KMHS opens baseball season
at home Tuesday afternoon
PIPL HOHE UN NIVINGUW SUNIN
dW INUWUHID 5 oul
IZ LUNA ANI I
Jobi-14-01 08
(i FOVE COIR RLU LSAT JF REAR EE ER REE R14 p Bb d B IS
i Wn IVY ew waw us ~y
Addl §
8 }
Page 5-A
Member
North Carolina Press Association
Vol. 108 No. 10
Drug busts
tell KM chief
C.0.P. working
A drug bust in two areas of
Kings Mountain last week resulted
in the arrest of two people on
felony drug charges. A third per-
son was cited in a third incident.
Kings Mountain Police Chief
Bob Hayes said the arrests came on
confidential information related to
the new C. O. P. officer Ron
Creech during patrols of the areas.
"This proves to me that the new
Community Oriented Policing pro-
gram is working in Kings
Mountain," said Hayes.
Thursday afternoon about 4 p.m.
officers executed a search warrant
at the home of Kenneth William
Massagee, 24, of 129 McGinnis St.
Hayes said that officers confis-
cated marijuana with a street value
of $4500 and charged Massagee
with three felony counts of posses-
sion with intent to sell and deliver
marijuana, three felony counts of
selling’ and delivering a controlled
substance and one felony count of
possession with intent to sell and
deliver.
~~ Massagee was jailed under
$20,000 secured bond.
Assisting in the investigation, in
addition to Hayes, were Captain
Richard Reynolds, Det. Lt.
Houston Corn, Ptl. Jerry Tesseneer,
Ptl. Thomas Fletcher and officers
with the Gaston County Rurals and
Cleveland County Sheriff's
Department.
Hayes said the marijuana was
contained in a big jar.
Upon execution of a search war-
rant, officers also raided a resi-
dence at 406 N. Battleground
Avenue and charged Beverly
Carpenter Malone, 40, of 406 N.
Battleground Ave., with felony
possession with intent to sell and
deliver cocaine and maintaining a
dwelling for the purpose of selling
and delivering cocaine, also a
felony, and misdemeanor posses-
sion of drug paraphernalia.
Malone was jailed under a
.$15,000 secured bond.
Officers assisting in the investi-
gation were Sgt. Melvin Proctor,
Ptl. John Wright, Ptl. Brent Harp,
Ptl. Thomas Fletcher, Ptl. Andy
Berry, Lt. Houston Corn, Sgt.
Raymond Garris, Captain Richard
Reynolds and Chief Hayes.
Hayes said officefs confiscated
2 1/2 ounces of marijuana with a
street value of $8,000 and an
undisclosed amount of currency.
In a third incident, police cited
Victoria Ann Jackson, 32, of 211
Parrish Drive, with possession of
drug paraphernalia and possession
of one half ounce or less of mari-
juana. a
Church cleared fo
First Baptist Church got the
green light from the city Zoning
Board of Adjustments Tuesday on
an appeal for a variance that will
signal the construction of a Family
Life Center at 605 W. King Street.
On February 21, 1995 the board
rejected a proposal by the church
and told church leaders the plans
would have to be redrawn to con-
form to zoning regulations.
City Councilman Dean Spears,
a member of the church building
committee, presented the request
for a 10-feet variance’ from a re-
quired 20 feet rear yard setback.
No one spoke in opposition to thé
request.
The addition is expected to cost
$750,000 plus.
In the variance application,
Spears pointed out that ‘churches
are a use permitted by right in this
zoning district but the only use re-
quiring a 10 feet setback for acces-
sory structures. All other permitted
uses in this district, including
schools, require a five feet setback
for an accessory structure
Clayvon Kelly, a member of the
Kings Mountain Police Chief Bob Hayes loads confiscated drugs
and money into the back of his police car during a raid last week on
McGinnis Street.
Family Life Center
board, objected to what he called a
discrimination clause in the appli-
cation.
"It is certainly not the intent of
this board to interfere with the
worship of the church,” he told
Spears.
But Spears said that part of the
application was misleading.
The application stated that "the
First Amendment to the
Constitution of the U.S. provides
for the freedom to practice reli-
gious beliefs without fear of arbi-
trary persecution. This section un-
fairly singled out churches based
on the fact that it is a church, a reli-
gious sanctuary."
. Spears said the church obtained
a new site for the proposed struc-
ture and additional property, drew
a new set of plans and changed the
position of the building to conform
to the ordinance.
Bud Ballard, also a member of
the local church, questioned the
routing of traffic around the four
Beildings. Spears said traffic would
See Church, 5-A
Lake Commission to meet again on fees
The Moss Lake Commission
will meet again Monday at 7 p.m.
at City Hall to make a recommen-
dation to City Council about pro-
posed fee increases at the city-
owned lake.
Chairman Joe Champion and
member M. C. Pruette expressed
reservations about the proposed in-
creases and Evelyn Hamrick sug-
gested that city residents who are
paying for the facility get a break
in the form of a lifetime fee.
"We really can't justify the total
increase of $40,000 annually in the
budget until we see what the mon-
ey will be used for and itemized
expenses," Champion said. %
No resident of the lake was pre-
sent at the meeting. All members
were present with exception of
Wendell Bunch. City officials
Steve Killian, Jeff Putnam and
Shirley Payne were also present as
well as lake officer Roger Goforth.
Tommy King presented a print-
out and a budget copy but said he
wanted to see a monthly printout
from the city's finance office with a
copy of the report that showed
where the money was being ex-
pended.
"We have a $97,000 budget and
I want to see if the money goes for
the improvements," he said.
Lake Officer Goforth said the
proposed increases by city staff
make sense because there are some
needed improvements at Moss
Lake. He asked for and got ap-
proval from the board - pending
also the city council's approval -
for a jet ski to use at the lake for
patrol purposes. He said the only
cost to the city will be $65 for in-_
GIFT TO EXPLORERS - City Councilman Jerry Mullinax, second from left, present a check for $200
to the new Police Explorers Club at Kings Mountain High School organized by 10th grader Lt. Wayne
King, accepting the check, as advisor Ptl. Maurice Jamerson, the school system resource officer, right,
and Chief Bob Hayes, left, look on. Operation ID is an ongoing project of the club.
surance.
"Lake residents are using such
modern equipment now that it's
hard for me to get to where I need
to go."
Goforth said he will be the only
person using the equipment and he
will be able to better monitor the
traffic and safety on the water.
Goforth said an electronic gate
opener for the main gate at the lake
is also a necessity.
"Its a sad state when we have to
See Lake, 4-A
Since 1889
Kings Mountain, N.C. * 28086 * 50¢
Retirement home
idea Is protested
A proposal by the Consortium
for Progress Inc. and developers of
a $3 million assisted living com-
plex for the elderly on Phifer Road
drew opposition Tuesday during a
public hearing by the city's Zoning
Board of Adjustments.
After nearly three hours in an al-
most full Council Chambers
Chairman Bob Myers recessed the
meeting until March 19 at 7 p.m. at
City Hall.
Myers directed Zoning
Administrator Jeff Putnam and
Planning Director Steve Killian to
secure a site plan from the devel-
oper which shows the distance the
developer intends to place the
buildings off the property lines; the
location and size of the entrances
into the property off Phifer Road;
the location of that entrance in re-
lation to the curve in the road; and
determine how much of the exist-
ing vegetation the developer in-
tends to leave along the adjacent
property lines behind the houses on
Southridge Drive.
Because of other concerns about
increasing traffic with the addition
of the 48-room, 66-bed facility in
the neighborhood, Myers asked the
city staff to present results of traf-
fic surveys in the area and progress
on the state-proposed North-South
Connector to the high school and
middle school which has been
talked for some time.
Vice-President John Easterling
of Summit Place Associates said
developers will assure property
owners that a vegetation buffer re-
main there through deed restric-
tions.
Putnam said the developers are
"bending over backwards to ac-
commodate the adjoining property
owners.’
"The developers are saying they
will be leave 40 to 50 feet of
woods between the three buildings
and the residences and situate the
complex in the middle of the
acreage."
Realtor Fhilip S. Bunch present-
ed the "special exception" request
from Section 80-.1.3 of the Kings
Mountain Zoning Ordinance for
Wendell L. and Jeanette Phifer,
Alonzo and Wanza Goforth, M. D.
and Bess Phifer and R. P. and Doris
Anthony Jr.
The five lots comprise 11.8 acres
across from the Kings Mountain
Middle School at 1001 Phifer
Road.
Bunch has obtained an option to
buy until April 15. Summit Place
Associates has a similar complex
opening in Rock Hill, SC this
month.
Some interested
in moving in
Liz Lynch, 84, wants to be the
first senior citizen to occupy
Kings Mountain Summit Place, the
proposed assisted living complex.
The widow of Haywood E.
Lynch, a former owner and pub-
lisher of The Kings Mountain
Herald, told citizens at a public
hearing Tuesday that other people
are ready to sign up.
Several other citizens said they
might like the idea when they get
the facts.
"Wayne Mercier, of 812
Southridge Rd., said his property
adjoins the proposed facility.
He presented a petition signed
by 90 people who asked the zoning
board of adjustments to postpone
action for at least 90 days, citing
the short notification period by the
city, unanswered questions, traffic
congestion in the area and ques-
tions about emergency access.
Mercier also asked the board to
schedule an evening meeting so
that more people can give input.
Board Chairman Bob Myers ac-
knowledged his telephone had
been ringing off the hook since last
Thursday: ;
City Hall telephones also started
ringing Thursday after property
owners read the advertisement
about the public hearing in the
Kings Mountain Herald.
During a short recess when
Myers asked board secretary:
Shirley Payne to xerox papers for
distribution to the large audience:
several adjoining property owners:
talked with board members and:
said they had yet to receive a no=
tice from the city planning depart=
ment about the public hearing. :
But Planning Director Steve:
Killian said notices were mailed:
within a reasonable time and the.
property was posted. 3
"When we receive an application:
we have to follow through with it,"
said Killian.
Killian said a special exception
permit is often confused as a vari-
ance. It's a permit for a use that is
permitted in that district. The board
of adjustments’ role, he said, is to
conduct a public hearing, take the
evidence concerning the permit ap-
plication, make a decision on it and
if need be attach fair and reason-
able conditions to the permit so
that the use is good for the commu-
nity. The only appeal from the de-
cision of the board is the courts.
Each person who spoke at the hear-
ing was sworn.
See Hearing, 5-A
House hopeful campaigns in KM
‘William E. "Bill" Jackson of
Mooresville says the Republican
Revolution has gone too far under
Speaker Newt Gingrich and fresh-
men like 9th District Rep. Sue
Myrick, and the former Davidson
College professor hopes to get.a
shot at unseating Myrick in the
November general election. ;
Jackson, 60, recently filed for
the seat, but he will have to win the
Democratic Primary in May in or-
der to challenge for Myrick's seat
in the fall.
Jackson admits unseating
Myrick will be difficult unless the
Democratic candidates receives a
coat-tail effect from the
Presidential and Gubernatorial
races.
Jackson, who campaigned in the
Kings Mountain area Tuesday, said
his views differ from Myrick's in
many areas, especially in how they
look at the role of the federal gov-
ernment.
"T see the federal government as
not the enemy, but as a necessity,"
he said. "Therein lies a fundamen-
BILL JACKSON
tal philosophical difference in Sue
Myrick and myself. She and the
Republican freshmen speak of gov-
ernment as an evil bastion that
must be shut down or radically cut
back regardless." :
Jackson said he is a strong advo-
cate of programs such as Medicare
and Medicaid being managed at the
federal level rather than being
handed over to 50 individual states
who will manage them 50 different
ways, and he also strongly favors
strict environmental laws. :
"I am against the efforts to gut
those laws by House Republican
freshmen," he said.
Being a long-time college pro-
fessor at Davidson and other uni-
versities as well as a former staff
member of the Senate and an em-
ployee of the State Department
during President Carter's
Administration, Jackson said he is
also adamantly opposed to changes
in the direct student loan program
for college students.
Jackson said job insecurity is not
something invented for this elec-
tion year, but that corporate down-
sizing is a reality nationally and lo-
See Jackson, 4-A