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Thursday, October 23, 2003
Vol. 115 No. 43
Since 1889
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50 Cents
Lincolnton.
Luke Goforth enjoys spending time at Killdeer Farm’s pumpkin patch. Luke, 4, is the son of Trip and Dana Goforth
of Kings Mountain. His grandparents are Ed and Pam Goforth of Kings Mountain and Harold and Debbie Beard of
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
New plant coming to KM
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Gibson Industrial Services is moving
its operation from Charlotte to Kings
Mountain though how many jobs that
will create is uncertain.
Gibson executives, city and chamber
officials and members of the media
gathered at Kings Mountain city hall
Friday morning for the announcement. .
The company will make the move
from its Spencer Street facility to Kings
Mountain over the next 18 months.
Gibson will bring 25 employees to
Kings Mountain and plans to hire
additional workers as the economy
allows. Officials did not offer a set
number of new hires.
“It depends on the economy,” said
Ken Milem. “Now it looks like things
are starting back up.”
Gibson is a full service
millwright/ rigging contractor. The
company does large and small jobs
ranging from handling a single piece of
equipment to complete plant reloca-
tions, according to a press release dis-
tributed during the news conference.
The company hopes to hire local res-
idents with mechanical knowledge. A
high school diploma or GED is
required. Gibson will hire through the
Employment Security Commission.
Salaries will range from $8 to $17.
Gibson's Charlotte location was once
an industrial area but has now become
a trendy arts district known as NoDa.
Company officials were looking for a
more suitable location when Milem
spotted the former Harris Welco build-
ing on York Road.
In addition to its normal operations,
the company hopes to allow its cus-
tomers to use the 100,000 square foot
building for temporary storage, inter-
viewing and training. The training and
_ interviewing concept was popular in
the 1970s when businesses were mov-
ing to the southeast. Before a plant
could be set up, employers could con-
duct machinery training and inter-
views at industrial service facilities.
Gibson serves customers across the
world. Both company and city officials
hope their international scope will
bring attention to Kings Mountain and
serve as an industry recruitment tool.
Smith running as write-in in Ward 5
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
are paying taxes that go to spe-
“I would vote against it. I
Bn Staff Writer cial interests which don’t bene- ~~ don’t see putting it in public
4 oH fit them. places where children and teens
— On Monday Clarence He wants to see residents get can be influenced,” he said.
o : “Buddy” Smith launched a
a write in candidacy for the Ward
5 city council seat though Smith
admits he probably cannot
defeat incumbent Carl DeVane.
Mountain.
more involved in running Kings
Smith sees industry loss as a
major issue for Kings Mountain.
Smith appears to be the only
write in candidate in Kings
Mountain's city council elec-
tion.
Businesses
seek video
poker permits
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Three video poker game
operators appeared before
Kings Mountain's Board of
Adjustment Tuesday night
requesting permission to
keep the machines inside
their businesses.
Two years ago the city
adopted an ordinance
requiring owners to meet
strict criteria to have the
games. The owners say they.
were not aware of the rules
until city officials sent letters
telling them they were in
violation in September.
Board members did not
vote on the conditional use
permit requests, instead:
they conducted a quasi-judi-
cial hearing. They will vote
during a Nov. 10 meeting.
Whether Kings Mountain
Travel Plaza gets to keep its
machines appears to hinge
on where customers park.
The city ordinance requires
video games to be at least
200 feet from a residence.
Owner Jim Testa would
have to insure that cus-
tomers playing the games
park in designated spots
that are beyond the 200 foot
limit. This is an issue
because portions of his
parking area fall inside the
200 foot limit.
Testa says he will post
parking signs and will have
maintenance personnel
enforce the policy. Board
member Ron Humphries
quizzed Testa on the feasi-
bility of this plan using
posted speed limit signs as
an example.
“Have you driven down
an interstate lately? Did you
see speed limit signs? How
many people passed you?”
Humphries asked.
“Too many,” Testa replied.
He argued that employees
will also insure the rule i is
obeyed.
“I do think you are going
to have a problem. I don't
think that can be handled
with a maintenance man
passing through every hour
and a half,” said board
member Lou Ballew.
Board members asked
Testa how machines pay off.
He explained a system that
uses $10 coupons ;
redeemable for store mer-
chandise. He denied any
cash pay offs.
Board members Ballew
and Humphries asked if
Testa was currently operat-
ing the machines. He said
that the city zoning admin-
istrator had given him per-
mission to do so during the
conditional use permit
application process.
City attorney Mickey
Corry said Testa was in vio-
lation of the city ordinance
by operating the machines
without the conditional use
permit.
“What are you going to
do about that?” Ballew
asked Testa.
“This is news to me,” he
replied.
After the hearing, Testa
said he was confused
regarding whether he could
currently operate the
machines and was not sure
what he would do.
During the hearing, Testa
told the board he would use
the earnings from the
machines to pay for installa-
tion of a water line to the
area. He plans to develop a
See Poker, 3A
Smith works at the Kings
Mountain Post Office and is a
Kings Mountain native. He and
his wife Gloria have three chil-
dren. They are members of True
Gospel Holiness Church.
He is advocating for a tighter
budget.
“We need to be watching our
pennies,” he said.
Smith is opposed to liquor by
the drink.
“I don’t see any way I can
beat him but it sends a mes-
sage,” Smith said. “I want the
people of Ward 5 to know their
voices will be heard.”
Smith says Ward 5 residents
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Vickie Rhyne, clerk to the Kings Mountain Board of
Adjustments, swears in store owners and representatives
who planned to testify during a public hearing Tuesday
SMITH
Turn back clocks,
check smoke alarm
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Firefighters are reminding
the public to check their .
smoke detector batteries this
weekend when they set
clocks back an hour.
Daylight savings time ends
Sunday.
Smoke detectors are avail-
able for free from the Kings
Mountain Fire Department
for folks who do not have
one. The department is tar-
geting the elderly and
homes with children though
anyone can get a smoke
detector. Firefighters will
even install it.
Kings Mountain installed
over 290 smoke detectors
last year, Kings Mountain
Fire Chief Frank Burns said.
The department just got
word from the state that
they will receive money for
approximately 500 more
smoke detectors in February.
The funding will be split
between Kings Mountain,
Grover, Oak Grove and
Bethlehem fire departments.
Firefighters also are
encouraging residents to
replace smoke detectors
which are 10 years old or
older. Batteries should be
changed twice annually and
See Smoke, 3A
1 FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 129 Years
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Kings Mountain Fire Fighter Gary Hensley
changes batteries in a smoke detector. Fire
officials recommend changing batteries twice
yearly when clocks are reset.
Kings Mountain
300 'W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782
Gastonia
529 New Hope Road 106 S Lafayette St.
704-865-1233
= Most KM candidates
would require petition
on liquor by drink
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
With elections only a month
away, hot button issues like liquor
by the drink are being talked
about.
Kings Mountain currently
allows beer and wine sales at gro-
cery stores. The town has one state
run ABC store where liquor and
fortified wine is sold.
For restaurants to be allowed to
sell alcoholic beverages by the
drink, voters would have to
approve a referendum. Before the
Shelby
704-484-6200
issue gan get on the ballot, one of
two things have to happen. Either
a majority of city council members
would have to vote to have the
referendum or 35 percent of all
registered voters inside the town
would have to sign a petition call-
ing for the referendum.
Mayor Rick Murphrey doubts
that the city council would vote to
have the referendum. Council
member Rick Moore agrees.
“I don’t think that would go
over,” Moore said.
Moore went on to say he would
See Liquor, 3A
Bessemer City
225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-629-3906