Thursday, May 13, 1999
Tony Leigh’s KMHS baseball
team will host former KMHS
coach Bruce Clark and his
North Gaston Wildcats Friday
at 7 p.m. in the second round
of the state 3A playoffs. 6A
Brinkley, Curry KMHS
Athletes of the Year
Seniors Kristie Brinkley and
Julius Curry were named
Kings Mountain High's 1998-
99 Athletes of the Year at the
annual Booster Club spring
sports ceremony Monday
night at the KMHS cafeteria.
6A :
Mountaineer track team
wins West championship
Kings Mountain High's
men’s track team won the
Western Regional
Championship Saturday at
T.C. Roberson High School
and will compete in the North
Carolina High School Athletic
Association Championship
Saturday at N.C. State. 6A
Former KM wrestler
is national champion
Former Kings Mountain
High wrestling standout Shon
Byers, now living in Colorado
Springs, Col., recently won the
U.S. heavyweight champi-
-onship and is the favorite to
represent the U.S. in the World
Games and Olympics. 7A.
= NARS RRR
City Council again
tables water request
For the second time, Kings
Mountain City Council tabled
. a request from owners of
South Carolina gaming estab-
lishments to run water to their
businesses. 4A
East's Jerry Hoyle
Principal of Year
East Elementary School
Principal Jerry Hoyle was
named District Principal of the
Year at the recent Service
Awards Banquet at KMHS. 1B
Going to college?
You'll need computer
The top thing on the list of
every graduating senior who's
going off to college in the fall
is probably a computer. Most
colleges now require students
to have their own. For advice
on the right kind to buy - and
to get an idea on the price - see
page 1B
BUSINESS.........ovveriiisnanir sien 9A i
Church News..... ..10A
Classified: oi .vviis vinssasssivansing 8B
Education... ove
Obituaries.... 3A
ODINION.....} teats sessanastvssnvivansasst 4A
POHGE inva iain a ev nrnrhunsety 7B #
Sports a
Weddings
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 125 Years
YOUR
HOMETOWN
BANK
Vol. 111 No. 19
Industrial park gets first tenant
. Since 1889
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50 Cents
Eric Boyd
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Sara Lee to bring its second facility to Kings Mountain
Sara Lee Intimate Apparel
has announced plans to build a
370,000 square foot packaging
and distribution center for its
Bali Company in the Cleveland
County Industrial Park in Kings
Mountain. The new facility will
consolidate the operations of
two packaging and distribution
centers now located in neigh-
boring Gaston County.
"Strong business growth has
resulted in the need for a larger
“and more modern facility," said
Charles A. Nesbit, chief execu-
tive officer of Sara Lee Intimate
Apparel. "The new distribution
center will meet Bali
Company's aggressive business
growth projections for several
years into the future."
Nesbit said the location was
as important as capacity to the
company. "As we looked at var-
ious options, we knew that we
wanted the new center close to
our existing facilities so that we
could retain our experienced
employees and stage an orderly
transition between buildings.
Our decision to build in
Cleveland County confirms Bali
Company's committment to
maintaining a strong base of op-
erations in North Carolina and
to its employees."
Bali employs 700 associates in
its present facilities, and does
not expect any disruption in the
present workforce. The compa-
ny will continue to operate its
220,000 square foot facility on
Canterbury Road in Kings
Mountain.
Construction on the new
building will begin within two
weeks and will be completed in
December 1999. The Cleveland
County Industrial Park was se-
lected for the new building be-
cause it met several business re-
quirements. The site met
company criteria for adequate
property in close proximity to
the current facilities, thereby
minimizing disruption for Bali's
Kings Mountain
landmark is
coming down
Employees of Champion Contracting were
busy this week demolishing the old Kings
Mountain Water Plant on Deal Street. The
plant and water tank were built in 1928 and
were in operation until the late 1960s when
the city built Moss Lake. Prior to 1928 the site
served as the baseball stadium for Kings
Mountain High School and area semi-pro
teams.
is a
million.
sewer line.
added.
ment.”
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Sesesencansastt
The public stayed home
Monday night and offered no
input into the proposed $25 mil-
lion city budget for fiscal year
- 1999-2000.
A handful of city employees
and city officials from the
neighboring town of Grover
heard the presentation by City
Manager Jimmy Maney and
. council members took the occa-
sion to congratulate Maney for
what Clavon Kelly called “the
best budget I've seen in a long
time.”
But Kelly was adamant that
he will not vote for the budget
at the May 25 regular meeting
because the city is raising water
and sewer rates eight percent.
“1 gave my word to the peo-
i ern A bg cms ls ns 58s fl 20 Lite A A i i NF Mm is EA bn 5 lh SO er OT me NG Gi a nid nto i Gin at a gi in TL
'
ple of Kings Mountain that I
would not vote for a utility or
tax increase and I intend to
stand by my word,” said Kelly.
The budget calls for an in-
crease of about 75 cents for a
residential water customer us-
ing 3,000 gallons per month
with the proceeds earmarked to
repair, maintain and expand the
city’s water lines and sewer sys-
tem.
A top priority is the delivery
line that brings water to the city
from Moss Lake. Built in 1967,
the 24-inch pipe bends at 90-de-
gree angles twice and is consid-
ered the weakest link in the
city’s system, Maney and water
superintendent Walt Ollis have
pointed out at recent budget
work sessions.
“The lack of phone calls to us
means that department heads
and Mr. Maney have done a
~ great job,” said Councilman
Gene White. “We should con-
sider ourselves extremely lucky
that we are financially sound
even though we need to spend
$15 to $20 million in capital im-
provements.”
The new budget levies no tax
increase, no electric rate in-
crease, no natural gas rate in-
crease, an eight percent
water /sewer rate increase and
projects a balanced budget as
required by the State of North
Carolina. The debt service obli-
gations such as bond payments
are also included.
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
(ALON
3
Gastonia
529 New Hope Rd.
A new pay plan was adopted
on February 23, 1999 which
looked at each city position in-
dividually and brought each
employee's salary up to a com-
petitive level based upon the
North Carolina League of
Municipalities’ updated survey
of salaries in the state. There is
no pay increase recommended
for the new fiscal year due to
this salary adjustment.
The Perpetual
Care/Cemetery Fund includes
a new office, utility vehicle,
computer and resurfacing of
streets.
Holding up the city budget, a
thick book hich conned
ges of proposed capital im-
Peer from 1999-2004,
EAE ERN
/
“I'm for annexation,” said
White. But he labeled the
city’s plana “short-sighted
scheme,” which Mayor Scott
Neisler denied. White
charged that, by its action, it
“saddles” future councils
who at some time would
have to put up upwards of
$2.5 million to run sewer
lines to serve the areas.
The two tracts were designated by Richard
Flowe, consultant for Benchmark of
Kannapolis, as Area F, 10.3 acres on the city’s
northeast side, and Area G, 2,318 acres on the
southeast side.
‘resolution of intent to annex at the
meeting. That set in motion a time line that
must be adhered to in order to complete the
process to be effective June 30, 2000.
state law changes that give cities leeway in li
providing sewer service was a loophole ques-
tioned by White. Under the agreement oh
will take care of all septic tanks in the annexed
areas until the city has the money to putin a
experienced associates. In addi-
tion, the county-owned indus-
trial park provides excellent ac-
cess to shipping avenues and
. close proximity to Charlotte's
Douglas International Airport.
The industrial park is located
at the Waco exit of the Highway
74 Bypass in Kings Mountain,
Sara Lee Intimate Apparel is
a leading manufacturer and
marketer of women's intimate
apparel products through its
Bali and Playtex companies.
Councilman says
annexation plan
‘scheme’
By 5-1, Gene White voting against and Phil
Hager absent, Kings Mountain City Council
Monday night approved the services plan for
annexation to take in 714 people in two areas
with assessed property values of nearly $24
WHITE
ars unanimously Soraned a
pri!
Recent
ecity
“Depending on when we had dvailable
funds that cost could run up to $5 million or
more,” White said after the meeting.
“Those people will be paying city taxes for
up to 5-10 years and this action puts severe le-
gal liability to future city councils,” White
White said he and other council members
saw the proposal by Flowe for the first time at
Monday’s meeting and had little time to study
what he called a “complicated legal docu-
“The mayor has engineered this all along and
had the votes to do it,” said White.
“We will start going after grant moneyright
away,” said the Mayor who called the service
plan a “great situation for Kings Mountain.”
Major industries to be annexed are Cyprus
Foote Mineral and the new Johnson
Development corporation.
See Council, 10A
Kelly stands his ground on KM budget
Mayor Scott Neisler called the
book “a working bible” for the
city. He called for a round of ap-
plause for Maney and city de-
partment heads, saying he was
proud of the team.
The proposal that council will
consider on May 25 is for
$664,821 less than the 1998-99
budget of $26,020,741. The new
budget proposal is $25,355,920.
. The top priorities in the 1999-
2000 budget include:
+ A new Senior Center and
Isothermal Building Project
which would include a home
on the site at King Street and
Canterbury Road for some
qualifying residents.
See Council, 2A
Shelby
Main Office
106 S. Lafayette St.
484-6200