THURW9
KIMCI MOUnTWn MIRROR
VOL. 90 No. IS
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROUN A 28080THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22,19f9
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How Much Does The City Owe?
National magazlnea have labeled
Kings Mountain's Mayor John H.
^pkfoss "the man with the Midas
touch” In view of his state and
federal funding programs expertise.
Through the mayor’s office the
city haa received between $16 and
$30 million In grants and. oddly
^Onough, this very fact has brought
wcrltlclsm of the Moss administra
tion. The basic criticism Is that the
Moss administration "has gotten the
city Into deep debt.”
Just how much does the City of
Kings Mountain owe?
|| As of now the city’s bonded In-
^lebtedness totals $2,975,000.
Joe McDaniel, city clerk -
treasurer, said the principal and
Interest are being paid annually at
over $300,000. The principal for the
1878-79 fiscal year la $180,000. In
terest payments, made In October,
November and December totaled
$149,846. The total bond debt
payment tor the current fiscal year
totals $329,846.
Moss was elected mayor the first
time In 1966. At the time the city
owed a $460,000 bond debt. The city
had borrowed that amount on May 1,
1954 for water and sewer Im
provements. From that public bond
referendum approved debt the city
has an outstanding balance of
$110,000.
In the 18 years of the Moss ad
ministration the city has borrowed
$4,106,000. A totol of $216,000 of that
amount was borrowed by city board
vote and the rest under
authorization from the citizens who
voted approval of bond referen-
dums.
Mayor Moss said, "We have
retired about $2 - million of the
bonded Indebtedness — most of
wdilch was spent on constructing city
Income producing fsuslUtles.”
City hall and Local Government
Commission records reveal the
amounts borrowed and the amounts
still outstanding on esich.
-t- April 1,1968: Citizens approved
$l.S-milllon bond Issue for sanitary
sewer improvements. $1-million was
borrowed. Outstanding debt is
$600,000;
-I- April 1, 1969; Citizens approved
$8-mllllon water bond Issue to
construct water treatment plant at
what is now Moss Lake. Outstanding
debt is $2,100,000;
+ April 1, 1974; Commissioners
approved Issuelng $110,000 for
sanitary sewer Improvements. Out
standing debt Is $80,000;
+ Feb. 1, 1976; Commissioners
approved Issuelng $106,000 for
constructing a natural gas peak
shaving plant to augment the city's
gas supply to citizens. Outstanding
debt Is $86,000.
Mayor Moss said he and the
commissioners "are proud of the
city’s financial picture.” City Clerk
McDaniels commented, "My
(pinion is that Kings Mountain is
running even with payments on
bonded Indebtedness. We are where
we should be In paying these debts.”
The mayor said he Is also proud of
the fact that the city owes no money
on the new Citizens Service Center,
the community center, the four-
million gallon per day capacity
addition to the existing water
treatment plant or the Depot Center.
The Depot Center, community
center and water treatment addition
were funded under Community
Development Block Grants. The
Citizens Service Center, which cost
i4>proxlmately $400,000, was paid for
out of capital outlay from the city
budget.
The city also haa a grant of
$990,000 for construction of the
Governmental Services Facilities
Building (city hall), which Is to be
completed in the coming months. CD
funding has been approved to
construct a two-mllUon gallon water
storage tank on Gray St.
”I am aware of the crltlclam In
some quarters that under my ad
ministration the city Is supposed to
be head-over-heela In debt,” Mayor
Moss said. "But, I think these
figures and the fact we have made
progress In Kings Mountain will
show the citizens that the city Is on
firm business footing."
For 4 Years
Wastewater Permits
Approved For Qty
WHAT’S NEW, lOLOOr — TaUng advantage of a scihool holiday
due to the snow, this group of energetic youngsters from the Nor-
thwoods subdivision created themselves an Igloo with tunnels and
three entrances. Here (not In order) Eddie Blanton 12, Dante
Photo By Tom McIntyre
Smia, 11, Tony Gordon, 14, ttawn Smith, U, and Calvin Stephens
11. Eddie said two others helped — Carol and Kelly Blanton, ages
five and three.
IW IMCT.
Ts zr
Workings Playing In Snow
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King Winter dumped a second
heavy snowfall, this time ac
cumulations up to 12 Inches, In Kings
Mountain early Sunday.
Wsnow started falling around
midnight Saturday, for the second
time since Feb. 6-7 when seven and
one-half Inches of snow blanketed
the area.
It looked, more than one resident
t mmented, like a blizzard.
tathermen called the storm the
worse in 10 years.
City crews began readying snow
removal equipment at 1;30 a. m.
Sunday and started the mammoth
clean-up operation at 6 a. m.,
Ishlng up with snow removal
NUmday night about 11 p. m. Sand
trucks were out again on the streets
on Monday night and city crews are
|Stlll cleaning catch basins where the
snow has melted, said Mayor John
Henry Moss.
49niere were no power outages as
le result of the winter storm amd
ity police department reported only
o minor wrecks occuring during
e weekend.
Weathermen were predicting
:cumulatlons of from one to three
Inches of snow in the Piedmont
OaroUnas.
Most stores and businesses
operated with abbreviated crews
during the day Monday. Some
churches cancelled Sunday morning
services.
School kids took a long holiday and
played.
Some Industries closed, for the
first time ever.
The worst winter storm In recent
memory paralyzed North Carolina,
chilling much of the state with
bitter-cold temperatures and
dropping up to one foot of snow
across a wide area of the state.
"The city commissioners and I are
quite proud of the outstanding Job
our crews have done during the
recent snow storms,” said the
Mayor.
But while motorists were cursing
the snow, the young people of the
city were suddenly struck creative.
Sunday the consistency of the snow
made snowmen and snowballs
Impossible to fashion. But Monday
and Tuesday, after a freeze and sun
shine the snow was Just right.
Around the city there were reports
of snow sculpting that would make
an su^st proud. A lady called to tell
us people on Phifer CIr. In the Oak
Grove section had created from
■low a large Scottie dog and an
Ekikimo.
On Oansler St. Don and Robbie
McAbee went a little more com
mercial with their snow creation of
the Incredible Hulk - a giant
figure bursting out of his clothes.
The McAbees even colored the
figure green.
Linda Ann McDaniel, age 12,
raked up the snow In her yard — 109
N. Sims St. — and fashioned two
small horses and a wagon. She
submitted an Instant photo In color
of her creation and herself seated In
the snow wagon, but. alas, color
pictures do not reproduce too well In
black and white.
Over on Linwood Rd. someone
built a curvy snow woman and on
Waco Rd. there stood a seven foot
high Polar Bear.
Seven young people got together
on Northwoods Dr. and built a huge
Igloo with three entrances and
tunnels clear through.
other
the
Hiere were many, many
snow creations dotting
cityscape, but we mention only the
few called In to the Mirror-Herald
offices.
Will we get another chance to be
creative with a fresh batch of snow?
Ask the weatherman.
The city’s permit to discharge
waste water has been approved for
the next (our years by the Division of
Eki virmimental Management of the
Department of Natural Resources
and Community Development.
The renewal becomes effective
April 1 and expires midnight Dec. 81,
1983.
It was signed under date of Jan.
30th by A. F. McRorle, director. In
compliance with provisions of N. C.
General Statute 148-216-1.
The city operates a four million
gallon wastewater treatment
facility at Pilot Oeek and a one
million gallon waste treatment plant
at McGill Creek In Broad River
Basin.
"We are very pleased to have
these permits renewed,” said Mayor
John Henry Moss. "This permit
means with a five million edacity
tor waste water treatment Kings
Mountain will continue Its solid
program of development to build
new houses, businesses and In
dustry, community facilities such as
churches and other needed com
munity facilities.”
Elaborating on Kings Mountain’s
waste treatment facilities. Mayor
Moss explained with five million
gallon capacity the city boasts a two
million gallon surplus capacity,
noting that the cost of building the
two waste treatment facilities today
would approximate 1.42 gallons or $7
million.
The average household In Kings
Mountain uses 100 gallons per day
per person and cost per person for
waste treatment over a year’s
period is $9.00. Kings Mountain has a
number of Industrial waste
customers in the city’s waste treat
ment facility with capability of
handling In compliance with EPA
regulations. With the city’s surplus
capacity, this also means op
portunities tor Jobs, said the mayor.
Under the city’s permit to dis
charge wastewater under the
National Pollutant Discharge
saimlnatlon System, the city of
Kings Mountain la authorised to
discharge wastewater from a
facility located at Pilot Branch
wastewater treatment facility In
receiving waters of Buffalo Creek in
Broad River Basin.
The city Is also authorised to
continue operation of a 4.0 MGD
extended aeration type wastewater
treatment facility located at
Cleveland County and discharge
from said treatment works Into
Buffalo Oeek.
The city Is also authorized to
discharge waste water from a
facility located at McGill Creek
waste water treatment plant to
receiving waters at McGill Creek In
Catawba River Basin and to con
tinue operation of a 1.0 MGD ex
tended aeration type waste water
treatment facility located at
Oeveland County and discharge
from said treatment works Into
McGlU Oeek.
Info Wanted
The Kings Mountain Police
Department Is looking (or Informa
tion concerning a hit and run In
cident on W. Mountain St. last
Friday night.
The incident occurred about 7; 80
p. m. in front of West School. A white
vehicle traveling east on W.
Mountain sldeswlped two cars and a
truck, all of them parked, and
continued on. Police said there was
considerable damage to all three
vehicles.
Anyone with Information con
cerning this Incident Is asked to call
KMPD at 789-8686.
Bloodmobile Visit Is Monday
Plan Program
The Red Cross bloodmobile will
return to Kings Mountain Monday
tor a one-day collection at Beth-
ware School.
Donors will be processed from 11
a. m. until 4;80 p. m. In Bethware
Gymnasium In a visit sponsored by
Bethware Parent-Teacher
Organization.
Talent Show
Twenty-one groups of Bethware
students will perform In Thursday
(tonight’s) Talent Show at 7 p. m. In
Bethware School Auditorium.
Admission Is $1 (or adults and 60
cents tor students. Members of the
Psu'ent-Teacher Organization will
have refreshments available In the
gymnasium at Intermlcaiuii time.
Public Hearing
GROVER — The con'rr■^•ersy still
exists In this town cf 300-plus
registered voters on the numb.*r of
members the town board will
comprise.
Public hearing on resolution of
Intent to up membership on the
board by creating districts has been
called by Mayor W. W. MeParter
and the board of commissioners for
Monday night at 7 p,.,m- in'Council
Chambers. b <
Mr. and Mrs. Allen Jolley will give
the program at Monday night’s
meeting of Kings Mountain
Woman's CTub.
Class Makeup
Kings Mountain Gymnastics Club
has scheduled makeup classes tor
missed classes due to snow tor Sat.,
Feb. 24th.
According to Colleen Smith, In
structor, the 3; 18 to 4 p. m. classes
will iqeet from 10 until 11 a. m.
Sahmfey morning, the 6 to l| p. m.
classes w^ll meet from 11 a. m. until
JA jnodi)'Satu rday.