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VOL. 89 NO. 9
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA 28086 TUESDAY, JANUARY 31,1978
15c
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Under $50,000 BOR Grant
m
.4’
Lake Rec Work
Begins In Spring
PUBLIC HEARING — A large group gathered in Grover Town Hall last Thur
sday night to discuss the area's 201 Waste Facility Plan and what it will mean to
the community.
Grover ‘Hot’ To
Build Waste System
By TOM McIntyre
EdKar, Mfargr-HeraM
GROVER — Town officials here are
hot to build a waste collector line and
pump stations under the 201 Facilities
Plan.
Last Thursday night Mayor W. W.
McCarter hosted a public hearing to
review the Grover area 201 plan with
Commissioners Tommy Keeter, Martha
Byers and J. Harold Herndon.
John EMwards and Kim Fisher of
Edwards Engineering were also present
to discuss the facilities plan and the
method of financing construction.
The projected total cost of the Grover
facility is $908,900, a slightly inflated
iprice based on present material and
construction costs, because actual
construction and operation will not be
laitU 1979.
Fisher told the town officials and
several visitors Thursday that the
Farmers Home Administration has
already given Grover a letter of intent on
a grant of $287,700 and a loan offer of
$170,000. He said the town is eligible for
another $189,SOO from the N. C. aean
Water Bond Act. There isa possibility the
town may receive $222,700 from the
Environmental Protection Agency, but
this grant as yet is not offered.
Fisher said Grover would have to come
up with $80,000 cash and float a bond
issue for the $170,000 FHA loan paycheck.
"We feel strongly that the Town of
Grover can be in the priority group and
be well on the road toward having its
collection system within the next
IS months,” FUher said. "U we run into
no big impasses and have our application
on file with EPA and get approval for our
ban thus far.”
Flaher said the overall formal public
bearing on the 201 FaclUty Plan wUl be
held by the lead engineering firm in July
and that the overall plan should be
stfomltted to the state for review In
September.
■nie Grover area is a sifo-part of the
Qaaton County 201 Plan.
Ihere arestUl many "Ifs” riding on the
,_nal outcome of this project according to
Fisher. One of the biggeet is selling the
Idea to the 238 customers In Grover. The
imstjarlty of the voters in Grover will have
'to approve the $170,000 bond referendum
’v’.
kil*
in order to pay off the FHA loan and the
236 customers on the majority of that
number will have to agree to tap onto the
sewage collection line in order for the
town to be financially able to own its own
system.
Residents here either have their own
sqitic tanks or are on the Minette Mills
collection line.
Another decision to be made is whether
or not the town will make its deal with
Minette Mills or the City of Kings
Mountain to treat the water. For the
moment the town officials are leaning
heavily toward Kings Mountain, but as
yet the KM officials have not given
Grover a fee schedule on treatment
costs.
Fisher said there are several reasons
why working with Kings Mountain on the
treatment project is more attractive than
with Minette Mills. As a city. Kings
Mountain is entitled to grants for any
igjgrading or improvements deemed
necessary on the treatment facilities.
Minette Mills, a private industry, is not
entitled to grants. Another reason' is
Kings Mountain's facilities has greater
capacity and could handle any potential
growth and use of the Grover facility
whereas the Minette system would be
limited.
Should Grover nail down an agreement
with Kings Mountain, the local system
would only run about two miles from
Grover to Long Branch and tie onto the
line there. Grover would not have to
imtall a collector line all the way to
Kings Mountain's Pilot Creek Plant.
Mayor McCarter said the average
monthly bill to Grover customers would
be about $8.30. This is based on use of
3,000 ■ 4.000 gallons of water per month.
He said the board will next have to decide
whether or not customers will be charged
a tap-on fee. The customer will have to
pay for the line running from the town's
main to the customer's home
Fisher suggested that as an Incentive
tapons be free during the Initial stages
and then the second year a fee be
charged.
"In order for the program to be
economically sound for the town at least
200 of the 236 potential custom era must be
(Please Turn To Page 6)
i0'
Beginning this spring construction on
recreational areas around Moss Lake is
scheduled under a $100,000 development
program.
The city has received a $50,000 grant
from the US Department of the Intoior,
Bureau of Outdoor Recreation and the N.
C. Department of Natural and
Economics Resources for the project.
The other $50,000 is in-kind con
tributions, manpower and equipment, to
be supplied by the city.
This is the second phase of a three-
phase project under the application
submitted Oct. 1, 1976 following the
recreational development plan sub
mitted by Gardner Gidley and Associates
of Winston-Salem.
Mayor John Moss said he "hopes the
program can get started around April
first and be completed at sometime
during the sununer months.”
Sated for development this year is an
entrance road and signage to a paved
parking area for boats and trailers. A
total of 22 spaces are alloted for this lot.
Also a 44 space vehicle parking area
adjacent to the first lot on the eastern
shore of the lake, off Camp Creek Rd.
There will also be a picnic setter with 12
tables, a fishing pier and boat launch
ramp.
On the western shore, of Rd. 2033, will
be family picnic and restroom fodllties
and the beginning of development for a
camper trailer camp site.
Hie mayor said it is (foubtfUl the new
recreation facilities will be completed In
time for use during the summer of 1978.
When Nature
Coughed........
MAKING A POINT — Kim Fisher of John Edwards Engineering makes a point
to town commissioners concerning the Grover 201 plan.
ByTOMMcINTYRE
EMtor, Mirror-Herald
Mother Nature has had the flu.
And when she coughed she sent winds
from 50 to 80 miles an hour whipping
through the Kings Mountain area last
Wednesday night and Thursday.
And although trees were uprooted and
sent crashing against homes and vehicles
and limbs were scattered over lawns and
streets and plateglass wincfows were
shattered, it is estimated by area in
stance agents that property damages
were far less than those incurred during
a hail storm in 1974.
Larry Hamrick, a Kings Mointain
insurance agent, said he would "estimate
property damages to be roughly between
$50,000 and $100,000 overaU. The hail
storm in 1974 did in excess of a million
dollars damage."
When Mother Nature sneezed Wed
nesday night she knocked out power aU
over Kings Mountain and city electrical
and street department crews began "a
long day's work,” according to Harry
(Dutch) Wilson, electrical supt.
"We no sooner got pows restored in
one area than it would be gone in
another,” Wilson said. "The problem
was high win(h kept slapping the power
lines together causing them to bum out
and knock the power off in sections aU
over the city.”
The first time power went out was
about mid-evening Wednesday. It was
restored approximately two hours later.
then it began knocking off in one section
or another on through the early morning
hours.
Aroind 8:45 a. m. Thursday another'
major outage occurred and power was
restored intermittently throughout the
remainder of the morning. Around 12:30
p. m. power was restored to the
majority of the city customers and
electrical workers busy with "pocket
outages” about the city.
The Kings Mountain Fire Department
was called for standby numerous times
during the high winds because of fire
aloiv the power lines.
^e Chief Gene Tignor said the
department only had one call when an
outbuilding blazed up late Thursday
afternoon.
The mayor's office compiled a list of
addresses where dderly residents live
Thursday, ones who had been vrithout
power an(l heat Wednesday night Mayor
John Moss called his department heads
together to form a plan to bring relief to
the senior citizens Aould Thursday night
also leave these citizens without heat.
"We made arrangements with Rev.
Ken George to turn the Depot Center into
a shdter for the ni0it” the mayor said.
"We asked the members of the civic
clubs in the Comminity to offer
assistance in transporting these people to
the shelter if the need arose.”
Members of the fire department
arranged for a generator at the Depot
(Please Turn To Page 3)
Schools Cooperate Without Merger
By EUZABETH STEWART
Staff Writer
"We do cooperate even thouipi we're
not merged,” declared Shelby Schools
Supt. Malcom Brown Thursday night
(kming a joint dinner meeting of county
school board members and superin-
toidenta at KM (fountry Club.
"Oir three separate units — Shelby,
Cleveland Cointy and Kings Mointain —
do a lot of thln^ better together than
many consolidated systems,'' said
Brown, opening a nine-item agenda in
which all three superintendents. Brown.
Dr. Vincent Columbo and BUI DaWs, led
discussions of various county-wide
ptigrams which had paid off becauae of
cooperation.
It was the first Ume the three boards
had met together in several years, the
meeting geared prlmarUy to famlUarize
incoming school board members of
policy and program plans.
Past and current projects were
discussed and members hinted of a new
cooperative effort for the future in the
quest for a coiaitywide bond referendum
for capital outlay projects, Mr. Brown
reviewing financial history in providing
funds for ca|$tal outlay for the three
school districts.
Supt. Brown pointed out two methods
of paying for capitel outlay projects, a
bond issue with funds distributed on per
capita basis and a "pay as )«u go"
method he termed "painful” saying Uiat
a bond Issue would be "tough" in light of
the fact Uiat Cleveland Tech only
recently sought and voters passed a $5
million referendum for school im-
irovements.
Dr. Columbo. County School
Superintendent, recommended the three
siperintendents get together soon to
"match figures” and reported that
Wilkes County, small in comparison to
Cleveland, recently passed a $10 million
bond issue for improvements, noting that
a survey of Cleveland County schools was
recently completed by the Division of
School Planning of the State Department
of Public Instruction. KM Supt. Davis
said a similar survey is slated for Kings
Mountain schools next week and would
"put capital outlay things this district
needs in prospective.”
In spite of reservations voiced by hi^i
school principals and reported by Supt.
Davis, the board agreed to investigate
the possibility of a countywide student
council. Mr. Davis explained that the
four principals — from 9ielby High,
Oeat, Burns, and KMHS, ooiid see the
advantages but clearly opposed an
organization designed primarily as an
"innoculation” against school van
dalism.
To a question from KM Board member
Kyle Smith, Davis said the establishment
of a council was suggested following
incidents of vandalism at Bins snd
Shelby High Schools after football
games.
Mrs. Maiy Lou Barrier, chairman of
the CTeveland Coianty School Bosu'd, md
Mi-s. Bobbie Peeler, member of ihe
Sielby School Board, said they liked the
idea of forming a council and didn't want
to see the idea killed. ClevMand County
hoard member Glenda Greene auMsstad
that student "Input” be taivitad asid Mrs.
Barrier recommended that the new
council, if organiiod. Involve atudesitt
other than those elected to school offices.
Following lengthy discussion, the
Please Turn lb Page 6)