THE THURSDAY EDITiON
VOL. 88 NO. 14
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17,1877
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Commissioners Request
Satellite Court For KM
y
Monday night commlasloners
voted to request Senators OlUe
Harris and Marshall Rauch and
Representatives Edith Luts, Robert
Falls and Robert Jones to Introduce
a bill to establish a satellite court In
Kings Mountain.
A story published In The Mirror-
Herald several weeks ago bought to
light the need (or District Court to be
held In Kings Mountain at least one
day each week.
Commissioners also voted Mon
day night to request an additional
magistrate (or Kings Mountain.
Cleveland County Is entitled to eight
msiglstrates and currently has only-
seven In o((lce.
Police Chle( Earl Lloyd and
Magistrate Charies Carpenter In
interviews with The Mirror-Herald
talked about the coat to the citizens
here to have at leut two o((lcers off
the Job In court In Shelby everyday
and o( the workload In criminal and
civil matters Oaipenter (aces In the
eastern section o( the county.
Monday night Chle( Lloyd told the
board It costs approximately $8,780
out ol the annual city budget to send
officers to Shelby to court. He said
“We have at least one and some
times two o((lcera In court everyday
except Tuesday. And If It la a serious
case It Is conclevable to have every
officer on an entire shift tied up In
court."
He said the cost Is about $2.60 each
trip, not Including the time away
from the city and off the Job (or each
officer Involved In a court case.
City Attorney George Thomaaaon
said Monday he (eels a aateUtta
court In Kings Mountain Is wor
thwhile and added that this Is being
dcs'ie In other cour '-^incts ac'.oif:
the State.
Thomaaaon la the former Kings
Mountain Recorders Court Judge
prior to reorganization of the court
system In North Carolina.
In the earlier story Chief Uoyd
said a satellite court for Kings
Mountain could handle cases from
Buffalo Creek east to Gaston
County. This move, according to
Lloyd would save Kings Mountain
and Grover and the county a lot of
money, not to mention the savings In
time by hundreds of citizens who are
Involved In court cases.
Mayor John H. Moss told the
board "We are 13 miles from Shelby.
We have about 8,080 citizens Inside
our city limits and about 26,000
cltlsens living In the perimeter
On the request for the additional
magistrate. Carpenter said, “I have
served my first year as magistrate
and It hasn't been easy. This Job Is
more than one person cam handle.
The criminal and civil cases are
tremendous and an additional
magistrate would relieve the burden
greatly.”
Carpenter said It Is possible the
district court could set up a small
claims court here to hamdle civil
matters. He said this would mean a
lot In time and money saved for airea
merchants and touainsaanen.
%
T
MAKDfO APPUOATION - Ben Hnghea (left) and Omrli Imif>
oomzHUilty asristnnce planners with the N. C. Department of Natural
and Economic ResoIlrl^e8, are working with Mayor John Moss and
commlaetoners In preparing the ai^lcattons for the third year of funding
nnder the Community Devdopment program. Applications will be sent to
HUD on April 1.
CD Public Hearing
Commimity Service Is Proposed
A community service project was
proposed to commissioners Tuesday
night at the final public hearing on
the 1977-78 Community Development
Block Grtmt program.
created by the Kings Mountain
Ministerial Association and
presented at the hearing by the Rev.
Gary Bryant, the proposed project
would be a multilevel organization
designed to develop immediate and
long-range assistance for local
citizens In need.
Rev. Bryant said the project
budget (or the first year would total
$16,686. In the proposal 60 percent of
the budget would come from CD
funds, 26 percent from the
ministerial association and five
percent each from participating
organizations.
Of the projected budget, $10,880
would go tor the salary and benefits
of a single Community Service
Officer to be hired by the city
commissioners. The remainder of
the budget would be designated for
travel and training, office supplies
and equipment.
Performance objectives outlined
In the proposal Include the following
that a Community Service Officer
would accomplish:
(1) Accept referals of Individuals
or families needing help and direct
them to the community service
organizations that can answer
emergency needs.
(2) Establish a list of and train
vcdunteer Individuals or families to
give continuous support to the
person who Is seeking emergency
help.
(8) Begin to visit persons seeking
help to ascertain casual factors that
may go beyond the obvious
problems.
(4) Establish a list of professionals
In the community to offer addItlonsJ
training to volunteers and to deal
with special problems In persons
seeking help.
(6) Identify areas In which there
are no adequate services offered and
seek to have them developed by
community service organlmtlons.
(6) Identify conditions In the
community that create problems for
Its citizens and seek ways to deal
with them through existing chan
nels.
(7) Educate the community as to
the kinds of services available, the
kinds of services that need to be
provided, and the efforts being made
to deal with persons In need of help.
"There are several organizations
now functioning to help pec^le in the
community," Rev. Bryant said.
“This project would define what
services we do have existing, outline
what other services are needed and
coordinate all of them together.”
The project also calls for the
organization of a board of gover
nors, which vrould take one city
official, one minister and the rest as
representatives from the various
participating organizations. This
board would review applicants and
recommend someone to serve as the
community service officer to the
city commissioners. The city board
would hire the employe. The board
of governors would then direct the
office and project and evaluate
employe performance and effective
ness of the program.
In other comments during
Tuesday’s public hearing Tom
Harper, executive director of the
Kings Mountain Housing Authority,
said that In January the authority
celebrated Its 10th anniversary.
"The city board created the
housing authority In January 1967
and named John McGill chairman
and Brooks Tate vice chairman of
the board," Harper said. "Also
named to the board were Martin
Harmon, William Orr and Carl
Wilson. When Mr. Harmon passed
away. Rev M. L. Campbell was
named to replace him. With that
eXtMJriion, all the others are still
serving on the board."
Harper has served as the
authority’s only executive director.
He was employed by the board In
September 1867.
The program began with 160
housing units and the acquisition of
property on nine sites. A second
application tor 60 units was ap
proved and by 1971 the city had 200
units of low Income housing.
“Our figures show that In those
first 200 units we have created
housing for 926 persons," Harper
said. "In the 90 units currently under
construction we estimate another
400 persons will be housed.”
The breakdown shows there are 68
units for the elderly and 132 family
units In the first 200. In the 90 new
units, 40are set aside for the elderly
and 60 for families. At present the
housing authority has 310 ap
plications for housing on file.
Harper said the 290 units
represents $6,800,000 In construction
and since the beginning a total of
$43,000 paid the city In taxes.
The 90 new units are expected to
be completed by mid-April, ac
cording to Harper.
Gene White, executive director of
the Kings Mountain Redevelopment
Commission, updated the progress
In the Central Business District and
Cansler St. Project areas during
Tuesday’s hearing and encouraged
the -commissioners to begin a
program of rehabilitation of homes
and enforcement of city building
codes.
"We have a housing problem In
this country and In this city,” White
said. "We should begin planning
ways of rehabilitating those homes
that can be brought up to standards.
Instead of tearing all substandard
homes down."
He said there are two choices to
see adequate housing Is available:
first, construction of new homes
and, second, conservation of
existing homes.
"It Is difficult tor the working
people today to build a $30,000
home,” White said. "The other
choice Is to conserve what we have.
But the city will have to decide the
validity of this suggestion. We have
to ask ourselves, can we afford to do
this? And can we afford not to do
this?
(Please Turn To Page SA)
The request (or an addltloruU
magistrate In Kings Mountain goes
to the Clerk of Superior Court, who
will recommend someone for the Job
to the resident senior Judge of
Superior Court. The Judge would
madce the appointment.
Payments
Microfilm
Received
Manager Franklin L. Ware,
manager of the Shelby Office of the
Employment Security Commlselcn,
TViesday received microfilm records
of unemployment payments during
1976. Unemployment beneflta are
subject to North Carolina income
taxes and the new record system
will make It possible tor claimants to
get Information on their total UI
payments last year.
containing information on more
ttasui 600,000 persons who received
benefits last year, the microfilm
system was de-vlsed by the State
Revenue Department and the
Employment Security Commission.
Ware said the reporting system Is
being made available because of the
large number of requests tor tax
Information being received by the
two state agencies.
"When person file claims for
unemployment benefits they’re
always informed that they should
keep records on the amounts
received because these payments
are subject to N. C. Incom-; taxes,”
reports Ware.
"However, we know many
claimants do not keep records. For
those who do, often records are lost
or misplaced.
"Now that we hzave microfilm of
all payments, we can give In-
dlvlduala an accurate total of the
benefits they received last year.”
Persons who need this Information
and live In the Kings Mountain area
should visit the Bhnployment Office
station In the Community Center.
TTiey must fumlsh their social
security lumbers because all In
dividual payment records are
maintained by these numbers.
Information contained on the
microfilm will be used only to in
form claimants of their total
benefits, and It will not be available
to persons other than claimants,
according to the ESC.
■iV.
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IK
o
PMo By Toni Mehrtyre
HOW ABOUT A LIFT — Karen Penner, 9, shows off the style of dance
that won her first runnenip in the Little Miss Talent N. C. competition
held in Wilmington on February 4. She Is a fourth grader at Bethware
School.
Karen Penner Runner-Up
‘Hollywood Or Bust’
“Hollywood Or Bust.”
That was the sign on a suitcase carried by Karen Penner as she tap-
danced her way to first runner-up In the Little Miss Talent N. C. Pageant
at Wilmington this month.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. O. G. Penner of Rt. 4, Kings Mountain,
Karen competed against 17 other girls from all over North Carolina (or
her honors.
The nine-year old fourth grader at Bethware School has studied dan
cing for seven years at the jEine McClure School of The Dance here.
In her competition with the other 18 girls, whose ages ranged from five
to 12, Karen danced to the tune "Yacketty Sax” as she Interpreted a star-
struck youngster hitching a ride to Hollywood to be In the movies.
Karen’s trophy with her honor Is attached to a wood carving In the
shape of the State of North Carolina.
Rezoning Requests Heard
Nine separate rezonlng matters
were brought Into public hearing at
Monday night’s commissioners
meeting.
Seven requests were approved and
one denied during the bosird action.
The remaining request was with
drawn during the meeting.
The withdrawn petition was
submitted by George Ruppe
requesting rezonlng the Ruppe
Subdivision on Phifer Rd. from R-10
to R-6. The property lies across the
road from Kings Mountain Junior
High.
A group of Phifer Rd. residents
appeared at the public hearing
Monday with petitions against
rezonlng the property, but Dean
Spears, a spokesman for Ruppe,
asked the petition (or rezonlng be
withdrawn before any member of
the opposition was recognized.
Spevs said "The petition la being
withdrawn, not because of the
citizen opposition, but because
Inadvertently people had been
misled as to the true purpose of the
housing project slated tor the sub
division.”
Spears said the residents of the
area had the mistaken idea that
"low Income housing was going Into
the subdivision. This Is not true. We
were thinking of moderate Income
level housing." '
Spears said It has been leased by
Weaver Construction and Resdty for
deveicqiment. Spears said It Is
possible the rezonlng petition wUl be
re-aubmltted to the board at a later
date.
TTie one request denied by the
commissioners came from Kings
Mountain Savings and Loan
Association, which handles the
estate of W. D. Byers, which lies on
the northslde of Hwy. 74 West. The
request was to rezone the property
from R-20 to G. B.
Scott Clonlnger, attorney for KM
SAL, commented Monday that the
petition was for rezonlng In keeping
with the business growth In that area
west of the city. He said the property
had been zoned commercial prior to
Byers’ death.
Bill Boheler, a resident on the
backside of the Byers property,
spoke against the petition, stating
"There Is one road In and out of this
property. Another resident and
myself lived there when It was
business property before. Our ac
cess to our property was blocked.
People were parking on our lawns,
knocking down mailboxes and In
general creating hardship (or us.”
This petition, for that reason, had
been sent to the commissioners by
the Zoning and Planning Board with
the recommendation the petition be
denied.
The ZAP Board also recom
mended that two other petitions for
rezonlng be denied; requests from
Mrs. George W Mauney and Tolly
Shuford to rezone their Individual
properties on Hwy. 74 West, ad
jacent to the hospital, from R. O. to
L. 1.
The ZAP Board disapproved the
requests because of the light In
dustry designation The L. I. zoning
designation leaves the property open
to a large variety of business that
may or may not be congruent with
the hospital zone.
In Monday's meeting Com
missioners Humes Houston and
Norman King voted against ap
proving the petitions from Mauney
and Shuford. The requests were
approved, however, when Com
missioners James Childers, Corbet
Nicholson and Fred Wright voted
favorably. Commissioner Bill
Grissom was absent from the
meeting.
The petition requests approved
without any comments for or against
Included one from Robert Lee
Parton to rezone his Llnwood Rd. —
Second St. property from R-8 to N.
B.; from John Bernhardt to rezone
Kings Mountain Shopping Plaza
from N. B. to G. B.; William Stin
nett's property adjacent to Nor-
thwoods Subdivision from R-30 to R-
6; Brown Ware, Eleanor Ware, Don
Ware and Bobble Ware to rezone lots
402 and 406N. CanslerSt. from R-e to
N. B.: and D. A. Beam CO. to rezone
lot No. 32 on Hwy 74 West (beyond
Goody-Goody Restaurant) from R-
20 to N. B.
TTie commissioners accepted a
petition from Darvln and Addle
Moss to rezone 318 Fulton St. (near
Burlington Industries Phenlx Plant)
from R-6 to N. B. The request will be
forwarded to the Zoning and
Planning Board for study and
recommendation back to the city
board.