Chairman Tomlinson Helping Chart Change For Coastal Commission BY SUSAN USHER Though the hour was late, Eugene Tomlinson was eager to talk, brim ming with ideas for the state's Coastal Resources Commission and concerns about the future of the coast. That's only natural, since Gov. Jim Hunt appointed the Southport resident as chair of the commission last Wednesday. Interim chairman since January, Tomlinson has served on the CRC since 1977, almost from its start, filling the coastal engineer ing slot. A civilian engineer with the U.S. Department of the Army for 29 years, Tomlinson is currently self employed as a marine engineer with Environ-ECO. He is a former long time mayor of Southport and a per manent resident sincc 1952, "long enough to be considered a native," he insisted. And he has the pride to prove it. Tomlinson said he is "real encour aged and extremely proud" of the strides Brunswick County has made in the past 10 years, and is eager for fellow CRC members to meet here and see it for themselves ? possibly as early as next March. Tomlinson may consider himself a native, but he has a lot in common with newcomers. His own "lifelong love affair" with the coast began in 1938, when his father built the first oceanfront house on Long Beach af ter it was opened to development. As a teen-ager who had only seen the "muddy waters of the Cape Fear River" at Faycttcvillc and made oc casional trips to White Lake, his first visit to the ocean was a heady cxpcricncc that hooked Gene Tomlinson for life. That magnetic draw of the coast is one reason the CRC was formed approximately 20 years ago. Guided by the Coastal Area Management Act, the CRC adopts standards for development resource protection and land use planning in the 20 county coastal area. The 15 mem bers of the commission are appoint ed by the governor to four-year terms and may serve multiple terms. For the past 20 years, the CRC has been "engaged primarily in making rules," a role Tomlinson be lieves is in transition. A Coastal Futures Committee, created by Gov. Jim Hunt and chaired by Richardson Preyer, is to take an in-depth look at how the siaic lias addressed coastal manage ment issues in the past and offer rec ommendations for the future that will most likely influence the CRC's new course. "Making rules is one thing, en forcing them is something else," said Tomlinson. "As. we move into our third decadc I think we need to spend more time cooperating with other agencies with similar concerns and working together to plan for management and conservation of our resources." Tomlinson isn't wailing to be asked; instead he is taking the lead in initiating contact with other boards, with the full support of the CRC. He said Jonathan Howes, state secretary of Environmental Health and Natural Resources, and his as sistant arc "most interested" in greater cooperation among the regu latory boards within that depart ment. The CRC especially needs to work closely with the Environ mental Management Commission, said Tomlinson. The EMC is the state policy board that regulates wa ter quality standards. Roger Schec ter, director of the Office of Coastal Management, which serves as staff to the CRC, is already making plans for Tomlinson and the new EMC chairman to meet "so we can talk about r.cw directions." Joint meetings of the two boards to discuss common issues are a dis tinct possibility. Whether working with the EMC on water quality concerns or with the state Transportation Board on solutions for coastal roads threat ened by erosion, Tomlinson is think ing positively. '1 think we've got some real opportunities for coming up with management solutions that will allow for conservation, preser vation and sensible development if we just use our heads about what we're doing." Along with increased cooperation among state boards that deal with coastal issues, Tomlinson wants to see increased community involve ment with the CRC and the local land use planning process. He's already begun. With the full CRC's cooperation, as interim chair man he added a period of public comment to the CRC meeting agen da, and has been pleased with the re sults. Also, at every meeting the CRC seeks comments from its advi STAfF PHOTO BY SUSAN USHtlt AS EUGENE TOMUNSON of Souihport takes the help, he sees the state's Coastal Resources Commission moving in new direc tions in its third decade. sory committee, the CRAC. It concerns Tomlinson that CA MA land use planning meetings tra ditionally draw only handfuls of lo cal residents. "I don't think the public under stands how it works," he said, an edge of frustration creeping into his voice as he leans forward. And as long as more people don't get in volved, the coastal land use planning process cannot work as it was in tended. "It is formulated at the local lev el," he said, "and once it is approved it is the local government's position to enforce. It's not something forced on a community by the state." "Local citizens have got to get in terested enough that when a public hearing is held, John Q. Public at tends and voices his views." Across the coastal area, Tomlin son has found that most often, those people who do show up and speak at hearings on coastal issues arc not coastal natives, but ncwcomcrs. He speculates that part of the rea son may be one that's pinpointed in the N.C. Coastal Federation publica tion, Troubled Waters. He has en couraged all CRC members to read what the authors have to say about public opinions of government-ap pointed bodies. "It says people have little confi dence in state agencies, that they feel decisions arc being made in Raleigh or behind closed doors." He doesn't want the public to feel that way about the CRC. Rather, he said, "I want them to feel that their ideas will be heard and considered, although we can't always do what everyone wants." In the 20 coastal counties, work ing within CAMA guidelines, coun ty and municipal governments arc to establish and enforce policies to guide community development. The tool the governing board or planning board uses to determine what the Woodard Is Chosen As Social Services Chairman BY LYNN CARLSON The Brunswick County Social Scrviccs Board clcclcd a new chair man Monday and welcomed two new members. The board chose Percy Woodard of Supply to replace Frankie Rabon as its chair for the new fiscal year and was introduced to new members Moses Stanley and Foster McKoy. Rabon was elected vice-chairman. Stanley replaces James Marlow, whose term on the board expired. Stanley, who lives in Thomasboro, is an industrial hygicnisls' assistant at duPont and has been active in the United Way and local politics. McKoy, a Northwest resident, re places Eulis Willis, whose recent nomination for reappointment by Republican County Commissioner Jerry Jones failed when the commis sioners voted 3-2 along party lines. McKoy is a shift supervisor at Fed eral Paper Board in Riegelwood and was instrumental in the recent incor poration of Northwest. The new board members heard re ports on all programs administered by the social services department. Director Jamie Orrock said Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) ? the program colloquially known as "welfare" ? has 106 more cases than it did this time last year. Some 957 families received AFDC benefits in July 1992; 1,063 did last month. Orrock said foster care is the de partment's fastest-growing program, with children "coming into care more frequently and staying longer," a problem he attributed to the in creasing severity of family prob lems. "The family environment these children are being reared in more deficient," he reported, saying the average stay in foster care has in crcascd from six months to 14 months. Sixteen Brunswick County chil dren who had been removed from their homes were in foster care last July; 23 were last month. Another 28 children were in the care of fami ly members after having been re moved from their parents' homes. The department's Child Protective Services was recently ranked in the "exemplary" program range with a score of 86.97 percent during its bi ennial review by the state Division Alice T'