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VOL. 101 NUMBER 2
n
A public hearing has been called by the Kings
‘Mountain Board of Education for Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
B. N. Barnes Auditorium to discuss changes in ele-
entary attendance lines to achieve racial balance.
Meeting Tuesday night for a special two-hour work
sion, school board members agreed they want to
ove the fewest number possible.
Vice Chairman Doyle Campbell told The Herald
Vednesday moins that of all the scenarios, one that
huffled, the estimated balance would be 28 percent mi-
Bethware, 30 percent at East and 26 percent at
ently at East School, 56 percent of the study
n fe minority.
ew scenarios to consider by Board
ill McDaniel. One of the scenarios involved
and East Schools and would achieve a
23 and 30 percent racial balance at all
Visitors at the meeting ‘encouraged the board to p
and equitable to all.
Student population of the five elementary schools in
tal of 3800 students system-wide, including Central,
KM Junior High and KM Senior High Schools.
f ; "We talked about how transfers would affect racial
od balances and busing times between districts," said
| Campbell. Supt. Bob McRae told board members that
Ii “none of the plans would affect faculty or staff consider-
\ ably since overall student populations would remain
ig -about the same at all the schools.
Board members said whatever their final decision
would be it was virtually guaranteed some opposition.
They encourage a large turnout at Barnes Auditorium
for the public hearing.
"We invite all input and we want to achieve the best
balance" said Campbell who said the question came up
this year when school officials reported that 56 percent
of East's 263 students were black in a district where mi-
nority enrollment averages about 26 percent.Only 14
percent of Bethware's 445 student body are black.
Committee To Promote
KM Bond Referendum
An 11-person committee appointed by Mayor Kyle
Smith met at city hall Thursday night to formulate plans
to promote passage of the upcoming $9.2 million gener-
al obligation bond issue to be voted on by Kings
Mountain citizens on Feb. 7th.
The. money, if approved by the voters, will be spent
on three systems: 1) water treatment, storage and distri-
bution; 2) wastewater (sewer) collection, treatment and
discharge; and 3) electric substations rebuilding and
distribution. :
"One of the most important things this city will ever
do is to get this bond issue passed,” Committee
Chairman Harold J. Phillips, ward six council member,
told the group.
Other council members present for the meeting were
Ms. Norma Bridges, ward three, and Al Moretz, ward
one.
Turn To Page 5-A
lay Go Up Too
for the Jan. 24 meeting of the full council, said City
Gas Manager Geor e Wood who asked the council Tuesday
Kings Mountain
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1989
User Fees Not Included In Hike
The Utilities committee is expected to discuss the gas
rates more and the item is expected to be on the agenda
night to authorize a study of the gas system, the last
utility to be the object of long-range scrutiny by profes-
sional teams. The gas study was approved at cost of
29 000 and i is expend to be conducted over the next
% 3 Turn To Page 7-A
Self Bm
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA 25¢
Three proposed new user fees for
water and sewer customers are not
included in the new rates adopted
Tuesday night by the Kings
Mountain City Council.
Mark Dolan of the Arthur Young .
consulting firm in Charlotte detailed
proposed new water and sewer tap
fees and capital expansion charges
pegged to meter sizes during his for-
mal presentation at Tuesday night's
Council meeting before a handful of
citizens, most of them department
heads and reporters.
Dolan also suggested that indus-
trial customers be levied a surcharge
based on pollutant levels in wastew-
ater discharges. However, he said
only two industries would be affect-
ed if the city decided to follow those
recommendations which some cities
are implementing.
Dolan pointed out that the new
sewer rates will increase revenue to
the city of 115 percent and increased
water rates will increase revenue 45
percent. "The city will recover 25
percent of its capital costs through
fixed charges but only 5 percent will
be recovered during the first year,"
he said. "Kings Mountain started
with such a low level of charges for
water and sewer that even with this
large increase Kings Mountain is up
to the averages within this region,"
he said.
Dolan pointed out that the aver-
age customer using 7,000 gallons of
Turn To Page 7-A
School Additions
to achieve system-wide racial balance which was fair ;
We the KM system is estimated at 1500 children with a to- |
Owens. Seated in background is Marcie Hammett,
in the elementary schools at North School.
North School students are serving themselves tanch
now in a self-service program, first of its kind for ele-
mentary students in Kings Mountain District Schools.
The pilot project was initiated Monday, a new con-
cept in School Food Service, and children from Head
Start to 5th grade were enjoying filling their plates with
only what they wanted for lunch.
* "This program is designed to cut food waste and
give students their choice of food while providing them
a nutritious meal," said Food Services Coordinator
Stella Ware ‘who said North was selected as the pilot
project among the five elementary schools in the dis-
trict. Self-service lunchrooms are already in operation
at Central School, Kings Mountain Junior High and
Kings Mountain Senior High School.
Teachers at North School were given children assis-
tance in going down the line at the 30 inch tall gleam-
ing, new ‘steam table, just the right height for the
‘youngsters who were helping themselves to a meat and
three vegetables, milk and rolls. By the third day of op-
eration, however, even the youngest child was having
little difficulty choosing what he or she wanted for
lunch and in filling plates. A few students were taking
more than they wanted to eat but most were "cleaning
their plates,"said Mrs. Ware.
Prior to the opening of the cafeteria this week the
students were given instruction in the classroom on
how to proceed through both sides of the cafeteria line
and how to select their trays, utensils and use dipping
spoons to select their choice of foods.
= FIRST CUSTOMER-First srades Matt ot Pafiorson, right, ple
to pay cashier Dot Gantt. Standing from left are Principal Joey Hopper a a
Goforth, guidance counselor assisting other students with their selections in the first self- ¢
May Be $4.8 Million
Additions to Kings Mountain junior and senior high
schools will probably cost about $4.8 million, architect
Roger Holland told the Board of Education at its
monthly meeting Monday night at the Schools
Administration Building.
The school board is hoping to obtain the money
through passage of a special bond referendum in the
spring. The county-wide referendum, if passed, would
| provide $10.5 million for facility improvements in the
| Kings Mountain system.
Assistant Superintendent Larry Allen told the board
that the schools could have capital improvement money
in hand quicker and make the improvements in about
five years if the bond passes. If the bond fails and the
system has to "pay as you go" through funds from the
Schools Facilities Act and half-cent sales taxes, Kings
Mountain might not realize its total dream of school
construction for about 10 years.
If the bond passes, the system plans to begin con-
struction and improvements at the junior and senior
highs in the summer with hopes of phasing out Central
School as a facility for students in the 1990-91 school
Update On Plant
By C.T. CARPENTER, JR.
George Wood and Tom Howard, city manager and
engineer, gave a progress report last Wednesday night
on the Crowders Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant
project, a joint effort by Gastonia, Kings Mountain,
Bessemer City and Gaston County governments.
"Tom and I attended a meeting this morning of offi-
cials involved in the project Crowders Creek
Wastewater Treatment Plant (CCWWTP) and every-
thing is proceeding nicely. We expect to make our pay-
ment ($500,000) before Labor Day and to have our
flow into the plant perhaps by Jan. '92," Wood reported
at the close of the fifth utilities committee session at
city hall conference room.
"When we begin sending our flow to CCWWTP,
which the city has contracted to do, Kings Mountain
can close up the aging and outdated McGill WWTP on
the eastside of the city and eliminate several of the
pumping stations involved in the McGill usage and be-
gin saving considerable cost of electricity, etc. We'll
keep enough pumping capacity there to be able to con-
tinue in an emergency to divert that flow to the west to
Pilot Creck WWTP near Buffalo Creek," he continued.
The plant will be paid for with a $13,995,359 grant
from North Carolina's portion of EPA (Environmental
Protection Agency) federal funds, $3.8 million from
Gaston County, $800,000 from Bessemer City and
Kings Mountain's half-million, with Gastonia having
agreed to pay the remainder (about $7.4 million against
the latest cost projection of $26.5 million).
The EPA grant is to Kings Mountain because its sew-
erage (wastewater) system is under a judicial order of
consent (JOC) from the state court system for past vio-
lations of EPA regulations. Mayor Kyle Smith and
Wood had to sign an agreement with the court to clean
up the system in order to get a moratorium, that had
prohibited addition of even a single new residential cus-
tomer, lifted.
The amount the city had to spend to correct opera-
tions enough to have the moratorium lifted, according
to Wood, was about $200,000.
Turn To Page 5-A
first grade teacher, and sta
"Elementary students are Katie respo
said Mrs. Ware who observed several s
lunchrooms at elementary schools in th
the Kings Mountain District Board of Educa
its decision to begin the pilot program. "We
fancy train shaped and boat shaped steam tables |
cided on a practical one and will add a milk 3
cream box later," she said. The stainless steel st
bles also include a cash bar stand, tray stand
and chair for the cashier. Mrs: Ware estima
at $10,000...
Supt. Bob McRag, who was on hand f
the self-service facility, said that the
Education will be looking at the progres
School with an eye toward using the same se
lunch program in all elementary school
said that it's possible that when Central Sch
that some of the lunchroom equipment ere
lized in the other elementary schools.
Kings Mountain elementary students
lunch which includes a choice of entre
vegetables, fruit, bread and milk. They may
chase ice cream and crackers from a cash bar
participate in the lunch program. "Eleme
can't just choose to buy milk and ice
lunch,” she said.
Christy Crawford and Deidre Moore, tw
dents enjoying lunch Tuesday, said they ike
system and especially the Carolina blue
steam tables. s
FRIENDS OF LIBRARY-A Kings Mountain Friends of the Library chapter was formed Sundog during
an organizational meeting at Mauney Memorial Library. From left, Librarian Rose Turner, Mrs. Bill
Russell and Gail Silkstone, who led the organizational meeting, discuss plans for another meeting to be held
on the fourth Sunday afternoon in February when new officers will be elected.
WHAT'S INSIDE | [SSSSEeYot VY \
Classifieds . ..... 17-A
Editorials... ...... 4-A || Kings Mountain Fire Department
Entertainment. ...11-B || Yearly Report 1988. )
Faatives sod vie ae alte 1 8 The Kings Mountain Fire Dept
00 es 3 a 8 a 8 3 8 moa won xi answered 184 calls in
Obituaries . . . . . . .. 3-A year 1988.
Religion. ......... 4-B od:
School News. . . .. 10-A lype of Cals Ansveree i h
Sports. .-....... 13-A De .25 Mutual Aid - 4
Weddings ........ 2-B (| nash-9 False Alarms - 20
Wrecks - 12 Misc. - 78
Estimated Damage - $265,700.
PAGES TODAY
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