Two Marines
Killed, One
Critical After Head-On
Crash Tuesday
Two U.S. Marines cn route to Camp Lejeunc were
killed and another was critically injured Tuesday morn
ing after a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer truck
on U.S. 17 outside Bolivia.
The names of the two dead men were not released
Tuesday pending notification of their families, said in
vestigating trooper B.D. Barnhardt of the N.C. Highway
Patrol. One of the victims was dead at the scene, while
the other was pronounced dead at New Hanover
Regional Medical Center in Wilmington.
So far 14 people have been killed on Brunswick
County roads this year. That is twice the number record
ed in the first six months of 1991, said highway patrol
spokesperson Ruby Oakley.
James Edmond Eylcr, 21, was listed in critical con
dition after surgery Tuesday, said Iris Baker, a public re
lations assistant at the hospital.
Eyler's rank and home town were unavailable, but
Barhardt said he wasassigncd to the 2nd Marine
Division of the 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion at
Camp Lcjcunc. Eyler's mother lives in Hcrminston,
Ore., and his father lives in Florida, the trooper said.
It was shortly before dawn when Eylcr, driving a
1988 Volksw^on convertible north on U.S. 17, appar
ently crossed the center line and crashed head -on into a
southbound 18- wheel truck loaded with 51,000 pounds
of hot asphalt, Bamhardt said.
One of Eylcr's fellow Marines was silting in the
front scat and another in the back seat, Barnhardt said.
The three were returning to base from Myrtle Beach,
S.C., when the crash occurred at about 5 a.m.
Bamhardt said only the front seal passenger was
wearing a scat belt. But bccausc of the intensity of the
impact, "it wouldn't have made much difference" in the
outcome, he said.
The truck driver, William Hugh Gooding, 54, of
Goose Creek, S.C., was not hurt in the crash, Barnhardt
said. The truck was owned by Merrill Trucking Co. of
Greensboro.
The truck's load was nol spilled in the wreck, hut
about 25 gallons of dicscl fuel leaked from a damaged
tank, Bamhardt said. Fire trucks and Brunswick County
Emergency Management personnel were on the scene to
contain the spill.
Barnhardt said alcohol was involved in the accident,
"but not to a serious extent."
There was an estimated S20,(XK) damage to the
truck. The Volkswagon was declared a total loss with
S5,H(X) damage.
No charges have been filed. However, an investiga
tion is continuing, Barnhardt said.
a <m
A
SIAfF moio BY MAJUORIE Mf GIVtUN
Hug Me Goodbye
Shallotte Middle School was the scene of high emotions last week, with teachers waving vigorously as
busload after busload of students departs for the last time until September. Kids did a lot of hugging,
too, saying farewell to friends they may not see all summer. Hope Stout and Dawn Johnson (facing ca
mera) exchange a goodbye hug.
Ocean Isle Beach Board
Proposes 3-Cent Tax Hike
BY MARJORIE MEGIVERN
After six years without a tax in
crease, Ocean Isle Beach property
owners may face a 3 -cent hike in
city taxes this year if a proposed
budget is adopted June 23.
Mayor Betty Williamson stressed
in an OIB town board meeting
Tuesday that the entire 3 cents is
needed for beach re nourishment and
erosion control.
'The U.S. Corps of Engineers
study of beach renourishment that
began in 1986 should be completed
this summer," she said. "We have
appropriated funds for renourish
ment from previous occupancy tax
revenues, and we expect about
S80.000 from that fund this year.
With S92.000 raised from a 3-cent
tax increase, we will have 5271,000
for erosion control."
She announced the "good news"
that the town has received its long
awaited permit for the dredging of
Shalloue Inlet, a permit that expires
Dec. 31, 1995.
Mrs. Williamson added that the
corps will begin regular mainte
nance of the inlet including dredging
and placing the fill on the island's
cast end, where erosion has been a
constant and increasing problem
over the past year.
Board member Kendall Suh said,
"People must realize that if there
were no erosion problem, we'd have
no tax increase; that's the sole reason
for it. It's a bitter pill, but necessary."
The new lax figure of 20 cents per
SI 00 evaluation will fund a S3.2
million budget, SI million of that in
the general fund. The budget in
cludes a $402,282 water fund and a
SI .2 million sewer fund.
There will be no new airport pro
ject this year, Mrs. Williamson said,
but all other town services remain at
past and present levels.
A public hearing on the proposed
budget will be held at 9 a.m. June
23, after which the board will take
action on it.
The mayor read a letter from the
Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) informing the
town that, because of its exceeding
minimum standards of flood insur
ance plans, property owners will re
ceive a 5percent reduction in new or
renewed flood insurance that is in
place by October 1. The town re
ceives a Class 9 rating, and addition
al points may be awarded the town
on March 1, 1993, resulting in fur
ther insurance rate reductions.
The board approved a resolution
to the N.C. General Assembly re
questing legislation to restore all es
sential local revenues back to an au
tomatic allocation with growth. The
resolution specified the elimination
of the inventory tax, compensation
for abolition of part of the intangi
bles tax, the utility franchise and
beer and wine taxes.
These taxes, collected by the state
and distributed to local governments,
were cut by 6.2 percent in 1990 and
now have been frozen at the 1990
levels to balance the state budget.
Mrs. Williamson reported that the
town's land use plan update had
been approved at the recent meeting
of the Coastal Resources Com
mission.
Building Inspector Druid Robcr
son said there were few changes
from the previous update in 1987.
"We changed the way we figure
density, making it more accurate,"
he said. "Now, the number is based
on inclusion of streets in the acreage
units. In single-family areas now,
the density requirement is 6.8 units
per acre instead of 8 units as previ
ously figured."
This is the first land use plan up
date that covers the extra-territorial
area (ETA), Roberson pointed out
The town took in about 1,900 acres
on May 1, 1990, which is nearly the
limit allowed by state statutes. The
town's ETA goes west to Brunswick
Builders and cast to, but excluding
Bent Tree Plantation.
Roberson also reported that last
week's rainstorm brought Ocean
Isle 6inches of rainfall in a 24-hour
period, the most the town has re
ceived since it has kept records.
His building inspection report
showed total fees of SI, 209.59 col
lected this month, with six permits
issued on valuations totaling
5164,149.
Fifth Grade Stays
Supply Lines Cha
At Shallotte,
nged Again
" by'marjorie megivern
Fifth graders in central Brunswick County who were
slated to move to Union Primary School next year will
remain at Shallottc Middle School, following action
Monday by the Brunswick County Board of Education.
Also, a new map of the Supply Elementary district
was approved, with lines changed to remedy overcrowd
ing at Union Primary School.
Assistant Superintendent William Turner reported
that the original plan, to make Union a K-5 school,
would result in 879 students there, leaving 636 at
Shallottc Middle, which would serve sixth through
eighth graders.
"The state department recommended 725 students for
Union," Turner said, "so our committee tried to find a
way to reduce the enrollment there. We found that if we
retained Shallottc Middle as a 5-8 school, it would have
785 students and, as a K-4 school. Union would have an
enrollment of 730."
The board approved the change with liule discussion.
Board member Robert Slockett asked Turner, "Will this
give the commissioners the message that we need that
new elementary school in Calabash sooner than we told
them?"
Turner answered, "Yes, it certainly docs."
Union Principal Zclphia Grissett said she endorsed
the K-4 concept at her school.
"It will give us room to breathe," she said, "and wc
can get rid of some of our trailers."
Concerning the question of fifth graders included in a
middle school. Assistant Superintendent Mose Lewis,
who had served on the planning committee, said, "There
is no evidence that there is any negative academic im
pact when fifth graders are part of a m-ddle school."
Administrators at Shallotte Middle were not overjoyed,
however. Assistant Principal William Dctrie spoke of
the crowded conditions and said, "We hoped we could
(See SUPPLY, Page 2-A)
TAX RATE TO DROP BY 1 /2 CENT
New County Budget
Includes $1.5 Million
For Four-Site Library
BY ERIC CARLSON
The Brunswick County Library will gel new branches
at Leland and Oak Island, renovations at the Shalloue
and South port branches, a computerized filing system
and S200.000 worth of new books and materials as part
of a SI .5 million addition to
the county budget adopted
Monday by county com
missioners.
The board approved a
half-cent cut in county tax
es, despite adding nearly S2
million to the budget pro
posed by the county man
ager last month. Money to
cover the additional spend
ing will be taken from the
county's unappropriated
fund balance of SI 2.5 mil
lion.The budget adopted by
the commissioners sets a
lax rate of 68 cents per
S100 property valuation. That means that the owner of a
SI 00,000 home would pay S680 in annual taxes.
It was the first budget adopted by unanimous vote in
four years.
The commissioners also upped the proposed spending
for volunteer fire stations, the Southport Maritime
Museum, the Brunswick County Literacy Council and
the Volunteer and Information Center and reallocated
funds for the Marine Crescent.
licms added to the budget Monday include SI 50,000
for new baseball fields at Town Creek and Shalloue dis
trict parks and a S5.000 appropriation for the Miss
Brunswick County Scholarship Pageant.
Calling his proposed allocation for the library a "large
contribution to the educational infrastructure of the
county," Commissioner Gene Pinkerton said it would
quickly give the county a "state-of-the-art" library sys
tem.
Pinkerton's plan calls for spending S400.000 each to
ward building the Leland and Oak Island branches.
" We're doing
some things
that will make
us more than
just the land
that holds New
Hanover and
Horry counties together."
? Commissioner Gene Pinkerton
S125.000 each to add book space and computer filing to
the Shallolte and Southport branches and S300,000 for
operational expenses, including more librarians and
longer opening hours.
"If we piecemeal this system it will take us 10 years
to get what we need," said
Pinkerton. "All we really have
now is enough to say we have
a library."
The board voted unani
mously to approve each of the
other funding increases.
Pinkerton said he was pleased
that the commissioners had
agreed to spend more for the
library and other educational
programs.
"I'm kind of proud of the
way Brunswick County is go
ing," he said. "We're doing
some things that will make us
more than just the land that
holds New Hanover and Horry counties together"
The board agreed that at its next meeting on June 15,
a nine-member library board will be creatcd to oversee
the expansion and operation of the four-branch system.
One member will be chosen from each district, with four
at-largc members. The commissioners plan to include
one member of their own board and at least one repre
sentative of central Brunswick County.
Pinkerton emphasized that as part of the expanded
system, all assets held by or raised for the four branches
will become part of the library department's budget.
Fund-raising campaigns in Leland and on Oak Island
have collected money to build new library branches
there. Land has also been donated, although in some
cases deed restrictions have yet to be worked out.
"In order to be 25 percent of this game, you got to put
your money in the pot," said Pinkerton. "If only three
branches want to be part of the system, then that's OK."
Other changes made Monday to the proposed budget
(See BUDGET, Page 2-A)
Building Plans Review Offered
BY SUSAN USHKR
Property owners, builders and
contractors concerned that a house
might not satisfy sewage system re
quirements can ask the Brunswick
County Health Department to re
view their plans before they start to
build.
The voluntary review, offered at
no charge, is one of several steps the
Brunswick County Board of Health
is taking in an effort to address a
problem of septic systems burdened
by overcrowding of homes, particu
larly rental properties along the
Brunswick County coast.
"People are asking, 'If we build
this, what kind of problems are we go
ing to run into,'" said Health Director
Michael Rhodes, adding that he thinks
the department should be able to an
swer the question. "They're making
an effort to solve a problem before it
becomes a problem."
The decision to offer the advance
reviews comes after the department
suspended the septic tank permit for
a four bedroom, five-bathroom
house at Holden Beach last month
after a final inspection of the on-site
sewage disposal system. Local and
state health officials contend the
beachfront house has six bedrooms,
including rooms designated as an
"office" and a "den" in the house
that was buiit as a rental property
rather than a permanent residence.
While the department doesn't
want to gel into routine or required
review of all house plans because of
the time and staffing required,
Robinson said something is needed
to address rental properties with un
der-designed septic tanks.
'This would be a step in the right
direction," said Dr. Harry Johnson, a
new board member.
(See BUILDING, Page 2-A)
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Line By Line
STAFF PHOTO BY FtlC CAAISON
m
Calabash Commissioner Jon Sanborn explains spending proposals included in the 1992-93 draft bud
get at the town's hearing. A report on the budget is on Page 8 -A.