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VOL. 98 NUMBER 26
+ THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 1985
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
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OUTSTANDING STUDENTS—Brad Jones WW Liza
Blanton, above, won the Outstanding Senior Boy and
Outstanding Senior Girl from the American Legion and
Auxiliary and are congratulated by KMH inci
Ronnie Wilson. & y S Principal
Utility Rates To Rise, Tax Rate Remains 50 Cents
Utility rates could go up slightly next year
but the same tax rate, 50 ee ee
tion, will apply for the 21st straight year.
The city oard of commissioners will hold a
public hearing on the 1985-86 budget at the
June 24th meeting at 7:30 in Council
Campers,
ayor John Henry Moss presented the
1985-86 budget proposal to RS of city
commissioners at noon Friday. The budget
calls for $3,057,678 in expenditures, a 2.8 per-
cent increase over the budget for the current
fiscal year and projects a three percent
salary increase and merit pay raises for city
employees. The raises and merit pay
schedule is effective September 2, if the
board approves the budget, as anticipated at
its June 24th meeting.
In his 21st annual budget address, the
Mayor said that higher expenditures will be
managed without a tax hike by using annual
projogisd savings of $300,000 from a proposed
ydro-electric plant to be built on Moss Lake.
Bridges, Young Head Drive
Moss told the board that slight increases are
expected from Duke Power Company, the ci-
ty’s electricity supplier and from Transco,
the city’s natural gas supplier. No rate in-
crease is expected in water and sewer ser-
vice, he said.;
Moss also said that increased revenue is
expected to come from the Kings Mountain
utilities district which should produce over a
half million dollars in revenue in the coming
year while proposed annexations could
generate new revenue through property
assistance. Some $120,000 is proposed in new
revenues from Moss Lake recreational
facilities, now under construction, and he
said that all these programs are all included
in the budget to replace lost revenues in light
of pending federal cutback programs.
Street improvements are given high priori-
ty in the budget with $500,000 to be designated
for street work. Another big item is $42,000
for a central communication system which is
expected to be installed in early July and will
Grady Howard, general
chairman of the current cam-
paign for funds to construct a
new indoor swimming pool in
Kings Mountain has announc-
ed the appointments of Glee
Bridges and John Young as
co-chairmen of the Major
Gifts Division in the cam-
paign.
Glee Bridges is president of
Bridges Hardware, Inc., of
Kings Mountain. He is a long-
time member of the Kiwanis
Club and currently serves on
the Board of the club.
“I believe,” Bridges said in
accepting the position, “that
this may be the single most
important thing we can do
right now for the entire com-
munity. All our citizens—-from
the youngest to the oldest--
will greatly benefit from the
new pool.”
John Young is city ex-
‘ecutive of First Union Na-
tional Bank in Kings Moun-
tain. Young also serves on the
help improve emergency response time.
UTILITY BUDGET
The Utility budget totals $10,627,379 with 48
percent of the budget for electricity. Gas
operations account for 38 percent of the
budget and water and sewer 14 percent. The
Mayor said the Utility District Fund shows a
4.2 percent decrease compared to this fiscal
year budget. He told the board the newly
created utility district will ‘track’ any rate
hikes made by Duke Power or Transco.
GENERAL
The general operating budget for the city
accounts for $3 million in the proposed
budget. :
CAPITAL
Over one third of the $305,000 proposed for
capital improvements will go for construc-
tion of new water, sewer and electrical lines
and Mayor Moss told the board that he wants
the city to become more involved in power
generation and distribution as a revenue
alternative to property taxes.
and in addition is a member
of the Board of the Kings
Mountain Indoor Pool Foun-
dation, Inc. The Foundation
is a North Carolina chartered
non-profit corporation and is
the sponsoring organization
for the campaign.
“Of the many benefits that
could be talked about that
HYDRO PLANT
A consultant working on a plan for the con-
struction of a new hydroelectric plant on
Moss Lake is to present a report to the board
of commissioners at the June 11th meeting.
The proposed plant would be a 1,000 to 1,500
kilowatt facility on the lake and would be us-
ed to provide electrical power for some of the
city departments. The Mayor said a savings
of $300,000 annually could be realized, reduc-
ing the amoung of power the city buys from
Duke.
A copy of the proposed budget is available
for inspection in City Clerk Joe McDaniel’s
office. ;
In other action:
The board moved the date of the next
meeting from Monday, June 10th, to Tues-
day, July 11th and authorized curbing and
guttering improvements and added
Pinehurst Drive, Southridge Drive and
Kingswood Court to schedules for paving.
‘came when Early picked him off third base to
wr 1Jake Early, Former Major )
" League Catcher, Dead
Jake Willard Early, an All-Star major
league catcher who put Kings Mountain on
the baseball map during the 1930’s and 1940s,
died Friday in Melbourne, Fla. He was 70.
Early, a Kings Mountain native who had
been living in Florida since 1964, was regard-
ed as the best catcher of the knuckleball and
as the catcher with the best throwing arm
when he caught for the Washington Senators,
St. Louis Browns and other major league
teams between 1939 and 1950. He caught the
entire Major League All-Star game in 1946.
His career was interrupted briefly during
World War II when he was drafted into the
U.S. Army Special Forces and served in the -
Battle of the Bulge.
Early returned to Kings Mountain follow-
ing his retirement from baseball and coached
on several levels. He helped build a strong
American Legion program in Kings Moun-
tain in the mid-fifties and also played for and
coached the Charlotte Hornets. He also serv-
ed the city as recreation director and a police
officer.
His Kings Mountain players, friends and
fans remembered him well as a strong-
armed catcher.
David Hughes, who pitched for Early in
legion ball here, said he often caught batting
ractice and game situations. ‘You could
ave a runner on first and third and, without
even moving from his catching position, he
could look at the runner on third and throw to
first and pick the man off,” he said.
Hall of Famer Ted Williams of the Boston 3
Red Sox said in his autobiography that his
most embarrassing moment in baseball
end a ballgame in which the Red Sox were
trailing the Senators by one run.
Dave Baity, Early’s uncle and a
newspaperman, said that when he was small
that he remembered eating Wheaties at
Jake’s. “Back then,” he recalled, ‘General
Mills sent a case of the cereal to every major
league baseball player who hit a home run,
and he must have been a pretty good hitter
because we always had a lot of Wheaties.”
Early signed his first pro contract in 1931
during his junior year at Kings Mountain
High School. He reported to spring training
the following year and joined the Charlotte
Hornets, then a farm team of the Senators.
Early made the Senators’ major league
roster in 1939 and played with them until 1943
when he was drafted into the Army. After
World War II, he returned to major league
ball until the early 1950’s, when he returned
to Kings Mountain.
Board of the Kiwanis ‘Club
JAKE EARLY
A memorial service was held Saturday at
Brownlie and Maxwell Funeral Home in
Melbourne, Fla. A mass was held Monday at
Our Lady of Loudes Catholic Church and
burial was in Brevard Memorial Park
cemetery in Melbourne.
He is survived by his wife, Mildred Sullivan
Early of Melbourne, Fla.; one daughter,
Judith Anne Lusty of Atlanta, Ga.; two sons,
Robert Early of Bowling Green, Ohio, and
Jake W. Early Jr. of Tallahassee, Fla. ; three
sisters, Eloise Baity and Minnie Murray,
both of Kings Mountain, and Mary Ware of
Gastonia; seven grandchildren; and four
great-grandchildren.
“this 'iew pool will provide,”
Young said, ‘‘one of the most
important will be that of
/ therapy through swimming [8
| for the handicapped.’
Tema orl the on
special” equipment for the
bo
assistance of the elderly and
handicapped in entering and
leaving the pool as well as a
depth of only three feet at the
shallow end to provide safety
in the therapy programs.
Walkways from the park-
ing lot to the two main en-
trances, both main entrances
with their airlocks, and the
pool sides will all be at
ground level, with no difficult
steps or slopes to impede pro-
gress for those in wheelchairs
or those with prosthetic
assistance.
Turn To Page 3-A
Grover
Approves
Project
Bids for an expansion and
renovation project of Grover
Town Hall are expected to be
let in about two weeks follow-
ing action by the town board
Monday night.
Jeff Roark, representing
Architectural Design Group
of Shelby, presented a budget
estimate of $29,100, First
phase of the project, which
will include an extension of
the existing town hall to pro-
vide more storage space, a
new roof and improvements
to the entrance.
Roark was authorized to
complete drawings for the
project.
Mayor Bill McCarter said
the second phase of construc-
tion would include a 3,000 sq.
ft. community room and new
administrative office space.
McCarter said the second
phase of construction is in the
future, ‘‘maybe 10° to 20
years.”
Preliminary set of plans is
available to sub-contractors
in the town office. Board
members said they wanted to
employ a general contractor
for the work who would sub-
contract masonry, carpentry
and roofing phases of the
Turn To Page 7-A
RI Mr.
Class fof 1985, prese
PN a a WA i
RY,
Gamble Stadium. The class supplied funds to purchase a new
scoreboard for the football stadium.
280 Receives Diplomas
At KMSHS Graduation
The Class of 1985 of Kings
Mountain Senior High receiv-
ed diplomas Tuesday night
just minutes before a sum-
mer storm which resulted in
some power outage in the
area, rain and hail in most
sections of the city.
Members of the Class of
1985 led the program in John
Gamble Memorial Stadium
and a total of 280 graduates
received their diplomas
before a large crowd of fami-
ly and friends. ;
A scoreboard for the foot-
ball stadium was the class
gift and it was accepted by
W.B. McDaniel, chairman of
the KM Board of Education.
The Kings Mountain Senior
High Choral Union sang
“Reach For Your Star’’ and
‘““Encore.”’
Seniors participating on the
program were Stephanie
Moss, who gave the invoca-
tion; Eric Bradley Jones,
who presented the Class of
1985; Tony Lynn Goforth,
who recognized honor
graduates; Maury Williams,
who made the class gift
presentation; and Leonard
Byers who gave the benedic-
tion.
Principal Ronnie Wilson,
assisted by Supt. William F.
Davis and Lisa Michelle
Buchanan, chief marshal,
presented the diplomas.
Members of the Class of
1985 are:
Y’vette Adams, Robert Ap-
pling, Stephen Bagwell,
Rodney Ballew, Shane
Barnes, Randy Barrett,
Timothy Barrett, Audrey C.
Bell, Keith Bell, Wanda
Denise Bell, Calvin Lavon
Bess, Tracy Bess, Timothy
Biddix, Robert Black, Angela
Blackwell, Cindy Blackwell,
Edward Blanton, Liza Blan-
ton, Pamela Blanton, Sandra
Blanton, James Boheler, Jo
Anna Boheler, Robin Bolin,
David Bowen, Al Brackett,
Kendrick Breakfield, Marty
Bridges, Jill Brooks, Tracey
Turn To Page 4-A
Incorporation
Plan Dies
Bethlehem community
residents killed their plans
for incorporation Saturday
when only a handful of
citizens attended a meeting
on the issue and voted 13-8 not
to hold a referendum.
“It’s over, if Kings Moun-
tain wants us they can have
us,” said Kim Stinchcomb of
the White Plains community,
who chaired the meeting at
the Bethlehem Volunteer
Fire Department.
An incorporation plan, if
approved, would have af-
fected 2,500 people who live in
the areas of Bethlehem,
White Plains, El Bethel, Mid-
pines, and Crocker com-
munities, outside the city
limits.
Senator Ollie Harris,
D-Cleveland, of Kings Moun-
tain, had introduced a bill for
incorporation but after the
meeting he said he would
drop that legislation.
On Dec. 10, the city board
of commissioners passed a
resolution of consideration
outlining the broad
Bethlehem community area
under consideration for an-
nexation. City officials have
speculated it may be 20 years
before the area would be con-
sidered. The city, under law,
can specify the target areas
in December 1986.
ck A i 1 asorer of the KMHS
ntg T0e ciass gift to bul McDaniel, 5
a
choo? 7 a
board’ chairman, during Tuesday’s graduation exercises at