Member
North Carolina Press Association
Vol. 108 No. 2
KM School Board
meeting cancelled
The annual monthly meeting of
the Kings Mountain Board of
Education, scheduled for Monday
night, was cancelled because of
the snow.
Because the planned agenda
was brief, the items scheduled for
discussion Monday night will be-
come a part of the February 12
meeting.
KM High School
reschedules exams
Kings Mountain High School
mid-year exams have been
rescheduled for January 18 and
19;
Principal Phil Weathers said
students will be dismissed at
12:05 p.m. each day.
Council meeting
on January 16
Seven months into the new
year, Kings Mountain City
Council will take a look at the
1994-95 city audit on January 16
at a 7:30 p.m. special meeting at
City Hall.
Mayor Scott Neisler said that a
preliminary look at the audit re-
port reveals that "we appear to be
in good shape."
Finance Director Maxine
Parsons will present a financial
report of the first six months
(July-December) of the current
fiscal year and Auditor Darrell
Keller will be on hand to respond
to questions on the audit.
The Audit Committee, which
also includes Councilmen Dean
Spears and Ralph Grindstaff, was
meeting Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.-
before presenting its final report
of the audit to the full Council
next week.
Snow canceled Monday night
meetings of city committees, in-
cluding the audit committee and
the Moss Lake Commission.
Place garbage
on the curbside
King Winter's icing of city
streets during the weekend has
stalled the big garbage trucks.
"Our big trucks won't budge on
ice," says Public Works Supt.
Karl Moss.
Moss says Kings Mountain cit-
izens can still get garbage service
during the icy blast by putting
their garbage in plastic bags and
on curbside.
Call 734-0735 and city crews
will pick up the garbage in pickup
trucks as fast as their schedule
permits.
"We just can't run these big
trucks until the sun shines more
‘to melt the ice," he said.
CC Commissioners
to meet in Shelby
The Cleveland County Board
of Commissioners will meet
Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Shelby to
discuss budget amendments and
make appointments to three
boards.
Plastic Oddities will also ap-
peal a tax listing and a public
hearing will be held on a person-
nel ordinance.
Members wiil be named to the
county's planning board, the
board of health and personnel ad-
visory committees.
The seven-member board
meets in the Commission
Chambers of the Cleveland
County administrative Offices.
311 E. Marion Street.
Bridges to speak
to Legion Auxiliary
City Councilwoman Norma
Bridges will be guest speaker at
the January 18 meeting of Unit
155, American Legion Auxiliary,
at 7 p.m.
Lou Ballew and Ginny Arnette
will be co-hostesses for the meet-
ing at the American Legion.
Bridges will present a legisla
tive program arranged by Arlene
Barrett.
Thursday, January 11, 1995
Let's continue
King’
RN
Representatives of the three school boards in
Cleveland County were meeting Wednesday at noon in
Shelby to formalize an agenda for a joint public meet-
ing February 19 at 7 p.m. at Cleveland Community
College.
Ronnie Hawkins, chairman of the Kings Mountain
in the local newspapers prior to the meeting and the
public will be invited to give input into the discus-
sions.
Although he did not discount that merger could be
one of the topics, he said that the M word may not ap-
pear on the agenda.
The meeting was proposed in September by the
Shelby Board of Education. Both Cleveland County
and Kings Mountain school officials agreed to meet as
long as all board members were allowed to atiend and
the meeting was open to the public.
Jeanne Spragins, then chairman of the Shelby Board
of Education, said that, when the proposal was initiat-
ed, members asked to discuss future educational is-
sues, including but not specifying, merger.
"These meetings are not intended to plan for merger
but to open a dialogue for the discussion of several is-
sues," Spragins said at the time.
"It's like insurance - you may not need it but you
have to make plans," she said at the time.
See Schools, 2-A
Phillip Leonhardt skis down a big hill near Anvil Knit while Jeff Moses, left, and Joe McDaniel wait
their turn at the top of the hill. This week's four-inch snowfall gave these three young men and others
some off time from school and the opportunity to have some fun.
Three school boards to meet
Board of Education, said the agenda will be published
Big Brothers and Sisters
role models for children
The enthusiasm in Dan Potter's government/African
American Studies Class for its Little Sister/Little
Brother Reading program at
North School equals only the en-
thusiasm for the soccer program
he coaches at the high school.
Potter says 20 Big Sisters
and Big Brothers from his class
spend portions of their 90-minute
block reading to children and
have learned responsibility as
role models.
"They have also become
fast friends with the little boys
and girls and even received
Christmas cards from their new friends and thank you
notes," he said.
At the end of this first semester of block scheduling,
Potter can sec big results in his own students and re-
sults which he hopes they will carry with them as he
begins a new semester with brand new students.
It's obvious in his classroom that Potter, who has
coached soccer for three years and teaches 58 students
government/economics and African American studies,
loves what he does.
DAN POTTER
See Potter, 2-A
A worker with snow blade clears the parking area of Kings Mountain High School Monday after
Mother Nature dumped about four inches of snow in the area Sunday. School officials hope to get back in
business today, but the weatherman is calling for a chance of more freezing rain and/or snow tonight. The
weather forced postponement of KMHS exams until next Thursday and Friday.
Since 1889
Kings Mountain, N.C. ¢ 28086 + 50¢
Snow brought
few problems
to KM area
Kings Mountain citizens are still
digging out from the "Blizzard of
'96" but luckily escaped many of
the problems associated with a six
inch snowfall which left many sec-
ondary roads still iced over.
The Kings Mountain Police
Department reported no major ac-
cidents.
Even though the temperatures
plummeted, there were no reports
of frozen pipes and power failures.
Most people stayed inside during
the weekend as churches closed on
Sunday, most downtown business-
es and some industrial plants
closed on Monday and schools
were still out on Wednesday.
Captain Richard Reynolds said he
expected the calls to'start flooding
the police department now that the
temperatures have ventured up and
drivers are out on the roads, think-
ing all is well until they speed up
and hit an icy spot.
"After the temperatures got up to
40 degrees on Tuesday the drivers
got foot heavy on the gas and they
had better watch out carly morn-
ings because the roads are still
plenty iced over in some sections
of the city," he said.
Thirty street workers for the City
of Kings Mountain spent a busy
weekend from the time the snow
started falling Saturday. Public
Works Supt. Karl Moss said that
main streets were passable Monday
due to the sand and salt which his
crews started spreading Sunday.
"We started plowing and clear-
ing out some of the streets as carly
as 6 p.m. Saturday but found that
many citizens don't understand that
many of the streets in this arca are
state-maintained, not city main-
tained," he said.
The city was being flooded with
calls from residents in state-main-
tained areas, including Second
Street, South Battleground Avenue,
the Margrace and Phifer Road ar-
eas, Linwood Road from Second
Street to Piedmont Avenue, Walker
Street, Center Street and Benfield
Road, among others.
On ice-slick Margrace Road one
pickup truck was in the ditch and
another driver turned around in
road a couple of times before he
was able to turn.
"Our street crews did an
outstanding job," said Moss.
Moss said that grocery stores
and service stations were open
Monday and that his crews re-
ceived meals from several citizens
who saw them working on the
streets.
See Snow, 2-A
Sledders irk
city workers
Sledders delighting in the first
big snowfall of the season took
to the streets in spite of warnings
by city street crews and police
Sunday and Monday.
They got in the way of street
crews, initiating snowball fights
and even set a fire in the middle
of the road at the corner of Wales
and Downing Streets. On two oc-
casions their hoopla resulted in
burning asphalt which will take
about $900 to fix.
No one was charged and no
one was hurt but police were
called by Public Works Supt.
Karl Moss to accompany the
sand trucks making the rounds
Moss said it wasn't only the
young {61k on their Christmas
sleds and at times their makeshift
sleds. The parents were out (00
and they didn't want work crews
interfering with playtime.
They. waned ty sled and they ;
wanted us out 0f the way!” said
Moss, who said it was the city's
job to clear the roadway for pub-
lic safety vehicles and the travel-
ing public.
On Sims Street Monday police
were called out the second day to
escort the city vehicles who were
snowballed by sledders.
One sledder hit the rear tire of
the city truck in his sled but
miraculously was not injured.
"A sledder has little control on
ice and when he meets a vehicle
it spells danger,” said Moss who
said the truck was parked.
"The sledder hit the back tire
and tried to go underneath the
vehicle," he said.
"Under no. circumstances did
out department knowingly allow=f
anyone to sled on city streets,"
said Moss.
One irate caller told Moss that
sledders were "taking over
Crescent Hill" and Moss said he
dispatched crews to all arcas as
quickly as possible.
Moss said that parents and
kids were blocking trucks trying
to put down sand and snow-
balling the drivers. saying the
workers were messing up the fun
for the kids.
"It isn’t casy to drive on ice
and drivers can be blinded and
distracted and it's our job to clear
the roads." said Moss who said
that some citations could have
been written in several instances.
Grover utility rates may increase
GROVER - Mayor Ronald Queen says that utility rates may have to go
up this budget year to make ends meet.
The Mayor suggested Monday night that Council ponder raising rates
for larger utility customers while leaving the minimum rates the same so
that the town's water and sewer system would pay for itself
He made the suggestion as he reported that some water lines need im
provements and cheap valves previously installed failed to operate proper
ly. "if open won't close and if closed won't open
Queen said the expected hike will help pay for $36.000 the town owes
for sewer and $16,000 it owes tor repairs to its water tank, water debt pas
ments which have been paid from the general fund
In other major business of the meeting. the board tabled again its choice
for a policeman among 15 applicants, 12 from males and tl
ree from fe
males who have applied for the job to be paid for by a COPS grant
New Councilwoman Elizabeth Throop recommended that the board Took
again at some of the applications and narrow the list and then interview po
tential candidates.
Councilman Noel Spivey said that the holidays have held ap the final
approval by the Norfolk/Southern for anticipated paving of Iq
property the town uses tor parking
asad RR
“But the weather has also held-us up.” he said
The board changed the namic of Randall Road to Putnam Road. nouly
ing residents they would be billed for the sign
Clerk Barbara Barrett 10 the o
change.
Queen reported that tax collections
promis oul no pay nents, he
Councilman Robert Sides and
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The board voted 10 sow oriiss "mn
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