ORDINANCE MAY BE CHANGED
Holden Beach Leaning Toward Street Lights
BY DOUG R UTTER
Surcci lights may be coming lo
Holdcn Beach, along with changes
in the town's controversial rules that
limit outdoor lighting on private
property.
Holdcn Beach Commissioners
anil planning board members agreed
Monday that the island needs public
street lights for safety and security
reasons.
Officials also kicked around the
idea of changing or killing the out
side light ordinance that's been de
bated since it ux^k effect last
November.
The planning and zoning board
was asked to come up with a recom
mendation for regulating yard and
security lights in residential and
commercial areas.
But the street lights issue proba
bly will be settled first.
Commissioners want Town Manager
Gary Parker to come up w ith a firm
proposal lor consideration at the Jan
6 town meeting.
Commissioners want to know
how much lights would cost, where
they would be placed, what kind
would be best and how long it
would take to get them.
Based on discussion at Monday's
special nieeung, town board mem
bers arc leaning toward street lights
at every intersection and extra lights
w here they're needed or requested.
Town Manager Gary Paricer esti
mates it would cost the town
S13.440 per year to provide lights at
every street intersection.
The 80 lighLs would most likely
be placed on 20-foot poles and be
recessed so they shine down and do
not create a nuisance to motorists or
"It's time to get our act cleaned up
and stop being the laughing stock."
? Commissioner Jim Fournier
nearby residents.
Parker said ihe lown Kuril could
wail until ihe new fiscal year in July
to budget money for the lights or
take money this year from the fund
balance.
"I tii ink they're sorely needed."
Commissioner Jim Foumier said. "I
think the police reports will bear thai
out."
Fournier said there have been 32
robberies and burglaries and 2l> cas
es of laaeny and vandalism in town
since the start of the year.
Other commissioners and planning
board members indicated they also
want street lights to make the island
safer and improve home security.
But Commissioner Sid Swarts
said he doesn't want a lot of street
lighLs. Ihe lack of lights, he said, is
what makes the island attractive.
"It's sort of the whole concept of
our island." Swarts said. "It's not a
big city."
Most town officials agreed that
street lights would solve many of the
problems that were created by the
outside lighting ordinance.
A previous town board adopted
the rules on outdoor lights in
November 1484. Homeowners were
forced to lower or remove some of
their lights when the ordinance took
effect a year later.
Since then, commissioners have
held a second public hearing on the
rules and voted twice early this year
to stand behind them.
Public opposition resulted in the
commissioners sending the ordi
nance back to the planning and zon
ing board in September.
The rules, which are still in effect,
were based on a 1987 ordinance that
prohibits outdoor lights which con
stitute a nuisance to neighbors or
people driving motor vehicles.
The 1^87 rule was supposed to be
deleted when the new ordinance was
passed, but it is still in effect as well.
Since the 1989 rules arc part of
the zoning code, a public hearing
would have to held before they
could be changed or deleted.
Planning Board Chairman Roger
Williams said he's heard from 98
people about the lighting ordinance,
and only five like the rules as they
arc.
Williams said 85 to 90 percent of
the people he's talked with believe
public street lights arc the answer to
the problem.
At least one town board member,
Fournicr, thinks the 1989 rules
should be thrown out. He was one of
the homeowners who was forced to
lower a security light to comply with
the rules.
Fournicr said the ordinance
should be rescinded, and the town
should leave it up to neighbors to
settle their own disputes.
"I think wc need to get out of the
citizens' private business," he said.
"It's time to get our act cleaned up
and stop being the laughing stock."
But Swarts said the town needs
some control over lights because
homes arc so dose together and
some people have no consideration
for their neighbors.
"I can't sec rescinding it until wc
get something better," he said.
Parker, who took officc ;is town
manager after the rules were ap
proved. described the 1989 ordi
nance as "arbitrary, capricious and
probably illegal."
He said the town needs a simpler
ordinance, and suggested shilling
the responsibility of enforcement
from one individual to a group of
people.
Jim Shafor, vicc chairman of the
planning board, said the town should
put up street lights and change the
ordinance to give residents more
freedom.
"I think everybody's got the right
to choose their own light," he said.
"There are people who have special
needs."
The planning board is scheduled
to meet Jan. 21 to discuss the ordi
nance, and a public hearing could be
held in mid-February.
In its only other action Monday,
commissioners approved S75
Christmas bonuses for all town em
ployees following an executive ses
sion.
The board also agreed to pay for
mer Police Chief Raymond Simpson
for the 600 hours of vacation time
he accrued prior to 1983, in accor
dance with a town policy in place at
that time.
County Say Engineering Errors Set Project Back
BY TERRY POPE
Brunswick County officials claim engineers ai
work on the Shallotte Point and Seaside water
project negligently placed a water lower on the
wrong side of the road and a pumping station in a
federally -protected Hood plain area.
Last Thursday, Dec. 12. the county filed a
countcrsuit against Houston and Associates of
Shallotte. the engineering firm fired while at work
on the county's water line project.
For the first lime, the suit specifically points
out the county's reasons for firing the firm on
Aug. 5.
Cuing numerous delays, Brunswick County
Commissioners voted 3-2 to terminate the con
tract but did not go into specifics. In its lawsuit
filed Aug 30, Houston and Associates claims
county officials breached the contract and asks for
more than S397.000 in fees, payment for work
and damages.
However, Brunswick County's answer and
counterclaim accuses Houston and Associates of:
?placing a 10 million gallon per day pump sta
lion in the wrong place according to Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood
maps:
?placing a 300.000-gallon elevated water tower
on the w rong side of the road along N.C. 179 near
Shallotte Point; and
?ignoring in its design work the presence of con
laminated soil from leaking underground storage
tanks at Shallotte Point.
The county is seeking three claims for relief,
citing breach of contract and professional negli
gence against the engineering firm.
It is seeking in excess of SIO.OOO in damages
lor breach of contract, accusing Houston and
Associates of "failing to properly deliver to
Brunswick County the engineering services with
in the time for performance".
Attorneys Alfred P. Carlton Jr. and David
Clegg arc also seeking in excess of S10,(XX) in
damages because the firm has refused to turn over
it< work in progress on the water project, it states.
Brunswick County has indicated it should be
allowed to seek 522,557 in money paid to the
firm that the county claims "have not otherwise
been earned".
Brunswick County Superior Court Judge B.
Craig F.llis concurred on Dec. 4 when he granted
that part of the county's motion to dismiss the
Houston lawsuit.
Houston claims the county breached the con
tract, failed to indicate that lime was of the
essence for turning in design work and took delib
erate actions to force the firm to miss its dead
lines.
The counterclaim slates dial both the county
and Houston were aware of the "critical need for
the prompt completion of the Capital Im
provcmcni Project." The county took action avail
able under the agreement dated Feb. 4, 1991, in
an effort to "reduce further design delays and
complete the projcct for the health, safety and
welfare of its citizens," it states.
After the firm was fired, it refused to turn over
work in progress, which the county claims was a
provision of the contract. Despite demands,
Houston has failed and "refused to unconditional
ly turn over to Brunswick County" those docu
ments, it states.
Instead, Houston delivered the work on Aug.
16 to the Shallottc branch of the NCNB bank to
be held in cscrow pending a determination of the
rights of both parties.
The counterclaim states that Houston negli
gently failed to use aerial topographical maps and
FEMA flood maps to designate a location for the
pump station, which it claims was placed in a fed
erally-designated flood plain on the designs.
It further states that Houston failed to use exist
ing county water line plans and maps and placed
a 3()0,(XX)-gallon water tower on the opposite side
of N.C. 179 from where an existing county water
line was buried.
It also says the plans did not address the pres
ence of known contaminated soils at Shallolte
Point where underground storage tanks have
leaked and allegedly caused well contamination.
Postal Operations Moving To South Branch
(Continued From Page 1-A)
the southern area, where growth is
heaviest, being handled out of the
larger South Brunswick branch and
the other three out of the Shallotte
office.
Bringoli said he advocated con
solidation in the interest of efficien
cy.
"All the mail will be worked out
of that office," he said. "1 can't split
the clerks; they have to be in one
place to sort.
"If you're going to have a large
number of routes in one office, it
wouldn't make sense to have to take
the mail back here to run routes
from here. That would delay those
routes more than they are now."
Mail is sorted in two steps. First,
clerks sort the mail by route as it is
delivered to the office. Carriers ar
rive later in the morning and begin
resorting the mail for their route by
address, in order of delivery, while
the clerks continue sorting mail by
route.
According to Bringoli, with all
sorting by route being handled at the
roomier South Brunswick station.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO
THE BRUNSWKX&fEACON
POST OFFICE BOX 2558
SHALLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA 28459
NOTICE: Reliable or consistent delivery cannot be
guaranteed since this newspaper must rely on the U.S.
Postal Service for delivery. We can only guarantee that\
\your newspaper will be submitted to the post office In
Shallotte on Wednesday of the week of publication, In
time for dispatch to out-of-town addresses that day.
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: Sr. Citizen
In Brunswick County j6 30 j5 30
NIC. Sales Tax 38 32
Postage Charge 3 68 3 68
TOTAL 1^36 9.30
Elsewhere in North Carolina J6 30 j5 30
N C Sales Tax 38 .32
Postage Charge 8 18 8 18
TOTAL 14.86 13.80
Outside North Carolina -16 30 j5 30
Postage Charge 9 65 9 65
TOTAL 15.95 14.95
Complete And Return To Above Address
Name
Address
City, State
Zip
I
carriers for any rouics run from the
main office in ShalloUc would have
to wait until all their mail was sorted
by route and then delivered to the
Shallotte office before they could
begin sorting by address.
"With that plan it could be noon
before the carriers could leave,
maybe later if a mail truck arrived
late," he said.
Under the plan as now proposed,
Bringoli said rural mail delivery
should be no later than it is now,
with earlier delivery along routes in
the south end of the service
area ? Calabash and environs.
"We're hoping we can get the mail
up and delivered earlier."
Mail destined for boxes at the
main post office will be sorted at the
South brunswick stauon, then trans
ported back to Shallotte. Bringoli
said a sub clerk will bring the mail
and slay to help the window clerks
GREETINGS!
From all of us? the best of holidays.
Men)' Christmas and Happy New Year
lo all our loyal fnends & clients.
HOLIDAY
ItttencoM,
579-6091
put up the mail and prepare for the'
day.
As for how soon the mail should
be up each day, Bringoli predicted,
"It shouldn't be any worse then than
it is right now."
The mail gets put out at varying
times, depending in part on higher
seasonal activity in the summer and
as the holidays approach.
Generally, said Bringoli, both
now and after the new South
Brunswick officc opens, "We're
hoping it will be in by 10, but be
tween 10 and 11 is more reason
able."
At 13,450 square-feet interior
space, the South Brunswick, station
will be nearly three times larger than
the main officc in Shallottc. It is sit
uated on four acres, with parking
space for 55 customers plus carriers
and staff.
Located on N.C. 904 between
Grissetlnwn and Seaside, the facility
is being built under general contrac
tor Robert G. Snyder at a contract
cost of just under SI million.
It must be occupied no later than
Feb. 1.
^VT-O/Vv.
\J LAWN & GARDEN VJ
AND SUPPLIES
Indoor Plants
Handmade Crafts
Full line of indoor
plant fertilizers
^ 842-7727 rzr
Mon-fri 8 30 5. Sat 8 6
(1/2 mile from Causeway)
HWY. 130, HOLDEN BEACH RD
Warm, Dry Holiday Expected
Residents ot the South Brunswick Islands can expect Christmas Day
to be a little wanner than usual, according to the weekly weather report
from meteorologist Jackson Canady.
"We could easily lop 70 degrees," he said, adding that the wanning
trend could last most of the holiday week.
Canady said that the outlook calls for rainfall to remain below aver
age and lor temperatures to slay mild and near normal. Daytime highs
should reach the upper 50s, while evening low temperatures should get
down to ihe upper 30s.
l-or ihe period of Dec. 10-16, Canady recorded a maximum daytime
high temperature of 77 degrees on Dec. 13, and a minimum low of 27
degrees on Dcc. 16.
The average daytime high was 65 degrees, and the average evening
low was 45 degrees, making for an average daily temperature of 55 de
grees.
Ihis reading was seven degrees above average for this time of year.
Canady also reported that he measured no rainfall ai his Shallouc
Point home.
Holden Won't Seek Re-Election
(Continued From Pane 1-A)
year terms.
Holdcn criticized ihc vote, saying
two-year terms would be loo time
consuming for businessmen on the
board and would set county politics
back 20 years.
When the county's two political
parties disagreed on the issue in the
spring, Redwine decided to place it
on the ballot and to let voters decide.
That move angered the all-Republi
can Board of Commissioners,
prompting talk that one member
might challenge Redwine for the
House scat.
Holdcn said he has always stood
accountable for his decisions as a
commissioner.
"My service on the board has
filled me with a sense of satisfaction
and accomplishment," stated
Holdcn, a self-employed business
man and fanner from Shallotte.
However, he noted that in 1992
93 would be a "time to explore other
options in public scrvice."
Holdcn said he would approach
his "new endeavors with optimism,"
but declined to say what those en
deavors would include.
ALL STAR
FLAGS
1-800-868-FLAG
?Flags -Banners
?Flagpoles "Pennants
A Variety Of Flags
Desert Storm ? Yellow Ribbon
POW-MIA Flags
Mail Orders
FREE Catalog & Delivery
101 Aviators Lane
Burgaw, NC 28425
Catherine Moore, Owner
Holdcn hinted at the Dec. 2 meet
ing that he would be leaving the
board when he read an emotional
statement praising his fellow board
members and their wives. His wife,
Barbara, was at Monday's meeting
when Holdcn made his announce
ment not to seek rc-clcction.
Private Hauler
To HandleTrash
(Continued From Page 1-A)
cling program since October, when
George Bush Recyclcrs of Florcncc,
S.C., announced it could no longer
afford to operate dropoff sites in the
county. The hauler had set up trail
ers staffed by volunteers at eight lo
cations.
Several communities have kept
their trailer sites open in private
agreements with haulers.
THE BRUNSWKK^BtACOM
Established Nov. 1, 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At 4709 Main Street
Shallottc, N.C. 28459
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
One Year SI 0.36
Six Months S5.55
ELSEWHERE IN
NORTH CAROLINA
One Year SI 4.86
Six Months S7.90
ELSEWHERE IN U.S.A.
One Year SI 5.95
Six Months S8.35
Second class postage paid at
Shallottc, N.C. 28459. USPS 777
780. Postmaster, send address
changes to:
P.O. Box 2558,
Shallotte, N.C. 28459-2558
Beer & Wine Permit*
LOCATED AT THE CORNER
OF HWY. 179 & 904
IN SEASIDE PLAZA, 579-0646
GALLERY
Local Art ? Pottery ? Jewelry
"Oil Painting Classes"
Art Supplies
"THE UNUSUAL"
Open Mon-Sat 10-5
Calabash Post Officc Complex
Hwy. 179 ? (919)579 9929,
???
Super Santa Sale
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Gift Certificates
Gift Wrapping .V
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pparel, *
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Twin Creek (Food Lion) Plaza, Shallotte
(919) 754-7300 ? Mon.-Sat. 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.