Thursday, September 26, 2002
Cl (CS ER
KINGS
Vol. 114 No. 39
TE ST
MOUNTAIN
The Heral
Since 1889
Tt i a ly a el ara
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oman
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County approves $150,000 for Shelby water line
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
During a Monday morning
meeting with representatives of the
three county water providers pres-
ent, the Cleveland County Board
of Commissioners voted unani-
mously to give $150,000 toward a
36-inch water line to go from the
Broad River to the city of Shelby
treatment plant.
Last week during its regular
meeting, the Shelby City Council
approved the first steps toward
construction of the line.
The water line was included in a
study a Forest City engineering
firm made for the county.
The plan, from a study from
Forest City engineering firm Odom
and Associates, valued at $14 mil-
lion has three parts:
* A Broad River connection to
Shelby’s water treatment plant and
a pumping station for $8 million;
* Recommended interconnects
throughout the county for $3 mil-
lion;
* Upgrading the Kings
Mountain water plant for $3 mil-
lion.
Apartment
Co a SRN ns
To fund the study, Kings
Mountain would contribute $2 mil-
lion; Cleveland County $5.9 mil-
lion; the Cleveland County
Sanitary District $2.25 million;
Boiling Springs $350,000; and
Shelby $3.5 million.
While cities would have other
options for raising the revenue for
this plan, Cleveland County offi-
cials said rasing property taxes
would be their way to raise money
for the plan.
The Cleveland County Sanitary
District approved a contribution of
$500,000 toward the line at a spe-
cial meeting last week.
Shelby Mayor Mike Philbeck
said in Monday's discussion that
he hoped the county would work
with him on the project.
“I hope that we won't get
bogged down in other issues that
will serve to divide us,” he said.
Philbeck said Shelby has
employers where a lot of
Cleveland County residents work.
“We also realize about economic
development and we also want to
help our neighbors,” Kings
Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey
said.
complex
delayed
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
The apartment complex
scheduled to be built near
Kings Mountain
Intermediate School will be
delayed.
Wray Plonk, who owns
part of the land, said the
construction company,
Eagan Construction of
Mooresville, was applying
for a state tax credit and
was turned down.
“We had hoped they
would be grading by this
point in time,” Plonk said.
Staff Writer
Hall.
Eagan would develop,
build and manage the
apartments. The company
manages approximately 150
. complexes containing 9,000
units. The complex was also
slated to have a bike path,
clubhouse and a play-
ground.
Rent for the apartments
was expected to be between
$400 to $600.
Construction was sched-
uled to start earlier this
year.
The complex would also
be near the Kings Mountain
branch of the Life
Enrichment Center.
City leaders have also
made plans to develop the
Kings Mountain Boulevard
area.
Even though the compa-
ny was turned down for the
credit, Plonk said he expects
the complex to still be built.
“It’s just an obstruction in
the road we need to either
move, go around, Cross
over, what have you,” he
said.
Representatives from
Eagan Construction did not
return phone calls from The
Herald seeking comment.
David Beam, who
applied for a rezoning
BEN LEDBETTER / THE HERALD
Jeanette Hardee touches up part of the mural she painted at Grace United
Methodist Church.
Murals at Grace Motho att
bring Bible stories to life
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
Jeanette Hardee never thought the
mural she started painting would span
most of the upstairs at Kings Mountain's
Grace United Methodist Church.
With their kids being in the same scout
troop, Hardee met Grace pastor Dale
Swofford and that led to Swofford asking
her if she knew of an artist.
"We talked about a lot of things we
used to do," Hardee said. "He came to me
one day and asked if I knew an artist. I
said, 'What do you need?’ He said he
wanted some mural work done and I did
some years ago. Hardee
showed Swofford her work samples and
he showed it to his church's board. After
it approved the project Swofford told her
what he wanted from the mural and she
started to paint.
Spending between five to 10 hours a
week on painting, Hardee started in April
and recently finished.
And while she was painting, church
members got excited about the project
“Once | Nounin be falen out of
' e taxing district for a new
got started water iy ;
| just Maney, Mayor Rick
3 w Murphrey, Councilman
couldn’t stop. Howard Shipp, Dean
Spears, Gene White and
Jeanette Hardy
Muralist
INIA Raa
for sale
projects
e Ask that Kings
Monday's Cleveland
County Board of
which led Swofford to seal off the room
Hardee was using.
"It got to where he had to put a sign on
KM opposes
sharing cost
of water line
By BEN LEDBETTER
Kings Mountain City
Council held the line when
talks turned to the county
water proposal during
Tuesday’s meeting at City
Council unanimously
approved giving City Other councilmen agreed
Manager Jimmy Maney, with White.
who has been negotiating “I agree with Gene on :
with the county, authority this,” Spears said. “He i
to: served it up pretty good.” ie
* Oppose any county tax Councilman Jim Guyton
FTA
e Offer any excess water
eo If taxed, to insist the
city be able to use its part of
the money for further water
Rick Moore participated in
Commissioners meeting
where the board approved
$150,000 to go for a 36-inch
water line from the Broad
River to Shelby’s treatment
Twice during the meeting
Murphrey said Kings Mountain
had water to sell and that fell on
questions from other leaders about
what would happen if Moss Lake,
the city’s water source, dried up.
Another issue that was mentioned
by Shelby and county leaders was
how could water be taken from
Moss Lake to Shelby and the
northern part of the county. |
The issue of a county-wide tax to 8
provide Shelby with water was J
something Philbeck said discus
See County, 2A
Sam
EE ,
During Tuesday's discus-
sion White read from a
statement that said
Monday’s meeting was long
in generalities and short on
specifics. He said if the
county won't negotiate on
the proposal, then Kings
Mountain should be exclud- i
ed from the tax. i
“said if he knew this would
happen that he would not
have wanted to sell Shelby
water earlier.
Citizens also spoke on
water-related issues during
Tuesday's citizen recogni-
tion portion of the meeting.
Mary Young, who lives
near Hillway Drive, said she
needs water because her
well is going dry.
“I need water down
through there,” she said. “It
needs to come down
through there.”
Murphrey said the city
would review her request.
Other citizens spoke out
against the county water
proposal and the proposed
second lake.
In other business, council
rejected a proposed annexa-
each room and seal it off as I was work-
ing in there so that kids and people
would not go walking in and get into the
paint. Because it's a mess when you're
doing stuff like that," she said.
The size of the painting was something
neither Swofford nor Hardee expected
from the start.
"I don't know if he really expected it to
See Murals, 3A
plant.
County Commissioners
asked Kings Mountain to
review the plan with the full
council and get back to
them.
Shelby and county leaders
said the line would benefit
the whole county.
Not so, according to
Kings Mountain city offi-
tion study 4-3 which would
look at areas west of town
on U.S. Highway 74
Business.
City Planing Director
Steve Killian said one reason
to study the area is because
the city has water and sewer
service extended throughout
the area.
cials.
See Water, 2A
See Complex, 3A
KIN GS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
Love of people, nature must
for state park superintendent
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
Park Superintendent Joe Sox has
spent the past 18 years at
Crowders Mountain State Park
between Gastonia and Kings
Mountain.
And while he is not a native of
the area, he has been treated like
one.
A love of nature and working
with people have kept him in his
- current vocation.
“To do this job you have to pos-
sess those qualities,” he said.
With two budget crises, various
ties have had to make do with
fewer things.
The park has also been impact-
ed. It usually has five rangers on
staff and currently is functioning
with three.
A possible fourth one may also
be on the way. Sox also performs
ranger duties.
“If you're down three permanent
staff members, that’s obviously
going to have an effect on the
amount of work you can get
done,” he said. “In the area of
ranger responsibilities, it’s impact-
ed interpretation and education
See Park, 3A
BEN LEDBETTER / HERALD
Joe Sox has spent 18 years as superintendent of
Crowders Mountain State Park
DSS checks complaint
against Summit Place
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
The Cleveland County Department of Social
Services is investigating a complaint filed about a
former resident of Summit Place, an assisted living
center in Kings Mountain.
According to Cleveland DSS Social Work
Supervisor Tela McSwain, the complaint came to
her attention about two months ago.
McSwain is still waiting on medical records and
said she expects the investigation to last another
two to three weeks.
“The main thing we're looking into right now is a
care issue for a former resident,” she said.
The incident was isolated and not an ongoing
problem, she said.
She would not confirm the name of the former
resident of the assisted living facility.
See DSS, 2A
state and local governmental enti-
90
Kings Mountain
Gastonia Shelby
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