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East School teacher Mike
Smith blasted City . Council
Tuesday. might for what he
termed the "disgraceful" condi-
tion of the Kings Mountain
Community Center and ques-
tioned the $300,000 budget for
Parks & Recreation.
"Young people deserve bet-
ter," he told the board.
"If you thought the Center
was a source of pride and you
wanted it to be a showplace
you'd be doing something
about it," he said.
Smith said he toured the facil-
ity on Cleveland Avenue
Tuesday and came away embar-
‘rassed at what he saw. He said
the interior is in disrepair and
the exterior is cluttered with
mess. ey
~ Smith also took issue with
City Manager Jimmy Maney's
assessment that Deal Street pool
renovation is not a priority in
the 1997-98 city budget.
"I want a commitment that
the pool will be repaired or re-
placed,” he told the board.
But Maney said the pool had
major leaks and was closed last
Resident says Community Center disgraceful
summer by the health depart-
ment. He suggested the city
look for about 40-50 acres of
land and in the future build a
multi-million dollar recreational
complex that would include
among other things a pool.
"There is no immediate fix to
the Deal Street pool situation,”
he said.
Responding to question of
Ward 2 Councilman Jerr
Mullinax, Maney said the staff
would look into the possibility
of expanded use of the Neisler
Natatorium
KM family remembers
first casualty of WWI
Memorial Day, a time to hon-
or the nation's war dead, has
special memories for the Green
family of Kings Mountain.
This week the Greens re-
ceived an enlarged framed por-
trait of Pvt. Otis D. Green in
uniform which Legionnaires
plan to hang in Otis D. Green
Post 155, American Legion, so
named to honor the fallen hero
of World War I and the first
Cleveland County soldier to die
in that war.
Pvt. Otis David Green was
the namesake of his nephew,
Otis Green of Idell Street in
Kings Mountain.
Otis Green, 78, a World War II
veteran of the Peacetime Army
§ le
help of his son, Dean Green,
and his sister-in-law, Frances
Green, in having the print
copied and in obtaining some
family history about the young
soldier they never knew. Pvt.
Green was also the uncle of
Donald and Randall Green,
Margaret Neill, Florella Beverly
and Virginia Grigg, all of Kings
Mountain and nephew of the
late Opal, Kenneth and Bud
Green.
A native of Boiling Springs,
Otis D. Green was born Jan. 23,
1888. He enlisted April 8, 1917
_in the regular Army and ac-
cording to family members
Proposed
Cost of living raises ranging
from 3 to 10 percent are project-
ed in the 1997-98 budget for the
city's 160 employees. The cost
to the city will be $250,000.
. City Manager Jimmy Maney,
'in a report from the city's ad
. hoc committee on the new pay
‘ plan, said all employees cur-
‘rently earning under $20,000
: will receive a 10 percent in-
‘crease, employees earning
: $20,000 and under $25,000 will
‘receive a five percent increase
.and employees earning over
- $25,000 will receive a three per-
Downtown stop sign causing confusion
Smith & Wilson attorneys, who occupy the old
bank building, lost two parking spaces to give
motorists more visibility.
"It's scary," is the reaction of downtown em-
‘ployees to the removal of traffic lights at the inter-
section of Mountain and Battleground, the old
‘bank comer.
. Stella Putnam, who works at Neisler Brothers,
says she hears "alot of tires squealing” and ob-
serves cars coming down the hill on Mountain
Street too fast and not slowing for the new cau-
tion light.
"It was not a good decision on the part of
state Department
Transportation and I am afraid someone will get
Council and the
killed," said Mrs. Putnam.
Other downtown merchants, including Smith
& Wilson Attorneys, KM Antique Mall and Jim
Childers share her concerns.
"Someone is going to get killed," Childers told
City Council Tuesday night.
"It's not worth a life to save money on stop
lights," he said, encouraging Council members to
- watch traffic on any given day at the busy inter-
section.
"My wife and I run a business on Battleground.
You closed three parking spaces and our cus-
tomers have to park across the street at the rail-
road. They can't cross the street now to do busi-
ness at our shop and others because of the
through traffic," he said.
"went straight to war." He died
March 1, 1918.
"I remember hearing my late
husband say that the family
hadn't heard from Otis in
months and received a letter
from the War Department
March 4, 1918 which stated that
he was a member of the First
Company 18th Infantry
Training Battalion, American
Expedition Forces, stationed in
France," said Frances
According to faded 1918 clip-
pings from The Kings Mountain
Herald "about 2,500 people
were here Sunday afternoon to
attend the military funeral held
over the remains of Otis D.
Green, which arrived from
ge Crow pected
and it had been arranged to
hold the exercise on the campus
of the graded school but it
looked so much like rain that
the meeting was taken to the
auditorium. Not more than a
third of the folks present could
get standing room in the school
but hundreds remained on the
grounds and joined the proces-
sion to the cemetery.
"The casket was draped in an
American flag and was borne
by six soldiers in uniform while
about 50 others in uniform un-
der the command of Sgt. Major
C . E. Carpenter marched after.
See Green, 10-A
KM budget
cent increase.
"The raises are long overdue,"
said Mayor Scott Neisler at
Tuesday's City Council meeting
in which the full board support-
ed the pay raise but three mem-
bers, Councilmen Ralph
Grindstaff, Jerry White and
Dean Spears, questioned paying
30 percent of the cost of insur-
ance for employee dependents.
Full-time employees also re-
ceive retirement benefits and
the city pays the full cost of
medical insurance for employ-
ees. City Council, but not their
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The crowd attending
Thursday's town meeting in
East Kings Mountain were al-
most unanimous in their priori-
ties for City Council in the new
fiscal year.
+ Quit squabbling over trees
in a parking lot and get moving
on the Ingles Super Market pro-
ject on Oak Grove Road.
+ By next summer open the
Deal Street Pool so kids can
have a place to swim.
+Clean up the old Pauline
Mill area which burned last
December.
+Continue back yard garbage
pickup once a week.
+Make repairs to the
Community Center where signs
TIME TO HONOR - Memorial Day is a time to honor fallen
heroes. Otis Green, a World War Il veteran, holds a photograph
of his uncle, Pvt. Otis D. Green who at age 30 was the first
Cleveland County soldier killed in World War | and for whom
American Legion Post 155 is named.
includes pay raises
families, are included in the
medical insurance package.
White, a former county em-
ployee, said Cleveland County
pays for no dependent coverage
for employees. Grindstaff, a
state employee of the
Department of Motor Vehicles,
says the state pays no depen-
dent coverage.
"The city has no business
paying insurance for depen-
dents of employees," said
Grindstaff who asked Maney to
show him the costs and the
names of other cities that pay
But Putnam said it's confusing.
"I saw one motorist who thought the light was
malfunctioning and she sat there at the corner for
five minutes with car horns honking," she said.
Putnam says it's just as confusing for motorists
trying to cross the railroad from West Mountain
because the crepe myrtle trees block their view of
of Battleground Avenue. "That light was taken
down too and this is a busy corner,” she said.
Putnam said she has seen several close calls.
She also questions the new traffic pattern at
Mountain, King and Phifer Road. "Police have
been giving tickets to students cutting through
the parking lots at Revco to try to get to the high
school and that's the only way they can get there
ping."
Putnam said
in early morning because folks turning off King
have a straight shot to Phifer Road without stop-
city officials should rethink the
new policy which Mayor Scott Neisler says is de-
signed to improve the traffic flow.
Chief of Police Bob Hayes acknowledged his
department has had at least five complaints from
people who had near misses in busy traffic at the
See Intersection, 5-A
these type of fringe benefits.
Councilman Dean Spears also
questioned the insurance pack-
age, saying he also supported
the pay plan.
"We have always given some
dependent coverage as part of
our fringe benefits," said Mayor
pro tem Phil Hager."There's no
use in raising some of these
folks if we take it away by go-
ing up on insurance costs."
The mayor agreed with
Hager. He said the costs of
See Budget, 10-A
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Vol. wi No. 22 mm ay hi = 1997 nd esti N.C. » 28086 * 50¢
uabbling over 17 trees
are now put up that say "gym
closed to public."
"I'm, mad as h---,"" said
Richard Styers who said back-
yard garbage pickup was the
only service he had ever re-
ceived from the City of Kings
Mountain. "We can't get our
sewage lines or roads fixed," he
said. Styers said Kings
Mountain citizens paid for
Moss Lake with increased water
bills and now it's time for the
city fathers to reimburse the
taxpayers instead of raising de-
partment head salaries.
Peggy Gladden said the city
should enforce its codes.
East School teacher Mike
Smith said he was disappointed
Since 1889
that the city had not repaired
Deal Street pool. "We've been
told the city fathers are going to
fill in the pool for a ball field,"
he said.
"Some kids can't play ball
and we have enough ball fields,
we need swimming facilities,"
he said. But Charles Smith said
citizens gave money to the KM
Indoor Pool Foundation and the
public should have more access
to Neisler Natatorium at the
high school.
Ward II Councilman Jerry
Mullinax, who called the meet-
ing, said he was pleased at the
turnout.
See Meeting, 10-A
KM considers vote
on four-year terms
Voters could decide probably
at the polls in November if
Council serves two or four year
terms, the seven member City
Council and Mayor Scott
Neisler all agreed Tuesday
night.
And that decision would
come only after a June 24 public
hearing in which citizens would
be invited to give input into
whether Kings Mountain
should change its charter and
return to the old system of
electing officials every four
years on staggered terms.
Council adopted a resolution
of intent Tuesday which sets in
motion the complicated steps in
the process. - kiya
Leading off the lengthy dis-
cussion at Tuesday's Council
meeting, the mayor said citi-
zens changed the terms of office
two years ago and Council
would have to go back to the
people if they wanted to amend
the charter.
City Attorney Mickey Corry
said if the public hearing in
June results in Council calling
for a referendum that Council
could take action in August to
call for the election. Corry
would then submit the plan to
the U. S. Justice Department
and if preclearance is given to
amend the charter the question
of changing terms from two to
four year staggered terms
would be on the November bal-
lot.
Two year terms of the seven
members of Council and the
mayor are up in November. The
outcome of the term vote, if it is
held, would not affect the win-
ners who would serve only a
two year term, said Corry.
Councilwoman Norman
Bridges asked who wanted to
amend the charter and why was
the item on the agenda. City
Manager Jimmy Maney said
several Council members and
several citizens had expressed
the idea to take the matter to
voters again.
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PEAK GENERATION FACILITY DEDICATED - City of Kings Mountain officials dedicated the
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"Some felt that everyone had
not voted his preference two
years ago when a petition was
circulated by citizens and re-
sulted in the two year term for
elected officials," said Maney.
Councilman Rick Murphrey
said if a referendum is indeed
called by Council that it should
be coordinated with the general
election to cut down on expens-
es of a special election. All
council members agreed and
Corry said it would take time to
get the plan in the works.
"During the public hearing
we may find out that citizens
like it the way it is," said
Councilman Dean Spears.
"We can certainly get more
done in four years but the citi-
zens have spoken and we have
to listen," said Councilman Phil
Hager.
Corry explained the time
frame is important if Council
plans to put the question on
the ballot in November 1997.
Corry said a new four year
staggered term, if approved,
could not begin until 1999. He
said in November 1999 ‘some
elected officials would run for
two year terms and some candi-
dates would run for four year
terms.
"How would you determine
who runs? asked the mayor.
"I don't know unless you
draw straws," said Corry .
"If a newcomer comes on the
board it takes him two years to
get his feet wet,” said
Councilman Jerry White.
Corry said public hearing
must be called within 45 days
after Council adopts the resolu-
tion of intent to amend the
charter. Council has the authori-
ty to allow a referendum or
vote on the matter but the date
for a special election may not be
more than 90 days after the
adoption of the ordinance
which sets out the amendment
and calls for the vote. Under
See Terms, 10-A
city's $2 million dollar Peak Generation Facility Tuesday. From left to right, City Manager Jimmy
Maney, Council members Jerry Mullinax, Ralph Grindstaff, Norma Bridges, Phil Hager and Rick
Murphrey, consulting engineer Rick Chapman and general contractor Ronnie McDaniel.