Postal Service Officials Promise Improvements
At Shallotte Office
BY DOUG RUTTER
Postal service officials last week
promised a group of disgruntled patrons
they will continue working to improve ser
vice at Shallotte Post Office as well as the
facility itself.
"You will have some action." said Leroy
Evans Jr., a postal official from Charlotte.
"We're not going to leave you out in the
cold. We're not here to give you lip service.
We are going to do something."
Customers who attended a meeting last
Thursday said they want the postal service
to add parking spaces, improve traffic flow
around the building and upgrade or build a
new facility in Shallotte.
Local patrons also demanded better ser
vice. They want their mail in post office
boxes earlier in the day, shorter lines at the
windows and a better working relationship
with the postmaster.
"We just don't want to be treated like a
red-headed stepchild. That's what it
amounts to," Shallotte Alderman Roney
Cheers said.
Cheers presented to the four postal ser
vice officials a petition signed by about 400
patrons asking for improvements at the
Main Street office or construction of a new
facility.
"I understand your frustration perfectly
well," said Nearis T. Harvey, post office op
erations manager for the Mid-Carolinas
District. "We're trying to do everything to
give you service."
Shallotte officials have been angry with
the postal service since last spring, when a
branch of the main office opened at Seaside.
Most mail-handling operations were moved
to the new facility, about 10 miles from
Shallotte.
Some Shallotte business owners and resi
dents say service at the downtown post of
fice has deteriorated since the move. Town
officials are angry that the changes were
made without their input.
"We have the worst post office on the
whole seaboard," Mayor Sarah Tripp said
last week. "It looks like we were discrimi
nated against to be perfectly honest with
you."
Harvey, who first met with town officials
"We're not here to
give you lip service.
We are going to do
something. "
? Leroy Evans
U.S. Postal Service
in July, said the postal service can't change
what has already happened. He said it can
make changes to improve the situation in
Shallotte.
"Some things are already done. I wish we
could undo it but we can't," he said. "We're
trying to move forward from here on out."
Townspeople said last week the leased
post office building isn't big enough for the
amount traffic it handles, and there are al
ways traffic and parking problems.
"Day before yesterday I could not even
get in the parking lot, and the insurance of
fice lot next door was full," said Carson
Durham, a Shallotte businessman and chair
man of the town planning hoard.
Holden Beach businesswoman Virginia
Craig said she uses Shallotte 's post office
instead of the new facility at Supply because
she can take care of other business while
she's in town.
She complained about lack of jv.irking and
long lines at the service windows. "Shallotte
is the largest business area from Myrtle
Beach to Wilmington but we have the small
est facility."
Evans, the postal district's administrative
support manager, said the issues discussed
last week would not be placed on the "back
burner" once the meeting ended.
"We're not here to pull the wool over any
body's eyes or anything," he said. "We're
here to hear what your concerns are, and we
will act on it. There's no doubt about it."
Postal officials said they could increase
the size of the lobby, cut long lines at the
service- windows and add a new zip code to
get mail in the post office boxes quicker. A
traffic light might help reduce congestion.
"We're going to look at the building and
try to see realistically what we can do with
the building." Evans said. "We will not jusi
look at it but do something with the build
ing."
Evans said the postal service does not
have the money now to build a new facility
in Shallotte, but does have funds to make
improvements to the existing office.
He said Shallotte 's growth and parking
problems at the office will be taken into ac
count when the postal service maps out its
five-year plan for new facilities.
At one point in the meeting. Cheers and
Shallotte Postmaster Frank Bringoli got in
volved in a heated exchange over Bringoli's
job performance and communication with
the public.
"If he had done his job. you all wouldn't
be sitting back there telling us you don't
know about our problems." Cheers told Kn
ottier postal officials.
In his defense. Bringoli said customers
are getting better service now than ever be
fore. He also said he has responded to tele
phone calls in a timely manner, despite
charges to the contrary.
Storm Dumped Month's
Worth Of Rain In One Day
That noisy thunderstorm that rocked the South Brunswick Islands
early Sunday morning did more than rob area residents of sleep. It
dumped nearly 5 inches of rain.
Meteorologist Jackson Canady said the storm dropped 4.85 inches of
rain at his Shallotte Point residence between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday.
He measured a total of 6.27 inches of rain Sunday.
"That was about a month's rainfall in one day," Canady said. "We
got our quota for the month the hard way."
Canady said Tuesday he expects the Shallotte area to receive at least
three-quarters of an inch of rain over the next few days.
Temperatures should be near normal, ranging from the high 60s at
night to the mid-80s during the day, Canady said.
For the period Aug. 31 through Sept. 6, Canady recorded a daily av
erage temperature of 83 degrees, which was about 6 degrees above nor
mal. The daily average high was 92 degrees and the average nightly low
was 75 degrees. The maximum high during the period was 96 degrees
on Aug. 31, and the minimum low was 69 degrees on Sept. 6.
Redwine To Ask Legislature
For$l Million Toward Purchase
(Continued From Page 1-A)
home per "net buildable acre" of
high ground. If that plan is ap
proved. an estimated 30 homes
could be built on Bird Island. The
proposal will be the subject of a
joint public hearing by the town
council and planning board on
Monday, Sept. 13. (See related sto
ry)
In recent months. Price's agents
have floated several trial balloons
before the Sunset Beach Planning
Board to see what level of develop
ment might be tolerated. Price's
January 1992 Corps permit applica
tion says she needs a bridge and
causeway to reach 15 four-acre
homes for her family wants to build
on Bird Island. However, since May,
Price's engineer has submitted plans
including a restaurant, marina and
inn, multi-family "quadriplexes,"
and oceanfront lots as small as 50 by
150 feet.
Soles and Rep. Dewey Hill, D
Columbus, said they will support
Redwine's request for $1 million to
ward the island purchase. BIPS
President Bill Ducker said he'd like
to see the General Assembly put its
appropriation in the form of a
matching grant.
Soles, who served in the state leg
islature during the failed attempt at
preserving Bald Head Island as well
Merchants Laud
Holiday, Season
(Continued From Page 1-A)
could only take so much of the
beach."
The dealt with it by going shop
ping.
"I've got no complaints. It was a
good summer, better than recent
years and up substantially over last
year," said Callahan, whose opera
tion is in its 16th season.
"It didn't seem to me that there
were that many more people; they
just seemed to be spending more."
THE BRUNSWICK ^BEACON
Established Nov. 1, 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At 4709 Main Street
Shallotte, N.C. 28459
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
One Year $10.36
Six Months $5.55
ELSEWHERE IN
NORTH CAROLINA
One Year $14.86
Six Months $7.90
ELSEWHERE IN U.S.A.
One Year $15.95
Six Months $8.35
Second class postage paid at
Shallotte, N.C. 28459. USPS 777
780. Postmaster, send address
changes to:
P.O. Box 2558,
Shallotte, N.C. 28459-2558
"(The Prices ) are
an outstanding
North Carolina
family which has
done very good
things for this
state. "
? Sen. R.C. Soles
as the successful drive to buy
Masonboro Island, warned against
getting into a "swearing contest"
with the Prices.
"They are an outstanding North
Carolina family which has done
very good things for this state. They
are very prominent," Soles said.
An Army Corps of Engineers
spokesman at the meeting said Price
could be ordered to provide a com
plete environmental impact state
ment or a less detailed environmen
tal assessment for the bridge plans. ^
Cliff Winefordner of the Corps'
regulatorv branch said the Corps has
not put* Price's application "on
hold," as has been widely believed.
"We don't have the luxury of do
ing that. It is proceeding, though
slowly, waiting for more specifics
from the developer." Winefordner
said there is no deadline for action
by either Price or the Corps.
Walker Golder of the National
Audubon Society said Bird Island
"is extremely important for the birds
of North Carolina and this country.
They depend on an undisturbed
habitat, few of which are left on the
entire Atlantic coast."
If land access is provided to Bird
Island, he warned, "predators like
feral cats and raccoons can wipe out
the colonial waterbirds.'
Wilmington Attorney Camilla
Herlevich, executive director of the
N.C. Coastal Land Trust, commend
ed Sunset Beach officials for "walk
ing a tightrope to be mindful of the
rights of the property owner while
trying to protect Bird Island.
She said the town's planning
board "has done an incredible job
asking questions, studying codes
from other communities, and trying
to balance completing interests.
Bob Jamieson of the N.C. Office
of Coastal Management told the
B1PS leaders, "Preserving undevel
oped coastal lands takes several
things, and you've done them all in
one year. You have a focused leader
in Bill Duckcr, you have legislative
leadership and you have received in
valuable technical guidance from the
N.C. Coastal Federation and Coastal
Land Trust."
Ducker commended volunteers
who have become involved in the
preservation effort and emphasized
that he is an advocate of individual
property rights and want to work
with the Price family toward a fair
market-value purchase.
BIPS currently has about 1,500
supporters and has raised about
$35,000.
Rvder
SWF PHOTO BY DOUG RUTTtR
A MOVING VAN is loaded with groceries last week after Food Folks closed its store in Shallotte.
Fmployees said they received no warning.
Landlord Negotiating With Other
Grocers After Food Folks Closina
(Continued From Page 1-A)
stores in Whitevillc and Wil
mington.
In a published report last week,
Andrews was quoted as saying the
store was closed because it had been
losing money ever since Food Folks
took over more than I'A years ago.
Food Folks purchased 33 Hill's
grocery stores from Hillco Foods
Inc. in December 1991. Hill, who
was president of Hillco, said
Andrews has closed four of the
stores, including the one in
Shallotte.
Andrews was quoted in last
Friday's Wilmington Morning Star
as saying the decision to close the
store was made last Tuesday night.
However, Fairell said shipments
stopped coming to the store on Aug.
24, eight days before the store
closed.
"I understand the corporate deci
sion," said Farrell, who worked 38
hours per week as a stock clerk.
"They should have told people.
They knew a week ago when they
stopped sending us shipments."
"A lot of us lost our jobs and it's
really a very sad situation," Farrell
added. "One girl was in my arms
crying. She has two little babies and
she's going to have to go on wel
fare."
Star Floyd, another Food Folks
part-timer who is suddenly unem
ployed, said, "I just bought a mobile
home, and this has put everybody in
a terrible, terrible bind."
Farrell and Floyd said they under
stand the decision to close the store,
but said company officials should
have given employees a warning so
they could start looking for other
jobs.
"All of us understand it being a
corporate decision because the store
wasn't making any money," Floyd
said. "But we are concerned about
not having a chance to go out and
look for other employment."
Floyd said Food Folks has a repu
tation of closing stores without giv
ing employees adequate notice. The
recent closing in Castle Hayne was
handled the same way, she said.
In Leland, Floyd said the Food
Folks was closed at night. When
employees showed up for work the
next morning, they found pink slips
on the door.
Floyd said employees are expect
ed to give employers at least two
Manager's Restructuring
Plan Would Place Logan
Under 911 System Head
(Continued From Page 1-A)
dollar saved during the 12 month pe
riod immediately following imple
mentation of its recommendations.
The county would have kept the re
mainder of the savings.
Yelton asked the board to approve
the concept of conducting such stud
ies and said he "would expect to pre
sent another such proposal strictly
relating to analyzing our telephone
system and expenses at the next
meeting."
Again, Shaw objected to Yelton 's
plan, saying that the responsibility
for such decisions ought to remain
with department heads.
"I don't thing anybody knows
more than (Utilities Director) Jerry
Webb about water treatment chemi
cals," Shaw said. "Our own people
know how to make those decisions. I
think we can handle it ourselves."
Jones agreed, saying it was the re
sponsibility of department heads to
make wise purchasing decisions. He
joined Vereen and Shaw in voting
down Yelton 's proposal.
In other business the board:
?Adopted resolutions praising
county volunteer fire and rescue per
sonnel, emergency service workers,
other county employees and several
local businesses for their efforts in
helping fight the recent forest fire
along N.C. 211 last month.
?Heard a request from Robert
Gore of Shingletree Acres for the
county to ask the state to take over
maintenance of Old Georgetown
Road S.W. and Jenrette Road S.W.
Warren said he would ask county
staff to research the road's history
and begin the process of petitioning
to have the roads taken into state
system.
?Voted unanimously to approve
Vereen's nomination of Sue Franks
to the Brunswick County Planning
Board.
?Set a public hearing for Oct. 4 at
6 p.m. on several proposed amend
ments to the county zoning ordi
nance. The board also adopted sev
eral proposed amendments to the
law Tuesday after holding a public
hearing.
?Gave final approval to the coun
ty's new Coastal Area Management
Act (CAMA) land use plan update.
?Endorsed a proclamation desig
nating September as Brunswick
County Literacy Month and Sept. 8
as International Literacy Day at the
request of the Brunswick County
Literacy Council.
CAIX-A
CLASSIFIED
754-6 890
weeks notice when they leave a job,
but Food Folks didn't show their
workers the s^rne courtesy.
Floyd had worked in the deli sec
tion for approximately six weeks
and said Food Folks management
had promised her a full-time posi
tion after taking a cake-decorating
class.
Floyd signed up for a class
through Brunswick Community
College, but said she won't need the
training now.
"It's put everybody who worked
there in a really bad situation," she
said. "They did not even tell the
managers that the store was being
closed."
Farrell, who worked at Food
Folks all summer, said the timing of
the closing was particularly bad be
cause there are fewer jobs available
after tourist season.
"He (Donald Andrews Sr.) comes
on TV saying he cares about your
family, but he didn't care about our
families," Farrell said.
Floyd said she isn't eligible for
unemployment benefits.
"I have no idea what I'll do now.
Try to find employment if 1 can. I
was looking forward to full-time
employment and this has shot me
out of the saddle so to speak. I'm
just going to have to do the best I
can."
Lightning
Injures
Sunset
Officer
(Continued From Page 1-A)
her against the back wall of the of
fice.
She was discovered, semi-con
scious. only three to four minutes
later by Sgt. Lisa Massey, returning
from taking another drunken driver
to jail. "Lisa picked her up and put
her in a patrol car and called Officer
John Goodwin at Ocean Isle Beach
for assistance. She drove Anna to
Ocean Isle, shaking her all the way
to keep her awake."
Dosio was taken by the Shallotte
Medical Rescue unit to The
Brunswick Hospital, where she was
treated and later released.
"I checked on her several times
Sunday, and she said her shoulders
were sore and she had a headache
like you wouldn't believe," Buell
said. Earlier this week. Dosio was
taking four previously-scheduled
days off, but was expected to return
to duty after a trip out of town.
"She's a lucky lady.'4 Buell said,
adding that if Massey had not ap
peared shortly after the accident,
"there's no telling what would have
happened."
TTie lightning strike knocked out
the department's base radio as well
as communications to the adjacent
town hall. Phone service was re
stored about 2 p.m. Sunday, and
Buell was waiting Tuesday morning
for Motorola service representatives
to assess the radio damage. The
typewriter Dosio was using is next
to the radio unit in the small police
headquarters.
"I could find no sign that the
building itself was struck, but the
wiring from the wall to the phones
was all burned," said the chief. "It
blew un the surge protectors the
equipment was plugged into," but
the town's computer data appear to
be intact.
Buell said he is just thankful the
only damage was to equipment.
"When they called me and told me
what happened, I just said, 'Oh, my
God...' Most people just don't walk
away from that."
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