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THE TUESDAY EDITION
VOL. 88 NO. n
TUESDAY, APRIL 8,1971
KIMG? MOUriTWh
MIRROR-HGRhLD
15'
if;
1 i-
■sffi *
First Phase Begins
On Oty Hall Building
m
Foote Raises
. ‘
Wages, Benefits
W. E. Cooke, Operations Manager
at Foote Mineral Company, an-
nounce^ an Improved wage and
benefits program covering the
hourly employes at Its Kings
Mountain operations.
Wages were Increased 8 percent
effective ^rll 4,1977. The average
hourly rate prior to the adjustment
was 94.80.
Benefit Improvements consistsd
Ij j of Improved pensions, life In-
surance, accidental death and dls-'
) . memberment Insurance, and short
d term disability.
If A comprehensive dental program
* was also put Into effect for both the
hourly and salaried groups, ef-
fecUve AprU 1, 1977.
‘Noah’s Ark’
Program Tonight
Mel Barcelo and John Bartels of
' the Holy Ground Mission will
I * present a program on “The
Rediscovery of Noah’s Ark" at the
National Guard Armory tonight at 7
p. m.
Barcelo and Bartels have been on
eight expeditions to Mount Ararat In
eastern .Turkey to view what Is
reported to be Noah's Ark.
The object Is perched atop a 8,000
foot precipice and was photographed
by Barcelo through a telephoto lens.
This photo and other photos and data
gathered by the Holy Ground
; Mission, as well as commentary by
Barcelo and Bartels, were used In
the recent motion picture “In 8earch
of Noah’s Aiic.’’
The program tonight Is free to the
public and will Include slides at the
I Holy Ground Mission e:q>edltlons
* and Interpretations of the sutlfacts
that have been found. The formal
program will be followed by a
question and sinswer period.
Church Requests
Zoning Rescinded
First Baptist Church has officially
requested the city board of com
missioners reconsider a prior
decision on resonlng near the
church.
A letter from the board of deacons
was presented to the commissioners
last week adclng the board to
rescind approval of resonlng the
(l, < I Mauney and Shuford properties
adjacent to Kings Mountain Hospital
and across the street from the
church from Residence-Office to
Light Industry.
The board approved the ap
plications against the recom
mendation at the sonlng and plan
ning board.
First Baptist deacons feel the U
sonlng Is too broad to protect “the
worshipful atmosphere” of the
church shohld Industrial growth
develop In their area.
The commissioners have taken the
request under advisement and may
oh It at the April U board
eeting.
Ilwto By Tom McIntyre
THE FIRST SHOVELFULL — Mayor John H. Moss
and members of the dty board of oommlsslmiers,
Humes Houston, BUI Orissom, Jim OhUders and Corbet
Nicholson, officiate at the groundbiealdag ceremonies
for the first phase of construction (site preparatioa) of
the new Oovemmental Services Facilities Bnlldlng on
W. Gold St. A photo at (he pn^msed hnlldlag is at tte
ML
(h'oundbreaklng ceremonies for
(he first phase of construction on the
new city hall site were held last
Friday morning when Mayer John
H. Moss turned the first shovelful of
earth.
The first phase of corutructlon Is
1^ the actual site preparation before
: construction on the buUdlng proper.
Bradley-Jenklns, Inc. of Gastonia
; was awarded the contract at a
'* fecial meeting last Tuesday night
and work actuaUy began Monday.
Bradley-Jenklns was the lowest of
three bidders, with 933,373, and a 40-
» day time limit to complete the work.
Mbodye Clary, architect for the
. new Governmental Services
.3 Facilities Building (city hall), said
^ "The beginning of site preparation
actually gives compliance with the
Economic Development Agency
guidelines under grant condltlans.”
aary said the guidelines also give
the city one year to complete the
project, which would be a deadline
of AprU 4,1978. However, Clary said
he and city officials feel the con
struction can be completed before
that.
OanatrueUon on the city hall la
1%
i >. •
I1&;
SMILE, GYPSIES, SMILE - Last week about 900
gypsies encamped at the KOA Campground here. BuL
unlike the group that hit town several months ago, this
group was driving Cadillacs and {doknps and hauling
.J
Photo By Bari Uoyd.
tsBcy trailers. However, very much like the former
group, the new group had a scam going —painting and
roof repair. One local dtlsen was sklanedof 9180.
Gypsies Come And Go,
Take Citizen For $150
m*
By TOM McIntyre
Editor, Mirror-Herald
The gypsies hit town again last
week.
TTils time, according to Police
Chief Earl Lloyd the gypsies,
numbering about 300, stayed for two-
days at the KOA Campground at 1-86
and Hwy. 101.
“They were driving CadUlacs and
expensive pickup trucks and hauling
fancy traUers,” Chief Lloyd said.
"And we only got one report of any
local person being flim-flammed.”
The chief said an 80-year old Kings
Mountain man was taken for 9180,
which was supposed to buy him a
roof repair Job.
“The diluted sealant was sprayed
on the roof and does nothing toward
repairing leaks,” Chief Lloyd said.
“This same group took a man In
Cherokee County, S. C. for 9400 for a
house painting Job. They got the
cash, set up a ladder and some paint
cans, then said they had to go get
more paint. They didn’t bother to
come back.”
Tills group was caught by Hugh
Buff of the Cleveland County
Sheriff’s Department, who was
working at the request of the
Cherokee County authorities. The
9400 was returned to the victim and
charges were dropped.
“We were notified the gypsies
were staying at the campground,”
Chief Lloyd said, "and J went down
to talk to their leader. While there I
saw trucks loaded down with ladders
and diluted paint and roof repair
sealant. Also copper wiring In great
rolls. We have no report on whether
any of this equipment was taken
Illegally somewhere down the line.”
Chief Lloyd spoke with the group
leader and Informed him that the
first hint of trouble here and the
police would be down to either make
arrests or see them on their way.
“Tile leader, who’s name sounded
Hungarian and was un-
pronouncable, asked why we were
being so tough on them and I told
him about the trouble a few months
ago,” Lloyd said. “He asked If the
other gypsies were pulling trailers
and when I said no, he replied, ’Then
they were riff-raff."
After the report about the 9180
roofing Job scam came in Chief
Uoyd returned to the campground
last Friday morning, but tha gypsies
had already pulled out, heading
north In 1-86.
“We sent the Information out on
the Police Information Network
(PIN) to alert other departments In
other areas about the caravan,”
Chief Lloyd said.
Police reports show the license
tags Indicated the caravan vehicles
were from Ohio, Alabama, Georgia,
Florida and Tennessee.
“As soon as we learned the group
was In the area we put measages to
be repeated often on WKMT to alert
the public about posMble lip-offs,”
Chief Uoyd said.
“The group likes to hit older
people, prmnlslng them paint Jobs or
roof Jobs for 98," Lloyd said. “What
they mean Is 98 a gallon. They apeak
In broken English to confuse the
Issue and they comprehend Ehigllsh
only when It Is beneficial to them.”
Chief Lloyd aald ha took photos of
the gypalea and their vehicles, but
only shortly before they would group
around the trucks and cara to block
the camera vtew. Police were also
told by a campground employe that
the groi4> spent a great deal of time
switching license plates from one
vehicle to another to keep the con
fusion high.
Chief Uoyd said the PIN message
also contained the description of one
vehicle and occupants which Is
wanted back In Kings Mountain In
connection with the 9180 flim-flam.
expected to begin by mid to late
summer.
The city hall Is being built under
an EDA grant of 1986,380. With
funding under urban beautification,
the total to be spent on construction
and landscaping will exceed 91
million.
The new structure will house the
city administrative, business and
tax collectlan offices and the fire
department. The present city hall
will be renovated and used entirely
by the police department once the
new stmeture Is completed, fur
nished and moved Into.
During the ceremonies last Friday
morning. Mayor John Moss told the
gathering “we (mayor and com
missioners) feel that all of our
citizens have contributed to the
progress Kings Mountain la making
and we know that you are as pleased
as we to see the new city hall
becoming a reality.”
Clary, of Peterson-Clary, Ar-
chltecta, PA of Chariotte, com
mented Friday, “We feel this (city
hall) will be a tremendous asset to
the community. We have tried to
design a structure that will be a
source of beauty and a reflection of
your community. And we hope you
will continue to make the facilities
building a place you visit often. Our
firm Is very pleased to be a part of
this project.”
Also attending Friday’s
ceremonies were Commissioners
James Cblldeni, Humes HoustMi,
Corbet Nicholson and BUI Grissom;
Redevelopment Commission
Chairman Carl F. Mauney,
executive director Gene White; KM
Housing Authority Executive
Director Tom Harper and directors
M. L. CampbeU and Brooks Tate;
zoning and plannlngboard chairman
Fled Plonk and former mayor KeUy
Dixon.
Rev. Clyde Bearden, pastor of
First Baptist Church, offered the
innocatlon.
New Personnel
Policy Considered
A restructuring the Kings
Mountain Personnel PoUcles has
been offered for consideration to the
board of commissioners foUowtoig
mstny weeks of. study and
ledeslgnlng.
Humes Houston, commissioner of
district 3, served as chairman of the
personnel committee which redrew
the personnel poUcy manual.
In presenting the manual to the
bosurd last week, Houston said the
committee (James Childers and
Norman King) spent “many, many
hours woiklng on this. We studied
comparistms of city’s both larger
and smaller than Kings Mountain
and we have come up with we feel la
a very good personnel poUcy.”
The 3S-page manual contains
seven headings. Including the
personnel sjrstem, recruitment and
appointment, personnel actions,
conditions of employment, leaves of
absence, fringe benefits and
classification and pay.
Houston said the personnel poUcy
guarantees that appUcants and
employes will be treated fairly
without regard to political af
filiation, religious creed, sex,
national origin, color or race. In
dividuals will be treated with proper
regsu-d for their privacy and con
stitutional rights as citizens.
Eknployes are to be recruited,
selected, trsdned suid advanced on
the basis of their relative abUlty,
knowledge and sklU. Employes wlU
also remain on the Job on the basis of
their adequacy of performance.
Steps wlU be taken to correct
Inadequacies, but If this faUs the
employe wiU be dismissed.
Employes wUl receive equitable
and adequate pay and benefits
subject to the avaUablUty of funds
and employes wlU be protected
against coercion for partisan
political purposes.
Humes said the personnel poUcy
further guarantees current em
ployes qualified to handle certain
Jobs wlU receive first consideration
when higher positions are available
within the city.
The policy gives the mayor final
authority to hire employes
recommended by department
heads. The mayor and the personnel
committee have final hiring
authority of department heads and
first line foremen. AU pubUc safety
personnel wUl be approved by the
board of oommlaslcners.
The proposed poUcy gives greater
latitude to recruit employea They
do not have to be from Kings
Mountain or Cleveland County, but
when equally qualified persona, one
local, the other away, apply for a Job
the local person wUl be given first
consideration.
PoUce officers and firemen em
ployed by the city wUl have to reside
within a four-mile distance from the
city, however, aU department heads
must be city residents.
%
HUMES HOUSTON
On Personnel PoUcy
Houston said It Is more deslreable
to have all city employea Uvlng
Inside the city limits, but the com
mittee agreed It was not always
possible, so the poUcy gives greater
latitude In this area, llfith the ex-
c^tlwi of poUce officers, aU new
employes wUl serve a probationary
period of six months. PoUcemen wUl
serve a one year period of
probation.
During the probation period
employes can accumulate vacation
leave, but are not eUglble for a paid
vacation. The mayor can authorize
this If he determines It wlU reUeve a
particular hardship situation.
Any employe dismissed during the
probation period Is not eUglble for
terminal pay for accumulated
vacation.
Hiring of relatives by any member
of the governing or administrative
body WiU be discouraged, according
to the new poUcy.
Cbmmlssloner Houston said, “We
wUl also offer Job descripUans and
pay scales so employes wUl know
exactly what their duties wUl be and
what their potential earnings are
within their Job classifications.
“Productivity Is the thing we are
after,” he contlnusd. “Advancement
and higher wages for each employe
will be determined by how
productive each employe Is within
his or her Job.”
The personnel poUcy wUl be on the
AprU 11 regular city board meeting
agenda for further discussion,
adoption or rejection.