Since 1889
50 Cents
oie ride
of her life
5A
foul taste and odor.
By ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Over 40 inches of rain since
January has resulted in foul
smelling and tasting drinking
water, diminished crops and leak-
ing basements for Kings Mountain
residents.
Kings Mountain has received
41.85 inches of rain this year,
according to Kenneth Kitzmiller
who keeps statistics for the
Herald. During an average year,
this area receives 52 inches.
City Water Resource Director
Walt Ollis said Monday that taste
and odor problems with the city’s
water supply should be cleared up
by today.
Workers are using activated car-
bon to clean the water. The carbon
is filled with microscopic holes
which fill up with algae. A filter
then catches the offending algae-
filled carbon, removing it from the
drinking water.
On Monday, water at the city’s
plant on Moss Lake was “almost
like it is suppose to be,”
Ollis said. City crews spent the
earlier part of the week flushing
water lines to remove left over
algae.
Water customers who are at the
end of lines may need to run their
water until the offending particles
are removed.
“If it’s not cleared up by that
time (Thursday), they need to run
their faucet,” Ollis said. "
Dennis Wells, director of dy.
distribution and collection sys-
tems, was not as optimistic with
his time frame for correcting the
problem.
“I don’t want to speculate on
that,” he said.
The carbon is costly at $640 a
day. The City of Gastonia has
loaned the water plant a hopper
which is used to put the carbon
into the water system.
“We certainly appreciate them,”
Ollis said.
Water plant workers are housing
the borrowed hopper in a truck
bed for safety reasons. Carbon, in
its powered form, is highly flam-
mable. The new hopper will be
housed in a permanent location
which requires explosive-proof
motors, fans and lights.
Workers will use Gastonia’s
hopper along with one the plant
had on hand until a second unit
arrives in approximately two
See Water, 3A
ANDIE L. BRYMER / HERALD
Debris washing into the water from recent heavy rains is causing boater safety concern at Moss Lake (top photo).
Below, Junior Henson, Water Treatment Plant Operator, checks water which is being treated by carbon to clear up
City continues to work on algae problem,
debris washed into lake is Safety concern
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
On Monday evening,
Cleveland County
Commissioners held a
budget presentation at the
Kings Mountain City Hall,
followed by a time when cit-
izens could ask questions
and make suggestions for
the commissioners’ consid-
eration.
“We wanted to take the
budget around to explain it
to citizens, so that people
can’t say, ‘I didn’t get a
chance to” or ‘I didn’t
understand the big books,
said Willie McIntosh, chair
of the Board of
Commissioners, of the rea-
son behind the board's tak-
ing the budget from town to
town this year.
The budget has to be
adopted before June 30.
Probably, the commissioners
will vote on it again next
Monday after the Boiling
Springs and Lawndale citi-
zens have had a chance to
ask questions about the
budget.
- “We need people’s input.
We can’t do that if people
don’t participate. We'd like
to have it where nobody can
say they didn’t have the
opportunity,” said
Mcintosh.
The total budget will be
increased by 2.63 percent
rrr
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
With the poor economy,
many businesses have been
forced to close or consoli-
date, causing unemploy-
ment to become a serious
issue. Kings Mountain has
not been immune to the
country’s problems. Several
“businesses have closed in
the past couple of years. At
the end of the month, the
city will lose another.
Harris Welco in Kings
Mountain will be closing its
White Oak Manor dads
share family n memories
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
Howard Green, Gene
Jeffries, and Willie Poole
have raised 17 children alto-
gether between the three of
them: 13 girls and four
boys. Currently, the three
of them live at White Oak
Manor, where they share
their memories of lives full
of children.
Green raised eight chil-
dren in Kings Mountain: six
girls and two boys. He, his
wife, and their children
lived on a farm in Oak
Grove. The whole family
contributed to running the
See Dads, 3A
9©
CAS
hel
HOMETOWN
BANK
KINGS MOUNTAIN FATHERS
Howard Green, Willie Poole, and Gene Jeffries are three
of the fathers currently residing at White Oak Manor.
Between the three of them, they have raised 17 children.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 129 Years
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782
By ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
When Butch Raines was
little boy, his dad George
Raines carried him every-
where he went. Today, the
ing the favor for his 89-
year-old father.
to give up driving several
made sure his father gets
where he needs to go. He
also spends most days at
George Raines’ Fairdell
Street home.
“Him and Mama, they
raised me when I wasn't
See Raines, 3A
Gastonia
704-865-1233
middle-aged man is return-
Since George Raines had
years ago, Butch Raines has
Butch Raines is
giving back to his dad
County Board
considers small
budget increase
this year. The tax base will |
increase 2,814 percent for a
total of $5,115,000,000. The
general fund budget for the
coming year is $50,498,456,
which represents a 2.76
increase over last year.
The state’s budget prob-
lems will continue to affect
the county’s spending and
revenue for the next two fis-
cal years. The tax revenue
projected for April was 20
percent, or $300 million,
below projections, which
means that the current year
will experience a widening
shortfall unless spending is
reduced or revenue is
increased.
Two Kings Mountain
organizations requested
grants from the commission-
ers. The Kings Mountain
Historic Cabin Project com-
‘mittee requested $5,000, and
the senior center requested
$25,000. Both requests were
new to the Board of
Commissioners. In total,
county groups requested
$89,800 for various projects.
Unfortunately, the grant
fund only has $13,500 in it
currently.
The proposed grant budg-
et for the coming year holds
only $8,500. The grant
account held $104,400 in
2001-2002. The account has
decreased 92.47 percent
since then.
See County, 3A
Harris Welco to
shut down June 27
doors for the last time on
Friday, June 27.
Approximately 150 jobs
have been lost since the
business first began to scale
down.
The business first began
the process of closing its
doors a year ago. The com-
pany is consolidating its
business and moving the
functions that take place at
the Kings Mountain branch
to the company’s headquar-
ters in Mason, Ohio.
See Harris Welco, 3A
simply
a
GEORGE AND BUTCH RAINES
Shelby
529 New Hope Road 106 S Lafayette St.
704-484-6200
Bessemer City !
225 Gastonia Hwy. |
704-629-3906 |
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