LOCAL MEETING IN THE WORKS
(JOB Asks State For Environmental Statement On Smithfield Hog Plant
BY TERRY POPE
AND DOUG R UTTER
The board that oversees water distribution projects in
Brunswick County has asked the state to prepare an en
vironmental impact statement on a proposed hog
slaughtering plant in Bladen County.
And another county office is putting together a semi
nar on what impact the planned facility could have on
area residents.
The Brunswick County Utility Operations Board nar
rowly adopted a resolution Monday regarding the pro
posed Smithfield Foods plant along the Cape Fear River
at Tarheel.
Board member Bob Nubel's motion, which passed on
a 2-1 vote, asks the state for an independent environ
mental impact statement to allay "concerns people
might have regarding potential pollution to the Cape
Fear River."
The state issued a permit in March allowing the com
pany to discharge 3 million gallons of treated wastewa
ter per day into the river.
The proposed plant would be located about 50 miles
" What we've got is a lot of
upset people who feel it hasn't
been studied
? UOB member Bob Nubel
upstream of where the county gets its water, which is
sold to about 3,200 customers, including nine towns.
Officials at Holden Beach and Southport have raised
several concerns in recent months, including the possi
bility of the plant polluting the drinking water they buy
from the county.
Until Monday night, however, no county boards had
taken a position on the plant. It cannot be built until the
company obtains several other permits and gets state
approval of a soil sedimentation and erosion control
plan.
UOB's Nubel and Richard Trexler voted for the mo
tion, while Rudy Simmons vbted against it, saying he
did not know enough about the Smithfield company's
permit to discharge in the river. Board members Burton
Meyers and D.V. Jones abstained.
Seminar Planned
Simmons and others could learn more about the pro
posed hog plant at a seminar being set up by the Bruns
wick County Cooperative Extension Service. Director
Milton Coleman said he plans to hold the meeting later
this month or early next month in Bolivia.
Coleman said he wants area residents to hear the facts
about the proposal so they can take a knowledgeable po
sition. "There's a lot of information available, and folks
have been reacting before they know the facts."
As proposed, speakers would include an animal sci
ence expert, a soil scientist, an industrial waste expert
and an agricultural engineer who deals with animal
waste.
Coleman said some people will be embarrassed when
they realize what they have been basing their opinions
on. "Unfortunately, part of the information that's been
translated has been incorrect," he said.
Although he admits there is always the chance of a
problem when humans arc involved, Coleman said he is
comfortable with the "state of the art" waste treatment
system that would be used at the hog plant.
Coleman also said the N.C. Division of
Environmental Management, the state permitting agen
cy, has a good track record when it comes to applying
regulations in a consistent manner.
"It's hard to argue with them," he said. "I haven't
seen anything...that has raised any real serious ques
tions."
At Monday night's UOB meeting. Public Utilities
Director Jerry Webb said he has faith that the state will
protect Brunswick County's interest in the water supply.
"From an administrative standpoint, I believe in the
system," Webb told the board. "I believe those folks
will do their jobs."
Nubcl said the company may be 100 percent correct
in its analysis of potential pollution to the river.
However, he said it was a "dreadful mistake" for the
state to accept the company's estimates without doing
an independent study of its own.
"What we've got is a lot of upset people who feel it
hasn't been studied," Nubel said.
West Student Killed
(Continued From Page 1-A)
charged with failure to stop at a stop
sign, according to State Trooper
B.L. Wilkes* report
The accident happened around 3
a.m. when Jones* 1991 Ford, travel
ing north on Cotton Patch Road
(RPR 1150), failed to stop at a stop
sign for Bay Road about four miles
south of Shallotte.
Jones' car struck a house owned
by Margie Vivian Robcrson, Wilkes
reported.
There were no injuries. Damage
was listed at $2,000 to the car and
$500 to the house.
Hits Tractor
A Leland man was seriously in
jured last Thursday when a car
struck his farm tractor traveling
south on U.S. 17 near Lanvale Road.
James Ivey Hobbs Jr., 68, was
taken to New Hanover Regional
Medical Center in Wilmington for
treatment, reported State Trooper
D.A. Lewis. The accident happened
around noon.
According to Lewis' report, a
1990 Oldsmobilc driven by Blair
Ringler, 82, of Sealevel, was travel
ing south on U.S. 17 when it struck
the Ford tractor about a half mile
south of Lanvale Road.
Ringler was charged with failure
to reduce speed.
Damage was estimated at 57,000
to the car and $500 to the tractor.
Daniels Was A ' Pure
Athlete, ' Respected
By Fellow Students
BY SUSAN USHER
Classes dismissed early Tuesday
at West Brunswick High School as
students and staff reacted with rage,
confusion and tears to the death of
junior George Wendell Daniels II, a
popular student athlete and the son
of a school employee.
Daniels, the 17-year-old son of
Phyllis and
George
Wendell
Daniels I of
Longwood, was
killed on his
way to school
in a head-on
collision on
Old Shallotte
Road that in
volved two
trucks. He was a passenger in a
Mazda pickup driven by his close
friend and fellow catcher Russell
Hines.
Mrs. Daniels is a custodian at
West Brunswick; her husband
works for Brunswick Electric
Membership Corp.
"The whole student body got hit
in the face with a brick this morn
ing," said Mike Alderson, varsity
baseball coach and the coach who
was probably closest to Daniels.
"Some of the players took it real
hard. They were real close."
"George was one of those stu
dents everybody looked up to and
admired. He was not a drug addict
or a troublemaker. He was just good
old George."
Daniels had pitched a 6-2 record
for the Trojans going into their last
two conference games this week.
"He was the best pitcher I had on
the staff right now as far as the
records go," said Alderson, who last
saw Daniels at a 2 1/2-hour practice
Monday night.
Alderson said he had grown close
to Daniels, who started at West the
same year Alderson began coaching
there. Daniels and Alderson's son,
Brian, also a junior baseball player,
were buddies. "Sometimes he
would tell me he was my 'other'
son, my 'soul son'," recalled
Alderson.
Daniels was special, he said with
out hesitation, possessing an agility,
speed and talent rare in a young
man of his size.
"He was just pure athlete. When
you can play football, basketball
and baseball at 6-feet, two inches
and 280 pounds.. .he was a talented
person."
Daniels, a former Little Leaguer
and Dixie Youth player, had played
football all three years at West
Brunswick, making the all-county
team last fall. As a sophomore he
pla>^d junior varsity basketball as
well as baseball, pitching some and
playing third base.
He had planned a second season
of American Legion baseball this
summer and was looking forward to
"turning it loose" in all sports his
senior year, Alderson said. Daniels
had been hoping for a football
DANIELS
"George was one of
those students every
body looked up to and
admired. He was not a
drug addict or a trou
blemaker. He was just
good old George."
? Mike Alderson
WBHS baseball coach
scholarship, possibly to Chowan
College, and planned to attend foot
ball tryout camp there.
Though Daniels was considered a
slow learner, he was persistent, said
Alderson. "He could have made il."
While a more academically tal
ented student might score more than
a 1,000 on the Scholastic Aptitude
Test but goof off and flunk English,
Alderson said Daniels "was busting
his buns to make a D and pass a
course."
Daniels was also the type of guy
who tried to boost others when they
were "down," but rarely seemed
low in spirits himself.
"He was a morale booster and
sometimes the team clown," said
Alderson. "But when he was in the
team uniform he was all business.
He was a unique individual. We're
all going to miss him."
Tuesday morning, after learning
of the wreck,, Alderson called ju
nior varsity and varsity players to
the baseball field. It was a time for
them to let off steam and to grieve
privately, together, away from other
students.
Later in the day. Athletic Director
Marshall Seay called all student ath
letes to the football stadium.
After a moment of silent prayer
the two tried to help calm students'
nerves and help them deal with
Daniels' death.
"We tried to enlighten them on
some things related to death ? that
there's a reason for everything that
happens. It's hard to accept that
there's a reason for this, but God
does have a plan. You just don't al
ways see it"
Alderson said he wasn't certain
how the varsity team would react to
Daniels' death going into their last
week of conference play.
To gain one of four Waccamaw
Conference berths in the state 2-A
play-offs, the Trojans needs to win
one of their two remaining games,
said Alderson.
An away game against East
Bladen was rescheduled from
Tuesday night to Wednesday night,
with Alderson uncertain that team
members would be ready to play
again by then.
The Trojans are to host the South
Brunswick Cougars at home Friday.
"I don't know how the team is
going to react," said Alderson,
"whether they're going to get mad
and say, 'Let's win this one for
George' or if they're just going to
give it up."
STAFF PHOTO BY TERRY POPE
A 5,000-GALIX)N TANKER donated by the Du Pont company in Leland temporarily supplies resi
dents of Jennifer subdivision with county water.
Jennifer Residents Get Good
News Regarding County Water
BY TERRY POPE
Residents of the Jennifer subdivi
sion near Leland made a tearful plea
for county water Monday night.
For more than a year, residents
there have relied on a temporary
water source, a 5,000-gallon tanker
parked along a gravel road that
must be routinely filled to feed wa
ter to 19 lots that have gasoline
contaminated wells.
"1 don't want anyone else to have
to go through this," said Melinda
Causey.
In tears, Ms. Causey told the
board that she must undergo tests in
Chapel Hill to determine if her
pregnancy is in any danger due to
ground contamination where she
and her husband live.
The Brunswick County Utility
Operations Board wasted no time
Monday in recommending that the
county build a waterline to the sub
division on Mt. Misery Road.
The unanimous vote recommends
that the county install a spur line
from the Malmo water treatment
plant to the residents about three
miles away. Residents will be as
sessed the cost of running the line
through the subdivision only.
Public Utilities Director Jerry
Webb said county commissioners
may approve the project in June.
After 30 days to receive bids, the
county can award contracts to begin
work.
Residents may be assessed by
square footage of the lots or by road
frontage, which averages $6.47 per
foot.
County Manager David Clegg
said commissioners have been com
mitted to providing county water to
the residents there as a special as
sessment district since 1989.
"They desperately need water,"
said Clegg. "Their water does show
evidence of ground contamination."
The spur line along Mt. Misery
Road can also serve a number of oth
er residents along the way, he said.
That community may become anoth
er special assessment district, where
residents are charged for the cost of
running waterlines into subdivisions
from an adjacent main line.
'I1ie Jennifer subdivision lies out
side of the Leland Sanitary District.
No estimate on the cost of the pro
ject has been given.
It has been two years since resi
dents there first noticed the smell of
gasoline in their welt water.
At first, residents had to fill buck
ets with water hauled to the subdivi
sion. Last year, the Du Pont compa
ny in Leland donated the use of a
5,000-gallon tanker that dispenses
water into a gravity-fed line con
nected to residents' wells. Seven
families reside in the subdivision.
UOB members agreed to add an
other property owner to the tempo
rary water supply Monday.
"It looks like it may be getting
worse," said Ms. Causey. "Our pro
perty now really has no value... It's
contaminated and can't be sold and
will remain so until we can get
county water."
Tom Bailey, an attorney repre
senting property owner Kathy Ru
pert, said tests on wells in the subdi
vision have recently revealed 1 ,800
micrograms of benzene per liter of
water. More than five micrograms
of the carcinogenic substance is
considered too dangerous for hu
man consumption.
"We were told not to shower with
the water or to use it in any way,"
said resident Ressie Wagner.
Bailey said he has received notice
from the N.C. Division of Environ
mental Management that accuses a
former owner of a grocery store at
the entrance to the subdivision with
a violation.
Underground tanks at Stuart's
Grocery Store, which is no longer in
operation, are alleged to have been
the source of the gasoline contami
nation, Bailey said.
The state has allocated $30,000
to the county to help get water to
the Jennifer residents, Webb said.
Webb said it is not the county's
responsibility to locate the source of
the contamination.
AT OCEAN ISLE BEACH
Dedication Set For Museum
Dedication ceremonies for the
Museum of Coastal Carolina at
Ocean Isle Beach are planned for
Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m.
Spokesman Bill Jennings said the
7,500-square-foot facility features
the largest natural habitat room in
the Southeast.
The reef room exhibits marine
life common to the local Atlantic
Ocean waters and gives museum
visitors a chance to view fish and
other creatures in a simulated un
derwater environment.
Also included in the museum are
a sea shell display, an exhibit show
ing how ocean waves are formed, a
display of shark jaws and teeth, a
taxidermic display of local wildlife
and a gift shop.
Government and community
leaders, benefactors and members
of the Ocean Isle Museum Founda
tion and Ocean Isle Beach Property
Owners Association will take part
in the dedication Sunday.
The museum will open to the
public Saturday, May 25. Hours will
be Monday through Saturday from
9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Jennings said admission will be
S2 for adults and SI for children up
to 12 years old.
Typical Beach Weather
Expected For Our Area
Typical May weather is in the
forecast for the South Brunswick
Islands, where temperatures and
sunshine are expected to benefit
beachgoers.
The outlook for the next few days
calls for above average tempera
tures and near normal rainfall, ac
cording to Shallotte Point meteorol
ogist Jackson Canady.
Canady said Tuesday that he ex
pects temperatures to range from
the mid-80s during the day to the
mid-60s at night, with about a half
inch of rainfall.
"Just an average May so far,"
Canady said. "It's not too bad."
For the period May 9-15, Cartady
recorded a maximum high tempera
ture of 84 degrees, which occurred
on the 10th and 12th, and a mini
mum low of 58 degrees, which oc
curred on the 12th.
An average daily high of 82 de
grees combined with an average
nightly low of 64 degrees for a daily
average temperature of 73 degrees,
which is about three degrees above
normal, Canady said.
He recorded 1 .8 inches of rain at
his Shallotte Point home.
AT BRICK LANDING
BRING HOME
THEtBEACON
On Sal* At
SEA MIST CAMPING RESORT
Bypass
Opening
Scheduled
(Continued From Page 1-A)
cal residents to shop in Shallolte
once traffic thins out in town.
Ann Vereen, who manages the
McDonald's restaurant in Shallolte,
said she doesn't expect the bypass
to hurt business at all.
Shallotte Police Chief Rodney
Gause agrees with merchants who
say the new route should make it
easier on people who come to town
to shop. "I think it's going to be
good for the businesses and the
travelers."
Gause also expects fewer traffic
accidents in town when the bypass
opens. Officers responded to 162
wrecks last year ? most of them
fender benders.
"A lot of times when it's bumper
to-bumper traffic, people get impa
tient or careless," Gause said. "It
won't be nearly as bad because
you'll have people going through on
the bypass."
A convenience store and gas sta
tion has been built where the bypass
crosses N.C. 130 West near West
Brunswick High School.
Shallotte officials said they
haven't heard about any specific
plans for other commercial develop
ment along the bypass, much of
which is outside the town limits.
"I'm sure there's a lot of people
that are waiting to see what will
happen with the traffic before they
do anything," Mrs. Tripp said.
Don Eggert of the Brunswick
County Planning Department also
said he doesn't know of any specific
plans for development. The county
hasn't issued any building permits
for development of land along the
bypass.
Nudity Banned
(Continued From Page 1-A)
town. Even though the town had no
ordinance in place, he said all of
the women covered up when police
requested iL
Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Betty
Williamson said town commission
ers were given a copy of the ordi
nance last month for review.
There were several smiles, but
no discussion Tuesday morning
when the board voted unanimously
in favor of the new rule.
Pritchard said the only difference
between the Ocean Isle Beach ordi
nance and the Sunset Beach rule is
a clarification of what "fully devel
oped female" means.
Sunset Beach's ordinance
doesn't define "fully developed,"
while the Ocean Isle ordinance says
any female over the age of nine
shall be considered "fully devel
oped."
Pritchard said the ordinance is
too vague without a specific age.
"Five guys sitting around a table
could have five very different opin
ions about what fully developed
means," he said. "Some girls devel
op sooner than others, but none of
them are fully developed at nine."
THE BRUNSWKK&fitACON
Established Nov. 1, 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At 4709 Main Street
Shallotte, N.C. 28459
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
One Year $10.30
Six Months $5.50
ELSEWHERE N NORTH CAROLINA
One Year $14.80
Six Months $7.85
ELSEWHERE IN U.S.A.
One Year $15.95
Six Months $8.35
Second class postage paid at the
Post Office in Shallotte, N.C.
28459. USPS 777-780.