2.34 Mathletes'
+ ?22 Waccamaw tlementary students
^ J7 prepare to compete in Math
X*5? Counts. Pagea-B.
Winning Streak
The Lady Trojans take their 4th
consecutive Waccamaw 2-A
conference win. Page 7-B.
12/31/99
r? HO AG & SONS BOOK BINl
SF'R 1 NGF'ORT MI 492S
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Thirty-First Year, Nurnber 15 mimrmmumjwic*macon Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, February 25, 1993 50< Per Copy 32 Pages, 3 Sections, 2 Inserts
Soles Will Proceed With Bill
To Split Calabash; Vote Likely
them the opp
see how they
apart."
BY LYNN CARLSON
Although only three of 200 persons attending a public
meeting Friday indicated they favor dividing Calabash,
State Sen. R.C. Soles says he will stand by his vow to
introduce legislation to split the town, calling such a
measure "the best way to get
their attention."
Soles said Tuesday he is
now "refining" his bill, which
probably will call for a referen
dum authorizing the division of
Districts I (old Calabash) and II
(Carolina Shores) into separate
incorporated municipalities.
District I, the original Calabash
prior to the 1989 addition of
Carolina Shores, is comprised primarily of business peo
ple and Brunswick County natives who say their
lifestyles and livelihoods are being unfairly controlled
by the retirees and newcomers who dominate the
District 11 population.
"We arc deliberately going slow to give the people
down there a chance to get together and solve their own
problems," the senator added.
Under the plan Soles outlined on Tuesday, the town
of Calabash would revert to its earlier municipal bor
ders, and the new town of Carolina Shores would be in
corporated. Each would have its own governing board
and mayor, and old Calabash would get the town hall,
since that facility is in the current District I.
Soles said there are otherwise no debts or major assets
to divide, and that he anticipates few problems with de
tails. He added that he expects easy passage in the
Senate since it will be a locally sponsored bill. "Then it
will be up to the House."
While residents of the two districts admit they have
significant ideological and cultural differences, many
speaking at the public meeting said a break-up now
would be premature.
But those sentiments run contrary to the results of a
poil by the Carolina Shores Property Owners Asso
ng to give
ortunity to
like living
-Sen. R.C. Soles
ciation, in which 6() percent of respondents said they fa
vored a split. However, only 25 percent of eligible par
ticipants had responded by the Feb. 8 polling deadline.
Those attending the hearing spoke their minds not just
to Soles but to Reps. David Redwine and Dewey Hill.
The two representatives, reach
ed at their Slate House offices
Monday, said their next course
of action will be determined by
the wording of the Soles bill.
"Senator Soles is going to
introduce a bill to do away with
the (town) charter. He's not go
ing to back down," Hill said.
"Hopefully that will put it on
the table where people can
make up their minds."
"I know R.C. is committed to a bill to split, but be
yond that I don't know what," Redwine said. The reality
of what 1 do will be determined by what (kind of bill) I
get. A referendum might be appropriate to help us see
where we arc at the time."
Redwine and Soles introduced the 1989 legislation
which joined Calabash and Carolina Shores and created
the two districts. "When we consolidated, both sides had
a chance to vote," Redwine said. "Both were positive,
they wanted to be one town. I think it wouid be appio
priatc and logical to see how they feel about it now."
Soles and Redwine expressed hope that the two fac
tions can make their shared government work for both
sides; Hill, however, said, that "might be a hard thing to
do, from what 1 saw."
"Old Calabash has its lifestyle, and Carolina Shores
people seem mighty determined in their own way," he
added. Hill said Friday's meeting provided his first op
portunity to hear comments from Carolina Shores resi
dents on the issue. "1 had heard only from old Calabash,
with little correspondence from the Carolina Shores
area."
Hill, who lives in Columbus County, is beginning his
(.See CALABASH, Page 2-A)
CLEGG MAY ALLOW HIRING
Director Says Human Services
Hurt By Unfilled Staff Positions
BY ERIC CARLSON
Brunswick County may face
fines, lawsuits, application delays
and reduced services for endangered
children, shut-ins and Medicare pro
grams unless vacant positions can be
filled in the Department of Social
Services, Director Jamie Orrock said
Monday.
Faced with 20 percent of county
residents collecting food stamps, 15
percent unemployed arid steady in
creases in applications for public as
sistance, Orrock told the DSS board
that his inability to fill 15 approved
vacancies is putting "an extreme
hardship" on his staff and causing
DSS to "lose credibility" with its
clients.
County Manager David Clegg has
not approved any hiring since Jan.
19, when he was told by the Board
of Commissioners to "refrain from
filling any non-essential positions."
However, Clegg said Tuesday that
he has been meeting with depart
ment heads this week to discuss per
sonnel needs.
Asked if he had determined that
some of the requested positions are
essential, Clegg said, "Probably so,
if we arc going to retain service pro
vision at the level of the past 24
months."
Clegg would not say what posi
tions might be filled, but added,
"My first priority will be those that
direcdy effect human services."
At the DSS Board's regular meet
ing Monday night, Orrock called
Clcgg's enforcement of the commis
sioners' policy "frustrating as heck."
He said the department docs not
have enough workers to properly
render many of the services it is re
quired by law to provide.
The county's in-home care pro
gram, with six of 35 caseworker po
sitions vacant, is probably the hard
est hit. Orrock said. Funded through
Medicare and Medicaid reimburse
ments, the program provides up to
-36 hours a week of assistance to al
low 49 disabled clients to stay at
home with their families.
The county pays nothing for the
program, but staffing levels are set
by the board of commissioners.
Orrock told the board about a 92
year-old female client who is
bedridden and inconuncnt. I he ib
hours of weekly help she used to re
ceive from DSS allowed her to live
at home with her husband, who is el
derly and unable to care for her by
himself.
Her DSS assistance has been cut
to 20 hours a week because there arc
not enough caseworkers to provide
all clients with the services they
need, Orrock said. He expanded on
his remarks in an interview Tuesday.
"This is not a good scenario, be
cause with our influx of retirees we
need to expand this program, not cut
back," Orrock said. "These are el
derly people who have contributed
to society. Now they need some help
to maintain their dignity and sclf-rc
(See SERVICES, Page 2-A)
staff photos by eric Carlson
COMPLETION IS
MONTHS AWAY on the
Odcll Williamson
Auditorium (pictured
above) at Brunswick
Community College,
according to the college's
Hoard of Trustees, who
have said they will find the
contractor in default and
have its insurance company
finish the project unless
"substantial progress" is
shown by the second week
in March. William liuylor
(in photo at right), a
brickmason working for
one of the subcontractors,
was among workers on the
job Monday morning.
Auditorium manager
Michael Sapp says that
although the North
Carolina Symphony is
booked at the auditorium
for May 10, "I don't see it
happening."
Shape Up Or Be Found In Default,
BCC Tells Auditorium Contractor
BY SUSAN USHER
If Hatcher Construction Co. fails to show "substan
tial progress" on the Odcll Williamson Auditorium by
the sccond week of March, Brunswick Community
College Trustees and the State Department of
Construction intend to find the company in default
and have Hatcher's insurance company finish the pro
ject.
During a 40-minute closed door session with board
attorney Jim Prcvatte last Wednesday night, trustees
reviewed a draft copy of the letter it directed to be
sent to the contractor by registered mail from project
architects Boncy & Associates of Wilmington.
BCC first expected the 1,500-scat facility to be fin
ished by Oct. 24. After allowing one extension, a new
deadline of Dec. 10 was set.
However, as of mid-February, according to the let
ter, "completion of the project is still months away"
and "the delay in construction has repeatedly been
brought to your attention without satisfactory re
sponse."
"This seems to be the next logical step," said Dave
Kelly, board chairman. "We hope this is what is need
ed to get construction moving forward."
BCC expected to hear from both Boney &
Associates and Hatchcr Construction at the regular
construction progress meeting Wednesday, said
President Michael Reaves.
Reaves said the college decided to send the formal
notification after conferring with both the State
Department of Community College and Prevatte.
Saying that progress on the Odell Williamson
Auditorium is "completely unsatisfactory," the letter
to Hatcher Construction lists three responses it ex
pects as evidence of "substantial progress."
BCC is asking Hatcher to prepare and submit a "re
alistic project progress schedule" that has been ap
proved by other prime contractors, and continued
"prosecution of the work according to schedule
through completion of the project." This is to include
maintaining adequate personnel, subcontractors and
equipment on site.
The third item is a list of 16 items it expccts fin
ished within the 15-day timetable. These include com
pleting: all remaining masonry work and cleaning ex
terior masonry; all remaining gypsum board walls; all
work neccssary for installation of the stage rigging; all
(See CONTRACTOR, Page 2-A)
Holden Targets
Flagrant Violators' Of
Overcrowding For Letters
ItY DOUG RUTTER
Holdcn Beach officials will soon mail let
ters informing 71 homeowners that they arc
the most "flagrant violators" of the 500-pi us
who invite overcrowding of rental houses on
the island.
Commissioners approved the action last
week in light of a recent survey that found
two-thirds of the island's rental homes arc
advertised as having more sleeping capacity
than their septic systems are designed to
handle.
At a meeting last Wednesday, town offi
cials agreed to go after the most flagrant "vi
olators," people who claim in rental
brochures that their homes can sleep at least
six more people than they were built to hold.
Town officials say those 71 homeowners
need to lie notified of the stale health regula
tion that recommends no more than two
people per bedroom in homes with conven
tional septic systems.
Commissioners voted unanimously on the
letters after receiving the latest report from
the community's wastewater management
committee.
The group cross-referenced 1993 rental
brochures with septic system permit records
in an effort to find out how widespread the
problem of rental house overcrowding is on
Holdcn Beach.
Most of the survey findings were released
Feb. 1, but the initial report didn't include
figures on Craig Realty because that firm's
brochure wasn't completed in time.
According to the latest report, 16 of the
21 units rented through Craig Realty were
advertised as having more capacity titan
their scptic systems are designed to handle.
In all, 517 of the 764 units (67.7 percent)
included in rental brochures claimcd to offer
excessive sleeping quarters. The 517 home
owners claimcd space for an extra 1,678
people.
For now, town officials have agreed to go
afier only the most flagrant violators. Six or
more extra people in a rental house arc seen
as a threat to the environment.
"When they're adding six more people to
a house, which would really require another
threc-bcdroom system, I think they should
be told," Commissioner Sid Swarts said.
The letters won't be of the "nasty" vari
ety. The only purpose will be to inform
homeowners of the health regulations they
are disregarding.
"I think we should jusi notify them as to
what the regulation is rather than tell them
to do anything," said Swarts, chairman of
the wastewater committee.
Once the letter is drafted and approved by
the town board, copies will be mailed to the
homeowners. Real estate companies also
will receive a copy of the letter as well as a
list of the "llagrant violators" they represent.
"It seems to me this is getting close to
what this board has wanted to do all along to
deal with this problem," Mayor Wally
Auslcy said last week.
Town officials have been debating the
overcrowding issues for years. Last year,
commissioners rejected an ordinance that
would have prohibited the type of "false ad
vertising" revealed in the study.
Of the 71 rental units on Holdcn Beach
that arc advertised to sleep six or more peo
ple than permitted, Hobbs Realty handles 31
of them, according to the survey. Bruns
wickland Really handles 19, Alan Holden
Realty 14, Holden Beach Rental Services 3,
Sand Peddler Really 2, Craig Really 1 and
Coastal Realty 1.
Twenty-five percent of the 123 units han
dled by Hobbs are advertised to sleep at
least six more people than the units were
built to accommodate.
Of the seven firms surveyed. Hobbs also
had the highest percentage of units lhal were
advertised as having extra sleeping capacity
(H4 percent).
Craig Realty was second at 76 percent,
followed by Brunswickland at 72, Sand
Peddler at 66, Coastal at 64, Alan Holdcn at
62 and Holdcn Bcacfc Rental Services ai 59.