Member
North Carolina Press Association
11 -month
alternative
school set
Students will go to school 11
months next year at Parker Street
School under a program approved
by the Kings Mountain Board of
Education Monday night.
The alternative school for stu-
dents from Kings Mountain and
Cleveland County systems with be-
havioral problems will face several
changes in the new year, according
to Principal Mike Rhoney.
Changing the attendance re-
quirement from nine weeks to 18
and returning students to their
home schools only at the beginning
of a semester, said Rhoney, will
add to their opportunity for suc-
cess.
Students are "much more suc-
cessful," he said, when they reenter
at a semester start, a change that
was requested by principals.
Rhoney said that parents sup-
ported 11 months attendance, com-
pared to 10, and end-of-course test-
ing before the required 150 days.
"We have been working for
weeks on how we can strengthen
Parker Street School,"said Dr. Jane
King, assistant superintendent of
instruction.
Several of the changes were
prompted by Rhoney's visit to a
well-established alternative school
in Louisville, Ky., said King.
Opportunity School at Parker
Street, borrowed after the
Louisville concept, will give stu-
dents another last chance.
"This is aimed at students who
didn't make it at Parker Street or
anywhere else," said Rhoney.
The special program would be
"available for students who have
been charged with weapons and as-
sault charges. A room at the
Cleveland County Law
Enforcement Center has been ob-
tained for Cleveland system stu-
dents while the Kings Mountain
Police Department is looking for
space to house the local students.
The program would operate with
four classroom days each week and
a fifth day for one-on one work and
staff development.
"We have had some pretty vio-
lent students at Parker Street and
this is a way we think we can help
these kids," said Rhoney.
King said that Friday will be uti-
lized each week for special training
and to help the staff with special
problems they may face in their as-
signments.
All referrals of students are
made by principals of their home
schools. Many of the recent stu-
dents have had problems with read-
ing, hence the need for more indi-
vidualized instruction, according to
Rhoney.
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae said the
system can provide the funds foi
the extra instruction without extra
funding. !
Rhoney said he recently spent
three days in Shelby with former
students in Juvenile Court and said
the Juvenile Court system has
worked well with the alternative
school program. He also praised
the excellent cooperation with
Cleveland County Schools and
Cleveland County Mental Health.
"Some of those kids I hope to
place in Opportunity School," he
said.
. Rhoney said that when the sys-
tem admits kids to Parker Street in
the third week of block scheduling
that it's setting up the kids to fail.
"We plan to block the high
school schedules at Parker Street
t00," he told the board.
Responding to question of
Chairman Ronnie Hawkins,
Rhoney said there are a number of
bright students at Parker Street
School who failed because of ab-
sences from their home schools.
"These kids need to work first
on attitude but reading is a big
problem and we're working on
ways to improve," he said.
Elementary students
recognized at awards day
Please see Section B
Is State House budget responsible or not?
Readers have different opinions
Please See Page 4-A
Brandon Harris, left, five-year-old son of Dean and Leigh Ann Harris, and David Clark, right, six-year-old son of Dwayne
and Jana Clark, take healthy cuts‘at the baseball during TiBall practice Tuesday afternoon at the KM Middle School Field...
meeting.
ing.
The city will begin curbside
garbage and recycling pickup
September 2.
City Council voted 3-2 at a spe-
cial meeting Sunday to award the
contract tc the low bidder,
Cleveland Container of Shelby, and
stipulated that the garbage be car-
ried to the Cleveland County
Landfill.
Councilwoman Norma Bridges
and Councilman Jerry Mullinax o
voted against the proposal, saying
they had been called by a number
of citizens who oppose the new
plan.
"This is a culmination of several
months of work by Public Works in
an effort to cut expenses and save
the citizens of Kings Mountain a
possible tax increase in order to
provide this valuable service," said
Public Works Supt. Karl Moss.
Moss estimated the first year
savings at $250,000 and each year
thereafter $125,000.
Moss said, however, the transi-
Council approves engineer contract
City Council Sunday at a nearly
three-hour special meeting gave
the go-ahead by vote of 4-1 to
award a $85,000 engineering con-
tract for a proposed $2 million
4500 KW Peak Generation plant to
be built at the North’ Gaston Street
Substation site.
By its action the city will use the
same. engineer, Professional
Engineering, it had designated in
April when it let bids for the pro-
ject, then the bids were turned
down as too high by the Local
Government Commission and the
Council rescinded its action and
voted to start the bidding process
all over again.
Mayor Scott Neisler questioned
why the city was moving ahead be-
fore the financial package was ap-
proved. Finance Director Maxine
Parsons said the funds would be
held in escrow and if the project is
extended over a period of time that
the money would draw interest.
And Utilities Director Jimmy
Mariey said that it will take at least
three to four months to get specifi-
cations sent out for bids.
See Contract, 3-A
"...a money saving proposition for the city..."
-Interim City Manger Gary Hicks
tion won't be without some prob-
lems.
"If we work together these prob-
lems can be corrected in a timely
manner," he said.
Interim City Manager Gary
Hicks called the change a "money
saving proposition for the city" and
said Council should be given credit
Birindays....................
Church News................ 3-A
Classifieds.........ccccee... 8-9B
Editorials .............. 000 4-A
Library News................ 5-A
Obituaries.................... 2-A
Police News................ 11-A
Schools News.......... 1-10B
SPOONS... ...c...cn nine 7-8A
for taking a look at the current city
operation and going to a method
that would keep taxes down and al-
so defray a utility increase.
Moss said that four employees
would be retained by the city for
leaf, limbs, roadside pickup and
white goods pickup by the city san-
itation crews and seven other em-
Called meeting
was boycotted
by councilmen
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
What it was was a boycott, said City Council mem-
bers Jerry White and Dean Spears explaining the ab-
sence of a quorum at last Thursday's called Council
"It was my understanding the meeting was called by
Mayor Pro Tem Phil Hager to vote on firing the city
manager," said White who skipped the meeting along
with Ralph Grindstaff, Rick Murphrey and Spears.
Murphrey said he was out of town at a business meet-
Mayor Scott Neisler called the meeting to order at 6
p.m. but only Hager, Norma Bridges and Jerry
Mullinax were present. The meeting adjourned for
lack of a quorum.
White said the city must finalize the budget and
Interim Manager Gary Hicks is budget officer. Under
law, the budget must be adopted by June 30.
“I'm being honest with you. We need to put first
things first," he said.
Spears said that all Council members received noti-
fication of the meeting Tuesday. upon request by Hager
who said the meeting was called to discuss personnel.
Bridges, Hager and Mullinax said they were disap-
pointed in their fellow Council members.
And Mayor Scott Neisler said he hoped "we don't
start making this a habit."
However, Neisler said with Murphrey out of town
any action could have resulted in a split vote with the
mayor breaking the tie.
See Boycott, 3-A
City to go to curbside garbage collection September 2
ployees could be eligible for em-
ployment with the contractor.
Under the plan, each resident
will be provided a 90 gallon roll
out cart and a 18 gallon recycling
bin which will be collected once a
week on an established schedule.
Elderly and disabled persons
may place on file with the city
manager a medical certification
that they are unable to move the
garbage cart to the curb and these ;
See Trash, 2-A
Water, sewer rates to increase
Water and sewer bills will go up
7.76 percent for all city utility cus-
tomers effective July 1.
A typical combined water/sewer
bill for a residential user would be
about one dollar. Outside residents
would bear the bulk of the in-
crease.
The increase is the only increase
for services to Kings Mountain tax-
payers in the 1996-97 proposed
budget which totals $19.3 million.
A three percent cost of living
raise is included in the proposed
budget for all city employees.
Public hearing on the budget
will be conducted by City Council
June 25 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.
There is no increase in the 40
cent property tax nor in other utili-
ties.
Interim City Manager Gary
Hicks said the water and sewer in-
crease is necessary due to the loss
of a major water/sewer customer,
Clevemont Mills, and due to the
fact that the City of Gastonia is
raising its rates for sewer treatment
to Kings Mountain 1 1/2 percent.
"It's a no-frills and hold the line
See Budget, 2-A
Kings Mountain People _
from his co-workers at the Kings Mountain Fire Department. He barbecued ribs for KMFD, Oak Grove
and Bethlehem firemen recently.
Fighting fire or cooking,
Rodge Moore is dependable
Whether it's fighting fire or bar-
becuing ribs for the rest of his
squad the Kings Mountain Fire
Department counts on Rodger
Moore.
Moore, Eaton Corporation main-
tenance employee for 10 years,
started volunteering with the Kings
Mountain Fire Department six
years ago.
But he started cooking at age 16
and for several years he and his
whole family have traveled and
cooked all over the country.
Rodger and Sharon Moore and
their younger daughter, Kim, 16,
and Rick and Trish Ledford and
their son, Craig, 14, are billed as
the Family Fun BBQ Team.
"I hardly ever cook on a tradi-
tional stove at home since I built
my cooker," said Moore, displaying
the red and black cooker he chris-
tened at a barbecue for firefighters
from Kings Mountain, Oak Grove
and Bethlehem Fire Departments
last week at the Kings Mountain
department.
Moore barbecued 45 racks of
ribs for the 75 firemen. The supper
was hosted by Kings Mountain
firemen as an appreciation effort
for all firemen in the three depart-
ments, said Chief Frank Burns.
Moore built the cooker from a
1,000 gallon oil drum and cut it
down to size, adding the body and
the two wheels. Four inches of in-
sulation keeps the heat in which
runs through two five-inch pipes.
Moore used 20 pounds of charcoal
and wood to fire the cooker.
Moore said he has cooked 12
hams on 30 pounds of charcoal and
a half load of wood at a tempera--
ture of 250 degrees.
See Moore, 2-A