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- Since 1889 -
Diana and Larry Allen
A Handy Couple
1-B
VOL. 104 NO. 25
costs at
‘1 million
By RENEE WALSER
Of The Herald Staff
Fire caused more than a million -
dollars in damage to the Patterson
plant of KMG Minerals, Inc., on
North Cansler Street Tuesday’
morning,
Kings Mountain Fire
Department Chief Frank Burns said
the fire was reported at 4:52 a.m.
and the arrival time at of fire fight-
ers at the scene was 4:58 a.m.
The fire was in the Oak Grove
district, however, Burns said seven
area fire departments responded
with about 150 men. .
Herbert Bierman, manager of the
company's legal department, said
the main portion of the production
facilities was destroyed. KMG pro-
duces mica and the Patterson facili-
ty is responsible for grinding and
drying.
Bierman said the start and cause
of the fire were still under investi-
gation late Tuesday. The State
Bureau of Investigation was on the
scene. §
"There have been no determina-
tions," Bierman said. "Arson is not
a major concern at this point."
Burns and Bierman said that the
presence of the SBI was routine in
‘a fire of this size. :
Bierman said there was some
speculation” that the cause was re-
lated to a failure of a compressor.
Four employees were present at
the time the fire broke out but there
were no injuries. Bierman said
KMG employs 200 workers and 16
work at the Patterson plant.
"We do extensive safety instruc-
tion and it paid off," said Bierman.
"We can replace a plant as long as
no one was hurt."
ursday, June 18, 1992
5% P
- A fireman hoses down what is left of the processing portion of the KMG Mineral Inc, Patterson Plant on
North Cansler Street Tuesday after a fire swept through the plant causing over one million dollars in dam-
age. Four workers were present when the fire broke out but there were no injuries.
It's Moving Day for West School staff this week as teachers vacate classrooms at the old Central
School and move into the new school on West Mountain Street. Jodi McDaniel, left,
and Sylvia Neisler, kindergarten teacher,
rival of students in the fall.
Philip's CD plant
sold to Polygram
Global record and entertainment
group, PolyGram, has acquired the
Philips compact disc (CD) plant lo-
cated near Kings Mountain.
Previously known as Philips and
Dupont Optical Co. (PDO), then
Philips Optical Media Corp., the
plant produced approximately 50
million CD's during 1991. The new
company will be known as
PolyGram Manufacturing and
Distribution Centers inc.
Commenting on the acquisition,
PolyGram's ‘executive vice-
president and chief financial offi-
cer, Jim Cook said,"We have estab-
lished a significant and successful
record business in the United
States for which it is vital that we
have a guaranteed, fast, and eco-
nomical supply of product.
Acquisition of the Kings Mountain
plant achieves these objectives and
will satisfy PolyGram's demand for
CD output in the USA."
Cook said that in addition to ful-
filling all of PolyGram's CD needs
in the United States the King
Mountain plant will continue to
supply discs to third parties.
Local plant manager Jim
Crawley ‘said,"PolyGram has been
a key customer for our plant since
we began operations in 1986.
Becoming a part of PolyGram's
world-wide manufacturing opera-
tions will strengthen our position in
the CD business. This added
strength will mean much to our
third party customers, our employ-
ees, and the community."
See Philips, 3-A
second grade teacher,
put up supplies in one spacious classroom almost ready. for ar-
Kings Mountain, N.C. 28a
City cost-savir
brightens bud
Cost-saving measures brighten
the city budget picture.
A new garbage transfer station
under construction on North
Piedmont Avenue will save the city
thousands of dollars, said City
Manager George Wood during a
budget presentation Tuesday night.
For city sanitation workers, a
round trip to the county landfill is
about 35 miles. Multiply that by
four city garbage trucks, each tak-
ing one trip a day, five day a week.
Fully loaded, those garbage trucks
get less than five miles per gallon
of gasoline. Gas costs alone are
tremendous, said Wood.
Once the transfer station is on
line the first week in July, a con-
tractor will be hired to haul large
loads of garbage to the landfill,
cutting trips to the landfill from 20
to three. The city will also be con-
solidating routes, resulting in two
less employees who won't lose
their jobs, he said. Savings on
gasoline and truck maintenance
should amount to $50,000 in the
coming fiscal year after construc-
tion costs are paid.
With the new plan, none of the
city's trucks will leave the city lim-
its. :
Another plus in the new budget
PHts-an increasyin the water and sew-
er fund, result of a iaie hike
Kings Mountain customers in April
to pay for use of the new
Crowders Creek Waste Treatment
Plant. The increase represents 5.01
percent, from $3,752,560 to
$3,942,132. or $189,572.00. The
electric fund should also increase
5.3 percent, from $5,643,432.00
last year to a proposed
See Budget, 9-A
——
E USA
Tuesday night's budget
by City Council was ‘sparse
tended. Only one private citizeil,
Clayvon Kelly, posed a question.
Why is the city spending $19,000
to redo ordinances in a recession
year when there are no funds to
give raises to employees?
Kelly's question came after a
budget presentation by City
Manager George Wood who said
that the proposed $18.2 million
budget includes no tax increase,
no utility increases, and no cost-
of-living raises but does include
merit raises for eligible employ-
ees. Wood said the priorities set by
council at a spring planning meet-
ing are all budgeted for 1992-93,
"We put off redoing ordinances
for three years. There are serious
deficiencies in the outdated ordi-
nances that could result in legal
problems for the city, said Wood.
. Defending the council's priori-
ties; Mayor Scott Neisler said em. |
Ployeeswiibreceive a 2 HZ pen 4
, cent merit raise. Raising the
y propeity tax one cent would only
‘contribute about $25,000 of the
$37,000 needed for raises, he said.
"The Council has correctly.
identified problem areas,” said
Wood. He said that the city's poli-
Cy on raises is not in line with
what other municipalities have
See Hearing, 9-A
West School on the move
Asst. Supt. of Kings Mountain
Schools Larry Allen said,
"Everything's moving nicely," in
the move of West School from
Central, its temporary home for the
last year, back to its original cam-
pus.
Teachers boxed up their equip-
ment and paraphernalia before
school was out, and movers are
now transporting the boxes to each
room at West.
Some teachers have already put
things in place at the new building,
Allen said.
"We think we'll be moving the
office this week," said Allen. "We
allocated three to four weeks to
completely transpose the sites."
Allen said things should be
ready well in advance for the re-
turn of students on August 17.
West Principal Sherrill Toney
said the new building provided 14
classrooms, a media center, a cafe-
teria with stage, kitchen area and
offices.
"We can put all K through 5, re-
source and Chapter 1 in the new
building," he said. :
Art, music, Spanish, P.E. and
See West, 13-A
100 students to attend summer school
Officials estimate about 100 stu-
dents will participate in the state-
funded summer school for students
in grades 3, 6 and 8.
These are students who scored
below the 25th percentile on the
California Achievement Test and
who failed the Minimym Skills
Diagnostic Test.
The state-funded summer school
will be held at East Elementary
Kings Mountain People he
School and will begin at 8 a.m. and
end at 1 p.m. Transportation and
lunch will be provided.
Starting date for state-funded
summer school is June 17 and will
last through July 16. July 2 and 3
will be holidays. Testing will be
held on July 15.
Students have a maximum limit
of four absences in order to get
credit for class.
Kings Mountain Middle School
will offer a tuition summer school
for students in grades 6, 7 and 8
who failed math, English or
Academic Skills. The cont is $150.
No transportation or lunch will be
provided. Classes begin at 8 a.m.
and end at 1 p.m.
Subjects that will be offered are
language arts, math and reading.
See School, 2-A
Davis shakes hands with tomorrow
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Harriet Davis' philosophy is that a mind is a terri-
ble thing to waste and in her classroom she promotes:
a spirit of inquiry. :
The Kings Mountain woman, Gaston County's
Teacher of the Year, tells her Holbrook Junior High
students that she wants them to “cut holes to see
through, sing in your own key, build sand castles, and
shake hands with tomorrow."
Holbrook, who has taught school for 25 years and
is head of the Holbrook English Department and
teaches journalism, was lauded for her reading and
writing programs which soon will be available to
schools throughout the state,
In her 18th year at Holbrook, Davis, wifc of Rev.
Bob Davis and mother of three grown sons and also a
grandmother, is known on the campus for, making
sure her students use correct spelling and grammar in
whatever they write--even in other teacher's classes.
Holbrook students had the highest passing rate--97
percentile- of dll Gaston junior highs on the state
writing tests last year, and this year Holbrook's ninth
grade of over 200 students scored 100 percent on
both reading and writing competency tests. Holbrook:
students have been tops in Gaston County for the
past five years but Davis won't take credit alone for
the feat. She says all the teachers work together and
peer tutoring is a factor in the success of the pro-
gram. "We concentrate on what subjects the student.
is low in and work from there,” she said. wt
On the 8th grade state writing test her students
scored high for two straight years and last year
scored 94.6. Last year she went to four Junior Highs
and 11 elementary schools and led workshops on
how to score on the 8th grade state writing test.
Students demonstrated a significantly higher passing
rate on the North Carolina writing test after the work-
See Davis, 13-A
HARRIET DAVIS