THURW’9
Kinc: MOUMTwn mirror
VOL. 88 NO. 96
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1977
154
HGRMD
City Searching For Firm Fuel Rate
Commlialonen Norman King,
WlUlam OrlMom and Humea
Hduaton wUl head a apeclal com-
mittea appointed thla week to deaign
a firm rate on fuel coat adjuatmenta
on monthly power blUa.
Mayor John Moaa aald Monday
night the committee will work with
WUUam Little Jr., engineer with
Grover Water
bnprovements
Are Complete
Orover’a water Improvementa
ayatem la now 100 percent complete
and In operation.
Town Council at a called meeting
T\ieaday night received final reports
from Harrla Construction Company
of Charlotte, general contractors,
and John A. Edwards and Oo.,
engineers, of Raleigh.
Because the original contract
completion date called for deadUns
of Aug. 2S and the contractor was 38
days late In completion, the board
voted to assess him with the added
cost due the engineering firm, at
total amount of $1386.84.
Ihe town had let bids for extension
of the w;,ter v*tem, includfag
diUllng of a new well, in March.
Members of the new ad
ministration will take the oath et
office Monday night at 6:80 p. m. at
the Town Hall, with a new menfber,
Harold Herndon, to be sworn along
with Mayor W. W. McCarter, re
elected In the recent election along
with Council members Martha
Byers and Tommy Keeter.
Southeastern Consultant Engineers, committee.
Wednesday the mayor aald City
Clerk Joe H. McDaniel has also been
t^ypointed to the committee and by
early next week two biulness per-
eons and one private homeowning
dUaan will also be named to the
“I have sent a memo to Com
missioner King, who will chair this
committee, to begin planning
meetings and public hearings with
residents to gather liq>ut and Ideas
on devising a firm fuel a^ustmant
rate," Mayor Moas said.
The fuel cost adjustment U an
added coat to the consumer above
and beyond the cost for kilowatt
hours of electrical power used
during a single billing period. The
extra cost Is passed from Duke
Power to the cl^ and from there on
to the local consumers.
"Ihe fuel adjustment cost Is never
the same from month to month," the
mayor said. "What this committee
hopefully will do Is bring back to the
board a workable rate schedule,
lower than the Duke charge, so
customers will know what the east
1)
f S
I* i
01
After Jan. 1,1978
Special Permits Ordered
On Insulation Installation
Photo By Tom McIntyre
EVERYBODY LOVES A PARADE — Tuesday the annual Kings
Mountain Christmas parade wound Its way around the Central Business
District and across the bridge. Below, as you can see, not only people but
animals, too, are avid parade watchers. Close to 90 units rolled as
literally thousands of people braved the cold to watch. Additional parade
photos are on page 6A.
Photo By Oary Stewart
. ^ I
1
After Jan. 1, 1078 licenses or
pemrllts must be obtained before
Insulation and other energy con
servation materials can be Installed.
Monday night the city com
missioners adopted an ordinance
suggested by the N. C. League of
Municipalities for enforcement of
Insulation standards which spells
out who must obtain a permit and
who la exempt from this stlpulatlan.
A fee for such licenses or permits
will be set by the city during one of
the December meetings. City Codes
Director A1 Morets told the board
Monday night that he will need more
time to study the matter before
recommending a fee.
"An extra Inspection will be
required under this new law,"
Morsts aald, "so we can't set the tee
according to general Inspection fee
schedules." i.
The new law states that no person,
firm or corporation can install, alter
or restore Insulation or other energy
saving materials without obtaining a
special Insulation and energy
utlllaatlon permit from the city
building cods Inspector tor each
Item of work.
The materials used and work done
must comply with state building
codes.
The following are not required to
obtain peimlts for energy saving
material installations:
(1) An owner working on his own
building.
(» An Installer working under the
supervision of a registered architect
or professional engineer, when the
work la being done under a general
building permit.
. (8) A oontraetor llosnsed to do the
proposed work under Chapter 87 of
the General Statutes, when the work
Is being done under a general
building permit.
In other action Monday, com
missioners accepted retonlng
requests from Hal Plonk, W. S.
Fulton and Paul and Llllten Maimey,
then voted to submit the requests to
the city zoning and planning board.
Plonk, serving as agent tor the J.
O. and C. S. Plonk heirs, requested
that 80.641 acres adjacent to Ashley
Park west of the city be reaoned
from R30 to R-10 for the purpose of
establishing a residential sub
division.
Plonk also submitted a request, on
behalf of the heirs, that ap
proximately 10 acres adjacent to
Ashley Park be annexed Into the city
limits. The board voted to accept the
request and to set a date for a public
hearing on the matter.
Fulton requested the board to
rezone approximately six acres of
property east of N. C. 161 and north
of Ridge St. from R-8 to R-6.
The Mauney request was to resono
38.77 acres from R-8 to L. I. The
property Is located on the north side
of U. S. 74 at Canterbury Rd. In
tersection near the propoeed Hwy. 74
bypass.
All three requests are on the
agenda for the Thurs., Dec. 16
zoning and planning board meeting
at city hall.
— Approved advertisement for
bids on construction of a two-mlUlon
gallon water storage facility on
Cteveland Ave. at the northern city
limits.
— Approved an amendment to the
city’s affirmative action plan to
comply with HUD reqterements
concerning non-dlscrlmlnatory
practices.
•V V
7:30 At City Hall
First CD Public
Hearing k Tonight
TV
Cttlsens are urged to attend the
first Community Development
Block Grant public hearing tonight
at 7:80 at city haU.
At this, the first of two scheduled
public hearings, program ap-
pUcatlons for the fourth-year CD
funds will be outlined. New
programs which might qualify
under the HUD guidelines are
needed.
The fourth year funds total
$898,000, most of which Is already
earmarked for continuing com-
munlty Improvement projects.
The second public hearing Is
Thurs., Dec. 8 at 7:80 p. m. at city
hall.
will be each month.
"We can't expect Kings Mountain
to be the deciding factor In helping
the State Utilities Oommlsslan take
action,” Mayor Moss said, "but we
could be the reason for other com
munities across the state to take
similar action.”
City Asked
To Pay $500
Civil Penalty
The City of Kings Mountain Is
being assessed $600, a civil penalty,
by the N. C. Department at Natural
Resources and Community
Development for Inadequacies In
wastewater treatment programs.
W. E. Knight, director of Division
of Environmental Management of
the state agency, sent a registered
letter to Mayor John Moas on Nov. 17
Informing him of the civil penalty.
The letter also states that the city /
has three courses of action In the
matter: pay the penalty; submit a ^
written request for rsmlsslcr 3T
mitigation. Including a detailed
justification for such a request; or
submit a written request tor a for
mal administrative hearing.
A course of action, according to
Knight’s letter, must be taken within
SO-days following the receipt of the
notice In K.ngs Mountain or an
additional civil penalty of $60 per
day after 80 days will be assessed.
The civil penalty stems from the
fact the city has failed to abide by Its
plan to construct and operate
wastewater treatment facllltlea at
the Ellison Water Treatment Plant.
The N. C. Environmental
Management Commission Issued
lOngs Mountain a permit for con
struction and operation on Feb. 36,
1976. The permit was to become void
unless the proposed treatment
facilities had been constructed and
were In operation by June 1, 1977.
In his letter concerning In
vestigative findings and decisions,
Knight pointed out that In late 1876
the staff of the Western Field Office
of the N. C. EMC Inquired Into why
construction had not begun on the
proposed treatment facUltlss and
was told by the city that bids on the
facility "were beyond the dty’a
financial capabUltles.” On May 11,
1977 the Western Field Office asked
tor more Intoraiatlon on toe dty’s
attempt to develop toe treatment
facilities by June 1. Knight said
there was no response to this rsquest
and by Sept. 38, 1977, toe WFO In- '
formed his department that con
struction still had not begun on the
treatment plant.
Knight’s Investigation also reveals
toe city Is dumping raw untreated
wastewater Into Buffalo Creek
without a permit. Buffalo Creek Is
rated A-ll by toe state.
Hodges Will Speak
At Meeting Here
Luther Hodges Jr. of Rockingham
County speaks today at the joint
meeting at the Kings Mountain
Klwanls and Rotary dubs at the KM
country Club.
Hodges resigned his position as
chalmuui of toe board of North
Ckrollna National Bank In June to
become a Democratic candidate tor
toe U. 8. Senate In toe 197$ primary.
The jdnt meeting Is scheduled to
begin at noon with hineh, a bualnees
eaeolon and the talk by Hodgoa.