new rules and 

 regulations. One 

 such ordinance 

 required the 

 restaurant owners 

 to remove their 

 billboards along 

 N.C. 179. This 

 created a cleaner 

 roadway, but 

 removed valuable 

 restaurant advertis- 

 ing. 



One of the 

 touchiest subjects in 

 Calabash today is 

 the proposed South 

 Brunswick Sewer 

 and Water Authority sewer system, 

 which is scheduled for completion 

 in three years. 



Eric Carlson, who covers Cala- 

 bash for the county newspaper, The 

 Brunswick Beacon, says the proposal 

 has "poured gasoline on old flames, 

 on old animosities. 



"The downtown business district 

 is all on borrowed time," he says. 

 Without new sewer service, "many 

 restaurants are overloading their septic 

 systems and will eventually have to 

 close," he says. 



Although almost everyone is in 

 favor of removing the old septic tanks, 

 which could potentially pollute nearby 

 waters, not everyone is in favor of the 

 South Brunswick Sewer and Water 

 Authority's plan. 



Dale feels that the public has been 

 misled about the time and costs of the 

 system. And a group in Sunset Beach 

 has sued the authority, claiming it 

 hasn't done enough research on the 

 environmental effects of its proposed 

 collection system. The authority has 

 suggested levying a fee of $3 to $5 a 

 month per household to pay for some 

 of this research. 



But a few Carolina Shores 



Calabash old-timers and residents of Carolina Shores have had 

 differences of opinion about how the town should be managed. 



Like the rest of the coast, 

 the Atlantic breezes, world-class 

 golf links and relaxed atmosphere draw 

 more people to the area every year. 

 As the traff ic and realty agencies 



on N.C. 179 attest, 

 some of those folks who stopped 

 for seafood have decided to stay. 



residents are wary of paying for re- 

 search they say they don't need. They 

 already have Carolina Blythe, a private 

 company that provides water and sewer 

 services to all Carolina Shores house- 

 holds, two Calabash golf courses and a 

 third of the Calabash downtown area. 



Dale also notes that the town of 

 Calabash may be overlooking an easier 

 option — using Carolina Blythe' s 

 services. 



The town had an opportunity to 

 buy the plant. "Carolina Blythe has 

 made several overtures to merchants to 

 sewer the downtown area," Dale says. 

 "But the people in the old part of 

 Calabash, since it's the desire of the 



people of Carolina 

 Shores, feel there 

 must be some hidden 

 agenda. 



"This has carved 

 a much deeper chasm 

 between Carolina 

 Shores and Cala- 

 bash," says Dale. 

 "It is very much an 

 emotional issue." 



But Roger 

 Malone, the town 

 administrator, says 

 there are real 

 concerns about 

 Carolina Blythe. 

 The town is still 

 considering purchasing Blythe, he says, 

 but administrators are worried that 

 Calabash's many restaurants may 

 overload the small waste treatment plant. 



Malone is also quick to say that 

 despite a few ruffled feathers over 

 certain issues, most Calabashians still 

 enjoy the slow-paced charm of their 

 southern coastal town — restaurants 

 and all. 



"If it weren't for the restaurant," 

 says Doris Nance, "I don't know what 

 I'd be doing." 



"You have to love your work to be 

 in this (business)," adds Lennon Nance. 



And with a little give-and-take, says 

 Dale, there's no reason why the neigh- 

 borhoods can't get along. "We're upset 

 about the fact that we can't join all the 

 aspects of our communities, but we still 

 think it's a wonderful place," he says. 

 "Ninety-five percent of those living in 

 Carolina Shores feel that same way." 



"I'm mad at myself for not moving 

 down here 20 years ago," says Ray 

 Bednarski, who came for the low 

 housing prices and warm climes. 



Wait a minute — what about the 

 seafood? 



"I prefer Italian," he says. "That 

 would be Tony's down the street." □ 



COASTWATCH 1 5 



