THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609270271
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 32 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letters
LENGTH: 123 lines
A goodly sum of $11,337.00 was raised during the 25th Annual Seascape Charity Golf Tournament which was played Wednesday, Sept. 18 on the Seascape Links course in Kitty Hawk.
The proceeds were beyond expectations and are designated to be shared equally by Dare Hospice and the Outer Banks Cancer Support group.
The overwhelming response to and support for this project was due to the efforts of many volunteers, donations and sponsorships from the private and business sectors of the Outer Banks.
The Seascape Charity Tournament was under the direction of Sue Sullivan, who was the organizer of the first such event.
Sue and her husband Bob, who own Seascape Links, donate the use of their course for one day each year, raising thousands of dollars for charity.
This year 236 golfers played in the tournament.
All participants in the fund raiser can be justly proud to have given time and money to support this event.
Rita Mizelle
Kitty Hawk Hog operation worrisome
We watched WAVY-10 news last Friday night at 6 p.m. We saw a very disturbing scene of decomposing hog carcasses at an abandoned hog operation in Currituck County. These hogs apparently had been left to rot in the manure and filth of a hog house when the operators abandoned them.
What is most disturbing is the fact that we have two young sons and the operators from that disgusting operation in Currituck County propose to put 20-40,000 hogs on the property next to our house. Will the operation up here pose a health threat to our family and others?
Hopefully, our county health director will have rules in place and make frequent inspections to ensure that we don't have a similar operation up here.
Layne and Pam Brown
South Mills Costs of prison riot
I'm sorry, but the Pasquotank prison riot does affect the public. Not only was the public in jeopardy prior to the imprisonment of these inmates, but the well being of many is in jeopardy, apparently, with them incarcerated.
I refute that ``the public was never in jeopardy.''
Who is going to pay the thousands of dollars worth of damage these inmates caused to the new facility? (TV, security windows, lights, toilets, and water coolers).
The prisoners had a choice of not being there!
So, they don't have their own canteen!
Maybe they would like to sweat it out with the dedicated teachers and students in Camden County who are waiting for air-conditioning.
We already have missed three school days because of heat. And if the truth be known, it has been very difficult to endure many others.
If no one objects, we'll take the ``thousands'' and start air-conditioning our schools. It's obvious that prisoners could care less.
Let's give our students a better environment for learning.
David C. Seymour
Camden Fishing licenses debated
Recently, I attended a meeting of the Moratorium Steering Committee held at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. The meeting focused on commercial fishing and salt water fishing licenses. As the outcome of these meetings will affect every individual who attempts to catch a fish (commercial and sport) in our state's waters, I would have thought all our elected officials would have been present.
What I did find was a very concerned (not vindictive) group of men and women who had taken the time to research the 135-page document for themselves and point out some critical flaws.
As the meeting went on, it became obvious to me that most of the members of the committee truly wanted the audience's input in order to act responsibly for all concerned (the series of meetings were voluntary, not mandatory, on the part of the committee).
There were about 15 or 20 points brought out by the fishermen that I, for one, feel must be addressed if the fishing industry is to survive.
For instance, (1) If a father teaches his son to fish, he can no longer set him up in the commercial industry and let him go on his own (the number of licenses could be limited). (2) If a fisherman was to get hurt and not make enough money from fishing that year, he could lose his license and thus his livelihood (a minimum of 50 percent of the income or $5,000 must be earned by fishing for newcomers to get into the business.) (3) All responsibility for depleting fish stocks seems to be aimed solely at fishermen with no emphasis put on farms and factories that pollute fish spawning waters. (4) The monies from licenses could, as it stands, be used for anything the state chooses, rather than replenishing and researching the resource. (5) Once you buy a salt water license, you could then be required to buy a stamp for each kind of fish you catch (much like duck stamps). (6) A resident who frequently fishes our waters could lose his license easily under the point system, where a tourist would have little chance of being repeatedly checked.
There are a lot of good points that need to be made. But if my letter is too long it probably won't get printed. So I will end with this, fishing (commercial and sports) is a vital part of our economy and must be reasonably protected. Let's not throw out the baby with the wash water.
Richard Johnson
Candidate, District 1
Manteo Priorities out of focus
(Editor's note: This letter was trimmed in the Sept. 15 Carolina Coast magazine and the meaning inadvertedly was changed. We are re-running it in its entirety.)
``Focus on the Next Generation - Not the Next Celebration.''
The campaign slogan we heard just nine months ago from Manteo Mayor Lee Tugwell and Commissioners Melvin Jackson, Bill Buell and Stuart Wescott already has sounded a hollow note.
They have sold land held in trust for more than half a century intended for the town's future growth for the short-sighted purposes of Manteo's Centennial Celebration and capital ``improvements'' such as a shed to store a new chipper and tractor and tearing down buildings on the waterfront.
Furthermore, the mayor said the sale was needed because of his concerns about the state of the town's finances. Yet his ``winning team'' voted themselves a 100 percent pay raise this summer.
This board's priorities are out of focus.
Terry McDowell
Manteo by CNB