Visitors' Center Endangered In Feud Over State Funding
BY SUSAN USHKK
Depending on who you talk to in
Raleigh, a visitor's information center
scheduled to open in Shallottc this fall
could be in jeopardy once again.
Efforts by Rep. E. David Rcdwinc to ob
tain state funds to help operate the new
Southeastern Welcome Center, Inc. are run
ning into stiff opposition from State
Transportation Secretary Thomas
Harrclson. The dispute is a renewal of a
funding feud that began at least two years
ago.
"If the local panics arc not willing or
able to support them and the tourism indus
try is not sophisticated enough to raise the
money for operating the ccnters, maybe
they aren't needed," Harrclson said in a
telephone interview Tuesday from
Washington, D.C.
The building could be put to some other
good use, Harrclson said.
The secretary, who is from Southport,
said the latest budget bill moves by
Rcdwinc and several other legislators vio
late an earlier agreement between the state
and the ccntcr to operate without state
funds.
"They're killing the concept," said
Harrclson. "This would be the last one ? if
it opens. And I'm not sure it would or
should."
'Hait And Switch'?
In a letter written this week to a newspa
per in the northern coastal area, Harrclson
wrote. "Such a move would make it less
likely for us to acccpt any other agreement
of this kind in the f uture."
"It's not right or honorable to 'bait and
switch' the state after we've built the visi
tors information centers for local opera
tion."
But Rcdwinc said he was simply trying to
help the local project get
off to a sound start. Two
years of limited slate
support, he said, would
give the centers time to
either I) prove they
warrant becoming part
of the state-operated
welcome center pro
gram or 2) develop the
local support they need
in order to continue.
He said a state agency can't keep the
General Assembly from giving funds to a
program if that is what legislators choose to
do.
With a bill he introduced, Redwine and
fellow legislators representing Camden and
Macon counties, where similar state/local
visitors' center exist, have included in the
proposed budget S50.000 for each center
next year and the year after.
Center Completion Mandated
They have since negotiated addition to
the proposed budget of wording that would
require DOT to complete the Brunswick
center by Sept. 1 and not shut down the oth
REDWINE
cr two.
It would violate suite law for DOT to at
tempt to abrogate the legislature's right to
set public policy. Rcdwinc said. "I don't
want it to come to that," he said.
Money lor the centers would come from
personal license tags revenues, specifically
tapping but not depleting a fund set aside
for highway landscaping and wildflowcr
planting statewide.
Since SIOO,(XX) in tag revenues is already
allocated for traffic control at large func
tions drawing 30, (XX) or more vehicles such
as the State Fair (or, according to Rcdwinc,
the Charlotte Motor Speedway) Red wine
said the fund should be available for other
purposes as well.
Harrelson contends that the proposed use
is inappropriate, taking money for a local
program from a statewide one.
"We had a fair fight in the House and ap
propriations committee and he (Harrelson)
lost," said Rcdwinc.
The District 14 representative said he
thinks it is "very unfortunate" that DOT
might shut down the three centers as a re
sult, "that folks down there could be pun
ished for my trying to help them."
Betsy Harrison, DOT director of public
affairs, said Harrelson is conccrncd that
once the state provides staffing for these
centers, any community that operates a visi
tors' center will cxpect state support.
Agreement Negotiated
In 1985 then Transportation Secretary
said Harrclson,
Jim Harrington negotiated an agreement
with Albemarle area legislators and local
leaders. Rather than increase the number of
state -operated welcome centers, DOT
would build a rest area and add on room for
a "visitors information center" that would
staffed and operated with locally-generated
funds.
Similar agreements were then reached for
a ccntcr built in Macon County in western
North Carolina and one under construction
now in Brunswick County off the U.S. 17
bypass of Shalloltc.
"Almost immediately,"
legislators from the
Albemarle area camc to
Raleigh and started try
ing to raise money, de
spite the agreement.
When a bill was pro
posed, legislators from
the other two areas de
cided to tap the "pork
barrel" as well, he said,
including Rcdwine. haRRKLSON
The Macon and
Camden centers each received S50.000 that
time around, and the Brunswick ccntcr none
since it had not yet been built.
Said Harrelson of the episode, "He al
most lost it (the center). Harrington can
celed the center two years ago. The only
reason he put it back was because of the
agreement."
However, Redwine said when he learned
of a contract being negotiated that would re
strict the local ccnter from accepting state
funds, he sought a legal opinion from the
legislature's legal staff.
That opinion, he said, indicated that an
agency of state government could not take
an action that would override the wishes of
the General Assembly, which sets state poli
cy. "They said DOT couldn't force the wel
come centers not to acccpt money from the
General Assembly," he said. "Wc would
give it to them whether they want it or not."
Local parties involved in that agreement
with the state knew of Redwine's research,
the legislator said Tuesday. 'They knew
that," said Rcdwinc. "I gave them a copy of
the letter."
Those individuals ? officers of South
eastern Welcome Center Inc. ? could not be
reachcd Tuesday regarding that claim.
Rcdwinc said he first started out to get
the S50.000 the local center missed receiv
ing two years ago. Instead he and legislators
representing the other ccnter service areas
got together on the two-year proposal.
Whatever the outcome of that legislation,
Rcdwinc said Tuesday he doesn't intend to
ask for money for the center again.
However, if he runs for rc-elcction in
1993 and is elected, Rcdwine said he might
try to get the centers accepted as state-oper
ated welcome centcrs. They arc funded by
the state Department of Economic and
Community Development.
Hospital Staff Opposes
Food Worker AIDS Tests
BY DOUG RUTTKR
The mcdical staff of The Bruns
wick Hospital is urging the Bruns
wick County Board of Health to re
ject a proposal to require testing of
local food service workers for syph
ilis and AIDS.
Health board member H.J. "Skip"
Davis proposed earlier this month
that every person who prepares or
serves food in restaurants, school
cafeterias or nursing homes in the
county be required to obtain a
health card.
Food service workers would have
to be tested for tuberculosis, syph
ilis and the HIV virus, which is as
sociated with Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
In a June 25 letter to the health
board, the Supply hospital's mcdical
staff objects to the proposal in part
because they believe food service
workers would not threaten the pub
lie's health even if they had syphilis
or AIDS.
Dr. Marcus Williams, chairman
of the department of emergency ser
vices for the hospital's mcdical
staff, listed four reasons for the
staff's position in the letter.
He wrote that food service work
ers who test positive for syphilis or
the HIV virus "pose no threat to co
workers, employers or patrons in
the workplace under normal cir
cumstances. Requiring testing false
ly suggests that they do, and will
cause unnecessary fear among
county citizens."
Williams also says in the letter
that AIDS testing could cause un
due hardship sincc there are no laws
in North Carolina to protect em
ployees who test positive for the
HIV vims from discrimination.
The hospital medical staff sup
ports widespread testing of the pop
ulation, the letter states, when laws
arc in place to protcct people from
losing their jobs, health insurance,
income and "overall personal digni
ty"
Williams also wrote that the med
ical staff urges the health depart
ment to support educational activi
ties which emphasize avoidance of
the real risks of exposure to the HIV
virus.
Leading researchers agree that
AIDS is transmitted in only two
ways, by exposure to infected blood
or infcclcd semen. Syphilis is a sex
ually-transmitted disease.
Davis', a chiropractor with an of
fice near Ocean Isle Beach, said at
the health board's June meeting that
all of the local restaurant employers
he has talked with favor the plan.
He has said the program would
show that the health department is
trying to do something to "curtail
this disease epidemic."
Davis has estimated that there arc
more than 700 workers who handle
food in Brunswick County who
would have to obtain health cards if
the proposal is approved.
To become county policy, the
health board would have to adopt a
local ordinance requiring that food
service employees obtain a health
card.
Sunset Beach Keeps Tax Rate,
Adopts $1 .36 Million Budget
BY SlISAN USHER
Sunset Beach residents will pay
the same property tax rate during
fiscal year 1992 as this year, but
will pay more for water.
Town council members adopted a
SI. 36 million budget Friday after
noon without discussion and with
out making any changes other than
those agreed on at a budget work
session last month.
"We've got a good budget," said
Mayor Mason Barber before the
vole. "It's higher than normal as a
result of the occupancy lax. The
good Lord willing the people will
keep on coming."
In a related vote, they adopted a
new rate schedule for water and
new fee for tap-on and meter instal
lation.
Councilman Al Odom had a
scheduling conflict and could not
attend the meeting.
With the tax rate of 16.7 cents for
each SI, 000 in property value, the
owner of a SI 00,000 house would
pay SI 67 in property taxes. The rate
is based on an estimated property
valuation of S17 1,496,3 10.
Sunset Beach water customers in
side and outside town pay the same
water rate. Starting July 1, the mini
mum rate will increase from S8.50
to S8.75 per month for the first
3,000 gallons of water per month,
for an annual minimum cost of
$105.
For each 1,000 gallons over the
minimum used each month, custom
ers will pay SI.85, up from SI .75.
The increases reflect an increase
in the wholesale cost of water pur
chased from Brunswick County, as
well as the need to establish a larger
captial reserve fund for upkeep of
the aging town system
The tap-on and mater installation
fee was increased to cover the cur
rent cost of the tap-on "plus a little
more" as a hedge against rising costs,
indicated Town Administrator Linda
Fleugci. A one-inch service will cost
S400, up from S325; a 1 1/2-inch
serve, S475, up from S375; and a 2
inch scrvicc, S550, up from S425.
The general fund budget is
S798.000 and the water fund bud
get, S563.000.
Major revenue sources for the
general fund include anticipated
collections of S257.759 in properly
taxes along with at least 5150,000
in accommodations tax revenues.
The budget includes approximately
SI 38,401 in carry-over money that
was not spent this year.
Included is money to develop Lot
1-A, the extension of Sunset
Boulevard to oceanfront, as a park
ing and public access point. The
work will be contracted out in
stages, starting with paving of the
parking and sidewalk construction.
It also includes money to help
pay for a sewer system study, to in
stall informational signs for visitors,
and to promote tourism in coopera
tion with the South Brunswick
Islands Chamber of Commerce.
Major allocations in the general
fund are as follows: S209.980, po
lice; $168,335, streets; $95,091, ad
ministration; $48,139, sanitation;
SI 35,900, cultural and recreational
(includes $130,000 for Lot 1-A
work); $35,121, planning and zon
ing; $16,942, public buildings;
$15,000, Sunset Beach Volunteer
Fire Department, S7.500; Calabash
EMS; and SI 2, 000, economic de
velopment (tourism promotion with
South Brunswick Islands Chamber
of Commerce).
TOWN EXPANDS MOWING PROGRAM
Calabash Cuts Tax Rate To 10.5 Cents
BY DOUG R UTTER
Calabash officials adopted a S438.809 budget
Tuesday night, cutting the last year's tax rate by
30 percent in the process.
Commissioners lowered the tax rate from 15
cents to 10.5 cents per SI 00 of property. That
will save the owner of a $70,000 home S31.50
when taxes arc due in January.
Based on the town's assessed value of S88
million and a 97 percent tax collection rate.
Calabash leaders expect to receive S89.886 in
taxes in the coming fiscal year.
The town board had originally proposed a tax
rate of 8 cents per S100 and took that figure to a
public hearing June 5. But several expenses
were added during Tuesday night's regular
meeting.
Commissioners added S5.000 for mowing
grass along the roadsides, S5.000 for reimburs
ing elected officials for their travel and tele
phone expenses and S2.516 to mow the large
drainage ditches.
Board members also added S5.000 to the san
itation fund in ease the county starts charging
tipping fees at the landfill.
in addition to local tax dollars, commission
ers expect to receive 5135,000 in state sales tax
next year, S46.000 in Powell Bill money and
$32,500 in utility franchise tax.
The budget includes S50.773 which will be
carried over from the present fiscal year. The
general fund totals $408,809.
Major expenses include SI 54, 157 for sanita
tion, $105,165 for administration, S100,016 for
the street department and Powell Bill fund and
$13,500 for planning and zoning.
Besides $50,000 for contracted services, the
sanitation budget includes S78.407 for the pur
chase of land and $15,000 for other improve
ments.
The town board has budgeted S28.516 for
mowing and maintaining the large drainage
ditches, S25,000 for the smaller roadside ditch
es, S2 1,500 for street paving and SI 9,000 for
street lights.
About S5.000 has been added to the budget to
cover mowing both the street side and house
side of roadside ditches twice during the year
where it's needed. Commissioner Ray Card said
it will cost the town $5 per lot.
An earlier proposal from Mayor Pro tern
George Anderson to include S20.000 in the bud
get to cover a possible lawsuit over the sign or
dinance was rejected Tuesday.
Town Attorney Mike Ramos assured the
board that even if the lawsuit was filed and the
town lost, it wouldn't happen during the coming
fiscal year.
In the water and sewer fund, the town cxpccts
to collect $30,000 next year, including S26.000
in state sales tax.
Expenses budgeted in the water and sewer
fund include $28,500 for capital expansion.
Calabash officials are negotiating with two
engineering firms? The Woolen Company of
Raleigh and Powell Associates of Myrtle
Beach, S.C. ? to study the town's sewage treat
ment needs.
Grand Jury Indicts Lakes Teen
On First-Degree Murder Charge
BY TERRY POPE
A Boiling Spring Lakes iccn ac
cuscd of shooting his mother was
indicted by a Brunswick County
grand jury Monday on a chargc of
first-degree murder.
The 15-year-old boy is scheduled
for a juvenile court hearing Friday
before a District Court judge, who
must decide if the youth should
stand trial as an adult.
He was one of 14 persons indict
ed on various charges Monday.
The indictment accuses him of
acting with malice and aforethought
in the May 15 shooting death of
Virginia Anderson, of Pierce Road,
Boiling Spring Lakes.
Assistant District Attorney Thom
as Hicks is listed as the prosecutor
in the case. Evidence was presented
to the grand jury by Boiling Spring
Lakes Police Officer J.R. Vaughn.
According to the police report,
Ms. Anderson had been shot in the
head and was found in a locked
bedroom inside the home. Her body
had been inside the home for sever
al days before officers approached
and noticed a foul odor coming
from inside.
The teen agreed to let officers
search the home after Ms. Anderson
had failed to report to work for sev
eral days. She was employed by
Dosher Memorial Hospital in
South port.
The teen has been held on juve
nile petitions at a New Hanover
County juvenile center, but prior to
the indictment he had not been for
mally chargcd with the alleged
crime.
The following indictments were
also handed down Monday:
?Aaron Michael Burke, 18, of 2914
E. Beach Drive, Long Beach, on
charges of safecracking, removing a
safe from premises, breaking and
entering, larceny pursuant to break
ing and entering and possession of
stolen goods. He is accused of
breaking into Bob's Pizza Shack, at
6212 E. Oak Island Drive, Long
Beach, and taking a safe valued at
S240.
Burke allegedly used tools on
March 19 to break into the safe after
removing it from the business. He is
also accused of breaking into The
Deck, a business at 5524 E. Beach
Drive, with intent to commit larce
ny on March 19.
?Harry Harrison Cave, 27, of Route
6, Shallotte, on charges of felonious
sell and delivery of marijuana. Cave
is accused of selling .25 ounces of
marijuana to an undercover officer
on Jan. 10, according to the warrant
filed by K.T. Moser, SB1 agent.
?Jamie Carroll Deans, 19, of Route
3, Selma, on charges of first-degree
rape involving a girl under the age
of 13. According to the indictment,
the alleged incident occurred be
tween ScpL 15, 1990 and April 15,
1991.
?Harold Dean Garretson, 23, of 306
N. Fodale St., Apt. 3, Southpon, on
charges of arson. He is accused of
setting fire on June 4 to an apart
ment on North Fodale owned by
'85 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD
BROUGHAM
4-Dr., green, green leather interior, loaded.
Was S7, 785.
NOW $5,886
JONES FORD
754-4341 ? 1-800-832-5328
Hwy. 17 N., Shallott? - M-F 8:30-7:30, Sat. <^4
John L. Barbcc. Another man, Paul
Crawford, was inside the building
when it was allegedly set on fire,
the indictment states.
?Larry Edison Hewctt, 16, and Ker
ry Douglas McCall, 16, both of
Shallottc, each on charges of break
ing and entering, larceny pursuant
to breaking and entering and pos
session of stolen goods.
Both teens will be tried as adults.
They are accused of breaking into
Shallotte Middle School on March
24 and taking a box of Rice Kris
pies, a jar of spaghetti sauce, box of
spaghetti, bag of marshmallows,
bag of Tootsie Rolls, a baseball
book, Nintendo tape and S57 in
cash, all having a value of $224.
?Stanley Christopher Klecz, 36, of
West Bay St., Southport, on a
charge of cocaine possession. He is
accused by Southport Police Officer
C. A. Williamson of having cocaine
in his possession on May 1 1 .
?Darrcll Flynn McCracken, 27, of
555 Jabbertown Road, Southport,
on a charge of second-degree arson.
He is accused of setting fire to a
home owned by Carolyn E. Beach,
at Paradise Acres Mobile Home
Park in Southport, on Sept. 9, 1987.
?Johnny Morris, 30, of 612 Eighth
St., Wilmington, on a charge of pos
session of cocaine. Morris is ac
cused of having cocaine in his pos
session on May 1 1 , according to the
indictment sought by Ll David
Crockcr of the Brunswick County
Sheriff's Department.
?Larry Franklin Potter, 41, of 106
West St., Southport, on a charge of
possession of cocaine. Potter is ac
cused of having in his possession
cocaine on May 5, according to the
indictment sought by Southport
Police Officer C. A. Williamson.
?Dcbra Robbins, 33, of Ballard's
Mobile Home Park, Leland, on a
charge of possession of cocaine.
She is accused of having in her pos
session cocaine on April 24, accord
ing to the indictment sought by Det.
Doug Todd of the sheriff's depart
ment.
?William Kay Rodrique/., 46, of
Route 5, Seapincs Drive, Southport,
on charges of possession with intent
to sell and deliver marijuana, sell
and delivery of marijuana, and
maintaining a dwelling or motor ve
hicle to keep and sell drugs.
Rodriquez is accused of selling
5.8 grams of marijuana to an under
cover officer on Feb. 21 and with
operating a 1981 Datsun vehicle for
keeping and selling a controlled
substance, according to the indict
ment sought by Det. Mike Speck of
the sheriff's department.
? Harry Tyndall Willetts, 28, of
Route 2, Bolivia, on charges of
crime against nature. He is accused
of two counts of crime against na
ture involving two 1 3-year-old girls
on March 4.
PRESENTING THE MOST
IMPOR1ANT INSTRUMENT
^ , IN THE TREATMENT
can make the dif
ference between a
stroke that may
take a few weeks of
recovery and one that
takes a life Because the
faster you call an ambulance
and Ret to the hospital, the greater
your chance of limiting brain damage.
To learn more, contact your nearest
American Heart Association.
You can help prevent heart ilisea.se 11'. ? < an tell
van haw.
^ American Heart Association
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