Former Astronaut Curtis Brown Jr. appeared before the Bladen County Commissioners, at their Monday meeting, to request help in alleviating what he termed a safety concern and eyesore near East Bladen High School.

Brown said that he was requesting "some guidance and recommendation regarding the Beard property," which he said could present a safety hazard for students at the high school and which lowers the value of adjoining properties.

The property lies across the highway from the home Brown inherited from his mother, who died about a year ago. It is owned by the Beard family who operates a salvage operation on the premises.

Brown pointed out that the zoning ordinance implemented by the County Commissioners more than two years ago requires that such properties have a fence or a natural barrier such as trees to hide it from public view. He said owners of such properties were given a year to bring them into compliance with the ordinance at the time it was passed.

"Now it has been more than 12 months, and I can't see that anything has been done to correct the problem," said Brown. "I'm looking for some guidance from you on what has to be done. I will meet with you and do whatever is necessary to see the situation is addressed."

Brown pointed out that his mother had objected to the property being in plain view but had waited to address it until the county passed a zoning ordinance to deal with such issues. He said that he believes he has been patient with the property owner, but that it was time something be done to address the problem.

He said he had met with County Planner Greg Elkins regarding the property and had been told that trees had been planted to obscure the view, but he did not see where any trees had been planted that would resolve the situation.

When Commissioner Chairman Greg Taylor asked Elkins what had been done to address the problem, Elkins said he had met with the property owner, Margaret Beard, and the owner of the business, her son Scotty Beard on a number of occasions.

"He is in the business of refurbishing tanks on the property," said Elkins. "He brings the tanks in, refurbishes them and resells them."

Elkins said he had visited the property many times and that trees had been planted, but that some had been planted on state right-of-way and had been sprayed and killed by the state maintenance crews.

Brown countered that much of the junk on the property had been there for many years and could only be characterized as junk. He said he had taken photos of the area over the years and that nothing had changed.

Commissioner Dr. Delilah Blanks said she did not want to deprive anyone of their livelihood, but that if the lot contained things other than the things the business is refurbishing, it should be removed.

"There's a difference in junk and 'junk-junk,'" she said. "If it's 'junk-junk,' it ought to be removed."

Brown said that a fence could be constructed that would hide the junk from view for anyone coming from the east as well as from his property. He acknowledged, however, that it would take a very high fence to hide the property from people traveling down NC 87 from the west.

"I thought that when the ordinance was passed, something would be done. Now, over two years later, nothing appears to have been done," he said. "I don't see how we can make an ordinance and not enforce it.

"If each one of you had to live next to it, I dare say you would be sitting here with me," Brown added.

Taylor suggested that maybe the Planning Board could mediate an agreement that would satisfy both parties.

Blanks suggested that Elkins take the issue back to the Planning Board and that a plan of action be brought back to the commissioners.

Commissioner Margaret Lewis Moore said she believed adjacent property owners have a legitimate concern.

"I've been traveling by there for years," she said. "All of that is not business-its junk that has been there year after year.

These type of areas were what we were talking about when we passed that ordinance," she said.

Brown, who is now a resident of western Wisconsin, said he visits his Bladen County home about once a month to ensure its upkeep.

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