Tf SWICK# BEACON Thirtieth Year, Number 12 C?9W THt MUNSWICK 8!ACON Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, January 23, 1992 50,(XX) when he sold the store in May 1987; ? he did not receive any portion of the sales price of the Calabash Beverage Mart in cash monies; ?he did not pay any commission, in cash, to the individual who intro duced him to the buyer of the store: ?the purchaser had never mentioned to him that he was experiencing tax dilliculues; and ?he did not discus Ins proposed testimony before the grand jury with the individual who had purchased the store. High's icMimuiiy was false, u?C indictment slates, because he al (See FEDERAL. PAGE 2-A) Point Residents Question Water Assessment Methods BY TERRY POPE Neighbors who live in Shallotte Point won't all pay the same thing or by the same method to get county wa ter. I bat tact had about 200 residents asking a lot of questions at a public hearing in Bolivia Tuesday. The Brunswick County Utility Operations Board scheduled the hearing to gailici continents on whether to proceed with a special assessment district (SAD) for the Point community. When a quorum of UOB members did not show, board attorney Michael Ramos advised the board could still hold the hearing, but not take any action. A! Morrison, Rudy Simmons and Robert Nubel also listened to complaints from residents in SAD 16 (Sierra Estates and Styron's Landing near Holden Beach) who are upset over their water assessment bills. Should distribution lines be installed this year, there will be two ways residents can pay to get county water at Shallotte Point. Some property owners who live along main trans mission lines arc part of the county's capital improve MC? menus project. By state law, those residents do not have to tap onto the water system. Others who live where water lines must be extended to provide service will face a mandatory assessment and tap-on fee. However, all residents will face roughly the same costs, said County Engineer Robert Tucker, regardless of where they happen to live or what method they fare If they choose to tap on, mair line customers will pay a $450 point of service fee plus a $400 tap fee. SAD customers will face a tap fee of $400 and an assessment, which has averaged $452 for the previous 14 county SAD projects, said Tucker. The UOB has not decided how it plans to assess Shallotte Point SAD customers, whether by square footage of lots, road frontage or by parcel fee. Residents have not been given preliminary cost estimates on what they can expect to pay. "Water is needed in Shallotte Point. It speaks for it self," said resident Scou Taylor. "Ninety-nine percent of the questions asked tonight concerns how it's going to be implemented. We arc going to keep a close watch over it to see that we are treated equitably." UOB Chairman A1 Morrison said the board would choose a method that is fair to all Shallotte Point resi dents. "I think (hat's how we want to do business," he said. The county plan to open bids for the main lines Feb. 10. County commissioners are expected to hire a con tractor Feb. 17. Water should be available to main line customers in six to eight months and shortly thereafter to SAD residents, said Jerry Webb, director of public utilities. "We will make an attempt to service every parcel of land in that area," said Webb. "We may have to take some out." SAD 16 Complaints SAD 16 residents asked the UOB Tuesday to recon sider the assessment method chosen for that project. The area includes 445 lots in Sierra Estates and Styron's Landing off of N.C. 130 (Holden Beach Road). Two letters presented to the board attacks the square footage method used to calculate water assessments. Attorney Sandra Jclovsck of Johnson City, Tenn., who represents property owners in SAD 16, said most residents were willing to support the water project at first for a reasonable fee. She said the estimated 400 inland lots are being as sessed more than the 58 lots along die waterway, making the project unfair. 'The method is the least fair of the five methods that the legislature provides iiuough state statutes," wrote Ms. Jelovsek. She accused the board of favoring a "small interest group at the expense of the property owners in the SAD" and urged the board to look again at making a "good faith effort to achieve proportional" assessments in SAD 16. "We've gone through this in a number of SADs," said Morrison. "That's why we're here listening to what vou have to say. We're not closed-minded about any of this." The low bid for SAD 16 was S 174,628. Both a pre liminary and a final public hearing have been held on the project, said Webb. Figures Show Home Building Up At Beaches, Down In County BY THE NKWS STAFF New home building was up along ihe South Brunswick Islands beaches during 1991, despite talk of a recession in the national economy, statistics indicate. "I'm not surprised," said Pat Fox, president of the Brunswick Islands Board of Realtors. "I think we're go ing to have even more building in 1992." Data shows construction decreased slightly in unin corporated areas of the county, from 181 permits for new homes in 1990 iu 165 homes last year. Sunset Beach, Holdcn Beach and Calabash all re ported an increase in new home construction, while building at Ocean Isle remained steady. Newer highways, lower North Carolina taxes and ideal weather conditions are attractive to persons from northern states looking to relocate, said Ms. Fox. "We do have buyers out there," she said. "Some are looking for the lowcr-cost-homes." Home construcuon had suffered through two straight years of decline in unincorporated areas of the county before 1990's increase. The value of new stick built, sin gle-family homes built in the county slipped froir. $!2.7 million in 1990 to SI 1 million last year. The Brunswick County Building Inspections Depart ment issues permits for new home construction in areas outside ot town zoning disuicls and for six towns that do not have their own programs. Those towns are Belvillc, Bolivia, Lcland, Navassa, Sandy Creek and Vamam town. Last year the county issued permits for 47 commer cial projects valued at more than S14 million. Other per mits include: 97 remodeling, $1.1 million; 113 addi tions, SI. 4 million; 55 garages, $839,926; 29 dccks and porches, S 162,7 10; eight pools, S 102,480; and 38 signs, S203.745. It also issued permits for 845 mobile homes last year, compared to 1,130 during 1990. Calabash expanded its extraterritorial areas (ETAs) this year to spots where the county was once responsible for issuing building permits. That may have helped Calabash increase its con struction figures for 1991. Building Inspector Ed C UUUb k said he issued permits for 62 single-family homes and 23 mobile homes last year. In 1990, Calabash issued permits for 37 single-fami ly homes and in 1989, 35 homes. (See Rl'ILDINC., PAGE 2-A) Area Construction In 1991 AREA YEAR HOMES VALUATION* Holden Beach 1990 42 3,04 1991 59 4.25 Ocean isle 1990 35 3.60 1991 32 4.02 Sunset Beach 1990 59 N/A 1991 76 5.64 Calabash 1990 37 N/A 1991 62 N/A County 1990 181 13.7 1991 165 11.0 ? To tlM DMPMt o I dollar* HlkxmxsJfr. . PHOTO BY DORi OUAGANUS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS (from left) William Stewart, Dexter Melvin and Rick Pearman are busy on Epp and Dona tree's home on N.C. 179 at Sunset Beach, where new home construction climbed in 1991.