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Vol. 110 No. 25
: Thursday, June 18, 1998
- Kings Mountain, NC Since 1889 *50¢
KM Hospital withdraws polling site offer
Chairman of Elections Board
says sites probably won't change
by ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Pat Spangler, Chairman of the Cleveland County
Board of Elections, said Tuesday that since the Kings
Mountain Hospital has withdrawn its offer of a site
for a polling place that it’s very likely the Kings
‘Mountain polling place will still be the Kings Moun-
tain Community Center. :
“I can’t speak for the other member of the board
' but with the congressional elections coming up Sep-
tember 15 and the county commission races still up
in the air I don’t see how we'll have time to search
for another voting site in Kings Mountain,” he said.
Spangler, Shelby Democrat, said the Cleveland
County Democratic Party has nominated
Kingstown resident K. C. Withrow to succeed the
late James Hoskins on the board of elections.
Spangler said Withrow has not been officially ap-
pointed. Ruth Wilson, Republican, secretary of the
board, is vacationing in Alaska.
Citing “negative publicity could set back the
progress we have made to restore public confidence
in Kings Mountain Hospital,” Hank Neal on Fri-
day withdrew her offer to the Board of Elections to
use Kings Mountain Hospital as a polling site.
Neal, the hospital's administrator, said in her let-
ter to Director of Elections Debra Blanton that the
Hospital Advisory Council had expressed “signifi-
cant concern over the possibility that the group pro-
testing the site would inflict some public relations
damage to the hospital in their fervor to oppose the
site change from the Kings Mountain Community
Center and because of their advice and opinions I
must withdraw my offer to utilize the hospital as a
polling site.”
“Not being a native of Kings Mountain, I am not
Library campaign
| LL IGREEY:
as familiar with local politics as the members of the
Hospital Advisory Council,” she wrote. “My desire
was to offer the hospital as a community resource.”
A copy of the letter was forwarded to City Attor-
ney Mickey Corry with a note from Blanton that
there would be no submission to the U.S. Justice
Department.
“It was my presumption that the Board of Elec-
tions was withdrawing their request to change the
polling site from the Community Center to the Hos-
pital,” said Corry. Ms. Blanton was out of the office
and unavailable for comment.
But Corry said his office sent a copy Wednesday
morning of the resolution passed unanimously June
9 by the City Council opposing the change of poll-
ing places for Precinct 2 voters to the U. S. Justice
Department.
Ward 4 Councilman Gene White, who has led the
council’s efforts to restore the polling site to the
Community Center, said he was acting on behalf of
voters of Kings Mountain and said there had been
a misunderstanding about the role of the city and
the county board of elections.
“We fully realize statutorily they (elections board)
have certain powers but we're paying that board
$4,000 a year to run the city election and feel en-
titled to some consultation since we know the town
better than anyone else. It’s just common sense to
want to sit down with the board and try to resolve
issues. :
“We can take back the elections on a 90 day no-
tice,” he said.
Assuming the Precinct 2 polling place will re-
“main at the community center, White said he will
encourage in a motion at the June 30 council meet-
ing a meeting of the elections board with the city
council and Mrs. Blanton to try to iron out any real
or potential problems voters have with the Com-
munity Center site and correct them before the next
election.
8
Minette Mills' closing
put 90 people out of job
now over the top
The Children’s First Campaign
for $524,000 to build a new
children’s wing at Jacob S.
Mauney Memorial Library has
topped its goal.
Librarian Rose Turner ac-
cepted a second gift from the
Kings Mountain Kiwanis Club
Monday, a
i pancake breakfast
: - fundraiser.
Kiwanis President Hal
Schwantes said the club had
made an initial gift of $2000 for a
feasibility study. -
“We are just delighted to hear
that the goal has been topped and
that more contributions are com-
ing in that will enable the library
to do some additional construc-
tion of the lower level along with
the upper level children’s wing,”
. said Schwantes. Under the origi-
nal capital improvements plan,
$2800 check represent- :
the proceeds from the civic gin in the fall and the new ;
‘to be called the Harris Wing in
the lower level was to remain
unfinished and would be avail-
able for future expansion. With
additional funds, the lower level
will be completed and be avail-
able as additional meeting space
for library functions and other
community meetings.
Construction is expected to be-
d the new win
honor of the late Senator J. Ollie
Harris, his wife of 62 years, Abbie
Wall Harris, and their son, the late
John Oliver Harris Jr., a success-
ful Houston land developer, will
be completed in 1999.
The campaign, which gained
wide support from the commu-
nity, was kicked off by a $100,000
donation from Harris Funeral
Home, which was owned and
operated for many years by Ollie
Harris and is now owned by John
See LIBRARY page 9A
GIFT TO LIBRBARY - Rev. Hal Schwantes, pastor of Central
United Methodist Church, presents a check for $2800 to Rose
Turner, Mauney Memorial Librarian, to be applied to the fund for
the new Harris Children's Wing. The campaign for funds has
topped its goal.
‘School Board
A “fairly dramatic” increase in
both physical and verbal disre-
spect by students toward employ-
ees has prompted the Kings
Mountain Board of Education to
set a goal to develop a compre-
hensive plan to assure improved
student behaviour.
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae said the
most frequent concern among
employees is the growing num-
ber of student behaviour prob-
lems on campus.
“We simply must demand ap--
propriate respect from students
and rein in on student
behaviour,” he said after the
board adopted four goals for
1998-99 at Monday's night meet-
ing of the Kings Mountain Board
of Education.
The first goal is to reach ex-
pected growth or better as de-
fined by the State Board of Edu-
cation on all state-mandated end-
of- grade and end-of- course tests
in all subjects at each school. The
third goal is to promote school,
parental and community support
for high expectations for all stu-
dents. Lhe fourth goal is to pro-
mote the successes of the school
system.
McRae said the first two board
goals are the strongest and he felt
the schools are moving in the
right direction and results are
proving the worth of the first goal
to reach expected growth.
McRae said a community task
force will be asked to look at the
See SCHOOL BOARD page 9A
New swimming pool may
be ready for July 4 opening
With only 12 working days left
until July 4th, workers are run-
ning a tight schedule to finish up
the new city swimming pool and
adjoining buildings at Jake Early
Memorial Park.
Both City Manager Jimmy
Maney and Recreation Director
Tripp Hord say architects and
contractors have promised that all
will be ready, weather permitting,
for a big Independence Day cel-
ebration. Ceremonies at the
nearby walking track and tours of
the buildings are scheduled.
“I want to put to bed some ru-
mors circulating in town that the
city doesn’t have the money to
finish up Davidson Park,” said
Maney. He said the city is in the
best financial shape ever and is
poised to move forward with
n capital projects and to begin those
projects budgeted for next year.
Maney said the city is waiting
on design drawings from engi-
neers before completing the
Davidson project and still needs
to complete landscaping, some
paving and other finishing
touches on the Deal Street parks.
“We wanted to get the Deal Street
park finished as much as possible
for ball season and we did,” said
Maney. ;
Maney said members of the
recreation committee have ap-
proved final drawings for the
Davidson Park and those draw-
ings are in the hands of the engi-
neer for the project.
Jim Stewart, architect for the
new law enforcement center,
brought brick and roof color
samples to Maney Tuesday for
review. The former Regal Build-
ing downtown is being painted
for police who will soon be mov-
ing out of the old police building
on S. Piedmont Avenue.
wants to end discipline problems
Assistant Superintendent King to retire
Dr. Jane King, Assistant Super-
intendent for Instructional Ser-
vices, announced Monday to the
Kings Mountain Board of Educa-
tion that she will retire in July
1999.
“Mrs. King's shoes will be hard
to fill because she had done so
much for Kings Mountain school
children,” said Supt. Dr. Bob
McRae after the board met in
closed session to discuss person-
nel.
“Mrs. King gets major credit
for the good work that’s been
done,” said McRae. “Its a major
loss for our system,” he said of
King’s retirement.
McRae said King will retire at
the end of September but will be
able to stay on contract with the
system until next July to help the
system work through a transition
period.
A former North Elementary
teacher, West and North School
Principal, supervisor of the Ex-
ceptional Children’s Program,
Director of Instruction at the Cen-
tral Office, and currently Assis-
tant Superintendent for Instruc-
tional Services, King joined the
Kings Mountain schools 29 years
ago. She worked with the state for
one year.
See KING page 9A
Minette Mills, Grover’s oldest
industry which since 1890 had
employed many families in the
community and seen decline in
recent years, closed Friday.
Employees reporting for the
first shift at 7 a.m. Friday were
sent home and told that the 90
kers on two shifts were out of
Gail Robinson, her mother,
Jeanette, her father, Jimmy, her
brother, Buddy, and her sister,
had all worked at Minette over
the years.
“We knew the plant was in fi-
nancial trouble but they told us
all along that it was being sold for
a continuing operation and our
jobs were not in jeopardy because
this was a small community and
they didn’t want anyone to be
without work,” said Gail, a com-
puter operator with 24 years ser-
vice.
“We were given no notice un-
til Friday morning after bankers
called the owners Thursday at 5
p-m. and told them Minette had
to close,” she said.
“I guess I'll go out looking for
another job.”
But Gail's mother, a 37 year
veteran of the Grover plant and
drawing social security payments
may elect to stay home. Mr.
Robinson, who started skinning
quills for Minette in 1948 at age
16 and learned to weave back in
Minette’s heyday when some 500
workers were employed, retired
from the slasher room in 1988 af-
ter 40 years. Robinson’s son,
Buddy, had worked at the mill for
20 years. A daughter, Joyce Ann
Houser, now works for Commer-
cial Shearing in Kings Mountain.
“I remember when we had
three shifts running all the time
-
NOT IN THE SWIM YET - City Recreation Director Tripp Hord stands on the site of the new city
swimming pool at Jake Early Park. Work is progressing on a July 4th deadline for opening of the new
facility.
and making our own yarn,” said
Robinson who went to work with
the founder of the company, C. F.
(Cap) Harry. The Harry family
sold the plant in 1973 and subse-
quently built Grover Industries.
“It was a good place to work
and most everyone in Grover
worked at one time at Minette,”
he said.
“But things have gone down-
hill in recent years,” said
Robinson.
Minette, a manufacturer of up-
holstery and bedspreads. was
plagued by financial problems
and , the plant’s activity and em-
ployment was on the decline.
Minette had been in foreclo-
sure proceedings with Standard
Chartered Bank, New York City,
for 10 months. Owners, Thomas
and Eric Tang, brothers, owe the
bank as much as $4 million on the
property. Minette owes the
county more than $200,000 in
back taxes, dating to 1994, and the
Town of Grover about $50,000,
which represents about 10 per-
cent of the town’s budget.
“It really hurts. I really feel bad
for those folks who worked
there,” said Grover Mayor
Ronald Queen. “But the company
hasn’t met its obligations to the
community by paying its taxes.”
But Queen said the county had
filed tax foreclosure proceedings
on the plant last month but the
county did not order the plant
closed down.
Queen said the only way
Grover will get its money is for
the property to be sold. Minette
is currently owned by Chinese
brothers who purchased Minette
in 1982. The mill has changed
ownership about four times in the
last 25 years.
Gas tax exemption
- passes second reading
Abill sponsored by Sen. Walter
Dalton to exempt eight cities, in-
cluding Kings Mountain, from a
tax on natural gas, passed the N.
C. Senate 42-3 Tuesday but it
faces a tight schedule since, with-
out the bill, the Department of
Revenue directive will take effect
July 1.
The bill now goes to the N.C.
House, where a committee will
review it, and then is voted on
and goes to Gov. Jim Hunt for his
signature before it becomes law.
“No tax on gas cities” was
prompted by a May 5 directive by
the Department of Revenue
which would have removed the
tax exemptions historically en-
joyed by eight gas tax cities, in-
cluding Kings Mountain, Shelby
and Bessemer City in this area,
Greenville, Lexington, Monroe,
Rocky Mount and Wilson, cities
that have their own piped gas
systems.
See GAS TAX page 9A
ES TT
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