Holden Beach Board Rejects Septic Tank Ordinance BY DOUG RUTTKR overcrowding of rental homes. nMHBBBHBBHBBHMBnsHBaBm like 1 failed." he said Pv|,n u",,? Holden Beach's rmnna>H ?Hinon/.n *n ? ? * ? - * ? " BY DOUG RUTTER Holden Beach's proposed ordinance aimed at slopping the abuse of septic sys tems went down the drain Monday night on a 3-2 vote. Commissioners David Sandifer, Gil Bass and Gay Atkins voted against an amended version of the controversial rules. Sid S warts and Jim Fournier were the only supporters of an ordinance that has been the subject of widespread public op position for the past two months. Immediately after rejecting the regula tions, commissioners voted 4- 1 in favor of a new approach to an old problem. The wastewater management committee that drafted the rules will meet with real es tate agents to discuss ways of stopping overcrowding of rental homes. All five town board members have said they oppose putting more people into cot tages than they can safely accommodate. Overcrowding is usually a problem each summer, and it can lead to septic system failure and pollution. Fournier opposed the meeting of com mittee members and real estate agents, say ing he didn't expect anything positive to come out of it Bass suggested that the town involve lo cal real estate agents, who handle most of the house rentals on the island. "They're in it every day," he said. "They've had lime to look at it and think about this." Swarts voted in favor of the new ap proach, but was obviously upset that the This ordinance doesn't cure or even touch the problem we are talking about, which is overcrowding." ? Commissioner Gil Bass septic system ordinance he helped write was shot down. "I'm a little disappointed because I was sworn to uphold the state law and it looks like I failed," he said. Swarts said most of the people misunder stood the proposed ordinance, which was the subject of two well-attended public hearings this summer. He said the only thing the proposed rules would prohibit is advertising that a home for sale or rent has more bedrooms or sleeps more people than the scptic tank per mit allows. "People have stood up over and over again and they have never addressed the is sue it prohibits," said Swarts. Swarts' amendment of the original ordi nance deleted a section that would have al lowed the town building inspector to in spect homes for compliance with state wastewater treatment rules. Even with the changes, however, most of the town board members said they didn't think the ordinance was the way to ap proach the problem. "This ordinance doesn't cure or even touch the problem we arc talking about, which is overcrowding," Bass said. Sandifer said the proposed ordinance could actually promote overcrowding by discouraging people from listing in rental brochures the number of people a home can sleep. He also said the rules don't address overcrowding, which is a density problem and shouldn't be related to septic systems. "Numbers of people should be controlled, not just advertising," Sandifer said. If a real estate agent advertises that a (See SEPTIC, Page 2-A) 12/31/99 **P0 HOAG & SONS BOOK BINDERY P.O. BOX 162 SPRINGPORT MI 49284 |Hl i IIIL L/llVil Thirtieth Year, Number 49 Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, October 8, 1992 50 ?t Per Copy 38 Pages, 3 Sections, 3 Inserts L* School Attendance ? Plan Draws Praise, Criticism For Board STAFF moro BY E?IC CAJUiON A Better Oil Trap Partners in the development of a revolutionary new oil-spill recovery process display the United States Patent they received last week. Shown (from left) are Shallotte attorney Mason Anderson, inventor O'Neal Varnam of Supply, his son Sammy Varnam and Shallotte engineer Jay Houston. The story is on Page 8A. BY SUSAN USHER Efforts by the Brunswick County Schools to improve student atten dance and discourage tardiness drew criticism and praise Monday night, with more than 150 people filling the Waccamaw School cafeteria for a meeting of the county school board. That meeting was recessed at 8:45 p.m. to continue at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at the central of fice in South port. On his third full day on the job, new Superintendent Ralph Johnston told the packed house that he needed SUNSET. CALABASH WOULD BE REPRESENTED Form Sewer Authority ; Engineers Advise BY LYNN CARLSON Engineers consulting with Sunset Beach and Calabash officials say it is time to organize a regional sewer authority which can pursue the loans and grants needed to construct a central waste disposal system. Representatives of Powell Asso ciates of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., have asked the towns' attorneys to draft articles of incorporation for Inside... Birthdays.... 2B Business News 13A Calendar of Events ? .6 A Church News .5B Classified ~..1-9C Court Docket 12C Crime Report 9 A Entertainment 4B Fishing ...? ........10-11C I Golf 12B| Obituaries .SB I Opinion 4-5A People In The News.? 10 A Plant Doctor ... 3B Sports ..8-12B Television Listings .....6-7B what they are calling the Southwest Brunswick Regional Sewer Auth ority. For those articles to be approved by the N.C. Secretary of State, the two towns would have to appoint the authority's charter members. Engineer Joseph Tombro, report ing to the Sunset Beach Town Council on Monday, said develop ing an authority would not obligate the towns to build a sewer system, but would provide the necessary "management entity" to apply for construction funds. Engineer Jim Billups said the two towns are "fairly well down" the state's priority list for sewer system construction grants, but that he sees "shortcomings" in the state's evalua tion methods. He said he will attend a public hearing in Raleigh Oct. 13 to discuss the priority list and will submit "all the favorable information 1 can" in hopes of getting either or both towns' ranking raised. Sunset Beach Town Attorney Michael Isenbcrg suggested that a resolution of intent to form the au thority be presented at the Nov. 2 town council meeting, and that a public hearing then be scheduled. Tombro said a regional sewer au thority would be make it easier to get a Farmers Home Administration loan to purchase the Carolina Blythc sewer system, which serves several developments near the state line. Purchase of the Carolina Blythc sys tem is part of the proposed first phase of the sewer system, which would serve the Calabash business district and Sea Trail. "Only a county or a sewer author ity can enter into a purchase con tract," Tombro said. "With an au thority, you're also not requiring any tax base to secure the loan, which would be secured by the plant itself. Also, the water and sewer authority would owe the money, and not the towns." Mayor Pro Tem Ed Gore warned of the need of a "cap" on the number of authority members. This could conceivably eventually include Ocean Isle Beach, Shalloite and Holden Beach. These boards are very autonomous and independent of the town, so we have to look out for the town's best interests up front." Whether Sunset Beach needs a sewer system has been an issue of continuing controversy in the town. Leaders of the Sunset Beach Tax payers Association have expressed concerns about the cost of such a system, which they have estimated as high as S25 million. The engi neers have been reluctant to project costs until their studies are com plete. A Citizens Advisory Committee on Wastewater, appointed by Mayor Mason Barber, is working with the engineers to study the town's needs and make recommendation. The chairman of that committee has crit icized the S25 million figure as ex cessive and has said no such cost has been presented to the group. Members of the taxpayers' group also have said they fear that a sewer system will encourage overdevelop ment of the island and mainland ar eas, and have promoted the idea of a less expensive stormwater runoff management system as an alterna tive. Meanwhile, the engineers said, tests continue to determine the ex tent of pollution on the island at Sunset Beach and whether its prima ry source is septic tank pollution or stormwater runoff. "We ran into some difficulty test ing in homes," Tombro said, "so we're beefing up groundwater test ? _ ?? ing. He added that an independent firm will be collecting and testing samples to ensure that results are "without bias." more time to review both the county attendance policy and individual schools' plans for carrying it out be fore addressing specific concerns. Those school plans were due in to the central ollice Oct. 1 , his f irst day on the job. Brunswick County Board of Education Chairman Donna Baxter assured audience members that another meeting on the subject would be called by the board after the plans are reviewed and the poli cy has been discussed with princi pals to clear up any miscommunica tion. A blind ad appearing in several local publicauons last week encour aged people with concerns about these and other policies to attend Monday's meeting. Speakers expressed concerns that the attendance policy hasn't been explained clearly to parents, that some requirements appear to "pun ish" parents or students and that not all the provisions may be suitable for the primary school level. The new attendance policy de creases the number of days a student is allowed to miss school before re ceiving a failing grade. In the past students could accumulate 20 ab sences. The new policy gives students on ly 10 days of absences. However, it provides students "remediation," a chance to make up missed work without failing a class or grade and to have the absence "erased" from their record, whether it was an ex cused or unexcused absence. Brunswick County Schools sought special permission from the State Department of Public Instruction to use classroom remedi ation to make up the absences, said Mose Lewis, assistant superinten dent for instruction, as part of an ef fort to improve its rating on the an nual "report card" issued by the state. The system is spending S80.000 on salaries and supplies for the program. (See ATTENDANCE, Page 2-A) Board To Talk, Not Listen At Oct. 1 4 Zoning Workshop The Brunswick County Planning Board will hold a work session Wednesday, Oct. 14 to discuss questions raised by speakers at a Sept 29 public hearing on the proposed county zoning ordinance.The workshop is open to the public. The board will discuss each point raised during the public hearing but will not accept further comment, said Brunswick County Planning Director John Harvey. "They've already made their case," said Harvey. "They aren't going to be listened to again. It's in the hands of the commissioners now." Harvey said Brunswick County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kelly Holden had contacted him before the public hearing and asked that the planning board consider each point raised. The board was asked to submit its recommendations to the board of commissioners before its next meeting Oct 19. The planning board's regular monthly meeting is scheduled forOcL 21. Harvey said the planning board agreed to schedule the work session after its joint hearing with the commissioners had adjourned. About 75 people attended the public hearing. Of the 22 speakers who commented on the proposed ordinance, most spoke in opposition to all or parts of the law. The planning board work session will begin at 7 p.m. in the planning department conference room at the Brunswick County government com plex in Bolivia. As defined by state law, the board can deliberate, but can take no of ficial action at a "work session." Seaside Group Draffs Charter For Proposed Municipality BY SUSAN USHER The proposed Town of Seaside would be governed by a mayor and five council members, a group of about 40 community residents agreed at a meeting held last week at a local aucuon house. By voice vote of attendees, a steering committee filled in the blanks in a model charter for the town and defined its boundaries last Wednesday night, after hear ing first from an attorney with the N.C. League of Municipalities. "I always tell people they should not rush out and start a new municipality without a good reason for it," Ellis Hankins. a League lobbyist with the N.C. General Assembly who formerly practiced law in Brunswick County, told the group. Thai's bccause a "paper town" ? one whose residents don't want to do any thing ? "is not good." "Sooner or later two things are going to happen," said Hankins. "One, it's going to start levying taxes; and two, it's going to start adopting regulations that you will have to abide by." A willingness to pay more taxes for a higher level of services than is currendy available and "preserving a community's identity" are among the reasons commonly expressed, he said. The latter "usually means some con cern about a neighboring town, or towns, annexing..." Hendrix noted that better law enforcement ? a costly service to provide ? is one of the things Seaside area res idents are saying they want, citing a high number of property crimes such as breaking and entering and theft Hankins reviewed options for better law enforcement, from starting a police force to negotiating or contracting for increased patrol; basic sources of state and local rev enues for towns; and procedures a town must follow in any annexation effort. He noted that residents of an area proposed for annexation can go to court in an effort to challenge it Seaside is a small mainland community along N.C. 179 between Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach. As outlined on the map, the proposed municipality would generally run from a point on Seaside Road north across N.C. 179 to along Dale Drive, then east toward Ocean Isle Beach to a wooded area just beyond Cornerstone, south across N.C. 179 again to Lakctrce Shores, then following a creek along the east side of l.akctrcc Shores to the middle of the Intracoastal Waterway and back to the start. It would not include Seaside Station, as had been pro posed at one time. However, it would include the subdi visions of Pine Acres, Occan View Landing, Ocean Pine Acres, Laketree Shores, Tarhceland Acres, Ocean Haven, Frank Hester subdivision, Whispering Heights, Water Wonderland, Marlee Acres, Schooner's Pointe, Brooks Acres, Seaside Heights, Eastsidc Heights, Seaside Acres and Salt Marsh. Audience members expressed mixed views Wednesday. One man questioned the benefit of the town paying for increased law enforcement, while a woman likened the Seaside community to "the ham in a ham sandwich waiting to see which (adjoining town) will grab us. Then the rich islands will tell us what to do." She continued, "Nobody wanted us until we got water lines." The committee is preparing the charter and map to submit to Rep. E. David Redwine, who will be asked to submit a local bill for incorporation. As approved Thursday the charter also provides for at-large elections, with council members to be elected to staggered, four year terms, and the mayor to two-year terms. The group did not vote Thursday on who would serve as acting mayor and council between incorporation and tnc first town election. Hendrix said those decisions will be made later. An initial tax rate of 10 cents per S100 valuation is proposed, to go no higher except by referendum. The governing body would not be paid except by vote of the people. 'The committee members and residents of the com munity have a strong feeling on that, for people to have a large say in how the town is run," said Hendrix, speak ing for the seven committee members present. Redwinc, who attended an Aug. 13 meeting, is like most members of the General Assembly. He typically includes a provision for a referendum of permanent resi dents of the proposed town in any incorporation bill he introduces, though the law doesn't require it. "If it fails, then that's the end of that," said Hankins. The incorporation committee plans to hold another public meeting Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Coastal Auction House on N.C. 179. To raise funds for the effort, volunteers will be selling fried fish and chick en dinners Saturday, Oct. 10, at McDonald's Farm at the intersection of N.C. 179 and N.C. 904. Cost is $3.50 per plate.

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