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Industrial Park site may be chosen Tuesday
Tuesday could be the day of decision by the
Cleveland County Board of Commissioners on
the site for the proposed Cleveland County
Industrial Park.
Chairman Cecil Dickson says it's likely that a
majority of members will favor the R. G. Plonk
property, the site on US 74 West near Reliance
Electric Company.
Dickson said David Pond, engineer for W. K.
Dickson Co. of Charlotte, is on the agenda for the
Park benches to
spruce up downtown
Commercial pine and
wrought iron park benches are
‘being assembled this week by
members of the Kings
Mountain Business &
Professional Association and
are expected to be ready for vis-
itors at October Mountaineer
Day.
"It isn't too late for other peo-
ple to order the benches at the
going price of $100 as a memo-
rial or tribute to loved ones,"
said Tim Hord of Kings
Mountain Antique Mall.
Hord and Linda Allen of
Ashley's were attaching the en-
graved plaques as the finishing
touches on two dozen benches
- this week with help from local
merchants who met on Tuesday
night to complete the first phase
of the project.
Those who want to place or-
ders for the benches may call
Hord at 739-6266 or Allen at
734-0044.
City officials will attend two
meetings in October in Shelby
to set priorities for transporta-
tion improvements.
City Planner Steve Killian
and other city leaders will meet
with the Cleveland County
Transportation Partnership
Tuesday and attend the N.C.
Board of Transportation public
meeting October 29 to present
priority projects for inclusion in
the 1998-2004 TIP.
Currently there are two near-
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7 p.m. meeting to present an engineering analysis
of the three sites under consideration.
The Kings Mountain site has been picked as the
No. 1 site of three by the Cleveland County
dation.
Economic Development Commission which was
asked by the county board to make a recommen-
"I feel there's a majority of the commission that
feels this is a
Dickson, who
good idea for the county," said
said the county is looking at all
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three parcels of land and evaluating the costs.
Both commissioner Ralph Gilbert and Shelby
Mayor Mike Philbeck have led opposition to the
Kings Mountain site, saying that timing is all
wrong and Gilbert has pushed for the county to
put off the selection of the site and purchase of
land until after three new members go on the
board after the November elections. Three of the
present commissioners, Dickson, Sam Gold and
E. T. Vanhoy go off the board this year.
_ PARK BENCHES GOING UP - Tim Hord and Linda Allen put the finishing touch on one of the 24
park benches that will go up in the downtown area in October.
“The beautification project is spon-
sored by the new Kings Mountain Business and Professional Association.
City to Sian transportation improvements
by projects listed in the
Highway Program section of
the State's 1997-2003
Transportation Improvement
Program.
The first is the Dixon School
Road facility on a new route
and the second is the I-85/US
29 bridge replacement on NC
161.
Killian distributed a memo-
randum to City Council
Tuesday which detailed the
projects.
72nd Cleveland Cou
It's Fair Time in Cleveland
County and the 72nd annual,
largest event in North Carolina
opens Thursday at 5 p.m. at the
Cleveland County Fairgrounds
and continues until October 5.
Fair Manager Joe Goforth
says there's plenty of fun events
for the whole family plus 6,000
exhibits, 1,800 exhibitors, music,
entertainment, food, livestock,
horticulture, arts, crafts and one
of the largest midway shows on
the East coast with 35 rides.
This year's fair salutes the
five Cleveland County
Volunteer Rescue Squads.
Gates. open at, 2 p.m.
Thursday, Friday, Monday,
Wednesday, Oct. 3 and 4 and on
Saturday, Sept. 28 and Saturday,
Oct. 5, at 9 a.m. Gates open at
noon Sunday, Sept. 29. Gates
open Tuesday at at 11 .m.
Closing is at 11 p.m. nightly.
Admission is $5 for adults
and $4 for seniors and $1 for
children ages 6-12. There will
Kings Mountain People
He said the Kings Mountain
Thorougfare Plan was adopted
by City Council June 25 and by
the N. C. Department of
Transportation on September 5.
' The Dixon School Road pro-
ject is funded to include widen-
ing to four lanes from I-85 to US
74 Business. The cross-section
recommended requires enough
right-of-way to accommodate a
multilane facility.
The road would be extended
to intersect with NC 216 at SR
2013. A two lane cross section
would be sufficient to handle
traffic along the extension. An
additional interchange with US
74 would be constructed in con-
junction with the extension. The
facility would then be signed as
the NC 216 Bypass.
On Phifer Road the widening
would include a right turn lane
into the high school and into
the middle school. The addition
of this turn lane would reduce
the congestion
nty Fair opens today
be a $2 gate special for every-
one on Saturday from 9 a.m.-10
a.m. and for women on Ladies
Day Monday.
Reithoffer Shows will cele-
brate their 200th year in the
business and 20th year at the
county fair with giant rides,
games and sideshows and a
birthday bash Thursday at the
Fair. Gate prices will be two for
one until 7 p.m. Armbands
valid for unlimited rides will be
available until 7 p.m. and food
and drinks will be discounted
until 7 p.m. at participating
vendors.
Seniors Day is Tuesday and
all senior citizens will be admit-
ted free until 7 p.m. Preschool
children and nursing home resi-
dents will be admitted free
Wednesday, October 2, from 9
until noon.
The Bar H Wild West Rodeo
returns to the fair Friday,
See Fair, 11-A
His co-workers at City Auto
& Truck Parts good-naturedly
label Kevin Bridges, 38, "Mr. Do
It All"
That's because Bridges fits
naturally into the Kings
Mountain business his father
opened 50 years ago.
~ He went to work at age 13
dusting the stock for Bob
Bridges and then was promoted
under his father's direction to
turn brake drums, realign
brakes and manufacture hy-
draulic hoses. In later years he
worked in sales and is now
completely in charge of inven-
tory control and the company
computer system.
Recently ‘Bridges was tapped
as "Man of the Year" by the
Automotive Parts Association
of the Carolinas for his leader-
ship of one of the most de-
to the shop where he learned |
KEVIN BRIDGES
manding committees of APAC,
the insurance program.
gram become sellable to jobbers
in the industry, in three months
traveling over 9,000 miles and
taking the program to 3,000 em-
ployees in 400 businesses in the
Carolinas.
"I had worked on this com-
mittee four years and became
chairman in 1995-96 and for
most of us in the business the
accident and health coverage
was not adequate, so I started
researching the program and
our new program took shape
and is working great," said
Bridges.
Leadership roles are not un-
common to the Kings Mountain
native, a 1976 graduate of Kings
Mountain High School and son
of Bob and Barbara Bridges of
the Dixon Community. He ran
the youth program at Dixon
Presbyterian Church for many
Bridges saw a dwindling pro- years, accompanying children
Bridges auto group's man of year
to camp. He and his wife, Trudy
Childers Bridges, built their
new home in the Dixon
Community and moved into it
the day after their 3 1/2 year
old daughter, Katie, was born.
Bridges admits that he met
some resistance to his ideas for
the insurance program but he
said he needed good insurance
as did his co-workers and in
January when he assumed the
chairmanship of the committee
he went to work.
The new program has saved
the employees 14 percent on
premiums which were up to 21
percent increases.
Recently Bridges took on sev-
eral other hobbies. He loves to
fly and is working on his com-
mercial pilot's license. He
started golfing in several tour-
See Bridges, 11-A
rm ep TAS ERY
"We've delayed the decision so long,’
Kings Mountain's Ruby Alexander, a GOP candi-
date for the board.
said
"I certainly support the EDC's recommendation
to the commissioners. It would benefit the whole
county wherever it's located."
The county commission meets in the
Commissioners Chambers at the County
Administrative office building in Shelby.
City to ask
County board
to run elections
Change could be on the hori-
zon for candidates running next
year for the seven seats on City
Council and the mayor's job.
If the city charter is amended
as proposed by Council, the
highest votegetter for a seat on
City Council would be declared
the winner with no possibility
of a runoff and Cleveland
County Board of Elections
would be conducting the mu-
nicipal elections.
At present two elections are
held in Kings Mountain, a
Primary in October and a runoff
in November. The city rtinof? is
held ‘at the same time as school
board elections and in
November. The county board of
elections runs the school board
elections.
Council voted 5-0 Tuesday
night to adopt a resolution of
intent to amend the city charter
to establish non-partisan elec-
tions to be determined by sim-
ple plurality vote and set the
date of October 29 at 7:30 p.m.
for public hearing. It will also
make a decision after a public
hearing on the abolishment of
the city elections board which
has been operated for 11 years
by Becky Cook.
"I'm for one vote take all,"
said Councilman Dean Spears.
City Attorney Mickey Corry
said that in a non-partisan elec-
tion with plurality there is no
primary election and no runoff,
only one election in November
with the highest votegetter the
winner in each race. In event of
a tie, the winner would be de-
cided by the luck of a draw.
Cook had recommended
"some months ago that the coun-
ty handle the elections, citing
the cost of two elections for the
City of Kings Mountain and
saying that under the present
system absentee votes are not
allowed.
Mayor Scott Neisler said state
statutes declare that absentee
voting is permitted when
boards of elections are open five
days a week. The city elections
board opens its office only dur-
ing election season and candi-
dates register with Mrs. Cook at
her residence. If the new pro-
posal is adopted, candidates
would pay their filing fees at
the county elections board of-
fice in Shelby. Voters could still
register here, at Mauney
Memorial Libfary and also at’
the Shelby office.
Corry said that under the
plan the board has an option for
a primary but with no more
than two candidates for each
position a primary would not
be required. The two names
would be on the November bal-
lot.
Corry said the Council would
negotiate with the county board
for a contract to run the elec-
tion. Councilman Phil Hager
suggested that the city's equip-
ment be utilized or negotiate
the cost of the equipment with
the deal.
"You could retain the Primary
with the two highest votegetters
on the November ballot and the
top man or woman winning
election,’ Corry said in re-
sponse to questions.
Both options would eliminate
runoffs. However, a candidate
could still call for a recount of
the votes.
The present charter provides
for a primary and a runoff if
necessary.
The Kings Mountain Board of
Elections was chartered in 1951.
Councilmen Ralph Grindstaff
and Jerry White were absent.
Council voted unanimously 5-0
to call for a public hearing.
DAY OF CARING - Rita Lawing, chairman for the Kings
Mountain United Fund for Saturday's Day of Caring, left, Scott
Lynch, Mikie Smith, president of United Fund, Maude Norris and
Mayor Scott Neisler prepare to take a ride with Steve Lynch after
painting the Senior Center, one of the projects of 25 volunteers.