Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / March 19, 1992, edition 1 / Page 5
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Opinion Page THE BRUNSWICK#fEACON Edward M. Sweatt and Carolyn H. Sweatt Publishers Edward M. Sweatt Editor Susan Usher 4 News Editor T>rry Poor StaJJ Writer Doug Rutter Sports Ekiitor Peggy Earwood Ojjice Manager Carolyn H. Sweatt Advertising Director Tlmberley Adams, Cecelia Gore and Linda Cheers Advertising Representatives Dorothy Brennan and Brenda Clemmons Moore ..Graphic Artists Will tain Manning Pressman Lonnle Sprinkle Assistant Pressman Tracy Smith Photo Technician Phoebe Clemmons and Frances Sweatt Circulation PAGE 4 -A, THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 1992 Some Neighborhoods Have Gone To The Dogs A Shallotlc Point resident called last week with a problem. He has radishes, beets, carrois. collards, mustard greens, corn, turnips and onions planted in a small garden next to his home. With an early spring arriving this March, hopes were high for a good crop. The com was standing about three inches high when trouble hit last Thursday night. The lumip seeds, at S6 an ounce, had popped up out of the ground and were up about the size of a match head. Temperatures dipped to around freezing, but last week's cold spell spared the garden. It was a pack of dogs that did the real damage. Sometime in the middle of the night, dogs roaming the neighborhood found the fertile spot and threw a wild party. They tore up the rows and stomped down the tender sprouts that the resident had worked so hard to plant. The cost of fertilizer and seeds alone makes it especially difficult for persons on fixed incomes who want to plant a garden for fresh vegetables to endure such a trick. It looked as though the dogs had just rutted around for half the night, destroying what represented hours and hours of hard work, the disap pointed homeowner said. There is a period in the early spring when loose dogs roaming the neighborhood can do irreparable damage to property. When plants get high enough, dogs will still roam the gardens, but will walk among the rows. But there shouldn't be any dogs roaming on another person's proper ty to begin with. Brunswick County doesn'l have a leash law. but most towns do. Shaliotte Poini isn't a town. Tnc resident wiiii the ruined garden ex plained that he's not advocating a county leash law. He simply wants the persons who own dogs to keep them away from his property at night. That's not too much to ask. Some people own dogs so the animals will bark and keep an eye on their property, to scare would-be burglars away. But if those dogs arc out destroying a neighbor's garden at night, how could they be watching over a house? This particular property owner had called Brunswick County Animal Control to find out what could be done to stop the nuisance. The shelter can set up traps to catch the dogs and take them to the shelter in Supply. But that would only create a dispute between neighbors and cause more ill feelings. Some dog owners allow their creatures to roam the world and to destroy property but protect them like children when ac cused of foul deeds. TTicy have no idea what the animal is doing to the neighborhood at night, but by day they arc adored and harmless members of the family. Another letter I received from a Shaliotte Point resident last week told of how dogs that were allowed to run loose came onto their property recently. The dogs broke through a screened porch and killed two vulner able and trapped cats. For some. Brunswick County's proposed noise ordinance (which is still pending action) offers hope of regulating dogs and the noise they cause in neighborhoods where homes are close together. Yes, barking dogs arc listed in the ordinance as a potential noise problem. I will not name the persons who expressed their concerns above be cause that's not important. Shaliotte Point has the appearance of a "quiet" fishing village just south of Shaliotte where neighbors are friendly folks. But some folks are mad and have a reason to be. What has happened to gardens and beloved pets there isn't just a problem in Shaliotte Point. It happens all across the county when people let dogs take over the neigh borhood. Build Overpass To Prevent Accidents (Students in 9th grade English classes at West Brunswick High were assigned to write a letter to the editor on the need for an overpass on the bypass. Following are two of the letters which won recognition and cash prizes. Two more will ap pear next week. Editor's note.) * * * * To the editor: The Highway 17 bypass and 130 intersection is one of the most dangerous places in Brunswick County. Tli ere arc constantly traf fic jams and accidents at that inter section. I feel the state should build an overpass at the intersec tion in order to prevent future acci dents. One problem at the intersection is the constant traffic jams. When high school gets out, the traffic is sometimes backed up all the way to the school. It takes me about ten minutes just to get past the inter section. If the overpass was built, the traffic would go a lot faster. The people of S hallo tie, as well as the students and staff at West Brunswick High School have been in an uproar since the tragic acci dent on Nov. 1 of last year. Since then, there have been three other accidents. 1 cross that intersection about four times a day. Some peo ple I know piobauiy corss that in tersection even more. When summer comes and the tourists come down unaware of the danger ai this intersection, there arc going to be even more traffic and accidents. If an overpass is built, future accidents can be avoided. All I can say is that something has to be done. Having a traffic light and making the bypass a speed trap is not doing any good. Innocent people do not have to die. John Scorzello * * ? * To the editor: I believe that Shallottc should definitely have an overpass at the Highway 17 and Highway 130 in tersection for safety precautions. The poorly finished bypass in Shallolte has resulted in numerous accidents and two deaths. I agree that a Welcome Center was need ed, but now that we have one, we need to look on to our future. An overpass would save time, cut down on traffic and be much safer than the intersection we have now. Also we have some very carelcss drivers in the Shallottc area that don't pay attention to lights, signs or other cars. Summer is quickly approaching. There will be three times as much traffic trav eling on the bypass. Before it is too late, I urge you to think about this situation and realize how an overpass would make Shallottc a better place to travel. Suzanne Moore Shallottc <?>1^2. rjA ROHNA uwctoon' CHRIST! THIS 15 AN EPIPEMIC!! *? MEASLES? no, weapons!! ! FTTFPC tuc cniTOD LL I I LI\Q I | | | i_ L -/ 1 I V/ IX Lack Of Zoning Is Negative, Detrimental To ihc editor: As a former officer with 38 years of education and experience in real estate banking finance, I could not help but respond to Mr. Pope's col umn in the Feb. 27 issue entitled "County May Have To Sell Zoning Ordinance." I would like to ask why? The benefits of a zoning ordi nance arc so positive and many, while the lack of zoning in a grow ing community is so negative and detrimental. Having visited the Calabash area and liking it very much, my wife and 1 have bccome an avid reader of the Bcacon for over a year, to get better acquainted with the South Brunswick County area. We believe that the residential living opportunities would be ideal to appeal to our leisurely lifestyle. But not without the protection of property values and other important benefits which result from well planned, orderly zoning. Who can doubt that zoning, prop erly within the areas of residential, commercial, and industrial, fosters the appreciation of all property val ues to its highest and best use. That it encourages home ownership and improvement helping the mar ketability and resale for the benefit of individuals and developers alike. And, indirectly it promotes the eco nomic growth and development of an entire community by helping it to provide the best possible services available for its citizens who can ex pect and deserve a better way of life. Arm and H. Lapierre Gardner, Massachusetts Solution Seen For Sunset's Bridge Problem To the editor Finally a solution to the "save our bridge" problem is available. Since a need for a bridge to Bird Island ex ists, the state should go ahead and build that much-needed high-rise bridge to Sunset Beach. Then they could carefully dismantle the cable operated swing bridge and reassem ble it on the road to Bird Island. Then everyone could enjoy this historic bridge while it still fulfilled a usable function. In fact, since the water it will cross is not navigable, no bridge tenders are needed to open it on the hour. Maintenance is re duced. This move would bring joy to all the boaters who have had to struggle with dangerous cross winds trying to keep from grounding while waiting for the opening on the hour. Also no more breakdowns would occur en dangering the lives of Sunset Beach residents in an emergency. H. D. Adams Rt. 6, Shallottc Independent Audit Urged For Schools To the editor This is the time of year when North Carolina school budgets arc presented to the county commission ers for review and approval. This year is a most critical one for all Brunswick County taxpayers as our current school system has been defined by education experts and the news media as receiving an overall grade "F* or failure. This must be of particular concern to taxpayers when only a few weeks ago the Brunswick County school superintendent was asking for addi tional millions of dollars to further support a school system that is now classified in the "F' category. It seems logical, therefore, to now take positive action to find out how wc in Brunswick County are cur rently spending $36,000,000 of our monies on education and what ac tion we must take to improve our current system before wc approve millions more for an "F system. I am, therefore, recommending that the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners chairman, Kelly Holdcn, acquire the services of an independent audit firm to review the 1992 Brunswick County school bud get, so wc are in a position to an swer such questions as to how we arc spending our monies on such items as percentage of school costs: 1. Administration versus teach ing; 2. Basic teaching-reading, writing and arithmetic; 3. Other than basics. If we, the parents who have chil dren in the school system and tax payers of Brunswick County, are to have faith in our school system, wc must know the truth about our school system. 1 urge readers of this letter to call the Brunswick County Commission ers' officc (913-253-4331) and let your feelings be known about the need for an independent school au dit. Warren (Bud) Knapp Calabash Stop Passage Of These Laws To the editor: The FDA, a puppet of the Bush Administration, is at it again. They want to pass laws that would require you to go to a doctor and pay his of fice fee to get a prescription in order to purchase vitamins, amino acids, herbs and mineral supplements. The American Medical Associa tion has been pressuring the FDA to ban vitamins that you can now buy by choice. One doctor told me that in med ical school the average doctor-to-be has approximately two weeks train ing, out of four years, in nutrition. He doesn't know that much about nutrition so why the push for these laws? It appears to be money; if you have to pay for an office visit every ume you want to purchase vitamins. The Bush administration is sup posed to be for freedom of choice. People must write to their sena tors and congressmen to stop the passage of these laws. Charles Rajsky Calabash North Carolina Should Buy Bird Island To the editor: Our family has been coming to Sunset Beach for over 20 years and now have a shared-ownership house on the east end of this beautiful is land. For years all of us have gone over to Bird Island at low tide to pick up shells and just wander over this unspoiled small bit of paradise. We were indeed shocked to leam that someone is planning to connect Bird Island to Sunset by a bridge and build houses on it. Wc just hope and pray that the state of North Carolina will save this precious property now inhabited by the log gerhead tunic and other marine species. Our daughter has taken part in an Earth Watch expedition research study in the Virgin islands designed to save the lcathcrback turtles down there. Earth Watch also offers expe ditions to researchers to study other turtle species in various parts of the world. Wc arc certain thai they would hale to hear about the plight of the loggerhead on Bird Island were this fate to happen to one of nature's very spccial endangered species. Please, all Sunset property own ers, care enough to contact your Division of Coastal Management and State Rep. David Rcdwine, urg ing them to have the state buy this treasured and beautiful property right next to us here. Elizabeth H. White William B. White Katherine R. While Williamsburg, Virginia (Letters Continue Next Page) PHOTO BY BILL FAVM THE BABY'S EAR is quite different when the animal is present. Wondering About Shells BY BILL FAVKR Sometimes after finding a particular shell on the beach, I try to spec ulate about the animal who once called it home. There is a lot we can tell about the shell, such as the spccics of the ani mal, how old it may have been when it died, and sometimes what caused its demise. The shell is like a skeleton and we often forget about the creature 7 who lived in it and had to find food and evade ? ^ w predators to survive. jg ^ One of our common shells, the Baby's Ear, can f serve as an example of how different the shell is when the animal is present. When the empty shell is "W found it is usually an off-white, flattened snail shell shaped somewhat like a the car of a baby. When the FAVER animal is present, the mantle, or foot, of the snail completely covers the shell and-the shell often appears as a cap worn on the back of the animal. Ear snails live in shallow water on sandy Hats where they burrow through the sand just under the surface and feed on small clams and oth er bivalves. The large foot helps the animal capture its prey and may help it swim when it bccomes dislodged from the sand. Rachel Carson, in The Edge of the Sea, reminds us: To understand the life of the shore it is not enough to pick up an empty shell and say, "Thic is a murex," or "That is an angel wing." True understanding demands intuitive comprehension of the whole life of the creature that once inhabited this empty shell: how it survived amid surf and storms, what were its ene mies, how it found and reproduced its kind, what were its rela tions to the particular sea world in which it lives. So, wc may be missing a lot when we grab a shell and talk about how pretty it is. We may miss an opportunity at understanding when we pass up the less-than-perfect specimen which might give us clues as lo its life in the sea. Think about this when you pick up your next find on the beach. You may want to grab the guidebooks and the encyclopedia and begin learning all you can!
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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March 19, 1992, edition 1
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