JB .-?* ? BtACCN HU PHOTO A IXH'lil Ji-FATAI .1 1) \CCII)F\T in Xovember when the ShaUotte bypass crosses \.C. I.W West renewed talk of the need for tin overpass at the intersection, which t\ close to West H runs wick High School. BtACON Fill PHOIO / IKE XI' l( HI H OH HOODS across America, Brunswick County welcomed home its troops who served in Operation Desert Storm in Sattdia Arabia. Brothers Andre Perkins (left) and Myron Perkins of I. eland were honored at Xavassa's annual homecoming celebration. Property Owners YEAR IN REVIEW CONTINUES Continue To Beg For County Water ar i mmmm n i i?i * ? ?? ? ?? ? ? ?? ? ? ? - ~ (Continued From I'ttgr 1- \ I gervd some Cut wvrc Environmental Health Supervisor Gary McDonald. five trum the water department (includ ing an assistant director* and long time Clerk to the Board of Com missioners Regina Alexander. Black leaders insisted Ms. Alex ander was fired because she is black Democratic leaders accused the all Republican board of picking on Democrats and asked District Attor ney Rex Core to investigate. "We are disturbed, dumfounded. flabbergasted and downright insulted b\ what we perceive to be racial un fairness." said Jesse Bryant, past president of the Cedar Grove - Brun^wuk Countv Chapter of the NAACP. Two sides to die issue emerged, and prosecutors dismissed the claims. Pinkerton and District -J Commis sioner Frankie Rabon had performed a "show and dance" lor the crowd, said Holden. "I have always voted lor the budget all three years," he noted, but \\ iih a pained expression I. ft 1 1 Mow Properly owners continued to beg for county water in 199 1, but in some communities the price was more than some residents were w ill ing to pay. The county financed S7 million in bonds to pay for water lines to Seaside and Shalloue Point, where residents became part of a long awaited Special Assessment District PUBLIC AUCTION FELTS AUCTION CENTER Hvvy. 17. Siallotte Plaza Next to NCNB NOW TAKING CONSIGNMENTS Sale every Thurs., Fri. and Sat. 7 PM Call 579-4092 Jerry Felts NC #5093 r _ ar I HE L .S. 17 SHAI.I.on t: K) PASS opened May posed in the early 1960s. .. WS> 1 1 ' , <*TO8 BtACON Hit PMOIO 1,1 the delight of area residents who w aited a lifetime for a route that was first pro (SAD) in December. Wells there have gone dry while grow th south ol Shaliotie dangerously cut water pres sure during peak periods. Another water line, along Mt. Pisgah Church Road to serve the Civietown and Shell Point comnuiru ties, was put on hold until IW2. Shell Point residents have petitioned lor w ater. "It hit me like a freight train," was Clegg's reaction when commission ers, cuing unnecessary delays, voted in August to fire Houston and Associates of Shaliotie, the engineer ing firm at work on water expansion. lite county regrouped by hiring Ken Dresser and Associates to finish designs as a disgruntled I louston and Associates filed suit, seeking S.W .(XX > in fees and damages. In other communities, requests for water were mixed. Commissioners ordered a policy to charge main line customers a fee when tapping onto the water system. Smaller SADs proceeded off the Holden Beach causeway, in 10 sub divisions along \.C. 17l* between Calabash and ( Vcan Isle Roach and in the Jenniler subdivision near L.eland. whore a S.>0.(XH) state gram helped fund an emergency line to re place the residents' gasoline contain mated wells. In Town Creek and Winnabow, resulenis turned down water, saving assessments lor the mostly rural area were ux> high. Residents in Yamamtown also let aldermen know that they did not de sire county water. Hard Times Nationally, talk focused on a pos sible recession. Locally, the news wasn't all gixxl either In February, 43 jvrcent of Bruns wick County's employees had not paid their ll)'Hl taxes, perhaps an omen of hard times in 1991. Prom a 10-year period, S4.I mil lion was still owed the county in hack taxes and S2 million from 1 WO alone. Anticipating a S700,(XX) cut in state funds, commissioners panicked and vi Hal lo garnish wages ami in at tach cash assets lor residents who still owed. C'legg chopped S7.5 million in de partmental requests Irom the budget he tore commissioners even saw the figures. New offices for the driver's license examiner and magistrate were c ut and a central warehouse for the government complex put on hold. The Brunswick Clean County Department was dissolved. Also cut were SI. 5 million from Emergency Medical Services, SI. 4 million from the County Engineer's department and S231.5I6 from a Department of Older Adults meals program, which drew complaints from senior citi/.cns. "The next two or three years is go ing to be very critical for our aging program," said Older Adults Direc tor Ronnie Robinson, whose depart ment is 48 percent county funded. Commissioners rejected parcel fees and tipping fees as ways to fund solid waste and instead dug deeper to find the $1.8 million. Rccyclcrs were disappointed in October when an independent hauler announced he could no longer artord to collect goods at Brunswick Coun ty's eight sites, which were forced to close. A few towns like Sunset Beach and Calabash were able to lind inde pendent recyclable waste pick-up for their communities. In December commissioners tack gear's 'Eve 'Party 'Package 1991 ! eventnj of dining, dancing anil delu\t dtccmmcdations C$149. per couple j 'Beautiful 1 bedroom ' airway Villas * 5 Course 'Ihnner 'Banquet ' Champagne at 'Midnight ? 'Party ') avors ' 9 'Piece Combo * 'Breakfast 'Buffet ,/