Member
North Carolina Press Association
Vol. 109 No. 12
Carl Smith going into
Kings Mountain
__Hallof F a
ame
Thursday, March-20, 1997
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Kings Mountain, N.C. « 28086 * 50¢
P&Z Board won't bend on parking lot ordinance
[Neighbors object to proposed strip mall
Neighbors of Love's Fish Box
objected Tuesday night to Olin
Love's rezoning request and his
plans to build a strip mall that
the Planning and Zoning Board
approved.
The board voted 5-0 to rec-
ommend to City Council March
25 that Love's 11/2 acres be re-
zoned from residential to gener-
al business.
Love's attorney Scott
Cloninger said plans by Love
are to remove the three houses
on the property on Shelby Road
and develop a strip mall. He
said that Love hopes to lease
15,000 feet of rental space for
commercial uses.
Lou Ballew, a member of the
planning board, voiced objec-
tions to new business develop-
ment in residential communi-
ties but said she would
reluctantly go along with the
full board because she helped
develop the city's land use
plan. ; :
Board Chairman M. C.
Pruette and Jim Guyton pointed
out that the land use plan pin-
points Shelby Road or
Highway 74 West for general
business.
"There is general business in
that whole area," said Guyton.
Ballew said she hoped the
board would consider a condi-
tional use permit instead of out-
right rezoning to give the ad-
joining neighbors a chance to sit
down with Love and work out
the details. But other board
members, also including Jim
Childers, Jim Belt, and Roger
Goforth said conditional use
See Neighbors, 4-A
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of the Herald Staff
Asheville realtor Charles Murdock charged
Tuesday night that city officials put brakes on
Ingles plans to build in the Oak Grove
Community.
But Planning and Zoning Board members and
city planning director Steve Killian and building
inspector Jeff Putnam defended the city, saying
they had "bent over backwards" to assist the de-
veloper.
"We're not against Ingles but we have to stick
to the rules," said board chairman M.C. Pruette
after the board voted 5-0 to reject Ingles amend-
ment to the 1996 zoning ordinance which would
have, in effect, grandfathered or placed regula-
Ingles specifically objects to the placement of
trees in the parking lots of their stores, a provi-
sion in the new ordinance adopted in December
1996.
of adjustment.
tions regarding the store development within the
old ordinance.
OOPS - Either the trailer which hit this utility pole, or the utility lines = driver said he hit the pole trying to avoid hitting a car which turned in
front of him. Police left the truck and trailer in place to keep the lines
is the only thing keeping the lines up and the power on after a city
recreation department employee pulling a lawn mower clipped the
pole at the corner of the BB&T lot on East King Street Tuesday. The
from falling until a new utility pole was put in place.
Higher user fees In proposed budget
No property tax increase and
no increases in gas, water, sew-
er and electricity are proposed
in the 1997-98 city budget but
the city is looking at raising us-
er fees at Moss Lake and in-
creasing sanitation and ceme-
tery fees.
City Manager Jimmy Maney
said Monday night at a two-
hour work session that the
move to up fees is an effort to
avoid a tax increase. :
The city is also moving to
lock in for 12 months natural
gas costs that will guarantee a
lower rate on a 12-month aver-
1ige over fiscal year 1996-97.
Maney said the city and is
looking at how to possibly de-
crease the electrical residential
rate over the next fiscal year.
"Where can you find a city
with 9,000 population that
owns and operates four utili-
ties, is currently building a peak
generation plant to shave the
electric demand during peak
periods, owns its own library
and senior center and isn't rais-
ing taxes?" asked Maney.
Maney said an updated pay
plan will cost $150,000 to
$300,000 to implement and a
new police building will cost
about $1 million.
"The money has to come from
somewhere," he said.
Maney said a survey ques-
tionnaire will go out with April
utility bills asking residents if
they would be willing to pay $2
more monthly on their sanita-
tion bills to keep backyard pick-
up or switch to curbside pickup
at the current price.
"We are not interested in pri-
vatizing our residential sanita-
tion but we are going to start
picking the garbage up at the
curb or raise the rates,” Maney
told five of the seven members
of City Council in a budget pre-
sentation.
"Whatever the majority de-
cides, we will abide by it but
pickup would be limited to
once a week."
Councilmen Rick Murphrey,
Mayor pro tem Phil Hager and
Dean Spears said they were in
agreement with the new plans.
And although Council mem-
bers Norma Bridges and Jerry
Mullinax say they don't want
to raise taxes or see increase in
utilities they have concerns
about upping the sanitation
fees.
Mayor Scott Neisler says he
supports the sanitation increase
and hopes citizens will too. He
said the increase in sanitation
fees will help give sanitation
workers a well-deserved raise
and keep workers in town.
"What we are looking to do is
to raise user fees when it comes
See Fees, 5-A
is closer to another incorporat-
Murdock said Tuesday that Ingles won't object
to placing trees around the edge of the site.
Killian suggested that the objection to trees
could be covered through another amendment
and offered the city's help.
But Judy Scism, owner of the property on Oak
Grove and Scism Road which Ingles took an op-
tion to buy, said that she wishes city officials had
offered more advice earlier in the negotiations.
"Get everything legal and we'll help you and
maybe we can bend a little for minor things," said
member Jim Belt who said Ingles was granted a
variance on signs for the new store by the board
See Ingles, 4-A
Shelby Council supports
KM's annexation plans
By 5-1, Shelby City Council
Monday night voted to support
a local bill to allow Kings
Mountain to annex the lake
which Kings Mountain owns.
Mayor Scott Neisler appeared
before the Council to seek sup-
port for the bill that he will ask
local legislators to introduce lat-
er this month.
The bill is necessary because
state law does not allow a mu-
nicipality to annex an area that
Kings Mountain.
Neisler has already received
support from Waco Town Board
and is meeting in April with the
Patterson Springs board.
Councilman Sam Rapier vot-
ed against the proposal because
the language in the bill was not
spelled out.
"It's not an evasive move,"
Neisler said of the bill. "It's just
making sure Kings Mountain
has control of its own property.”
Neisler said the annexation is
only of the lake and not the
homes surrounding it. If the bill
is approved no new residents
wil be added to the city. The bill
would not give Kings Mountain
taxing authority over Moss
Lake residents, he said.
Shelby City Manager Dee
Freeman expressed concern
over the implications for the
city of Shelby.
"How does it affect Shelby's
ability to grow?" he asked. "As
the city grows we're going to
grow toward the lake."
But Mayor Mike Philbeck
said the annexation of the area
around Moss Lake by Shelby is
unlikely.
"The density requirements do
not exist that would allow us to
annex around the lake," he said.
"They don't need to be alarmed
round the lake. No one's going
to annex anyone at the lake."
The bill will include an ad-
dendum that approv
‘Mond ay
Mountain City Council passed
5-0 a resolution of support for
special legislation allowing the
city to annex city owned prop-
erty up to eight miles from the
city limits. City planner Steve
Killian pointed out that the an-
nexation is a zero population
annexation.
He said a major reason is that
the city currently buys retail
electricity from Duke Power
and the franchise the city pays
for the power goes to the state
of North Carolina. However, if
the transmission point is locat-
ed in a city one half of the tax
goes to the city. Kings Mountain
wants to gain $16,000 a year in
franchise taxes.
Also on Monday KM Council
adopted a resolution for sup-
port of special legislation that
would increase the membership
of the ABC Board from three to
five members and set a third
budget workshop for April 7 at
6:30 p.m.
Kings Mountain People
Ethel Childers notes 90th birthday
ETHEL CHILDERS
Her Water Oak Street neigh-
bors tease Ethel Childers, 90,
that when she reads a book she
inhales it.
Reading fast is a hobby that
# Mrs. Childers has loved all her
life and Harlequin Romance
| books are her favorites that
friends share with her.
Sunday her family and .over
| 100 friends gathered at Oak
View Baptist Church to cele-
brate her birthday. Mrs.
Childers renewed friendships
with many people she had not
seen in a number of years and
they reminisced over family
pictures and had pink and
white decorated birthday cake
and party refreshments.
"Childers," as Ethel is called
by her neighbors, relaxed in a
rocking chair and talked about
the days of growing up on a
farm in the Dixon Community.
She tells the story of how her
late husband, J. E. "Em"
Childers, was six years old
when he went to her house and
saw baby Ethel for the first
time.
"Em told me after we started
courting that he told his mother
at the time that he planned to
marry me," said Childers who
was 17 when she became a
bride. They raised five daugh-
ters, had 10 grandchildren, a
number of great-grandchildren
and six great-great grandchil-
dren. Daughters Mildred
Caldwell, Faye Lovelace, Dot
Spearman and Joyce Roark
hosted the Sunday birthday
party and Lovelace also baked
the decorated cake which Ethel
was sharing with neighbors on
her birth date Tuesday.
A native of the Dixon
Community, Mrs. Childers is
the daughter of the late Mary
Jane and John Farris and is the
See Childers, 5-A
VICTORIAN LOOX - The new lantern-type street lamps down-
town have the look of the Victorian era. City officials say the new
effect enhances downtown and the lights will be especially deco-
rative at the holiday season.