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Precipitation os Fem Hd de
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Average Temperature 82.9 83.1
| Gastonia
(Compiled by Kenneth Kitzmiller)
VOL. 101 NUMBER 29.
City Delays D
ecision
On Treatment Plant
BY LIB STEWART
NEWS EDITOR
Kings Mountain City Council
voted unamiously last Thursday
to delay a decision to withdraw
from the proposed regional
Crowders Creek wastewater
treatment plant project until
they could meet with the
Gastonia Council on the project.
The overall financial problems
the city faces because of repairs
and renovations that must be
made to various portions of the
city’s utility systems, was the
reason given for council’s deci-
sion to consider withdrawing
from the project.
District 1 Councilman Al
Moretz, chairman of the three
member utilities Committee
which also includes Councilmen
Humes Houston and Fred
Finger, made the motion that
‘‘out of courtesy to our sister ci-
ty, Gastonia, and since I got a
call today from ‘mayor Jick
Garland asking us to delay our
decision, I move we table this in-
stead of an official vote.”
At presstime this week, Moretz
told the Kings Mountain Herald
that he had not heard back from
Mayor Garland about a meeting
date. “‘I have called several of
the officials and Mayor Garland,
and so far they have not gotten
back with us,” he said.
The Utilities Committee,
which met last Wednesday night,
was prepared to make a motion
to pullout of the project, a move
that Gastonia officials say may
kill the program.
“Kings Mountain is the only
reason for the state grant”, said
Gastonia City Manager Gary
:- Hicks.
Kings Mountain is faced with
an overloaded treatment syste
May Annex
950 Acres
- A move by Gastonia to annex
950 acres along the I-85 corridor
north to Kings Mountain may
switch into high gear if Kings
Mountain does not go along with
a regional sewage treatment
plant at Crowders Creek.
The regional sewage treat-
ment program was to be headed
by Gastonia and to serve Kings
Mountain, Gastonia, Bessemer
City and unincorporated areas in
southwestern Gaston County.
According to an article appear-
ing in the Gastonia Gazette
earlier this week, Gastonia Coun-
cilman Doug Mincey on July 5
asked Gastonia’s city planning
director to look into annexing
land along I-85 corridor to Kings
Mountain. :
“If something were to happen
to the waste treatment plant, we
need to go ahead with our annex-
ation plans,” Mincey was quoted
as saying,
Gastonia has completed plans
for the annexation of property
west of the city’s current boun-
dary. Gastonia officials delayed
annexation earlier this year to
use the $4 million budgeted for
annexation to help fund their por-
tion of the regional sewage treat-
ment plant.
DROUGHT
that has forced the city to stop
granting new hookups for in-
dustry. The city is under court
order to clean up Pilot Creek
plant problems in two years or
face fines of $5,000 per day.
“We can’t afford to wait until
the regional plant comes on line
in 1991,” said Moretz at both the
Wednesday and Thursday night
meetings. ‘‘Our problem is
money and where the most effi-
cient place is to put Kings Moun-
tain dollars”.
The city council’s decision to
stay or pull out of the project is
crucial for southwestern Gaston
County, Gastonia, and Bessemer
City who have worked with Kings
Mountain since last year on the
$26 million proposal.
Moretz said Kings Mountain
must spend $2.1 million to im-
prove and expand its Pilot Creek
On Waste Treatment Plant
wastewater treatment plant to
handle the city’s increasing de-
mand. Kings Mountain’s share of
the Crowder’s Creek project was
to be $3-3.5 million. “We can
spend a lot less and solve our pro-
blems,” he said.
Gastonia was to pay about $4
million on the Crowders Creek
project, Gaston County about
$3.8 million and Bessemer City
about $800,000. The remainder of
the funds were to come from a
$14.1 million state grant. This is
the last year state grant money
will be available.
Gastonia is the lead agency for
the project and along ' with
Gaston County and Bessemer Ci-
ty were to sign a legal agreement
to participate by mid-July. Kings
Mountain city officials had
several closed sessions in the
past weeks discussing legal re-
quirements but since November
have known they were being ask-
ed to make a financial commit-
ment to the project by July 1.
The city entered into an agree-
ment in January to correct pro-
blems at the Pilot Creek plant by
June 1990. That sent Kings Moun-
tain to the top of the priority list
for federal grants administered
by the state. As long as Kings
Mountain might get a grant, the
other governments, at the urging
of former Mayor John Henry
Moss last year, decided to ex-
mayor and a new manager -
council form of government have
since taken place in Kings Moun-
tain.
Moretz, in presenting cost
figures at Thursday’s special
meeting, said that as currently
Turn To Page 5-A ;
Public Hearing Thursday
Public hearing on the Propos-
ed Crowder’s Creek regional
wastewater system will be held
Thursday, July 14, at 7 p.m. in
the Gaston County Courthouse.
A citizens group protesting two
of three proposed sites near U. S.
321 in southern Gaston County is
expected to be present along with
representatives of the four
municipalities involved in the
project - Gaston County,
Gastonia, and Bessemer City.
Mayor Kyle Smith said this
week that he, along with City
SITE NO. 2
CR WOOD RD.
QORTIL GA RoLi
SOUTH CAROLINE.
- — —
— a 2
plore the regional system. A new
Turn To Page 5-A
Proposed sewage plant sites
Jackie Lavender
Principal Ready
For Job
By TODD GOSSETT .
: Kings Mountain Senior High School’s new prin-
| cipal, Jackie Lavender, said she’s ready to go and
looking forward to the challenge of her new job.
. Mrs. Lavender took over the position on July 1.
She replaces Ronnie Wilson, who became the
Kings Mountain School District’s Director of Per-
sonnel on July 1.
Many things will be happening at the high school
next year, Mrs. Lavender said. This, along with
the fact that she’ll still be learning the job, should
make the year challenging, she said.
Among the special things that will be going on at
the school next year are the construction of the
new swimming pool, the ten-year reaccreditation
Schools, and the addition of classrooms to ac-
comodate the ninth grade. “It’s going to be ex-
citing,” she said.
The new principal said she didn’t want to make
any major changes at first, but that she’ll always
want to try to make things better.
The reevaluation that will come with the reac-
| creditation process will give the school some direc-
{tion for improvements, she said.
Curriculum expansion that comes under the
State’s Basic Education Plan will be another thing
Mrs. Lavender will have to deal with in her first
year as principal at.the high school. Specifically,
dance classes will be offered in the school to comp-
ly with the plan. The foreign language program at
the high school will also be expanded, Mrs.
Lavender said. A teacher from the Junior High
Turn To Page 5-A
by the Southern Association of Colleges and
ETS TO BOARD -
Chamber
In Waste
The board of directors of the
Kings Mountain Chamber of
Commerce unanimously voted
This week to encourage City
Council to remain in the propos-
ed Crowders Creek Wastewater
Treatment project.
Kemp Mauney, president, who
has forwarded a letter to city
the Chamber understands the ci-
* ty’s money problems but that the
treatment facility is essential for
the future growth of Kings Moun-
tain and the area.
“For the future programs and
expansion of Kings Mountain,
this is something we're going to
have to have eventually,” says
Mauney. ‘‘Since the grant money
is available now and the plans
are already underway, we should
go ahead if we can. I understand
the city’s budget constraints, but
I’d like to see it pushed forward if
possible.’
Kings Mountain, Bessemer Ci-
ty, Gastonia and Gaston County
had discussed going together in
the $28 million project. Matching
grant money of approximately
$14 million has been offered, and
the four municipalities would
Sherrill Toney, KMSHS
biology teacher, was named
assistant principal at Kings
Mountain Senior High School and
Mary Accor, Central School
language arts teacher, was nam-
ed assistant principal at Kings
Mountain Junior High School by
the Board of Education on Mon-
day night.
Faculties are now complete for
the opening of the Fall term of
school on Aug. 22. Teachers
report to work on Aug. 13.
FLOOD
during the drought. =
Kings Mountain’s
water source, Moss
Lake, is limited on-
ly by treatment ca-
pacity and the
amount pumped to
town, says Water
Department Head —
Walt Ollis. The Z
local community
did not suffer dur- —_=*
ing the drought of "agg
1986 and Ollis says
he anticipates ‘no
problems.” Cur-
rently, the water ——
Turn To Page 9-A
By LIB STEWART
Even though this summer is shaping up to be one of the hot-
test and driest periods ever, Kings Mountain residents have
been faring well — —=— _—— ——=
The 1980’s will long be remembered as the decade of
droughts, and with good reason. Farmlands, orchards,
By ROBERT L. WILLIAMS
gardens, and lawns
are parched from
the heat and lack of
moisture, and wa-
ter shortages are
as commonplace
now as rationing
was in wartime.
But the droughts
of the modern era
- cannot compare
with the vengeance
Mother Nature un-
leashed upon Gas-
ton County 72 years
ago. On July 14,
1916, a massive
rainstorm stalled
Turn To Page 9-A
Toney joined the Kings Moun-
tain District Schools as Seventh
grade mathematics teacher at
Central School in 1969.
Accor joined the Kings Moun-
tain District Schools at Grover
School in 1979.
New teaching contracts were
issued to Sherry Bingham,
Allyson Carswell, Grace
Costner, Addie Crocker, Patricia
Davis, Linda Foust, Sarah Gard-
ner, Cynthia Hoi Hovis, Susan
King, Tony Leigh, Craig Mayes,
Lisa Neisler, John Toms, and
Judy Shisnant. The board also
employed Jerry Edmondson as a
custodian and Daryl Strong as a
teacher assistant.
Resignations were accepted
from Anita Thompson, art
teacher; Dennis Martin,
agriculture teacher; and Charles
Ramsey, maintenance director.
Teachers transferred to other
positions were Paul Bolt,
Bethware Physical Education
department; John Bumgardner,
Senior High social studies; Diane
Dooley, Senior High physical
Ralph S. Messera, City
Bessemer City, said Thursday he hopes Kings Mountain will par-
ticipate in the regional sewer plant but agreed with Council they
have to do what is best for Kings Mountain.
City Remain
‘council, Mayor Kyle Smith and
City Manager one Wood. said
_ding is that whether the people of
Toney, Accor Named
In School Promotions
Re ET ER
anager of
Urges
Project
share the approximately $14
million remaining costs.
Kings Mountain’s share has
been estimated at $3.5 million,
for which the city would receive
approximately two million
gallons of sewage treatment per
day. Some Kings Mountain city .
officials have mentioned that the
city could expand its Pilot Creek + ~
facility for less money and at the
same time receive more treat-
ment capacity.
“I’d like to see us do both,”
said Mauney. ‘The Chamber
really hasn’t discussed the pro-
posed bond issue (to provide im-
provements at Pilot Creek) but'I
think we would be in favor of the
bond issue too. My understan-
Kings Mountain vote for a bond
or not, there is going to be a bond
issue. If they vote to do it, it will
be a cheaper rate. I understand
the budget constraints and they
(city council) have to do what
they can afford. But I would like
to see them do the Crowder’s
Creek project too.”
In his letter to city officials,
Mauney said the Crowder’s
Turn To Page 5-A
iN
ACCOR TONEY
education; Barbara Lovelace,
Senior High social studies;
Charles Helms, Junior High
business lab; Patsy Rountree,
Senior High home economics; .
and Barbara Starnes, senior high
secretary.
The Board held an executive
session after the regular
business meeting to discuss per-
sonnel.
In other actions, the board:
Heard report from Assistant
Supt. Larry Allen that Kings
Mountain students are ‘hanging
in” and ‘‘doing well’’ on achieve-
ment tests. He said the same for-
mat for the California Achieve-
ment Test was used in 1988 and
compared 1986 second graders
one point below grade level to
one month ahead of grade level
in the third grade. ‘Our students
are achieving consistently and if
you track the years and compare
the progress you can readily see
that Kings Mountain students are
a point ahead of the national
Turn To Page 5-A