| Mountaineers win in
present spring concert = SWC tournament
-A
VOL. 106 NO. 20
Thursday, May 19, 1994
Kings Mountain, NC 28086 « 50¢
City loses three major gas customers
Utilities Committee to talk about rates
A special meeting of the city
utilities committee has been called
with local industry to discuss the
natural gas rates Monday at 5:30
p.m. in the fire department training
room at City Hall.
Director of Community Services
Tom Howard said that representa-
| tives of all industries which buy
natural gas from the city are en-
| couraged to attend.
Industrial leaders, led by the
city's largest users, say that Kings
Mountain is pricing them out of
utilities. This week three of the
major users of gas switched from
gas to fuel oil because they main-
"tain that fuel oil is cheaper than
city gas.
Howard said that Chestnut
Ridge Road residents who want to
buy water from Kings Mountain
are also encouraged to attend the
meeting. Howard will give a cost
estimate for a new water line ex-
tension to serve that area.
Representatives of Grover
Industries are also expected to at-
tend the meeting for an update on a
proposal for Kings Mountain to
treat Grover Industries’ wastewater.
Howard said that county com-
missioners recently approved re-
vised costs for a proposed water-
line at Patrick Mill. The total
construction cost is $25,530 and
Kings Mountain will manage the
contract the work which will be
paid by the county.
Baccalaureate
for seniors
Sunday night
The Kings Mountain Ministerial
Association will sponsor the annu-
al baccalaureate service for Kings
Mountain High School’ graduating
seniors Sunday, May 22 at 7 p.m.
at B.N. Barnes Auditorium.
Dr. John W. Sloan Jr., pastor of
First Baptist Church, will preach
the sermon. Mrs. Sherry Young
will be the pianist.
Members of the Ministerial
Association will lead the service.
Michael Thomas Bell, Senior
Class President, will greet the wor-
shippers and Rev. Bobby Houze,
pastor of New Hope Missionary
Baptist" Church; will lead the invo-
cation and read the Old Testament
‘Jonathan Jones, Minister of
Youth at Oak Grove Baptist
Church, will give his testimony,
and Rev. Shane Doty, Minister of
Youth at First Baptist Church, will
sing "More to This Life."
Chris Westmoreland, Minister of
Youth at Central United Methodist,
will give the benediction.
Mrs. Young will play "Pomp and
Circumstance" by Elgar for the
processional and the recessional.
The service will honor the, 199
members of the graduating class of
Kings Mountain High School, who
will receive their diplomas during
graduation ceremonies Friday, May
29 at John Gamble Stadium.
Officers of the Class of 1994 are
Michael Bell, president; Denyse
Small, vice-president; Chan
Phanthalack, secretary; and
Courtney Goforth, treasurer. The
class flower is the yellow rose, the
class song is "Together Forever"
and the class motto is "In our eyes,
you'll see our will; In our hearts,
you'll find our strength; In our
minds, you'll find tomorrow."
Junior marshals are Amy
Michelle Dixon, chief; Heather
See Service, 2-A
Kings Mountain Friday afternoon.
Big
Cyclers are bunched as the Tour DuPont bicycle race comes through the Patterson Grove section of
Three of the city's biggest customers of natural gas
have switched from gas to fuel oil.
Interim City Manager Maxine Parsons said that
Spectrum, the city's biggest user of both water and nat-
ural gas, came off Tuesday, following Anvil Knitwear
and Clevemont who had switched to No. 6 fuel oil a
few days ago.
But Hubert Johnson, Spectrum official, said that
Spectrum hopes the City Council will come up with a
"constructive way" to deal with gas rates to keep in-
dustry from going to fuel oil on a permanent basis.
Spectrum switched to No. 4 fuel oil, a move that
had been predicted for several months by plant offi-
cials, turning off excess No. 2 oil in its tanks to put
steam heaters in so it could switch to No. 6 oil, which
day with the city.
Anvil and Clevemont spends approxiamely $500 a
Spectrum pays the city $3500 a day for natural gas
and during the first three months of this year paid the
city $325,000 for gas. In a year's time Spectrum pays
$1.2 million for gas.
Johnson said that once the present tanks are empty
basis.
sewer and gas.
Johnson said is much cheaper than city gas.
Kings Mountain turnout
for Tour DuPont bicycle race
By CHUCK BRIDGES
Summer Intern
About 200 people gathered at
the intersection of Oak Grove Road
and Putnam Lake and Scism Roads
Friday to watch 119 international
cyclists whiz by as part of the top-
ranked non-European race in the
world. Some spectators waited
hours in order to see a minute of
the Tour DuPont.
The race was due at 2:04 in the
afternoon, but was late and came
through at 2:30.
"I expected more bikers," said
race observer Brian Webster.
"When you wait two hours, you ex-
pect to see more than 30 seconds of
race.”
Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov,
wearing the yellow leader's jersey,
was in the lead as the racers came
through the area. The winner of
Don't leave leaves on curb
Grass and leaves left unbagged
at city curbs won't be picked up,
and effective Tuesday, homeown-
ers will be cited $50 for violation:
Karl Moss, the city's
Superintendent of Public Works,
says he doesn't necessarily agree
but it's up to him to enforce the or-
dinances and citizens are being
given seven days notice to comply
or pay the penalties.
Moss said the reason for the
crack down is that grass, leaves
and limbs are being thrown into
curb and gutter system and results
in flooding conditions and many
hours of clean up of the city's
drainage system.
Citizens who have roadside trash
such as limbs, old+appliances,
hagged leaves and bagged grass
may call the Public Works
Department, 734-0333, and get
their names on a work order as a
more expedient way to getting their
trash picked up.
Moss quoted city ordinances
which state under Section 8-53 that
the "city will collect grass clip-
pings and leaves at curbside but
grass clippings and leaves must be
bagged. Leaves will be collected at
curbside unbagged from October 1
through January 30."
Under Section 176-42, the ordi-
nance states that "no person shall
obstruct or in any way interfere
with any gutter, ditch, catch basin
or any other portion of any
drainage system maintained by the
city."
Under Section 16-141, the ordi-
nance states that any person who
shall violate any provision of the
ordinance shall be subject to civil
penalty of $50 to be recovered in a
civil action in the nature of a debt.
If ‘not paid voluntarily within 72
hours after being cited for the vio-
lation, cach day the violation shall
continue to exist after 72 hours
shall constitute a separate offense.”
Moss estimates there are about
See Leaves, 2-A
the previous stage gets to wear the
jersey for a given day's race.
Ekimov went on to win the tour
Sunday and the $40,000 first place
prize.
American Lance Armstrong fin-
ished second in the tour for the sec-
ond year in a row, finishing 1
minute, 24 seconds behind Ekimov.
He won $20,000. Andrea Peron of
Italy finished third to collect
$10,000. Greg LeMond, who won
the race in 1992, finished 22nd
overall.
The press and support crews for
the race provided more of a show
than the bikers themselves. A van
carrying extra bikes pulled through
at about 1:30, and the driver
stopped and tossed water bottles to
children. There were police escort
cars and bright yellow support cars
with racks of tires on top. Race
marshals and members of the press
traveling with the racers rode mo-
torcycles, and a souvenir van
pulled through about 15 minutes
ahead of the cyclists. 4
The heavy turndpt was irfica-
tive of the support fhe race hid in
this area of the country, Course
Marshal Edward Steele said.
"Everywhere we've gone, even
on the'back country roads, there
have been chairs on the lawns," he
said.
All ages enjoyed themselves at
the event. Some school children
got out early to watch the race.
Children and others chalked the
roads in the European tradition to
encourage the riders. Members of
the Kings Mountain Senior Center
attended, and said they were enjoy-
ing themselves.
Steele said it is unlikely the race
will come through the same way
again next year.
PLEDGE TO KMLT - George Hatch, right, president of the Kings
Mountain Kiwanis Club, presents a pledge of $6,000 from the club to
Dr. Scott Mayse, co-chairman of the Kings Mountain Little Theatre's
fund drive. KMLT is renovating the old Dixie Theatre on Railroad
Avenue to serve as its home as well as a meeting place for other com-
munity functions.
Councilwoman Norma Bridges
says the seven-member City
Council should get on with the hir-
ing of a city manager. = = ,
, "This is the only way the city
can get back on track," said the
two-term council member and a
former mayor pro tem.
Bridges made the remarks be-
fore Council's discussion and se-
lection of finalists for the city's top
job Tuesday evening.
The Council originally had 97
applications but had narrowed the
list to 66 from which the seven
City Council members and Mayor
Scott Neisler picked five candi-
dates each and dropped the list to
sioners want to consider funding
the city's chief executive officer at
the lowest possible salary.
Bridges was highly critical last
week of the finance department
spending money for a $1100 com-
puter and desk after the board au-
thorized expenditures for emergen-
cies only.
"I don't consider a desk and
computer an emergency," Bridges
told Council during a lengthy work
session May 9.
Interim Manager Maxine
Parsons said the purchases were
necessary. She said the computer
system used to download utilities
billing information from electronic
meter readers often failed without
warning and was hard to get back
in line.
"I could see us getting to the end
of the month ready to bill out and I
couldn't transfer the information
because we couldn't get the com-
puter up,” she said.
Parsons said the new desk was
also necessary for reasons of safety
but Bridges disagreed because she
said the desk is being used in an-
other city department.
Parsons said the new purchases
See Bridges, 2-A
that Spectrum will go back on the city system until an
engineering survey is completed to get the proper
heaters installed to use No. 6 fuel oil on a permanent
Parsons said she had no figure of the high dollar
loss from Spectrum but Spectrum pays the City of
Kings Mountain $2.3 million annually for water and
J Bridges: Let's
fl hire a manager
Work session
Friday night
Kings Mountain City Council
will wrestle with budget figures
again during a third work session
Friday at 6 p.m. in the second floor
conference room at City Hall.
Interim City Manager Maxine
Parsons said that City Council has
indicated it will act on firm recom-
mendations.
Parsons has until June 1 to pre-
sent the budget for public review
tantamount to formal adoption by
Council June 30.
_ Although the special meeting is
: to the public, Mayo ‘Sco
open
TNT re
m , say
work session only for Council.
"I have no idea what Council
will recommend but I do feel like
we will have to raise the water
rates and the tax rate," said
Parsons.
Last Monday Council shaved
$386,000 from the proposed 1994-
95 budget, eliminating only one
position but holding the freeze on
hiring and spending. ;
Parsons said that officials of the
Local Government Commission re-
cently told Council that, based on a
number of factors and with compa-
rable cities of this size, that the
city's payroll is approximately
$600 per employee compared to
the pay of $355 per city employee
in other cities of comparable size.
"I know that some of our em-
ployees didn't understand these
statements but the factors taken in-
to consideration that Kings
Mountain operates four utilities,
has its own library and lake, etc.
which other cities of comparable
size do not have," she said.
Parsons said that department
heads have made cuts in their indi-
vidual budgets by cutting vacant
positions. She said Gas
See Budget, 2-A
Myrick to speak at Legion
Sue Myrick, Republican candi-
date for Congress from the 9th
District, will visit in Kings
Mountain this week and next.
Myrick, former Charlotte mayor,
will speak at the 7 p.m. "Citizens
Against Crime" seminar Thursday
at the American Legion building in
a program, open to the public, and
arranged by the American Legion
Auxiliary.
After Myrick's speech, Jane
Martin, a spokesman for "Citizens
Against Crime,” will lead the semi-
nar on "Living Safely In A
Dangerous World." Martin will dis-
tribute Call Police signs and pro-
vide tear gas spray and other free
safety materials.
Tuesday night from 7:30-8:30
p.m. Myrick will be guest-of-honor
at a reception to be hosted by
Kings Mountain supporters at the
Kings Mountain Woman's Club
The public is invited. Mr and Mis
John Higginbotham are hosting the
event
SUE MYRICK
Myrick finished first in the May
3 Republican Primary but will face
second place finisher David
Balmer in the run-off May 31
See Myrick, 2-A
no rg