Parent
upset with
School Board's decision
4A
best at
KM teacher
Ole Miss
6A
If the shoe
fits, you
are lucky
See Jim Heffner's column, 4A
Your Hometown |
Newspaper Yore bey
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VOI. 108 NO. 24 Thursday, June 20, 1991 Kings Mountain, N.C. 25 5
22%
Soy one citizen speaks at public hearin LEE
KM PEOPLE > ! : Ee
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KM Fire Department holds a
special place in Plato Heavner's
heart.
Because of health reasons, Plato,
75, didn't get to visit with his
friends at the fire department on
his birthday Saturday but he talked
about those "good ole days," remi-
niscing with his family of the good
times shared with them and with
his fire-fighting buddies.
Plato joined KMFD in 1963
when Glee A. Bridges was mayor
and Floyd Thornburg was fire chief
as one of only four paid firemen
and when firemen worked shifts of
24 hours on and 24 hours off. The
biggest fire he recalled during his
early fire-fighting experience was
the big fire on North Cansler Street
which razed the Herndon ware-
house.
The comraderie of the depart-
ment then and now is what
Heavner likes to talk about as he
recuperates at home with his wife,
Louise.
Eleven family members, includ-
ing son and daughter-in-law, Jim
and Pam Heavner from Chapel
Hill; daughter, Carolyn Warlick
from Cary; and grandchildren
Craig and Marilou McFarlene from
Corte Maderia, Calif., Casey and
Wendy Heavner from
Alexandria, Va. and Charles and
Lori Warlick from Cary and Clark
Trivett of Raleigh cut a birthday
PLATO HEAVNER.
‘Plato fener 75, loves
KMFD and collecting caps
cake and Jim Heavner took the oc-
casion to give his father $75 worth
of McDonald's coupons he could
use to share coffee with the mormn-
ing breakfast club which numerous
retired citizens enjoy on a daily ba-
sis at the local restaurant. Sunday
morning brunch was highlighted
by the showing of a video from the
birthday party. The family also
looked back at growing up years in
Kings Mountain through pictures
which showed the fun they shared
with their father in his hobby of
raising rabbits, pigeons and goats.
The grandchildren brought Plato
more baseball caps to add to his
growing collection. One of the
caps was topped with a fan.
Pushing the button resulted in cool
air to Plato's face.
Born on Church Street June 9,
1916 one of five children of the
late F. F. and Minnie Mauney
Heavner, Plato attended Kings
Mountain High School. With the
advent of World War II he quit
school and went to work in Oak
Ridge, Tennessee and moved back
to Kings Mountain in 1945. Plato
and Louise Allen Heavner were
married at Second Baptist Church
September 3, 1948. They had met
in a church group. Plato was 22
and Louise was 20 when they tied
he knot. Louise kids her husband
that he was going to the church
See Heavner, 5-A
Parkdale buys Tultex
Parkdale Mills has purchased
Tultex Yarn operations in Lowell
and Kings Mountain, according to
a joint statement by officials of
Tultex, headquartered in
Martinsville, Va. and Parkdale,
headquartered in Gastonia.
"Due to an internal overcapacity
of yarn manufacturing, Tultex has
been searching for a suitable buyer
for these two plants. Parkdale be-
came an ideal buyer because of the
proximity of their Kings Mountain
and Ranlo operations,” said Henry
Moore, General Manager of Yarn
Manufacturing for Tultex and
Anderson Warlick, President of
Parkdale.
Parkdale currently operates 11 of
its 16 plants in Gaston County.
Parkdale operates a local mill in
Kings Mountain where Mark
Sanders is new plant manager.
"By selling these plants, we can
ensure a more stable work schedule
for employees and better facility
utilization at our remaining yarn
manufacturing plants,” said Moore.
"Our Kings Mountain and Lowell
employees will be provided greater
opportunities as well under the
Parkdale organization. Parkdale is
one of the best in the sales yarn
business."
"This is a good opportunity for
Parkdale to acquire two well-run,
well-maintained operations, added
Parkdale President Warlick. "These
operations give us the ability to
seek other markets."
Max Huntley of Gastonia,
Parkdale's Vice President of
Manufacturing, was not available
for comment.
Purchase price was not dis-
closed.
Only one private citizen--former
city commissioner Jim Childers--
spoke up at Tuesday night's public
hearing on Kings Mountain's
proposed $17 million budget, ob-
jecting to city council's plan to cut
pay raises to city employees.
"We need to leave the tax rate as
it is and give the raises and keep
our good employees," said
Childers.
The new budget calls for a one
cent decrease in the property tax
rate--due to Cleveland County's
property revaluation this year--
from 37 to 36 cents per $100.
The budget recommends the an-
nual 2.5 percent merit increase for
employees who qualify.
Council will be asked to formal-
ly adopt the budget at Tuesday
night's meeting at 7:30 p.m. at city
$1.8 million
sub-station
to be built
City officials will break ground
Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. for the
new North Gaston Street electrical
_.sub-station., 4
The event will mark the start of
construction work on three electri
cal bond projects totaling
$1,870,000.
Mayor Kyle Smith and Utility
Chairman Al Moretz, assisted by
utility commissioners Fred Finger
and Elvin Greene, and Community
Services Director Tom Howard
will lead the brief ceremonies, to
which the public is invited.
The site is located one block
north of Central School on a vacant
lot which is being cleared of kudzu
this week.
The electric projects also include
construction of one other small
sub-station and line work.
Harrison Wright is general con-
tractor for the construction and his
crews have completed site prepara-
tion, moving earth and working on
towers this week.
KAY BARKER
HAROLD J. PHILLIPS
"We need to
leave the tax rate
as it is and give
the raises and
keep our good
employees."
Jim Childers
hall but City Manager George.
Wood is recommending that the
board not set the tax rate until the
General Assembly finishes with
the state budget.
"Once you set a tax rate you
have to stick with it," said Wood,
in presenting his budget proposal.
"We don't know how much money
we will be getting from the state
and normally we receive about
$470,000."
Wood advised a
complete its consi
budget for 1991-92 duu wen put it
on hold if he doesn't hear by
Tuesday what the House and
Senate conference committees
have come up with on appropria-
tions to municipalities. By state
law, local governments must have
budgets in place by July 1 but
Wood says the local board can
adopt an interim budget.
Faced with the state budget
crunch, the recession and a big loss
in water, sewer, gas and electric
revenues over the past year, the
city is looking for ways to increase.
revenues in the upcoming budget.
An increase of 12 percent in wa-
ter and sewer rates is proposed in
the budget. Beginning June 30
See Council, 5-A
ELECTRICAL WORK UNDERWAY-A lineman works on a line on North Piedmont Avenue. The city
will break ground Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. for a new electrical sub-station on North Gaston Street, a
major piece of electrical construction. Harrison-Wright is contractor for the electrical improvements
which are paid for by bond monies.
KM's Barker is best in the state
A Kings Mountain woman who pioneered a child-
support program copied by the state has won the
prestigious "Employee of the Year" award from
among 4,000 social services workers in the state.
Kay Barker, of Brookwood Drive, said she was
surprised to receive the award at the recent state con-
vention in Raleigh. She gave the credit to the people
she serves.
Her colleagues in the Gaston County Department
of Social Services know she can claim some tri-
umphs for herself. As the department's eligibility
programs administrator, she supervises 112 employ-
ees who see 30,000 welfare recipients annually.
Besides the child support enforcement program,
Barker has worked to simplify welfare forms for al-
prove state guidelines for food stamps.
"She was superior in every category,” said Betsy
Heflin, of Mecklenburg County, chairman of the state
selection committee.
Social Services Director John Blair cited Barker's
compassion for the poor and her innovative leader-
ship in setting up a system to find fathers and force
them to pay child support. Gaston, which now col-
lects $3.5 million a year in child support, became a
ready-stressed clients and to reduce errors and im-
model for the state in the 1970s when Barker moved
to Kings Mountain and went to work in Gastonia.
She had taught at Swannanoa Juvenile Evaluation
Center, at St. Genevieve of the Pines in Asheville
and at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Institute. She
had also worked as a social worker in Buncombe
County two years from 1966-68.
See Barker, 5-A
Former KM Councilman Harold Phillips, 72, dies
Harold J. Phillips, 72, of 202
Juniper St., died before he.could
run again for city council, a job he
loved.
The former District 6, commis-
sioner, who served from 1985-89
and one two-year term in the early
1950s, died June 13, 1991 at 8:50
a.m. at Carolinas Medical Center in
Charlotte.
A native of Cherokee County, S.
C., he was retired mill superinfen-
dent at the old Craftspun Yarns
plant.
"I've lost a friend," said City
Commissioner Fred Finger, of
Ward 5. "Harold worked hard for
the city and for, not only the people
in his own ward but those all over
town, always following through on
any request big or small."
Phillips was an avid supporter of
the city manager form of govern-
ment and was on the board when
interviews were made and the first
city manager hired in the new city
manager form of government. "He
was very vocal when he supported
something and worked toward his
goals.”
Active in White Plains Shrine
Club, Phillips was a big booster of
Shrine- sponsored activities for
children, pushed the jail-a-thon on
Mountaineer Days for crippled and
burned children and the big
Shriners barbecue. He was also ac-
tive in Fairview Lodge 339
AF&AM and a veteran of U. S.
Army service during World War II.
He was son of the late David and
Dova Sparks Phillips and was mar-
ried to Edna Bookout Phillips, who
survives. He was a member of First
Baptist Church.
Phillips was defeated in his re-
election bid in the last city runoff
election but said after the vote to-
tals had been counted that he
would support the winner and
would come back again to run for
office.
Surviving, in addition to his
wife, are one son, Tim Willis of
Kings Mountain; and nieces and
nephews: Devin and Kelia Willis,
Eddie and Judy Robbs, Mike and
Roxanne Gaffney, Jonathan and
Susan Hollifield, Joy and Carl
Larson, Beth Yarboro, Etta
Clippard, and James and Johnanna
Robbs.
Graveside services with Masonic
rites were held June 15 at 2 p.m. at
Mountain Rest Cemetery. Dr. John
Sloan and Rev. Dale Thornburg of-
ficiated