interest in the Brunswick
County property where CCC was
located on the west bank of the
Cape Fear, sued to gain ownership
and rights to auction the supplies.
"Our case bccame a magnet for
all of these other creditors who
jumped in right behind us," said
Clegg. "A lot of other creditors
were upset because the county was
so well-secured."
Money from the auction will go
into the county's general fund.
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