/
Kings Mountain Gymnast
To Compete In State Meet
PAGE 2B -
B
a GARR
ee
a
= 7
3)
— Since 1889 —
ountaiu
5
ol
= 7 |
, mio
i iE BVINJL He a ob
Nome Chanthapheng Dance | az
Tells A Message ® an
PAGE2C | =
= oR
J AN |
of mR
w ORO
y =i
« OH
0). ZF
{ sari
{ No
| w >t
Oo << HH
| xD HW
a. 0
>
wi
VOL. 101 NUMBER 4
ings JI
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1989
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA 25°
Building Burns At KMG Minerals
Damage In The Thousands
Fire Burns Bu
An electrical shortage may have
caused the fire which leveled the
maintenance building of KMG
Minerals Inc. Moss Plant Sunday
night where damages were "substan-
tial" and losses will be in the thou-
sands of dollars.
Hugh Lancaster, Vice President of
the Grover Road firm, said winds
More Donations Needed
KM Pool Shoots
blowing away from the plant and
the fast work of Bethlehem Fire
Department, with assistance from
Grover, Oak Grove, Kings
Mountain and No. 3 firemen, kept
the fire from spreading to the pro-
duction facility which remained un-
scathed by the blaze. The mainte-
nance building was unoccupied at
ild
the time. There were no injuries.
Cleveland County dispatcher
David Dodd said the fire call came
in at 7:55 p.m. He dispatched the
Bethlehem and Grover volunteer
fire departments to the scene. More
help was requested and five
pumpers and 50 firemen responded
to the scene of the fire at 1433
i
PHOTO BY LEM LYNCH
ing At KMG
Grover Road.By 9 p.m. the fire was
extinguished but firemen remained
on the scene during the night.
The fire destroyed the mainte-
nance shop building, miscellaneous
small equipment and eight to 10
pieces of heavy equipment includ-
ing fork lifts, a front end loader, fu-
Turn To Page 3-A
a
Gas Rates
re Increased
By C.T. CARPENTER JR.
"I hate to say this, but I make the
motion to approve adoption of the
resolution,” Council Member
Humes Houston said last night as
council voted to "track" an increase
in natural gas rates for the city's cus-
tomers.
Ward 2 member Houston's reluc-
tance to go along with ("track")
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Corp. (Transco), the city's trans-
porter and largest supplier of natural
gas, in it's request for a rate increase
made to the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) on
last Dec. 30th and to be effective for
gas purchased on Feb. 1 and there-
after, was also shown by the other
council members: They hesitated
several moments before allowing
the veteran of the group to "do the
honors."
The vote was 5-0 in favor. Mayor
Pro Tem Norma Bridges, presiding
in the absence of Mayor Kyle
Smith, was unable to cast a ballot.
(Mayor Smith spoke to the Kings
Mountain Lions Club, which meets
on the same nights as council (2nd
and 4th Tuesdays), on the Feb. 7th
bond referendum.)
"This increase will cost us an ad-
ditional $44,415.90 (projected) for
next month's purchases,” Manager
George Wood told council, "and our
budget is based upon rates allowing
us to collect enough revenue to op-
erate at a profit: We cannot absorb
Pamphlet Promoting
|Passage Of Bonds
Kings Mountain Citizens For General Obligation
this kind of loss."
Council agreed.
Transco's rate increase request to
FERC was announced to the city in
a letter of January 9th and goes into
effect immediately (on purchases in
Feb.) while the federal agency acts
upon it. The new rates will show on
March 1st billing, for gas local cus-
tomers use in February (and which
KM will pay for on March billing
from Transco). :
The Transco increase was 42.5¢
per DT (dekatherm - 4,000 cu. ft.
approximately), which translates to
4.25¢ per CCF (100 cu. ft.) increase
across the board in costs and it has
been the policy to "track" purchase-
cost-increases to assure the utility
maintains adequate revenues, the
resolution states.
The new rates mean that a resi-
dential customer who used 111 CCF
(100 cubic feet), average usage of
the 2,028 city residential customers,
in his billing period according to
Feb. meter reading, will be billed on
March 1st for $63.83, an increase of
$1.30 over the previous cost and
some 2.09 percent higher.
Charles Heath, of Shelby, the
city's natural gas consultant, intro-
duced his son, Scott Heath, of
Shelby. "Scott just recently came in
from the ‘oil patch’ (Houston, Texas)
to join his firm," he said.
Asked to explain Transco's re-
Turn To Page 10-A
For February 14
Opening Date
February 14 is the tentative opening date of Kings
Mountain's new indoor swimming pool and at least 17
new members had joined the 13 already enrolled in an
Amateur Athletic Union this week.
Mrs. Sarah Mayse, who is president of Sharks
Aquatics Club and wife of Dr. Scott Mayse, who head-
ed up the fund drive for Kings Mountain Natatorium,
said that swimming classes will be offered for all ages,
and water aerobics classes are also planned for senior §
citizens. Dr. Mayses has said pre-schoolers through se-
nior citizens will benefit from the facility and he, as a
doctor of internal medicine, is especially interested in
how water can help the handicapped and arthritic citi-
Zens. :
Brian Allen, a former swim coach at the Shelby
Aquatics Club, will be coaching the AAU team and giv-
ing lessons also and registration is being accepted now
by calling Mrs. Mayse.
Painting of the six lanes, finishing the tiles and pour-
ing the water are the remaining touches to be made to
the construction to the natatorium which is expected to
host a wide range of events. Competitive Kings
Mountain swimmers will practice there, beginning Feb.
14, though they will continue to team with Shelby
swimmers when challenging rival swim teams.
The project to construct the indoor pool began in
1982 with a $1,000 gift from the KMHS Senior class.
Fundraising began in 1985 for $830,000 and a second
drive for$880,000 is underway. Indoor Pool
Foundation, which sponsored the drive, hopes to raise
the remaining funds through gifts and memberships.
The Natatorium will be called the Katherine Neisler
Natatorium, whose husband, Paul M. Neisler,Sr. wa an
avid supporter of Kings Mountain High School sports.
Tentative date for dedication of the facility is Feb.
26. Neisler Natatorium is located on the campus of
Kings Mountain Senior High School.
HEADS CHAMBER-Bobby Maner, left, Kings Mountain insuranceman, is congratulated as the
new President of the Chamber of Commerce by outgoing President Kemp Mauney. The Chamber of
Commerce will push for passage of the upcoming Kings Mountain and Cleveland County bond referen-
dums.
Bonds issued a pamphlet to 3,760 utility customers in
mailings Tuesday that answered questions on the Feb. 7
bond referendum for $9.2 million for utility improve-
ments.
City Manager George Wood and Community
Development Director Gene White prepared the
brochure which detailed the reasons for the upcoming
bond issue and detailed the long-term benefits, how the
bonds will be paid off at a savings of $3,780,045.00 to
the city over the more costly revenue bonds which oth-
erwise might have to be issued if the bond issue fails.
The brochure states that "after decades of service, the
Kings Mountain water, sewer and electrical systems
must be updated and improved. This is a problem that
we can't afford to sit on any longer. Some parts of our
system are over 60 years old and need replacing or re-
pairing. Your vote yes for the utility bonds will ensure
.that these improvements will be made in a cost-effec-
tive manner."
The brochure also noted that" the North Carolina
Department of Natural Resources and Community
Development and the Federal Environmental Protection
Agency are requiring some of the improvements in the
sewer system. The other improvements are required to
assure the reliability of existing services and to allow
for reasonable growth. Unless is city is in full compli-
ance with the State and Federal Discharge Standards by
June 1, 1990, the city will not be allowed to connect
any new residential, commercial or industrial cus-
tomers. Meanwhile, the city must meet interim stan-
dards in order to avoid a complete shutdown on growth
in Kings Mountain."
KM Chamber Of Commerce To Push For Passage Of Bonds
The Chamber of Commerce will push for passage of
two major bond referendums in the county this year:
the $9.2 city referendum and the $40 million county
referendum.
Newly-elected president Bobby Maner told members
attending the annual banquet Monday night that city
and county improvements need to be made this year
and passage of bonds will be the major projects of the
members.
KM Lions Endorse Bond
Obituaries.
Editorial........
SPOTS. cvovv:rssisvivnsracisiosss ees
Classifieds... sieeerrses 3
Engagements......
School News...
Religion.....coveeuseusesseseiens
PAGES TODAY
PLUS TWO INSERTS
Kings Mountain Lions Club
Tuesday night unanimously en-
dorsed the Feb. 7 bond referendum.
The civic club acted on the en-
dorsement after hearing a presenta-
tion by Mayor Kyle Smith.
President John Pettus presented
the mayor who pointed out that the
revenue to repay the proposed $9.2
million will come from increased
water and sewer rates and no prop-
erty tax increase will be necessary
to pay for these bonds. He said that
water and sewer rates have re-
mained low for so many years that
even with the recent increase, they
will be below the average for nearby
cities. Smith said that since industri-
al customers use about 80% of the
water and sewer they will be paying
the overwhelming majority of the
additional cost.
Smith said City Council used a
professional rate consultant, Arthur
Young & Company,to conduct a de-
tailed study and propose rates that
are fair for all types of customers-
residential, commercial, industrial
and those outside the city. To en-
sure, he said, that everyone pays
their fair share ovef 1,200 broken,
After the meeting the board of directors passed
unanimously an endorsement of the county referendum.
The board had previously endorsed the Kings Mountain
referendum. Kings Mountain citizens will be
urged by Chamber members to vote "yes" in the Feb. 7
bond referendum for improvements to the electric, wa-
ter and wastewater systems and will urge county resi-
dents to vote "yes" in the county referendum to provide
for construction of schools and other county buildings
defective, or missing meters were
replaced last fall. The mayor said
that any meters that break in the fu-
ture will be replaced on a regular
basis.
Smith pointed out that on Feb. 7
Kings Mountain citizens will be vot-
ing for a general obligation bond is-
sue to raise the $9.2 million needed
to make the requirement improve-
ments to the utility systems." Your
vote means Kings Mountain will get
better interest rates, saving citizens
$3.7 million over the more costly
revenue bonds which otherwise
might have to be issued."
Child Support Increase:
with date of the referendum to be set following a pub-
lic hearing by the county board of commissioners at the
February meeting.
Maner, Kings Mountain insuranceman, succeeds
Kemp Mauney as president. Other officers are Dr.
Grady Howard Jr. First vice president; Lucille
Williams, office manager, and Grady Howard Sr., part-
Turn To Page 2-A
COMMUNITY FACTS
$3,399,138.92
165.37%
22.32%
1987/88 1987/88
Over 1986/87