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VOL. 101 NO. 35
TVIVNON
Thursday, August 31, 1989
SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS FOR HORNETS FANS-Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn, above,
signs autographs for fans following his address before the Kings Mountain Educational Foundation ban-
quet Monday night at Kings Mountain Senior High School. Mrs. Kyle Smith, wife of the mayor, and KM
Aging Director Monty Thornburg, right, have banquet programs autographed while other Hornet fans
line up after the humorous and inspirational address. More than $6,000 was raised from the fund-raiser
for the Foundation which provides scholarships. See Story on Page 8-A.
Crisis
Ministry | ==
0
THAY INOKWQHId
AdVIHEI
KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. 28086
450 Request
City Services
Owners of Little Dan's, a Grover road business
satellite annexed by the city two years ago, renewed
their request for city water and sewer Tuesday night.
George B. Thomasson, attorney for Roger and
Danny Goforth, presented a petition with names of 450
property owners of the Grover Road area also request-
ing water and sewer from the city.
The Goforths have had equipment stored at the for-
mer Glass Grocery building for over a year waiting for
water hookups to open the business, said Thomasson,
who urged city council to speed up the process.
Thomasson said he could not envision the cost of the
installation expensive to the city since the city al-
ready has water and sewer hookups "across the rail-
road (at the underpass) and it's only a matter of run-
ning it to this property."
Thomasson said the Goforths plan to open a wash-
erette and that a restaurant and car wash may also be
planned in the area. "These folks would like to go on
with progress in this area and want your help," he told
the board.
Ward 6 Councilman Harold Phillips was the only
other person who spoke during the brief presentation.
He asked engineer Tom Howard, Director of
Community Services, to look into the matter and try to
speed up the process.
Council accepted the petition for study and provided
a copy of names of petitioners to City Attorney
Mickey Corry.
See Petition, 11-A
§ With
City Gets Grant
For Signalization
A $75,000 grant from N. C. Department of
Transportation will cover major expenses of signaliza-
tion at Battleground Avenue and Gold Street which
city council approved Tuesday night.
The city cost for the project will amount to about
$20,000 for concrete and poles.
City Community Services Director Tom Howard
recommended the city move forward in correcting
stoplight problems on Gold Street and work to correct
similar problems, less acute, on Mountain Street in
lieu of traffic hazard liability. He cited a recent inci-
dent in which the city was sued but then excused as
defendant in a case involving Norfolk Southern
Railroad and Avondale Mills when a truck was struck
by two trains at the Gold Street crossing.
Howard said the city has been coordinating the re-
placement of the obsolete traffic stoplights on Gold at
Battleground. Not only are the lights obsolete, but he
said they are improperly located with respect to the
traffic lanes, thus, out of compliance with NCDOT
It's Time To Run 7 ="
regulations.
| See Lights, 11-A
A
Walking Track
A Crisis Ministry is being orga-
nized by the Kings Mountain
Ministerial Association at the
Community Center to give assis-
tance to citizens living in the Kings
Mountain Schools District.
A full-time paid director is to be
hired to run the facility which will
operate five days a week from the
* Community Center. A permanent
_ advisory committee is expected to
be named soon and the program
will be developed as funds become
available.
The new program will mean that
citizens needing food, clothing,
money for fuel, etc. will go directly
to the Community Center instead
of channeling their requests
through local ministers and local
churches in the community.
"Since the Food Bank operates
from the Community Center we
want to consolidate all our giving
in one location," said Rev. Ken
George, who is chairing the com-
mittee.
George said the purpose of
Crisis Ministry is to provide assis-
tance for needy citizens in the ar-
eas of financial assistance, medici-
nal needs, counseling and
education through other social ser-
INSIDE AT A GLANCE
READY TO RIDE-These residents of Kings Mountain Convalescent Center, above, are ready to ride on
the new van recently obtained with community donations. From left Shirley Mathis, assistant activity di-
rector; Annie Burris, LPN, Elizabeth Holland, Helen Blanton, Earl McRay, Archie Causey, Esther Bell,
William Pryor, Nel Cook, Horace Barrett and Joan Carroll, activity director.
vice agencies, and groceries in co-
operation with the Food Bank. The
Crisis Ministry will administer the
transient fund to provide automo-
tive, food, and housing needs for
those in need passing through the
community.
George said a tentative program
was approved by ministers and city
officials this week, noting that the
governing board of Crisis Ministry
will consist of two members from
the Ministerial Association, one
member from the City of Kings
Mountain, two members from the
KM Council of Churchwomen, one
member from the Chamber of
Commerce, one social worker from
the KM School District and one
Crisis Ministry director.
The duties of the full-time paid
director will be to recruit volun-
teers, train volunteers, coordinate
other ministries, fund raise and dis-
pense financial need.
The funding is expected to come
from money already budgeted by
churches for local social ministries,
possibly United Way and from spe-
cial projects of local churches.
Recreation committee member
Mearl Valentine said the city has
put plans for a walking track on
hold for 15 years and now it's time
to give the public something they
need. i
He made the statement as the
walking track proposal again came
up at City Hall Tuesday night after
the board voted expenditures for
heavy equipment and during a dis-
cussion about negotiations by the
city and Duke Power for removal _
of transmission lines at the site be-
hind the Community Center.
Ward 1 Councilman Al Moretz
asked if the proposal should be re-
turned to the recreation commis-
sion for more discussions and got
his answer from Valentine who
reminded the board of promises
about a track 15 years ago and as
recently as two years ago when the
matter surfaced about negotiations
with Duke Power on moving pow-
er lines. Moretz was responding to
Hancock's recommendation from
the Parks and Recreation
Commission that the Duke Power
transmission lines remain in place
and that the city request a refund of
the $10,000 paid to Duke on Dec.
4, 1987 and that this amount be
reappropriated to the Parks and
Recreation Department for use in
the project.
Ward 6 Councilman Harold
Phillips agreed with Valentine. "We
have been promising a walking
track for years and it's time to do
something about it," he said.
Recreation Director David
Hancock, in a progress report, said
the LWCR grant assistance for de-
velopment of the track was not
funded by the Department of
Interior and the city is moving to
develop the walking track with city
personnel.
See Track, 11-A
Local Men
Apprehended
Two Kings Mountain men-Olin
Dewitt Thompson,47, of the Oak
Grove Community, and Thomas
Lee Watkins, 44, of the Bethlehem
Community, were picked up on
fugitive warrants Sunday morning
and returned to Columbia, S. C.
Monday where they face charges
of conspiracy to traffic in drugs.
Cleveland County Sheriff's
Department, Kings Mountain
Police and the Special Bureau of
Investigation assisted in the appre-
hension of the suspects who were
turned over to the U. S. Marshall's
Office in Columbia.
City Nearing End Of Missing Money Investigation
Bulletin Board.......4c | Mounties Play
in First Home
Classifieds................ CG e Fri day i
Editorials......c.ccuvrenns 1-B wee
FOO, 1 ii ariiiesennieniss 6-C
Lifestyles........cceeinn 1-C
Obituaries........cceaennes 3-A
Religion.......ccocouiniiean 2-B
SPOrts....cuenniiririrrenins 4-A
Weddings......oonvine 8.C > F
Page 4-A
The Herald Will Be
Closed Monday
Re-Opens 8:30 a.m., Tuesday
The city is close to finishing its investigation into
money missing from the city utility department.
Auditors are still on the job this week but City
Manager George Wood said the investigation should
be completed within about a week.
The State Bureau of Investigation, city police, and
auditors have been investigating since early July alle-
gations of embezzlement of funds. One employee was
fired and was charged with embezzlement and one em-
ployee resigned under fire.
City officials have refused to comment on whether
other employees have been implicated. All evidence is
expected to be turned over to the Cleveland County
district attorney. A Grand Jury will decide whether to
issue indictments.
City officials say the embezzlement went undetected
because of the volume of utility bills-3,700 a month-
made it impossible to check daily bank deposits
against money the city collected.
For several years prior to the installation of comput-
ers, auditors for the city, in annual audit reports, had
called attention to faulty cash handling in the utilities
department and warned that the city's bookkeeping
system could prevent detection of misappropriation of
cash.
Contracts for upcoming utility improvements nade
possible because of the city's recent $6.9 million bond
sale were approved by city council Tuesday.
A $115,000 contract for engineering services for the
$1.8 million utility improvements to Southeastern
Consulting Engineers of Charlotte, longtime city con-
sultants, was approved and a $134,900 contract for en-
gineering design improvements at T. J Ellison Water
Treatment Plant was awarded to W. K. Dickson
Company, the city's longtime consulting engineers.
Included in the Ellison plant improvements will be
sludge handling facilities, I MG clearwell, emergency
generator, and miscellaneous concrete repairs to the
existing facility. The services will include surveying
and mapping, not to exceed $5,000; geotechnical anal-
ysis, not to exceed $5,000; eiectrical load shedding
study, not to exceed $5,000; design phase, $70,000,
lump sum; contract administration of the construction
phase, $22,600 lump sum; and $33,800 for construc-
tion observation if not simultaneous with the wastewa-
ter treatment plant construction.
Contracts For Utility Improvements Ok'd
City Manager George Wood said the city has signed
an amendment to the Judicial Order of Consent with
the state which puts them in a position to save money
on construction costs by taking bids on a joint project
with one contractor such as the Dickson engineerig
firm. The city is under Judicial order to clean up its
treatment plants.
In a related matter, Walt Ollis, Water/Wastewater
Director, in a memorandum, reported that Doug Finan
of the Department of Environmental Management, has
recommended the city drop some of the industries
with minor flow and no process waste water from reg-
ular monitoring. Ollis said the city will continue to
monitor Anvil Knitwear, Spectrum Dyed Yarns,
Clevemont Mills, Kings Plush, Mauney Hosiery Mill,
Philips/Dupont Optical, and Eaton Corporation at Pilot
Creek Plant and will continue to monitor at the McGill
Plant Anvil Knitwear, Buckeye Anodizing, Arnold
Corp. and Riddle Fabric.