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NCPA Award
Winninff Newspaper
VOL,. 87 NO. ss
kihc; MouMTwn
I1IRROR-HGRt\LD
KINOS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA 88086 THURSDAY, AUGUST IS, 1916
15'
The Depot Center
Unique City Faeility Planned
By TOM MoDfTYRE
Editor, Mirror-Herald
In tour to five months the City of
Kings Mountain will be the proud
owner of another, and a bit more
unusual, community facility.
The Depot Center.
You read It right. The former
Southern Railway Depot on N.
Battleground Ave. will be trans
formed Into still another community
facility using funds from the
Community Development Block
Orant program.
Woric on a lease agreement with
Southern Railway began on July 19,
1973 and ended Mar. 1,1975. For the
sum of $100 per year In advance the
depot and severed acres of property
along the track north of Kings St.
have been leased to the city. There Is
no date set for the end of the lease.
Mayor John H. Moss said there
were stipulations placed In the lease
by the railroaders; the city cannot
start Its own railroad company sind
use the depot property and a fence at
least eight feet high must be placed
between the depot and the tracks
running the length of the leased
property.
Monday night the board of com
missioners approved a contract for
fence construction and next Monday
remodeling work on the depot sind
property will begin In earnest..
The mayor said the plan calls for a
three-sided fence apnroxlmately
1,000 feet In length rmd six large
gates on the N. Battleground Ave.
side. Curbing, guttering and paving
Is planned for the Battleground
entrances and the leased property
on the highway side. The gates will
channel motorists In for proper
parking In the area.
In the near future bids will be let
tor a contract for landscsplng and
the paving, curb and gutter. By law
the commissioners must accept at
least three seeded bids and awsu'd
contracts on this work. However,
under another guideline some of the
exterior woric on the depot and tdl of
the Interior remodeling can be
contracted locally without the sealed
bid process.
The plans also call for retention of
the spur line tracks now existing on
the property and on those tracks
severed railway cars will be per
manently parked. Inside these cars
will be areas for a unique
restaurant On the southerly Up of
the leased property the city plans to
build two 30 by 20 and one 30 by 40
pyramid style structures tor the
display and sale of certsdn products.
This su’ea, lagged ^he Community
Market, will be available on a set
dally rental fee basis. Rules and
regulations will govern what can or
cannot be sold from the Community
Market. Home grown or home
manufactured Items, for Instance,
may be sold to the public.
On the exterior of the depot some
brick work knd painting will be done
and on the Battlegrotmd side a
wooden deck running eight to 13 feet
will be constructed. The deck will
continue across the full width of the
depot on Its northern end. This will
give one "an observation car effect
viewpoint," the mayor said.
Inside the structure, again the
north end, the large area formerly
used forbaggpage and freight storage
will be remodeled Into a community
meeting facility In two levels. Ap
proximately half of this area will be
a sunken floor with seating and rec
reation area. A large fireplace will
also be In the sunken level. Backing
this area will be kitchen facilities for
preparing and serving food for that
type meeting.
Mayor Moss said, "From the
ticket agents office we will take the
ticket windows and Instsdl them be
tween the kitchen and the com
munity meeting.facility. Also two
large, old-style benches used by
train passengers will be removed
from the former wsdtlng area Into
the meeting area.”
Modifications on the Interior of the
depot will Include relocating several
restrooms and removal and re
locating several doorways. ^
In the area on the southern end of
the depot, the rooms that formerly
housed the ticket agent and tele
grapher, the plan calls for housing a
museum display.
And the plans call for retaining the
original depot decor Inside and out
on the acre and a half structure.
"We want to preserve as much of
the flavor of the building and what It
was formerly used for as possible,"
Mayor Moss said. "We feel our
senior citizens, youth groups, clubs,
scouts and Individual citizens will
find the Depot Center a useful and
unique facility and we will urge
everyone to use the facilities often.”
The estimated cost of
modifications and construction Is
$33,000 and the money will come out
of the city’s Community Develop
ment Block Grant.
Grant.
JVs..,.
MUSEUM SITE — Mayor Moss rooms will be modified to house a
stands at the desk once used by the museum display under the depot
railroad ticket agent and modification plans,
telegrapher. This area and two other
Primary Next Tuesday
n
$
No. Four township voters will
Join their Cleveland County nel^-
bors and those from all over the
state Tuesday In deciding <nte of the
most hotly contested Primaries In
the history of North Carolina.
Xn Clevelani. Oounty, a totJl of
29,198 citizens are registered to vote,
a total of 38,796 Democrats and 4,211
Republicans. Of this total, 15,133 are
women and 14,066 are men.
Kings Mountain voters will cast
their ballots at Bethware School,
Grover Rescue Squsul Building, at
KM Community Center (East
Precinct) and at National Guard
Armory (West Precinct). More
women are registered to vote than
men; at Bethware — 443 men and
463 women; Grover, 377 men and 807
women; East Kings Mountain, 876
men and 968 women; and West
Kings Mountain, 1,437 men and 1,696
women.
Precinct offlcUls are: Bethware
— Hazel McNelUy, registrar; and
Alleen Herndon, Herman Goforth,
Judges; Grover — Mrs. Jerry Cook,
registrar, Mrs. Mary C. Rollins and
Jerome F. Spangler, Judges; East
KM, Mrs. John White, registrar,
Mrs. Ctonnle Putnam and Mrs.
Grace A. Talbert, Judges; West
KM-Mrs. Geraldine Myers,
registrar, Mrs. Frankie White and
Mrs. Kenneth Cook, Judges.
Local voters will have no less than
nine choices for the Governor’s race,
10 choices for the Lieutenant
<3ovemorshlp and seven choices for
the three seats In the 26th Senatorial
District, where most local Interest Is
centered, a total of 69 on the
Democratic ballot, 10 on the
Republican and six non-
partisan. Voters will be given six
ballots; non-partisan ballot for
Cleveland County Board of
Education; GOP primary ballot for
state officers; Democratic primary
ballot for state senate and state
house of representatives;
Democratic primary ballot for
member of Congress; Democratic
primary ballot for district court
Judges and county offices; and
Democratic primary ballot for state
officers.
Polls open at 7:80 a. m., close at
7:30 p. m.
For Governor — Democrats
Edward M. O’Herron, Jr., Jim Hunt,
George Wood, Andy Barker, Jr. and
’Thomas E. Strickland.
For Governor — Republicans, —
Jake Alexander, Coy C. Privstte,
Wallace E. McCall, and David T.
Flaherty.
For Lt. Governor — Democrats —
Kathryne M. McRacken, Waverly
Akins, Herbert L. Hyde, Jimmy
Green, Howard Lee, John M. Jor
dan, E. Frank Stephenson, Jr. and
C. A. Brown, Jr.
For Lt. Governor — Republicans
— Odell Payne and William S. Hiatt.
. For N. C. Senate — 3eth District —
(D) J. OUle Harris, Marshall Rauch,
Dean B. Westmoreland, C. E.
Leatherman, Mrs. Helen Rhyne
Marvin, J. Don Shields and John
Baker, (vote for three)
For N. C. i^usa — 40th District —
(D) Robert Falls,‘'Robert Jones,
Edith LuU, William J. DeBrule, T.
Wayne Smith (vote for three)
For 10th District Congressman
Jim Hunt
Campaigns
In City
Democratic gubernatorial can
didate Jim Hunt campaigned In
Kings Mountain Wednesday enroute
to Charlotte for an early morning
press ccmference.
He took a quick tour of City Hall
here and made a brief address
before a crowd of about 40 In front of
City Hall on a six town tour and
hectic schedule yesterday.
Hunt said. If elected, he would
propose the establishment of a
citizens economic development
board to give new emphasis to at
tracting quality Industries aixl good
paying Jobs to North Carolina and a
labor force council to establish
objectives and carry out policies
aimed at the unemployed, the un
deremployed, new entrants Into the
labor force and workers who need
upgraded skills. He said the new
Council would replace the current
Manpower Ctouncll and the Office on
Employment and ’Training.
Rummage, Bake Sale
The Kings Mountain Rescue
Squad Is planning a rummage and
bake sale at the community center
on Sat. Aug. 14 from 8 a. m. until...
The side will be held rain or shine
In the gymnasium.
Rescue Squad members are
requesting donations of household
Items to be sold at the sale. Citizens
who have odds and ends of Items
they wish to donate to the squad may
do so by calling 789-3077 or 789-3071.
Rescuers will plckiqi the donations.
EXPLORER TROOP
Adults Interested In serving as
advisors fbr a police department
sponsored Explorer Boy Scout TVoop
are Invited to gather at City HaU
TTiuraday, tonight, at 7 p. m., said
Chief of Police Earl Lloyd. Young
men ages 16-31 who are Interested In
Joining an Explorer troop are asked
to meet at City Hall Aug. 19 at 7 p. m.
(D) — Dr. Jack Hunt and Dr.
Eugene Pobton.
Board of Education — Cleveland
County(D) vote for throe -
Charles C. Akers, Zeno T. Borders,
Douglas Dwight Cablness, Glenda
W. Greene, Edwti^ ^mrick, and'
Robert P. Lucas.‘
Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners — vote for three (D)
— Ralph Gilbert, Jack Palmer, Jr.,
John Henry White, L. E. (Josh)
Hlnnant, Hugh Dover and (toleman
W. Goforth.
Register of Deeds, Clevelandi
County — La Rue Hord Poston,
Margie Hoyle Rogers and Doris
Browne Borders.
District Court Judge — 27th
District - (D) - Ralph PhllUps and
Helen S. Cunningham.
District Court Judge — 27th
District (D) - WUllam R Morris
and Berlin Qtrpenter.
District Court Judge 27th District
(D) — Lewis Bulwlnkle and James
T. Bowen.
Secretary of State (D) — Thad
Eure and George W. Breece.
Secretary of State (R) — C. Y.
Nanney and Asa T. Spaulding, Jr.
State Treasurer - (D) — Lane
Brown, Harlan Boyles, and Jack P.
Jumey.
State ’Treasurer (R) - George B.
McLeod and J.'Howard Coble.
State Auditor (D) - Walter e.
Fuller, Henry L. Bridges and Lillian
Woo.
Commissioner of Insurance (D) —
Jerry L. Waters, John Ingram and
Joseph E. Johnson.
Commissioner of Labor (D) —
Jessie Rae Scott, John Brooks. T.
J. Dunnagan and VirgU McBride.
State Superintendent of Public
Instruction - (D) - Benjamin
COrrln and Craig Phillips.
’THE DEPOT CENTER - Mayor John H. Moss looks
over the former Southern Railway depot property
where the city now plans to develop a new community
facility. The depot In the background Is In disrepair, but
modlflcatlons will be made within the coming months
that retain the depot decor, but transform the structure
into a useful facility.
Beyond NC Minimums
Tough Standards Policy
Set For KMPD Applicants
Until Monday night the City of
Kings Mountain had no minimum
standards In effect for the screening
of police department applicants.
Following a presentation by Police
CSilef Earl LJoyd of a uniform
minimum standards policy the
commissioners voted unanimously
to adopt the policy and put It Into
effect.
The new' procedure follows the
lines originally set by the State of
North Carolina, but exceeds the
state’s requirements in many areas.
"In my opinion,” C^ef Lloyd said,
"the state requirements do not meet
minimum standards needed In the
selection of personnel who are ex
pected to take on the awesome
responsibility of a law enforcement
career.”
’The chief said the city now offers
police officers one of the highest In
comes In the state tor police work
and a fringe benefit package
equalled by none. "With these b-sne-
Meeting Tuesday At Community Cjenter
Join Neighborhood Watch
citizens fighting crime.
Tliat’s the theme of a project
entitled Neighborhood Watch and
such a project Is being established In
Kings Mountain.
On Tues., Aug. 17 at 7 p. m. a
community meeting Is scheduled at
the community center designed to
Inform the citizens of how they can
participate.
The local project la being Jointly
sponsored by the Kings Mountain
Police Department and Citizens On
Patrol and Emergencies (COPE)
and the entire community Is urged to
Attend.
A film covering how the program
works will be shown by Police Chief
Earl Lloyd, who was Instrumental In
bringing the crime prevention
program to the city. Members of the
Mecklenburg Ctounty Neighborhood
Watch also plan to be here with
materials and Information on how
the project has been conducted
there.
Sam Tesenlar, president of the
COPE organization board of
directors, said, "We will have
monthly meetings with films and
more Information from law en
forcement officers from all over the
state.
”We are very enthusiastic about
this project,” Tesenlar said. "To
date we have one hundred percent
backing from the Kings Mountain
Ministerial Association, Optimist
club, the police department and the
police auxiliary. We expect more
support from other civic clubs and
organizations within the com
munity. And we hope that a large
number of citizens will turn out next
’Tuesday tor this meeting.”
Tesenlar said that Individual
neighborhood residents can get
together prior to the meeting and
name a representative to attend,
then report back to the group.
The program Is not funded locally,
state-wide or on a national level, but
literature, posters, window and
bumper stickers will be furnished
free to the Kings Mountain chapter
of Neighborhood Watch.
’”rhls program Is not Just tor
owners of CB radios," Tesenalr said.
"It la not a program to get people to
Join COPE. Our CB group la only co-
sponsorlngthe start of this program.
Neighborhood Watch Is (or all the
citizens In Kings Mountain.”
tits we offer,” he said, "we should
set our standards along the same
progressive lines.”
The state standards and training
council requires a police ai^llcant to
have either a high school or GED
certificate. Kings Mountain will
accept only a high school certifi
cate; the state age minimum Is 20,
the city’s Is now 21 to 36.
The city now wsuits male ap
plicants (or police work at least five
feet seven, to weigh at least 140
pounds and female applicants at
least five-four and iio pounds and
height and weight should be pro
portionate. ’The state has no such
requirements.
An applicant must possess 30-100
uncorrected vision, corrected to 20-
20 and must possess normal hearing
determined by an aodlometrlc
hearing test. The state has no such
requirements.
"These six minimum standards
will be applied for Initial screening
of applicants,” Chief Lloyd said.
"The ones who pass these will then
be processed tor (Inal placement on
an eligibility list (or vacancies oc
curring on the department by a
written test and an agility test.”
The written test is the Em
ployment Security Commission's
general aptitude test, but ap
plicants must score on the high
side. This test follows state
requirements, but the city's stan
dards also Include a pre
employment law enforcement
screening test, not In state
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