RA TR TE TE I,
Kings Mountain slugger Paul
Brannon is negotiating a contract
~ with the Seattle Mariners after be-
ing chosen early in the fourth round
of Monday's Major League baseball
draft.
~The all-time North Carolina
home run king was the 79th player
| chosen and was the top pick among
North Carolina high school players.
! Mickey Henson, a pitcher from
~ Belmont South Point who formerly
lived in Kings Mountain, was cho-
sen in the fourth round by the Texas
~ Rangers and signed a contract late
~ Tuesday afternoon.
Brannon, who was contacted
during the recent high school season
by 23 of the 26 major league teams,
said if he signs he will be assigned
to a Seattle farm team in Tempe,
Ariz., or Bellingham, Wash.
Brannon earlier in the season
signed a full scholarship with Wake
Forest, which he said he will honor
unless he receives a sizeable bonus
from the Mariners.
Brannon is the first Kings
Mountain baseball player to be
drafted out of high school. Richard
Gold, who played here in the six-
ties, was drafted by the Chicago
Cubs his senior year at Florida
State, where he was an All-
American second baseman.
Brannon said he was happy to be
drafted in the fourth round and felt
like he'd be taken by either Seattle
or Pittsburgh. Minnesota, Baltimore
and the Chicago Cubs were the only
teams that did not scout Brannon.
Brannon clubbed a state record
41 home runs and 119 runs batted in
during his three-year prep career.
He hit a state record 20 homers last
spring and added 16 this year to go
with five he hit as a sophomore. He
hit .488 his junior year and .536 this
KM's Paul Brannon Drafted By Seattle Mar
year. He was walked 19 times, most
of them intentionally. His 41
homers placed him seventh on the
all-time national home run list.
He was All-Southwestern 3-A
Conference last year and SWC
Player of the Year this season. He
was an All-State selection last sea-
son and is expected to be named to
that team again this year and is
among the leading contenders for
State Player of the Year.
Brannon said he's been told that
he'll play first, third or leftfield in
college or the pros. He played first
1
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1990 1989
Rain trace 97
Max. 1 day trace (2) .84 (5)
Yr. todate 24.25 20.77
Min. temp. 56 (4) 65 (30)
Max. temp. 84 (4) 98 (1)
‘Avg. temp. 69.8 79.9
VOL. 102 NO. 23
Thursday, May 31, 1990
KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. 28086
at four precincts-went to the
‘Tuesday and joined thei
Cleveland County neighbors
supporting Ralph Gilber
Lawndale for the Democratic nom
ination for county commissi
Charlotte for the Democratic nomi:
; “nation to the U. S. Senate.
over Cleveland County, as 26.2%
polls. Election officials said that
; people are eligible.
42 voted at a Bo re rat
‘and former mayor Harvey Gantt of
~The voter turnout was light all :
of registered voters went to the
7,265 people voted and 27 232 =
~ At the four Kings Mout
: precincts, 298 voters turned out at
East precinct at the Community
Center where 1,968 are registered;
City's 1990- 91 Budget Down
But Sanitation Fees Expected
Although higher utility rates are
not projected in this year's $16.88
million city budget-down from
$17.2 million from last year be-
cause of fewer capital projects-they
are coming in the form of sanita-
tion fees, probably by Jan. 1,1990,
and then this time next year in an
additional 10% hike to water and
sewer customers for sewage treat-
ment when the new Crowders
Creek Wastewater treatment plant
becomes operational.
City Council took a look at the
budget, which does not include the
$9.2 million bond monies approved
by citizens, at Tuesday night's pub-
lic hearing at which no one spoke
in opposition. A work session has
been set by Council for June 19 at
7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers.
"This is just an indication that
the cost of environmental protec-
tion are being borne more and
more at the local level, with the
state and federal governments
mandating ever more stringent re-
quirements, which in turn raises
our cost to meet them," said City
Manager George Wood in his bud-
get message.
Cleveland County will be pass-
ing along landfill dumping fees to
Sub-Station
Discussion
ls Expected
A recommendation on the pro-
posed site for a new high voltage
sub-station is expected at Tuesday's
meeting of the Kings Mountain
Utilities Committee.
City Engineer Tom Howard said
the meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. at
City Hall.
City officials, acting on recom-
mendation of consulting engineers
and Duke Power Company, had
suggested the Davidson Park area
as the site for the new sub-station.
The project hit a snag, however,
when property owners objected
strongly to the site and said they
would force litigation with the city
if the city moved ahead with plans.
Duke Power officials came to
Kings Mountain two weeks ago for
"We will have to pass the
tipping cost on to city cus-
tomers or consider a 2.5
1 cent tax increase..."
--George Wood
the city by Jan. 1, 1990 which
Council will probably implement
at that time to city residents on util-
ity bills. The 10% water and sewer
hike reflected in the 1991-92 bud-
get will include payments to
Gastonia for treating McGill plant
sewage. And, another reason for
the utility increase a year from now
is that the city will begin making
principal payments on the water
and sewer bonds that are financing
needed improvements.
"While we can forego any in-
creases to utility customers in this
year's budget, the city will have to
have an increase a year from now
to take care of these obligations
and after that, we should be able to
look at annual or biannual infla-
tionary increases as Gastonia ad-
justs its rates from year to year,"
said Wood.
At year-end, the city reports
$1,454 450 in fund balances, which
represents, he said, an increase of
$80,000.
The budget retains the same 37-
cent tax rate, which was reduced
by one cent last year to help offset
last year's revaluation by Gaston
County. About 5 percent of the
city's tax base is in Gaston County.
"We will have to pass the tipping
cost on to city customers or consid-
er a 2.5 cent tax increase to gener-
ate close to the $57,500 we esti-
mate for one-half year's cost at the
county landfill," Wood said. "This
cost is merely to cover then
garbage disposal of $9 per ton,
See Budget, 12-A
Schools To Hire Firm
Kings Mountain Board of
Education voted unanimously
Monday night to redraw elemen-
tary school attendance lines, end-
ing a nearly-two year struggle on
the issue to achieve racial balance
and turning down request by some
parents at the meeting to call an-
other public hearing and give par-
ents a say in the redistricting plans.
"I'd love to be able to offer
that,"said board member Bil.y
King, "but right now I don't see a
fair and unbiased way of doing
that."
The board proposed hiring a out-
of-town consultant to redraw lines
but say the changes won't occur
until probably the 1992-93 school
year.
King said he believed his mo-
tion, seconded by Priscilla Mauney
and approved unanimously, was a
LCOMDIomise. Parents at the meet-
Jang disagreed.
"If 1t means people's kids will be
bused across town, it will upset a
lot of parents, " said Ben Poole,
president of West PTO. A large
group of West and East School par-
ents and teachers were in the
crowd that overflowed the board
room at the school administrative
offices.
By agreeing to keep open all K-
5 schools, the board disagreed
unanimously with a school com-
mittee report released two weeks
ago that urged the board to close
East and West Schools and expand
North, Bethware and Grover
school to take care of the elemen-
tary enrollment. The special com-
mittee was appointed by the board
four months ago.
May 28, board members said
they preferred the choice they for-
mally made Monday night. Four
parents and three school board
members spoke briefly before
Chairman Doyle Campbell called
for a vote.
"I'm glad it's over. I'm pleased
the board has made a decision,"
said Supt. Bob McRae.
"We're ready to move on,"
member Billy Houze.
Poole said West parents would
support the board's action if West:
parents had input into drawing up
new boundaries.
Allan Propst, a member of the
17-member committee recom-
mending the consolidation of five
schools at three expanded campus-
said
BUILDING GOING UP-An addition to Grover’ s Town Hall is going up in Grover. Workmen have set
the foundation, poured the flooring and were laying brick and blocks on Tuesday at the site. Cecil Willis
| and sub-contractors are pictured. The project will be phased out over a two-year period.
{ To Do Re-Districting
ing."
"Too many biases will be
involved if the board allows
parental input in redistriet-
--Billy King
es, asked for another public hear-
ing for community input. "We feel
we're entitled to openness and pub-
lic input and we feel the board
doesn't understand fully the impact
of their decision on the schools
system today and in future years,"
he said. "When the public hearing
was held at East School 18 months
ago, the question was not raised
about redistricting. That hearing
was on the question of whether to
close East Schoof, not on a total
district reorganization. Another
public hearing will clear the air and
give the public an appraisal of the
facts, including the costs. Let the
matter be aired properly. The
crowd here tonight represents a tip
of the iceberg of what could occur
in six months time when the matter
crops up again about redistricting."
Clyde Kerns, of Route 6, told
the board he wasn't sold on either
recommendation. "Taxpayers are
entitled to having questions an-
swered about the projected costs of
either project,” he declared.
"Parents were aghast when they
learned their kids may be bused
across town to other schools,” said
Poole.
Lynn Mauney, of 301 N.
Roxford Road, said she was proud
to be a graduate mother of the
school system. She reminded the
board that 10 years ago she was a
member of the Blue Ribbon Study
committee which favored the
three-school concept. "Before that
the State Department of Public
Instruction recommended the same
thing," she said. "You're passing
the buck to the next set of parents
10-15 years down the road who
will be facing this same decision
again. Is this the best use of the tax
dollars?" she asked. "We voted for
you because we felt you had the vi-
sion for the school system and
could meet challenges head-on.
People will support you if you al-
Grover Tax Rate To Stay
At Current 29-Cent Level
GROVER-Residents can look
forward to the same tax rate-29
cents per $100 valuation-in the
1990-91 budget which the Town
Board adopted Monday night.
The budget calls for an increase
in revenues and expenditures from
$326,488.62 to $359,152, result of
an increased property evaluation.
Biggest item in the budget is
revenue from water and sewer in
projected amount of $100,000 and
$68,803.00 in franchise taxes.
Capital outlay included in the
budget calls for improvements to
an addition to Town Hall, which
will be phased out over a period of
time, and $11,000 in improvements
to the new park.
City employees received a cost-
of-living adjustment.
low them a voice in the process,"
she said.
King gave the opinion that five
schools were as cost effective as
three and that East and West prop-
erties would not bring as much
money, if sold. "I'm comfortable
with how this board has ap-
proached this subject. We have the
best interest of the kids at heart.
We have solicited community in-
put at two public bearings. one
“held at Kings Mountain High
School some time ago and the oth-
er held just last August at East
School."
"Too many biases will be in-
volved if the board allows parental
input in redistricting," he said.
"We've heard the public and we
think the majority of the public ap-
proves of keeping all K-5 schools
open.
King then made the motion to
redistrict to correct the racial im-
balance and keep the K-5 organiza-
tion as is at five schools.
"We're not looking at either a
good or bad choice tonight. Both
have merit,"said Campbell.
"I'm ready to see the issue end-
ed,” said Houze. He said over-
whelming public opinion decided
the issue.
"This is not the will of the peo-
ple. The public is not getting a
chance to see what this means,"
said Propst.
Some East parents and East
teacher Mike Smith, a member of
the study commission, applauded
the board's action.
In other action of the special ses-
sion, the board voted to rebid
plumbing contracts for the Grover
School classroom project on rec-
ommendation of board attorney
Scott Cloninger. One of the local
bidders disqualified by the board
had protested that minority partici-
pation qualified him as a bidder.
Cloninger and the State Attorney
General's office agreed.
In other business Monday,
+The board adopted résolution
approving the reduced speed limit
on Highway 29 (now named M. H.
Camp Highway to honor the late
councilman Camp) from 55 miles
per hour to 44 miles per hour, in
compliance with state request.
+Set public hearing for July 2 at
7 p.m. on annexation requests of
33 residents living in the area of
Hardin Circle and Highway 226 in
the area of Grover's treatment plant
and cemetery. The annexation will
also take in the city's treatment
plant and pump stations as well as
the cemetery, all outside-city prop-
erties. :