YO U R C O A S TA L C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E M AY 2 0 0 2
Jan. 18 - Jan. 24, 2018
Volume 17 | Issue 3 | 25¢
luminanews.com
Source: National Weather Service
More EwingBordeaux Cottage Photos
Weekend police report Page 3
Page 5
Museum moves historic EwingBordeaux Cottage to town square By Luke Webber Intern
On Thursday, Jan. 11, Wolfe House & Building Movers moved the Ewing-Bordeaux Cottage from 405 N. Lumina Ave. to a lot on the town’s historic square. Engineers moved the house south on Lumina Avenue, across the Causeway Bridge and west on Causeway Drive to the lot next to the town’s visitor center. Engineers installed a latticework of steel beams underneath the dwelling that were used for support during the relocation process. The transport system did not require the use of a truck, instead using a remote control for propulsion purposes. The museum provided coffee on the porch of the Chamber of Commerce Building/Visitors Center for spectators who watched the move, which began at 10 a.m. and took about 4-6 hours. Wrightsville Beach Museum of History officials said the cottage move would serve as a fundraising platform as it continued to raise money for renovations and other museum activities. Walt Lackey, president of Lackey Builders, the company that helped prepare the cottage for the move, said the building still had sand from 1996’s Hurricane
WB considers options as more cell tower applications are approved By Lena Moriarty Intern
With Wrightsville Beach seeing state approval of several new cell towers on state rights-of-way, the Wrightsville Beach Board of Alderman discussed how it could influence the appearance and potential location of these towers. The new towers were one of two telecommunications projects expected to improve service throughout Wrightsville Beach, while also bringing with them several new towers, as well as construction in the South Harbor Island neighborhood. At the Jan. 11 board meeting, the aldermen asked Town Attorney John Wessel what options it had in regulating the proposed new towers after he said several new applications were coming. The North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation in July that allows the Department of Transportation to approve small cell tower facilities in state highway rights-of-way, despite objections from local authorities. “It’s an astounding number of towers,” Wessel said. “The issue is we have little authority to say no.” During the meeting, the aldermen were presented a plan from telecommunication provider Fibertech to replace an existing 24-foot utility pole on East Salisbury Street near Johnny Mercer’s Pier with a 43-foot small cell tower. The new tower will be fitted with a street light while also providing increased wireless phone and internet service on the beach. It’s the third new cell tower proposal for Wrightsville Beach
Fran under the building. “This was very exciting for us,” Lackey said of the move. Wolfe Movers moved the 1924 Bordeaux Cottage, formerly located at 405 North Lumina Avenue to the Wrightsville beach Historic Square in the 300 block of West Salisbury Street. The Bordeaux Cottage was donated by Chris and Debbie Strickland to the Wrightsville Beach Museum
n See CELL Page 2
n See COTTAGE Page 2
Hat show brings springtime feel amid winter blues By Jana Mackin Contributing Writer
Winter poured rain outside the Blockade Runner Beach Resort on Friday, but a spring buzz warmed the New Hanover Garden Club’s afternoon tea which featured flowers, high tea delicacies, music and a fashion show of hats. Presented by Jan Wutkowski, milliner at aMuse Artisanal Finery, the
garden club members modeled the creations, gliding among tables of nearly 60 attendees during the hourlong fashion show. Whether a lavender straw creation embellished with a large soft silk ivory rose and vintage face veiling; a hand sculpted green parisisal demi chapeau; or a dramatic black sinamay straw Perching hat with silver lurex thread and embellished with black coq feathers, aMuse designed hats showcased
this inaugural afternoon fundraiser. “I feel like a princess,” said Cheryl Delk, club member modeling the black Perching creation. “I haven’t worn a hat in years. It brings spring into the dead of winter.” As part of the second annual Art & The Bloom Afternoon at the resort, the garden club held their first-ever afternoon tea parties on Friday and n See HATS Page 2
Candidate for WB’s state house district to focus on beaches, water, schools By Mel Beasley Intern
Protecting the coastline will help maintain the county’s economy by encouraging continued tourism to Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, said a Democratic candidate who will challenge Republican Rep. Ted Davis, Jr. for the 19th district seat in the North Carolina General Assembly. “I want to make sure to stop things that might damage the beach, and perhaps look at more cost-effective technologies designed to help restore and maintain the beaches” said
Marcia Morgan, who will be Davis’ first challenger in two terms. Morgan announced her 2018 campaign for the District 19 seat last week, which includes Wrightsville Beach, Myrtle Grove and Monkey Junction and the other county beach towns. Davis’ last challenger was Democrat Emilie Swearingen, former mayor of Kure Beach, whom he defeated by nearly 20 percent in the 2012 election, according to Ballotpedia. Morgan, a retired educator and U.S. Army colonel, served for 25 years before retiring from the military, where her experience
included two assignments at the Pentagon. “While working for the Chief of Staff of the Army, I had the opportunity to learn first-hand how to make Morgan difficult decisions at high profile levels,” said Morgan, who added that she had been selected for command in every commissioned rank held. n See MORGAN Page 2
Planning board side steps height limit on CAMA Land Use Plan By Terry Lane Staff Writer
The Wrightsville Beach Planning Board approved a new draft land use plan designed to help guide the town’s future development, but not before entertaining a debate over the town’s 40-foot building limit was revisited. In approving the draft plan, the planning board didn’t recommend to the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen that it should change the land use plan, but it did note for the board that there were discussions on the height limit during the Jan. 2 planning board meeting. The state-mandated Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) Lane Use Plan was developed over
Police Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Area Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
For daily updates visit LuminaNews.com
Find us on Facebook facebook.com/LuminaNews
3 3 4 6
Follow us on Twitter @luminanews
the course of several meetings during 2017 by a steering committee selected by the town’s board of aldermen. The town’s land use plan was last updated in 2005. “The intent of the plan is for Wrightsville Beach to stay the course,” Dale Holland, principal of Holland Consulting Planners, told the planning board. “There was no appetite for substantial change.” However, in presenting that 213-page document, one member of the steering committee urged the planning board to adjust the plan’s language to create more consideration for exceeding the town’s height limit in mixed use developments. Architect Frank Smith told the planning board
n See CAMA Page 2
LUMINA N EWS LuminaNews.com YO U R C O A S TA L C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E M AY 2 0 0 2