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School,
Coun
Smith To Chair
Lake Authority
Realtor Joseph R. Smith was elected Chairman: and
postal employee Jeff Gregory was elected Vice-
Chairman of the Kings Mountain Lake Authority at an
; eorganizational meeting of the
Authority Tuesday.
Other members of the board, which
serves on appointment of Mayor
Kyle Smith and City Council, are
huck Ballew, M. C. Pruett, Paul
edford, and Councilmen Harold
Phillips and J. D. Barrett. Pruett and
Ledford are hold-over members
whose terms expire Dec. 31, 1990.
Terms of Ballew, Smith and Gregory
expire Dec. 31, 1991 and terms of
Phillips and Barrett expire Dec. 31,
SMITH
1992.
It was the first formal meeting of the group since
June 27, 1987.
Lake Officer Phil Witherspoon will continue as sec-
retary of the Authority which was created to oversee
the operation of the city's reservoir and set fees for
recreational use of the lake.
"How much is Moss Lake worth today?" asked
Pruett who said he had served on the board since its in-
ception and guessed the lake's worth at about $40 mil-
lion.
Paul Ledford, also a veteran member of the board,
said Moss Lake "is the city's greatest asset” and re-
called the Lake Authority began by "operating on a
shoe string."
Presenting a brief history, Witherspoon said Moss
Lake was filled up in 1974. Kings Mountain owns
2,050 acres of which approximately 1600 is under wa-
ter with a 57 mile shoreline. There is a buffer strip of
approximately eight feet elevation around the lake.
The city had to prove it could control the entire shore-
line before the state would allow recreation on the
lake. The city has authority to limit or stop recreation
if detrimental to the water supply. Witherspoon said
taxpayers of Kings Mountain are paying off the bonds
seallsd to build the lake and the original Lake Authority
felt that recreation should pay for itself. Witherspoon
said that fees haven't changed much over the years and
increased use of the lake has increased income to the
city. The city employs two full time officers at the lake
and two seasonal office personnel from March until
September when the office is open 10 hours a day sev-
en days a week.
The city employed 13 people last summer at the
beach and concession area, including two supervisors
and three lifeguards. Beach and concessions brought in
$24, 440 last summer and expenses amounted to
$20,000, he said. Total Lake Authority income in
1988-89 was $139, 393.04 and expenditures were
$129, 382.06.
See Lake, 2-A
Photo by Gary Stewart
VOTES IN BOND REFERENDUM. Wanza Davis, retired finance officer in Kings Mountain District
SENG, casts her void Tudsday at Kasih Ehret vo odiaiary pred inet in dhe $40 million specialibond refersn-
, dum for Cleveland County schools and county government building construction. Voters overwhelmingly
approved the bonds county-wide but in Kings Mountain the margin of support was 4-1. With only 18 per-
cent of registered voters casting ballots, both bond issues passed overwhelmingly. :
Cabaniss To Chair CC Board
onds Appro\
Cleveland County commissioners Monday elected
Vice Chairman Joe Cabaniss as Chairman, succeeding
the late L. E. Hinnant, and elected Coleman Goforth as
Vice-Chairman.
Cabaniss has served as Vice Chairman since his
election to the county board last November.
Cabaniss is Executive Vice President of Old Stone
+ Bank in Shelby. Goforth is a Stoney Point community
dairy farmer.
County commissioners are expected to choose a
new member to fill the unexpired term of the late L. E.
Hinnant, retired banker from Kings Mountain, at the
May 1 meeting. Cabaniss said the recommendation for
Hinnant's replacement is expected to come from the
Cleveland County Democratic Executive Committee.
Should the Executive Committee present the names of
more than one person for consideration, the members
of the commission will vote on the replacement.
L. E. (Josh) Hinnant, 16-year veteran of
the Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners, was instrumental in Kings
Mountain industrial development as co-
chairman of the town's first Economic
Development Commission.
The well-known county board chairman
and civic and community leader died April
12 of an apparent heart attack.
"Josh possessed the rare ability of "let's get
together for progress,” said former mayor
John Henry Moss who appointed Hinnant
and now-Senator J. Ollie Harris to head the
city's first Economic Development
Commission many years ago.
"Josh Hinnant made Kings Mountain a
better place to live because of his assistance
in bringing industry and good jobs into our
community and he was a big asset to John
Henry Moss in development of Moss Lake,"
said Harris.
~ "Josh was also concerned with matters that
enhance the quality of life for the citizens of
Cleveland County. He will be greatly
| L.E. 'Josh’ Hinnant Is Dead
missed," said Moss.
Joyce Cashion, who served from Kings
Mountain as the first woman on the
Cleveland County Board of Commissioners
and was vice-chairman, said that "Josh made
us a good commissioner and a good
chairman. He did a lot for Cleveland County
and for Kings Mountain."
John Henry Moss who appointed Hinnant
and now-Senator J. Ollie Harris to head the
city's first Economic Development
Commission many years ago.
Former County Manager Joe Hendrick,
now County Director of Economic
Development, credited Hinnant with helping
bring such companies as Eaton Corporation,
Globe Manufacturing and Reliance Electric
to Cleveland County.
Hinnant retired two years ago as vice
president and city executive for First Union
National Bank of Kings Mountain.
He was elected to the county commission
in 1972, the first person to serve on the board
from Kings Mountain in 15 years. He served
a four year term and was defeated in 1976.
But in 1977 he was reappointed to replace
the late B. E. Simmons. Hinnant remained on
the board and became chairman in December
1984.
"He worked behind the scenes to bring
industry to the county. He led in a quiet,
dignified manner,” said County Attorney Bob
Yelton.
County leaders praised Hinnant for a
major role in efforts to upgrade and reclassify
job descriptions, resulting in several raises
for county employees. The most recent raises
went into effect in June.
Joe Cabaniss, who served as vice-
chairman with Hinnant since his election last
November to the board, said he "had the
privilege of knowing Hinnant over the years
as a successful banker and community leader.
He was very active in the county and very
successful in serving the county in a manner
that attracted additional industry for the
L.E. HINNANT
School Bonds Pass
4-1 In KM District
Cleveland County voters overwhelmingly approved
borrowing $40 million in bonds Tuesday for school
improvements and government buildings and by mar-
gins of 4-1 in Kings Mountain and 3-1 county-wide.
"Obviously we are
very, very pleased,” See Chart
Page 3-A
said Kings Mountain
Schools Supt. Bob
McRae. "Every i
precinct in the county except one voted for the school
bonds which says to us that people are interested in
schools. Although the percentage of yes votes was
great all over the county in Kings Mountain it was
even better," he said.
The money will be used for a variety of construction
projects in Kings Mountain District Schools, Shelby
Schools, Cleveland County schools and Cleveland
County government office buildings, including expan-
sion of the county jail and addition of new courtrooms.
Only 18.41% of the county's 40,082 registered vot-
ers went to the polls. In Kings Mountain 12% of regis-
tered voters went to the polls. All four Kings Mountain
precincts strongly supported the bonds.
Dr. McRae said the Kings Mountain School District
will be moving on construction plans this summer as
soon as architect's drawing are approved from the
state. Kings Mountain plans to use $4.5 million of its
$10.5 million share of the bonds to expand the junior
and senior high schools to convert to a 6-8 and 9-12
grade level systems. Once the state approves archi-
tects's drawing and the projects go out to bid the board
is looking at an August 1990 completion date. An ar-
chitect will then be selected for the next project, the re-
placing of the 1915 buildings at Grover School, in-
cluding the present auditorium and building which
houses the office and library. "This will be a tight
schedule," he said. Asbestos removal at North School
is a big project expected to be completed this sum-
mer." When we get down to doing design work at the
Grover plant the board of education will need to make
a final Gecision on elementary Ritondancs lines, ihe
said.
The ponds amiovel Tuesday will Benchil Kings
Mountain, Shelby and Cleveland County Schools and
will be repaid with two existing sales taxes and the
school's facilities fund.
The $30 million bond issue for the schools passed
5,854 to 1,350. The $10 million issue for county gov-
ernment buildings passed 5,615 to 1,525.
"The three school systems and the county worked
together to get the vote out and to make the public
aware how the bonds would be paid with no increase
in taxes. We had tremendous support from employees
of the systems and citizens of Kings Mountain and the
whole county," said McRae.
Of the county's 26 voting precincts, only Casar in
the northeast went against the bond issue.
See Vote, 2-A
Alexander To Head
Heart Business Blitz
Mrs. Ruby Alexander will serve
as chairman of Business Blitz, a
one-day campaign in the business
district April 27 for benefit of the
American Heart Association.
The goal of the #
business-to-busi-
ness canvass is f
$1,000 and vol-
unteers will be
calling on busi-
nesses for dona-
tions between the |
hours of 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m.
Other members
of the fund-rais- ALEXANDER
ing committee are Grady Howard,
Bobby Maner, Darrell Austin,
Odus Smith, Ann Moss, Vickie
Smith, and Ronnie Franks.
"We encourage every business to
make a donation to this special ef-
Successor To Be Named
The late L. E. (Josh) Hinnant's
successor on the Cleveland County
Board of Commissioners is expected to
be nominated at a meeting of the
County Democratic Executive
Committee April 27 at 7 p.m. at the
Cleveland County Law Enforcement
Building.
Letters went out to the 60 members
of the committee, including two
members from each of the county's 24
precincts, the party's five officers and
all elected officials in the county this
week.
Rob Deaton, who chairs the County
Democratic party, will preside at the
county Democratic convention in
Shelby this Saturday where new
officers are to be elected. Tommy
Holland of Boiling Springs is running
for the chairman's seat and Karen
Bennett of Kings Mountain is running
for the position of first vice chairman.
While talk is publicly subdued out of
respect for Hinnant's family the rumor
mill was grinding out names of
possible successors to Hinnant who
had a little over a year left on his four
year term.
Joyce Cashion, former board vice
chairman who served four years and
lost her bid for re-election last year, is
being mentioned as a possible
successor and says she would welcome
serving on the board again. Other
contendors mentioned locally ‘were
those of former mayor John Henry
Moss and insuranceman-realtor Larry
fort for the American Heart
See Josh, 2-A Association," said Mrs. Alexander.
INSIDE AT A GLANCE
Community News............. 9-B
Hamrick Sr. Also mentioned locally Si Rta ee 32 8 ®
were the names of Bobby Rogers, of erode es Sars Wins weeyie - S
Shelby, party district chairman, former Food sean eiva'slen's vie en haves etna sien 5-C .
commissioner Gene LeGrand and Obituaries..............cc.oeuees 8-A Moun
Ralph Gilbert who was third highest Religion........i.....0..ccobicen. 6-B
vote-getter in the race for the county School News................... 6-A Excellent
commission last November. Gilbert, of Sports 1B
Fallston; fells his strongishowingiin the © fT Ne rath
ain hoe nd | Weddings... ies 1c | Teacher
consideration. He does not feel that the
fact he is not from Kings mountain
should be a factor in the decision. "I
think my appointment would probably Page 10-A
satisfy a majority of the electors in PAGES TODAY
Cleveland County,” he said. "I was " .
beaten in the general election and Josh Cloudy Thireday 30% chance
was beaten in the primary.” As for of Si Srundersionns:
ow 70's. Low, low to mi
See Hinnant, 2-A Bom.