KINGS | MOUNTAIN
Thursday, December 6, 2001 Since 1889
Vol. 113 No. 49 50 Cents
pT V2 % A
xoRr* Ad haral We”
NE wetont fic 28
eralc | Pon AI 5
i A = WOLR
9
xxC 008
—
S130 sean
i LEVORIA- (GE (06-34)
AQUA E uefeat
Shelby
6A
CHRISTMAS TIME IN THE CITY
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
Dance groups put a lot of spirit into Saturday’s Kings Mountain Chistinas parade. Over 100 units participated in the event and
several thousand people watched it.
Warm weather brings out
big crowd for KM parade
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
the participants.
Except for a few antique
.cars.and four-wheelers that
stalled momentarily, the
parade went off without a
hitch.
Kings Mountain Police
Chief Houston Corn, Fire
Chief Frank Burns and KM
Rescue Squad Captain Joni
Blanton were the grand mar-
shals. Noell said they were
representing all of the city and
area’s emergency personnel.
“We thought after what
happened on September 11
people have a much higher
respect and admiration for
people in the front lines of
protecting us,” he said. “It was
a tribute to all of them.”
Most of the comments he’s
received trom spectators have
been positive, Noell said, but
he did say that the city will
Short-sleeve shirts and
shorts - not ear muffs and
overcoats - were in vogue at
Saturday’s annual Christmas
parade in downtown Kings
Mountain.
Temperatures in the low 70s
brought out a huge crowd of
participants and spectators for
the 3 p.m. event.
City Activities Director Ellis
Noell said over 100 units
including hundreds of kids
and grown-ups alike, marched
and rode in the hour-long
parade over Gold,
Battleground and King Streets.
Mayor Rick Murphrey esti-
mated “several thousand”
people lined the streets.
Spectators in the downtown
area were lined six-to-ten deep
with the smaller ones up front
to gather the candy thrown by
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
Santa Claus waves to the huge crowd attending Saturday’s
Kings Mountain Christmas parade.
Grover parade draws big crowd
See KM Parade, 3A
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
People lined the streets of Grover for its annual Christmas parade Saturday.
Weather for Saturday's parade was sunny, and around 70 degrees.
Kings Mountain High Schools band, dance groups, church groups, and county
businesses made appearances in the annual holiday parade.
For Grover Elementary’s Angela Dowlins, a fourth grade teachers assistant,
“watching the school floats go by” was the best part of the parade.
While lots of people riding in entries in the Pande waved to the people on the
street, some threw out candy.
BEN LEDBETTER/THE HERALD °
Participants in Grover’s Christmas Parade
Saturday wave to onlookers. : \
See Grover, 3A
(A
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
A Kings Mountain gas
department employee who was
burned in a flash fire while
installing a tap Thursday after-
noon will probably be released
from the hospital by the end of
the week.
According to City Manager
Jimmy Maney, Chris Hughes,
26, and other city employees
had finished putting a service
line into a home in the Gold
Run subdivision and were con-
necting it to the main line when
a spark ignited leaking gas.
Hughes was air-lifted to the
Burn Center in Chapel Hill.
Another employee, Daryl
Philbeck, was treated and
released at Kings Mountain
Hospital.
The incident is being investi-
gated by the Safety Division of
the State of NC and the federal
Office of Pipeline Safety. Both of
those offices are scheduled to
release their report within 10
days.
“It wasn't an explosion,”
Maney noted. “I compare it to
an open flame on a cook stove,
except to magnify that to the
point that you have 30 pounds
EDC and CC
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
A proposal to merge the
Cleveland County Chamber of
Commerce and the Economic
Development Commission was
approved at Tuesday’s
Cleveland County
Commissioners meeting.
The idea, which included an
implementation committee, was
suggested by Commissioner
Charlie Harry last week in a
memo.
“By combining our economic
development efforts, I think we
will reduce duplications and
create synergies that will make
the process more efficient,”
Harry said last night.
The implementation commit-
tee will consist of two county
commissioners, two members of
the Cleveland County Chamber
Board, two members from the
Economic Development com-
mission, two members from the
Shelby and Kings Mountain
City Councils, and members of
the Cleveland Association of
Government Officials, Boiling
Springs Town Council, and the
Upper Cleveland Chamber.
County seeks public input on
gas employee
burned in fire
of pressure coming out of a 2-
inch line.”
Maney said the flame reached
about 10 feet. as service was
interrupted to some nearby
homes for most of the night
while the main line was
repaired.
Hughes was in the hole at the
time of-the fire. Philbeck and
another city employee were out-
side the hole.
“The main line was a 2-inch
plastic line and once it ignited it
very quickly melted the plastic
and you had a full 2-inch open
flow with gas coming out of it,”
Maney explained.
“This was a routine job pass
that they probably do 10 or 12
‘times a week,” he added. “It
requires no direct supervision.
It’s just a simple job task that
they’ve been trained to do. We
just have to wait and find out
what went wrong and see that it
doesn’t happen again.
“We're certainly blessed, and
so is the employee,” he added.
“I've done these same kind of
gas taps hundreds of times over
the years. You can do something
a hundred times but it’s the one
time that could make a differ
See fire, 3A
Commissioners approve
Harry's proposal to merge
Chamber
Kings Mountain City
Manager Jimmy Maney, Shelby
City Manager Grant Goings,
County Manager Lane
~ Alexander, EDC Director Steve
Nye, and Chamber President
Rob Youngblood would serve as
non-voting members of the
committee.
Youngblood said the idea
needs to be given quick consid-
eration.
“We urge the Board of
Commissioners to press for-
ward with this bold and impor-
tant initiative thoughtfully and
expeditiously,” he said.
Commissioner Ronnie
Hawkins, who supported
Harry's idea, said the memo
was not distributed in a timely
manner.
“If we communicate better,
we can make things happen for -
Cleveland County,” Hawkins
said.
While Harry's idea received
prompt consideration Tuesday,
Hawkins said it would have-a
tougher time with” other gov-
ernment entities in the county.
“I think it would be a hard
See Harry, 3B
recruiting industry
By BEN LEDBETTER
. Staff Writer
After gathering input from state and
local leaders earlier this month, the
Cleveland County Economic
Development Commission wanted to
seek ideas from the public.
With a small crowd sitting in a circle
last Wednesday in Kings Mountain
City Hall, county leaders sought more
ideas for bringing additional industry
to Cleveland County to help combat
the high jobless rate.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
According to the October figures
released by the North Carolina
Employment Security Commission,
Cleveland County has the state’s sec-
ond highest unemployment rate at 11.6
percent.
Economic Development Director
Steve Nye said a lot of the jobs that
were lost will not be coming back.
However, Nye said he was still talk-
ing with Case Farms and Hickory-
‘based cable maker CommScope.
CommScope has started construction
on a Kings Mountain office, but
Kings. Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782
stopped citing slow demand for its
product.
In a report issued by the EDC, Nye
said once demand picks up for cable
products, then up to 150 employees
will be hired for the Kings Mountain
* plant. The North Carolina Department
of Transportation is constructing a
roadway into the park and making
additional upgrades. Nye’s report said
the state is expected to spend approxi-
mately $800,000 on the project.
Nye mentioned several prospective
clients have looked at the Cardinal-
Gastonia
704-865-1233
529 New Hope Road
Binkley building in the Cleveland
County Industrial Park on Shelby
Road.
A medical products distributor is
looking at the building and plans to
invest at least $1.5 million in machin-
ery and equipment. The EDC report
said the company plans to hire 50 peo-
ple when fully operational.
A manufacturer that began its search
in October is expected to invest at least
$20 million and hire over 100 people.
The company, which is expected to
make a decision in six to nine months,
Shelby
106 S. Lafayette St.
704-484-6200
is investigating other buildings in
North Carolina and at least two other
states.
An aircraft components manufactur-
er which began its search in September,
is expected to invest at least $4.5 mil-
lion and hire over 150 people when the
plant is at full strength. The company is
expected to present a proposal to its
Board of Directors in December.
Nye said during last Wednesday's
work session that the multiple clients
See County, 3A
Bessemer City
1225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-629-3906
Member FDIC
de