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VOL. 89 NO. 6
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA 28066 THURSDAY, JANUARY 19,1978
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Bethlehem VFD Lights The Way
A •hlny red 1977 Chevrolet van li
lighting the way tor Bethlehem Volunteer
firemen to battle nighttime Area.
The truck is uaed primarily for night
firefighting but ia also uaed to transport
auxiliary eqidpment such as smoke
ejector fans, ropes, shovels, first aid
The vehicle la equipped with heavy
duty undercarriage and dual rear wheels
and members of the department have
I been giving their span time for the past
I’ year Installing the equipment
The department to date has spent
I $12,500 in purchasing and equipping the
van.
The van ia equipped with a 90 kilowatt
atr cooled generator designed for con
tinuous service. It bss the capacity to
provide auxiliary power to the fire
I station so that, in event of nn sntsndad
power outage, the station can be
operated on a normal basis and provide
shelter for those who need it.
The most impreasive point, however, is
that the van can provide 10,000 watts of
high intensity light with its six, 1,500 watt
and two 500 watt lights. The lights are not
only helpful in lighting extremely dark
places in firefighting situations but it
helps the firemen avoid injuries.
The department is funded mainly by
donations received in the firemen’s
annual fund drive in May. Other fund
raising activities include barbecued
chicken suppers sponsored jointly by the
firemen and the ladies auxiliary, hot dog
and hamburger sales. Bethware Fair
participation and sales of miscellaneous
household items by the ladies auxiliary.
Don Graham, a Bethlehem community
resident, is chief of the department and
Mrs. Chester Cash is president of the
ladlss aigclUaiy.
No School Monday
There will be no classes for Kings Mountain students next Monday.
The end of semester workday for teachers ia scheduled for Mon., Jan. 23,
according to Supt. William Davis.
"The original school calendar caUs for the workdays to be this Friday and
next Monday,” Davis said, “but students will go to classes this Friday as a
makeup day for last week’s weather scare closing.”
Q
ILL-U1E14 .1
BETHLEHEM’S NEW TRUCK - This U the new 1977 Chevrolet van whkh is
lighting the way for Bethlehem Volunteer firemen to battle nighttime fires. It’s
equipped with high intensity lights which provide 10,000 watts and is also equipped
with an ema-gency generator, smoke ejector fans and other emergrncy supplies.
The junior firemen shown in photo are Steve BUckburn, sUnding, and David
Oty Eligible
For New Grant
^ I
KingB Mountain is one of 944 small
communities in the United States and one
of 12 in North Carolina ruled eligible for
funding under a new Urban Devdopment
Action Grant program.
The federal^-fimded program is being
bandied tfarou^ the National Association
of Smaller Commtnilies and a total of
$100 - million allocated for the 944 cities
sdected.
Ledford L. Austin, acting area director
of the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), Greensboro,
commented in his letter, that this “is a
highly competitive program requiring an
enormous amount of front-end
preparation by the applicant com
munity.”
Ajjplicattons may be submitte-*
beginning the second week in the quarter
starting in April 1978. Mayor John Moss
said be would put the item on next
Monday night’s commissioner agenda to
request approval to participate in the
Austin said Kings Moimtain was ruled
eligible according to “several indicators
of economic and housing conditions.”
“Housing is one of the eligible
programs for funding, but there are
others,” the mayor aaid. “We will, if the
board approves, seek as many aa
possible for Kings Mountain.”
The program is earmarked for three
years.
“Of course we are happy Kings
Mountain was sdected to partidpate in
die new program,” the mayor aaid. “B’s
quite an honor to be picked one of 12 in
the entire state. There are only 944
communities across the country edible
and the funding totals $10»-miUion. I
don’t know exactly what Kin|s Moun-
tdn’s wiare will amount to, butit should
be pretty good”
Spindale, Lenoir and Morgadon are
the communities, under 50,000
population, nearest Kings Mountain to be
ruled eligible for this new funding,
This photo, taken atop. m. in pitch darkness, is an
example of how mudi Ught Bethlehem Fire Department’s new van can provide for
nighttime firefighting. Note in the back of the truck the generator, smoke ejector
fan, and storage racks, which the firemen installed
to carry equipment not only to fires but to any emergency situation.
Photos ^ Gary Stewart
I, which will be used
Story Of One
That Got Away
Nothing Wrong With The Water
There is nothing wrong with Kings
lounlaln’s drinking water.
This erroneous thought has been on the
concerning the N. C. Department of
Natural and Economic Resources,
Environmental Management Dividon’s
claim the city is dumping raw untreated
wastewater into Buffalo Creek.
New Office Hours
Announced For City
The mayor’s office hu begun The new hours are 8:30 a. m. untO 5:80
remaining open tor two additional hours p. m. daUy.
u^wuy thtt>i«h Friday. 'nw city’s business office hours are
Mayor John Moss aaid, ”We are 8:30 a. m. until 5 p. m. Monday through
, ^penliw half an hoir earilcr and closing Friday. The public works departments
I ^ an hour later, and remaining open are open from 7:30 a. m. unfil 4:30 p. m.
lljlBing lunchtime to provide better dally.
ULarvice and mots responsiveness to the The after-business hours number for
Iticitlsen needs.” emergency services is 739-3638.
I Junior Achievement
I Open House Monday
I,: King- Mountain Jimior Achievement sdiool sophomores, juniors and ssnlors
/.Will hold a “Wtotsr Wondariand Open are Involved.
I| louse” at the community center Mon., JA is a program designed to teach
IIM. 23 from 7:30-9 p. m. young people about the free enterprise
7 ThU to part of the Jan. 22-28 National system In America by actually involving
I lunlor Achievement Week cslsbratlon them in aU phases of small busIneM
I md the public to invited to attend the operation.
I Ipsn House At the Open House visitors will Ht a
,i{ There are thrae companies operating chance to view ths opsratlan of the three
„ ■ manufacturiiv and sales units within local student companies, from prwhict
n to local JA program and over 60 high coicept through manufacture to sales.
Mike Church, superintendent of the
city’s water and waste treatment plant,
said, “We have had some calls from
people asking if we are dumping un
treated sewage into Buffalo Qreek. The
answer to no.”
Church said he would like to see this
misconception clarified. What is being
dumped into Buffalo Creek is actually
treated water and mud from the
wastewater backwash filters.
“When untreated water is pumped into
the filtering plant for treatment before
beii« rdeaaed into the city’s water
sqpply system,” Church said, “a certain
amount of mudfrom the creek is pumped
in also. About 80 percent of the solids
settle In the basins and the other 10
percent carries over to the backwash
filters.”
the centrafuge system, according to
Church, has proven to be not the com
plete answer to the problem.
“Now we have plans to build a holding
tank and to pimp the supernatant back
into the raw water at the head of the
filterii« plant,” Church said. “The solids
will be pumped to the Pilot Creek facility
where it will be treated and
discharged.”
The dty has EPA and state permits to
discharge wastewater solids for Pilot
Craek and the MoGUl PUnt, bpt not at the
Ellison Plant.
Acheck run by city officials last month
indicated that none of the communitlea in
Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln or Ruther
ford counties discharge wastewater
solids any differently than Kinga
This to about the one that got away.
Last September city officials were
Mntacted by the N. C. Department of
Conunerce about a possible new industry
— GKN Transmissions, a Britiah-owned
firm — looking for a location.
A site was selected adjacent to the city
limits, but actually in Gaston County, so
it became a joint effort between Gaston
County and Kings Mountain to supply the
thii«s required by the new industry.
The dty agreed to supply water, sewer
and electrical facilities. The N. C.
Commerce Department ran a couple of
ads calling for Inquiries from the
potential labor pool in the area.
Word came down this week that GKN
Transmissions has decided to build in
Sanford, N. C.
“B’s tough when you lose one, but it
happens,” Mayor John Moss said.
L E. (Joah) Hinnant and OlUe Harris,
industrial hunting committee members,
expressed regret at this area having lost
the industry, but Indicated there are
several other firms currently being
bdng dumped back lido Buftslo Oeek.
“We ran suspended solids toats last
week and discov«ed for every one
million gallons of water there Is eight
gallons of solids and this Is what is
dumped Into Buffalo,” Church said.
The dty has been assessed dvll
penalties touling $1,390 over faUure to
construct and operate a wastewater
treatment todllly at the Ellison Plant.
The penalty was levied by the state’s
environmental division. Under the
original guktollnas placed on the dty by
the state BPA’s permit a esntrafoge was
to be built to handle the treatment.
Construction bids came in too high for the
dty to Uckle the project. Since that time
The mayor said. If the new firms select
this area, that annoimcements to that
effed should be made in the very near
“We just want our dttoens and our future,
neighbors on down the line to understand GKN Transmissions manufactures
that Kings Mountain to not harming their automotive parts for compact can. The
water supply,” Church said. “And that plant the firm plans to build in Sanford
we are working toward eliminating the wfll generate about $«0,a00,ll00. There
small amount of solida discharge we now were a maximum of 650 jobs available
dump into Buffalo Creek.” In the plant.
John McUughlin, N. C. Dept of
Commerce, Industrial Development
Division representative, said GKN
decided on Sanford because of the
response by the labor sirvey and
because of the recent announcements
concerning new industry in the Kings
Mountain area
“I don’t know what the last reason
means, except we loot a big industry and
that hurts,” Mayor Moss said
Scheduled
For Today
Ben Mooma w, former drector of Kings
Mountain Natioiwl Military Park, has
charge of today’s Kings Mountain Rotary
dub program.
Rotarians meet at noon at the KM
Country Club for hineh, a buaiiiess
Members of First Presbyterto n Church
will present the musical program, “Light
Shine”, at tonight's Kings Mountain
Kiwanis Club dimer-meeting.
The program, under the drection of
Rev. Gary Bryant, will be preeented at
the KM Woman’s dub Bdlding, E.
Mountain St., foUowing the dinnar and
business session, which begins at 6:45 p.
Something New At Hospital
Something new has been added at and local funds and according to Mrs.
Kkigs Mountain HmpiUl. Hardin, “It is hoped the entire com-
Mrs. Freida Hardin, a social worker, munity will benefit. ”
has been added to the hospital staff to Mrs Hardin's office wUl assist with
offer services to patienls and thair discharge planning as weU m placement
famUlas. toother medicalfacUitlesofpatiants. She
The project is jolnUy faided by federal wOl serve as liaison with the Department
of Social Services and as roforral source
for other community agsnelaa.
Mrs Hardin will be available to