Ho/den Beach Residents
Mum Over Bridge Permit
BY DOlJCi R UTTER
Holden Beach residents, who typically oppose developmenl plans
thai could threaten the environment, have been unusually quiet about a
proposal to build a bridge to an island in the marsh.
Building Inspector Dwight Carroll plans 10 issue a CAMA permit
Friday that would allow Holden Beach Enterprises to build a bridge from
Ocean Boulevard north to Bacon Island.
As of Tuesday, town officials said they had received just one written
comment opposing the plans and heard Utile or no talk in the community
regarding the proposal.
Town Manager Gary Parker said both he and the building inspector
were somewhat surprised by the lack of public opposition.
"We had expected more comments on this," Parker said. "For what
ever reason, that jusl hasn't been the ease."
Holden Beach Enterprises has no immediate plans to construct a
bridge or develop the 25-acrc island, according to sccrctary-trcasurcr Vir
gil Batten.
The company's plans call for a bridge 900 feet long and 12 feet wide
from Bacon Island over the marsh to the 600 block of Ocean Boulevard
WesL
Parker said Tuesday the only written comment on the proposal re
ceived so far was from a frequent visitor from Rhode Island.
The woman said in her letter that she enjoys watching birds in the
marsh and fears they will leave if a bridge is built and the island is devel
oped.
Elected officials at Holden Beach said Tuesday they haven't heard
much talk for or against the proposal.
"1 have noi had a single comment on it," said Mayor Wally Ausley.
He was out of town last week, but said he didn't hear anything over the
weekend.
Commissioner Sid Swarts also said he hasn't received any calls from
people upset about the company's plans.
"It's one of those things that you may not like, but if it's legal it's le
gal." Swarts said.
The town board member said he thinks most people realize the in
spector has no choice but to issue the permit if town and stale regulations
allow it.
Ausley agreed that Carroll can't deny the minor development permit
if rules allow construction of a bridge.
"As far 1 know, what he's doing is exacdy right," Ausley said of the
inspector's plan to issue the permit.
Crawford Hart, the town's unofficial environmental watchdog, said
he had visited the site and discussed the proposal with Carroll.
"As far as 1 can see it's legitimate, but I'd naturally prefer it didn't
happen." he said. "I haven't heard a lot about it from other people."
Bacon Island is located north of Ocean Boulevard between Sand
Dollar and Swordfish drives. Roberts estimates that 12 acres to 16 acres
of the island are suitable for residential development
The island is zoned R-l, which allows single- and two-family
dwellings. The Holden Beach Land Use Plan allows development of
marsh islands as long as federal, state and local regulations are followed.
Workshops Set On Disposal
System Management Rules
The Brunswick County Hcallh
Department will sponsor two work
shops next week on management of
on-site subsurface sewage treatment
and disposal systems.
Public Health Educator Jan
Rcichenbach said the workshops
will be held at the Public Assembly
Building at the Brunswick County
Government Center in Bolivia June
17 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and June
18 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Topics lo be discusscd included
upcoming requirements for manage
ment of all low pressure pipe (LPP)
sewage systems and all systems de
signed for daily wastewater Hows
greater than 3,000 gallons per day.
All owners of subsurface sewage
systems that meet the above criteria
arc cncouragcd to attend one of the
sessions, she said.
Teena Little Wins Big
In Brunswick Runoff
Wiih a tiny percentage of voters showing up at Brunswick County
polls for the June 2 runoff elections, Tecna Little more than doubled the
votes cast for her opponent Vemon Robinson, as Republican nominee
for Stale Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Little received 164 votes and Robinson 77, in what may have been
the election with the poorest turnout in county history.
An intern at the county board of elections said at least three precincts
reported only three votes cast: Longwood, Mosquito and Leland, while
the heaviest voting occurred at Oak Island 2, where 34 votes were cast.
Little won handily statewide, though not as overwhelmingly as in
Brunswick County. She garnered 23,729 votes to 21 ,722 for Robinson.
Little has enjoyed the support of Governor James Martin, while
Robinson campaigned energetically for sweeping changes in the educa
tional system. He was endorsed by former federal education czar
William Bennett
The new Republican nominee faces Democrat incumbent Bob
Ethridge in the Nov. 3 election.
Man Commits Suicide
A retired deputy with the New
Hanover County Sheriffs Depar
tment apparently used his service re
volver to commit suicide in a Leland
church yard last week, according to
police.
Texas Neil "Tex" Cheney, 56, of
Sandy Creek Drive, Sandy Creek,
was found at approximately 7 a.m.
Thursday on the grounds of Goshen
In Leland Church Yard
Baptist Church. He had what ap
peared to be a self-inflicted gunshot
wound, said Det. Capt. Phil Perry of
the Brunswick County Sheriffs
Department.
Cheney's 9mm pistol was found
nearby.
Perry said Cheney had suffered
health problems in recent years.
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers arc needed to help
gather information on coastal bot
tlenose dolphins in the Cape Fear
area.
Cetacean Awareness Programs, a
group interested in the protection
and preservation of marine mam
mals and their environment, is seek
ing helpers to look for dolphins.
The "Day of the Dolphin" is
planned for Saturday, June 20. From
8 a.m. until noon, volunteers will
monitor dolphin activity along
beaches from New River Inlet to
Corncake Inlet.
Volunteers at WnghLsville, Kure,
Carolina and other beaches will be
stationed at observation points with
in the study area about one mile
apart.
Two dolphin watches were held
earlier this spring. Seventeen partici
pants sighted 28 dolphins last
month, and 27 people documented
more than 50 dolphins in April.
Participants must attend an orien
Dolphin Watch
union program Friday, June 19,
from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at UNC
Wilmington.
For more information, call Ceta
an Awareness Programs at 919
i9-8780.
'92 PONTIAC
Bonneville SE
Fully Loaded
Was $22,396
a/ow$1 6,995
For more information call
Ken Webb at
4BELL & BELL4
Hwy. 17, Little River, SC
1-800-635-1693
CHAMBER DONATION IS STICKY
Holden Beach May Cut 3 Cents Off Tax Rate
HY DOUG RUTTKR
The Fourth of July is still three weeks away,
hut there may be some early fireworks Monday
night when Holdcn Beach officials take their
1992-93 proposed budget to the public.
Town commissioners arc proposing a three
cent cut in the tax rate, but the hottest topic dur
ing budget workshops has been a donation to the
South Brunswick Islands Chamber of Commerce.
The final SI. 2 million budget proposal includes
SI 0.000 for the local chamber to use in advertis
ing and promoting the beach as a family vacation
spot.
Three commissioners support the contribution,
and the other two oppose it. Town Manager Gary
Parker proposed S2.000 for the chamber in his
original budget, but the amount was increased
twice during recent budget sessions.
The chamber of commerce had requested
SI4,tXX) iocomc from Holden Beach's occupancy
tax revenue, which is paid by tourists when they
rent accommodations on the island.
Holdcn Beach expects to collect S2 15,000 in
occupancy tax next fiscal year, which accounts
for approximately 17 percent of the town's total
projected revenues.
Commissioners Gil Bass, Gay Atkins and
David Sandifcr support the SI 0,000 contribution
to the chamber. Board members Jim Foumicr and
Sid Swarts arc against it.
Proponents of the donation say advertising will
help draw more tourists to Holden Beach. That, in
turn, will generate more occupancy tax revenue
and allow town officials to keep the property tax
rate low.
Commissioner Atkins has said the promotion
helps non-resident property owners rent their cot
tages. Tourism benefits everyone, she says, sincc
occupancy lax money pays for community pro
jects like sidewalks.
Bass has contended that the chamber docs
more than just lure tourists to the beach. It's in
volved in the community, he says, and has helped
speed up transportation improvements such as the
Holden Bcach Bridge.
"It's not just tourism and advertising," Bass
said at a rcccnt workshop. "It's a whole spcctmm
of everything that goes on in this county."
Fournicr and Swans both liked Parker's recom
mended S2.000 contribution more than the
S 10,000 now in the budget.
They have said that people will visit the bcach
each summer with or without the extra advertis
ing, and the chamber should be funded by the
businesses it helps.
S warts, who thinks the money could be better
spent elsewhere, said the people he represents on
the town board are against a big donation.
"All the people who have called me have sup
ported keeping the chamber low, and I have to go
with my constituents," he said. "Most of them
feel it's a supplement for advertising for the
Realtors."
"It's not just tourism and
advertising."
? Commissioner Gil Bass
On role of chamber
Other proposed uses of the occupancy tax in
clude S44,000 for police salaries, S40.000 for
sidewalks. S25.000 for sanitation and S20.000 for
administration salaries.
Commissioners also have proposed giving
S2.500 to the Greater Holdcn Beach Merchants
Association to help pay for brochures.
Tax Rate To Fall
Holdcn Beach's tax rate will drop from 18
cents to 1 5 cents per S 100 of property valuation if
the budget is approved. That would save the own
er of a SI 00,000 house S30 in taxes.
In lowering the tax rate, commissioners plan to
keep a promise made by a previous town board
that raised taxes two years ago to rebuild the town
savings fund.
At the time, town officials said the tax increase
is needed to replenish a fund halancc that was de
pleted following Hurricane Hugo. They said 3
ccnts would be taken off the tax rate in two years.
To cut the tax rate, town officials plan to take
SI 13,000 from the fund balance to pay off a bank
loan used to buy the house on Davis Street.
That will eliminate S42.404 in payments next
fiscal year, and additional payments over the next
two or three years.
With a 15-ccnt tax rate and 98 percent collec
tion rate, the town expects to receive S343.380 in
taxes next year. Holdcn Beach's property valua
tion is about S236 million.
Besides town property taxes and occupancy tax
transfers, other general fund revenues in ihc bud
get include S64.000 in sales tax, S42.000 in fran
chise tax and S30,(KK) in Powell Bill.
Proposed general fund expenses next year in
clude $210,030 for police, $164,120 for adminis
tration and SI 27,850 for streets.
The streets budget includes $40,000 for side
walks, $32,900 to pave Crab, Raleigh, Seaside
and Frigate streets, S22.500 for street lights and
$20,900 to improve Scavicw, Windjammer and
Seagull streets.
Also in the general fund is S56.550 for trash
pickup and recycling, $50,000 for canal dredging,
S20.000 for the fire department contract, S15.000
for two police cars and S10,625 for water rescue.
Town Manager Gary Parker said he's pleased
with the budget. It includes enough money to
cover operating expenses, he said, and sets aside
some cash in reserve funds for future use.
Commissioners plan to put $29,000 in the capi
tal reserve fund next year, including S10.000 each
for town hall improvements and parks and recre
ation.
Town officials wrapped up the budget proposal
May 28 after a series of lengthy workshop ses
sions. The meeting, which began May 8, was re
ccsscd and reconvened six times and lasted more
than 24 hours.
The public hearing Monday, June 15, starts at 7
p.m. in town hall, where a copy of the proposed
budget is available for inspection. People who
can't attend the hearing can submit written com
ments.
Calabash Budget Would Fund
Security Guard
BY ERIC CARLSON
The Calabash Board of
Commissioners last week unveiled
its proposed 1992-93 budget, which
calls for S45.000 in improvements to
the town hall, a S17.888 contract for
a year-round security guard and
S4.500 to pay board members for at
tending meetings.
The budget was presented at a
sparsely attended public hearing at
the local Fire station Thursday night.
The commissioners plan to vote on
the draft budget line-by-line and
adopt a final version at their next
meeting June 23.
Included in the package is
S440.820 in general fund spending,
yielding a property lax rate of 13.5
ccnts per S1(X). Last year's tax rate
was 10.5 ccnts.
In outlining the public safety por
tion of the budget. Commissioner
Jon Sanborn said the most contro
versial item in the package would be
the first-time funding of a town se
curity guard. He said the idea was
presented as a compromise between
the current arrangement, under
which county deputies patrol the
area, and the hiring of a town police
officer.
"People don't warn a policc de
partment, but they want some kind
of increased security," Sanborn said.
"The sheriffs department can only
go so far."
Sanborn said the guard would be
contractcd through a security service
that would provide a patrol vchiclc
equipped with a policc radio. The
guard would be unarmed and would
notify other authorities of any crimi
nal activities or emergency needs.
The budget calls for a total of
SI 16,800 spending for administra
tion, including a 535,000 for ex
panding the town hall building,
SI 0,000 for new office equipment,
S30.000 for salaries and wages and
S25.000 for professional services.
For the first time, the S6.000 allo
cation for the governing body in
cludes $4,500 to pay commissioner
for their services at a rate of S25 per
meeting. Commissioner George
Anderson said Shallottc pays its
board a like amount, while the town
of Burgaw in Pender County ear
marks a total of $31,500 in annual
board payments.
The sanitation department would
get a total of S145.457, with
S78.407 going to buy land for dump
sites and S30.000 in capital im
provements for other improvements.
A total of S66,5(X) is earmarked
for the street department, including
S38.650 for ditch mowing and main
tenance and $24,000 for new street
lights.
The inspection department would
receive S26.500, of which S23.600
would go toward salaries.
Under the S20.750 planning and
zoning budget arc 510,000 to be
spent on contracted services and
54,000 for printing.
The budget expccts S79.300 in
Powell Bill revenues and expendi
tures. The water and sewer budget is
balanced at 530,900. Total of all
funds is S55 1,020.
The Calabash board also met in
regular session Tuesday night. At
that meeting the board:
? Directed the town attorney to
take action against Lloyd Milliken,
owner of Larry's Seafood
Restaurant, for what Commissioner
George Anderson called an "illegal
sign" erected Tuesday on the roof of
the business.
? Heard a complaint from
Commissioner Ray Card about a
towel in the window of the Wings
store on River Road that depicts
three women wearing "thong"
bathing suits. Card said the board
should consider drafting an ordi
nance banning depictions of nudity
in the town. No action was taken.
? Awarded contracts for ditch
and lot mowing to Tripp's Mowing
Service, at specified rates for each
type of cut.
? Awarded two-year solid waste
contracts to Chambers Waste
Service Inc. of South Carolina for
dumpster maintenance, S6 17.25 per
month, and curbside trash pickup,
S2.19 for two pickups a week; to M
& J Recycling Co. for operating the
town's recycling centcr, S300 per
month plus variable hauling charge;
and to Bob's Clean-Up Co. for col
lection of yard debris, S50 per 5-cu
bic-yard load.
? Set a July 14 public hearing to
consider rezoning a portion of
Clariday Woods subdivision from
residential to commercial.
? Set a 7 p.m. June 23 public
hearing to consider correcting an er
ror in the town zoning map that
shows an improper designation for
nine lots in Cedar Tree subdivision.
Don't miss the July
4th issue coming
July 2!
Don't
forget the
advertising
deadline is June 11!
THE BRUNSWICK
CALL AN ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE, 754-6890