THE
Thirtieth Year, Number 22
Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, April 2, 1992
36 Pages, 3 Sections, 4 Inserts
SPR I
? WJ TM| IKUNSWICK eiACON
Local Towns
I ~ n
JUIII TUFLt?b
To Protect
Liquor Stores
BY l)()U(; RUTTER
Brunswick County towns with
ABC' stores have formed a commit
tee to protect their established sys
tems and keep the county from tak
ing away their business.
"We're just lixikmg at ways that
the local ABC systems can be the
most beneficial to the people," said
Long Beach ABC Board Chairman
Ben Thomas, who is heading up the
committee that met for the first time
last week.
Shallotte, Calabash. Ocean Isle
Beach. Sunset Beach, Bclvillc,
Boiling Spring Lakes, Ixing Beach,
Southport and Yaupon Beach have
each operated ABC stores for more
than 10 years.
Some town officials arc con
cerned about the county's ABC sys
tem, which opened its first and only
store on Holden Beach Road in
August 1990. They fear more stores
will steal business, and revenue,
from the towns.
"All we're trying to do is protect
the local systems as they have been
for years," Thomas said.
"Hopefully, we don't want to in
fringe on cach other's clientele."
At the meeting last Tuesday,
Thomas said the committee dis
cussed state legislation that prohibits
the county from opening liquor
stores within seven miles of a town
that already has its own ABC sys
tem.
The law is due to expire July 1,
but governing boards in at least two
towns. Calabash and Long Beach,
have adopted resolutions asking that
it be continued.
The resolutions ask local repre
sentatives in the North Carolina
General Assembly, Rep. David
kodwiiic and Sen. k.C. Soies Jr., to
remove the "sunset" provision from
the bill so it doesn't expire in three
months.
Town officials point out that they
have substantial investments in their
systems and that any nearby county
liquor stores would likely divert cus
tomers from the town stores.
The loss of customers would
mean less money for the towns and
a reduction in basic services, accord
ing to matching resolutions adopted
by commissioners in Calabash and
Long Beach.
Rcdwine introduced the local leg
islation last session after Southpori
and Oak Island officials voiced con
cern over county plans to open a
store in the River Run Shopping
Center.
The local representative said he
agreed to sponsor the bill with the
idea that town and county officials
would discuss their concerns and
reach an agreement before the law
expired.
"My hope was that the two
groups could get together and work
out an agreement between them
selves," Redwine said last week.
Dot Kelly, clerk to the Brunswick
County ABC Board, said there are
no present plans to open another
outlet, although the possibility is fre
quently discussed.
Thomas said the committee plans
to meet again April 15 in Southport
to find out if the town boards want
the local legislators to amend the
state law. Redwine said he's been
invited to the meeting.
BHBL BBl ji
SlAfF PHOIO BY DOUG RUFlfcR
Hitching A Ride
These two pelicans Here ready to do some fishing Saturday afternoon, or at least cruise the Shallotte
River. They were sunning on the deck of a small fishing boat docked at llolden's Seafood at Shallotte
Point.
REGISTRATION ENDS MONDAY
New Addresses Won't Disrupt Primary
BY TERRY POPE
Thousands of address changes may causc slight de
lays but will not hamper the voting process when resi
dents go to the polls for the May 5 primary.
Monday, April 6, is the last day for voters to regis
ter and to make party affiliation changes, precinct trans
fers and other transactions with the Brunswick County
Board of Elections office or with precinct officials.
Brunswick County's new 91 1 emergency communi
cations system, which is scheduled to begin April 15,
has resulted in thousands of new residential addresses
as the county moves from rural postal routes to a new
house numbering system with street names.
If a person hasn't changed an address by Monday,
they can still vote in May, said Board of Elections
Supervisor Lynda Britt.
"We are very much aware that the whole county is
going to gel new addresses," said Ms. Britt.
Poll workers will be asked to verify voters' names
and addresses at the primary election.
"If the address is not the same," said Ms. Britt, "it
may take a minute or two for them to correct it on the
printout."
Residents must take the initiative to change their ad
dresses witli the Board of Elections' office at the
Brunswick County Government Center in Bolivia.
Changes can be made by telephone, said Ms. Britt.
Most address changes to date have come from the
Calabash and Sunset Beach areas, she noted.
Changing an address at another county agency, such
as the Brunswick County Water Department, wii! not
change one's address at the Board of Elections.
Most county residents have not received their new
address from the county.
Registration closes at the elections office at 5 p.m.
Monday. Persons may also register to vote at county li
braries and at the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles
drivers license examiner's office during regular busi
ness hours.
Registrars in each precinct who will register voters
through Monday are Pat Wells in Hood Creek; Mickey
Bullock in Leland; Lynn Hall in Woodbum; Marie
Jones in Belvillc; Walter J. Babson in Town Creek;
Margie Willelts in Bolivia; Florie Senstermacher in
Boiling Spring Lakes; Glenda Caylor in Southport I;
Ellen Dorsctl in Southport II; Claire Recs in Oak Island
I; Helen Buchman in Oak Island II; Junious Royals in
Mosquito; Annie V. Sellers in Supply; Bertie R. Cailan
in Secession I; Sheila C. Ward in Secession II; Delma
Clcmmons in Shalloite; Cecilia Kinlaw in Frying Pan;
Fayc Todd in Grissettown; Elizabeth Christie in
Shinglctrec; Brenda Russ in Longwood; Thomas Gore
in Ash and Juanita Pruill in Frccland.
The number of persons registering to vote hasn't in
creased recently with the April 6 deadline approaching,
noted Ms. Brill.
She expects registrars to face the usual last-minute
rush on Mondav.
H<=*inht Limit Top
Concern At Sunset
Land Use Hearing
BY SUSAN US1IKR
II informal polling at a public
hearing last Thursday is an indica
lor. a majority of Sunset Beach resi
dents would like to sec a 35-foot
' height limit on island construction
that could only be changed by vote
S of town residents.
Twenty-nine of the approximately
50 people who attended a land use
plan hearing at Sunset Beach Town
Hall last week ranked such a height
limit among their top live concerns
relating to land use in the town.
"1 think some of us arc afraid of
getting something like they have at
Ocean Isle Beach." said Eloise
Sarvis after she placcd a gold star by
the issue. A high-rise condominium
project on Ocean Isle Beach's exclu
sive west end is visible from Sunset
Beach. ^
To put such a height limn in place
would require the town council to
ask state legislators to adopt a local
bill, similar to legislation previously
adopted for I lolden Beach and Long
Beach.
Trailing behind with the second
largest number of votes as keeping
Bird Island as is, referring to the
barrier island's owner efforts to ac
quire permits to build a new bridge
to the island and possibly develop u
on a limited basis.
Participants were almost evenly
divided on an issue relating to an
other island the bridge connecting
ihc island and mainland sections of
Sunset Beach. Sixteen voted lor
maintaining the current bridge and
15 for replacing it with another un
specified type of bridge.
"That seems to be u very evenly
divided issue in this town," said
planning consultant Margaret
(Peggy) Hayes as she tallied the vot
ing results.
She had participants lake turns
listing one planning concern at
time, allowing all an opportunity to
be heard. An hour and a half later,
the group had compiled a list of 28
issues, many of them relating to
conservation or protection of natural
resources, or providing more control
over the type of growth dial is al
lowed to occur in die town.
Then each person was allowed to
"vote" for his or her top five issues,
using one gold star per issue.
Separating commercial and resi
dential development garnered 15
votes, verifying the environmental
need for a sewer system before the
town contracts to build one drew 10
votes, as did development ot a sewer
system.
A generic "protecting the envi
ronment'" received nine votes, as did
maintaining the current level of den
sity of development.
Many of the other issues raised by
(See IIKKiin , Page 2-A)
Holden Dike Will Hold Spoil
BY DOUG RUTTKR
A dike system on Hoiikn Bcach
is being repaired so il can hold sedi
nienl that will iv dredged from die
Atlaniie Iniraeoastal Waterway next
week.
Holden Beach Enterprises owns
die spoil site east of Swordfish
Drive and is overseeing die im
provements, according to Jim
Griffin, a partner in die land devel
opment company. The Corps has an
easement to use the property as a
dredge spoil site.
Griffin said the corporation will
allow the Corps of Engineers to
pump dredged material into the dike
in return for the valuable spoil.
"We gel the dirt," Griffin said.
"Once the dirt dries out we can use
die dirt, and dirt's expensive."
Howard Vamani, engineer with
the Corps navigation branch in
Wilmington, said it's not uncommon
for owners of spoil sites to maintain
them in return for the dredged mate
rial.
Varnam said a scclion ol the wa
terway between the Moldcn Bcach
Bridge and Shallouc Inlet will be
dredged next week.
As pan ol the repair project,
Varnain said pipe is being installea
si) water can drain from the 40-acre
dike back into the waterway.
Griffin said the walls of the dike
are also being shored up to prevent
breaks when the dredging starts.
The spoil site lias been used sev
eral times before. Griffin said, hut
not since the last time the entrance
canal at Harbor Acres was dredged.
Several area residents have
voiced concern about the project,
fearing the work will ultimately lead
to the drainage and development of
wetlands.
Griffin said Holden Bcach
Enterprises has no immediate plans
to develop the pa>perty, which juts
into the marsh between Heritage
Harbor and Harbor Acres.
"If wc ever do anything it would
be way down the road," he said.
Time To Spring Forward
It's that lime of year again.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) will set our external clocks ahead
Sunday, April 5, for the only 23-hour day of the year and a resulting
mild case of jet lag.
Clocks are to be set ahead an hour at 2 a.m., a task most people ac
complish before retiring to bed on Saturday night.
DST will continue until die last Sunday of October.
Daylight-saving was first suggested by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 as
a means of saving Parisian shopkeepers money on candles. Since its in
troduction in the United States it has been a political hot potato bccause
of its purported effects on sundry activities ranging from milking cows to
operating AM radio stations and selling Halloween candy and bedding
plants.
With DST, clock time is shifted ahead by one one to provide for one
extra hour of daylight in the afternoon in lieu of one hour of daylight in
the morning.
Fired Animal Control Worker's Appeal G
oes To State Hearing
BY TERRY POPE
Testimony continued at a state personnel hearing
Tuesday to determine if Brunswick County officials had
reason to fire its former animal control supervisor.
Zclma Babson of Ash, an 11-year veteran of
Brunswick County Animal Control, is accused of side
stepping Brunswick County Health Department policy
to answer an after-hours call and of being discourteous
to fellow employees.
She was placed on suspension last June and later
fired by Hcalili Director Michael Rhodes, whose action
was upheld by the Brunswick County Board of Health
Ms. Babson appealed that decision to the Suite
Personnel Commission.
Testimony Monday revealed hostility existed among
animal control employees and that Ms. Babson felt she
was being "set up" and watched closely for a reason to
be fired.
Five animal control workers signed a grievance in
April 1991 against Ms. Babson, listing 34 events detail
ing how they felt harassed and intimidated by their for
mer supervisor. A grievance is a complaint lodged
against a fellow worker to a superior.
Rhodes issued a reprimand stemming from the
grievance, Ms Babson's fourth while on the job, with a
Beecher R. Gray, administrative
law judge, will hear evidence
and issue an advisory opinion to
Brunswick County.
third having resulting from a Sept 1, 1990, incident in
volving an after-hours call.
She is accused of telephoning former District 2
County Commissioner Benny Ludlum to get permission
to answer an after-hours call instead of first checking
with her superiors, Rhodes and Environmental Health
Supervisor John Crowder, who is no longer a supervisor
but remains an employee of the department.
Policy states animal control workers can answer
calls after hours, between 4:30 p.m. and 8 a.m., only in
the event of an emergency, such as an animal bite on a
person, an investigation of rabies or other "human life
threatening situauons".
Beecher R. Gray, administrative law judge, will hear
evidence and issue an advisory opinion to Brunswick
County. It could take months before Judge Gray renders
his decision, said County Attorney David Clegg.
The decision is an advisory opinion and docs not
bind the county to lake any specific steps, said C'legg. II
Ms. Babson is unhappy wiih (he outcome, she may then
pursue the case in Brunswick County Superior Court.
Her testimony Monday detailed how animal control
officers are routinely assigned to answer after-hours
calls, especially if a resident has first called a county
commissioner to complain.
Ms. Babson said Crowder had once told her that em
ployees could answer non emergency calls after hours if
a law enforcement officer had made a request in writing
or if instructed to do so by a county commissioner.
Written policy states die decision should be made by ci
ther the health director or the environmental health su
pervisor.
After the Sept. 1 incident, Ms. Babson was told that
after-hours calls were "political in nature" and to avoiil
them, she said.
"1 was not to call anyone else about approval for af
ter-hours calls," she said
Relying on her filed reports, Ms. Babson noted five
cases prior to the Sept. I incident involving officers who
were dispatched to after-hours calls by cither Rhodes or
Crowder in non-emergency situations.
Workers were dispatched to retrieve a dog whose
owner had been served eommiiment papers, to piek up a
dog at Seaside lhai had been struck by a car, to assist
Yaupon Beach |xtlice officers in removing a dog from a
truck thai had rammed into a building, to retrieve live
stock found starving near 1. eland and to pick up a stray
dog that pushed his way into an Ash woman's home and
wouldn't leave.
In two of those incidents, the residents had first
called county commissioners to complain, who in turn
called animal control for action, she said.
Ms. Babson also listed six cases between the Sept. I
incident and her firing in June when officers were or
dered by Rhodes or Crowder to answer calls that did not
involve reasons coveted in the policy.
Officers were dispatched to investigate a dog that
had been cut, to catch some horses ninmng louse near
Ocean Isle, to pick up a dog that hail been struck by a
car, to pick up a dog caught in a trap and to pick up stray
puppies at an elderly woman's home.
She said Crowder approved the call to pick up the
trapped dog alter a domestic dispute broke out between
neighbors. A resident had called District 1
Commissioner Kelly Holden to ask that the animal be
(See APPEAL, Page 2-A)