Thursday, September 29, 2005
Vol. 117 No. 39
Since 1889
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MALINEY
100 8
50 Cents
on !
FEDHORNT
KINGS HBG MG 2B0B&-3414
Hope Christian
makes history
with first win
Eri
AVE
1B
Council candidates discuss issues
ANDIE BRYMER
abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com
Where do Kings Mountain City
Council candidates stand on liquor
by the drink and emminent
domain? Where do they think the
city will be in a decade? The
Herald posed these questions and
several candidates responded.
Should cities be allowed to
eminent domain to take property
for economic development?
Ward Two incumbent Brenda
Ross: “No. I oppose the seizure
private property to favor a private
Bates
dinner
tonight
GARY STEWART
gstewart@kingsmountainherald.com
A Salute to Bill Bates,
honoring the former Kings
Mountain High teacher,
: coach and
athletic
1 director,
will be
held
Thursday
at 6:30
p.m. at the
Patrick
Center.
At half-
time of
Friday's home football
game with East Gaston, the
Kings Mountain Sports Hall
of Fame will dedicate the
John Gamble Stadium field
house in honor of Coach
Bates. At the Hall of Fame’s
request, the Cleveland
County School Board
approved the naming of Bill
Bates Field House at its
June meeting. A permanent
plaque will be displayed on
the outside of the building.
BATES
business.”
Ward Two challenger Mike
Butler: “No, I'm against that but it
could be beneficial to the city if a
house has been abandoned for
years, the landlord can’t be
found,” Butler said.
Ward Three incumbent Jerry
Mullinax: “No.”
Ward Three challenger Tommy
Hawkins: “No.”
Ward Four incumbent Kay
use
Hambright: She called for studying
the issue and seeing how con-
stituents feel. “We should do the
best we can to protect property
of
Tonight's dinner will
bring out a number of
Bates’ former players and
other persons who will
speak on his contributions
to athletics and his impact
on education and the com-
munity. A limited number
of tickets will be available
at the door beginning at
5:30. They are $25.
Speakers include:
BM Ken Baity, Shrine Bowl
running back from Bates”
first year (1957) as backfield
coach under the late coach-
ing legend John Gamble.
MB Punch Parker, All-State
running back on the 1960
football team which fin-
ished 9-1.
. EJim Medlin, All-
Conference lineman on
Bates’ first SWC champi-
onship team in 1963 and
one of only three teams in
KMHS history to finish the
season undefeated.
HW Pat Murphy, All-State
quarterback on Bates’ 1964
SWC championship team
which finished the regular
season undefeated.
HM Charles Barnes, a run-
ning back/quarterback on
Bates’ 1968 and 1969 teams.
BW Geeper Howard, quar-
terback of Bates’ final team
in 1970.
HM Bobby Hussey, an assis-
tant football coach and head
basketball coach during the
1960s who went on to
become a successful basket-
ball coach on the collegiate
level.
HM Dr. Larry Allen, Deputy
Supt. of Cleveland County
Schools, who will speak on
Bates’ impact on the educa-
tional community.
MW Dr. George Litton, for-
See Bates, 2A
DOUBLE THE FUN
rights,” Hambright said.
Ward Four contender
Rodney Gordon: “Absolutely not,
being a property owner is the right
of every American. There are ordi-
nances governing private property
to prevent it from becoming a haz-
ard and keeping it zoned within its
limitations.”
Ward Five challenger Clarence
“Buddy” Smith: “I do not feel like
the city should be able to force
people to sell their land or move
from their land. There's enough
undeveloped land around the city.
I would not like it if the city tried
to take my permanent place.”
Ward Five challenger Keith
Miller: “No. The eighth command-
ment says, ‘Do not steal’. Using
eminent domain statutes to redis-
tribute private property from one
private entity to another private
entity against the will of the cur-
rent owner, regardless of the pur-
pose and regardless of compensa-
tion, looks too much like stealing
for me to support it.”
At-large incumbent Houston
Corn: “I don’t think so.”
At-large incumbent Rick Moore:
“No I am totally against that.” *
ANDIE BRYMER
At-large challenger Dean Spears:
“I have mixed emotions on that
but if a particular piece of property
that is not serving any good for the
city, the community, yes I would
vote for the city condemning and
taking it for economic develop-
ment.”
At-large challenger Roy “Butch”
Pearson: “The use of eminent
domain to seize private property
for economic development is
wrong. If real property is deemed
detrimental to the city or presents
a hazard for our citizens, relief
See Issues, 2A
5 participate
in CCC forum
abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com
Five candidates for Kings Mountain's city council and
mayoral races participated in a Chamber of Commerce can-
didate forum Thursday night at Cleveland Community
College. Candidates were asked a series of questions by
moderator Dr. Steve Thornburg, president of CCC.
Will you permit a referendum allowing citizens to vote
on mixed beverage sales:
Ward 5 challenger Keith Miller: No.
At-large challenger Lamar Fletcher: Yes.
At-large challenger Dean Spears: No. 95
Ward Three challenger Tommy Hawkins: No. &:
Incumbent Mayor Rick Murphrey: “Liquor by the drink ar
is for citizens to determine. That is a citizens’ issue.”
ment.”
Tommy Hawkins:
petitors.”
What is the relationship of Kings Mountain to the rest
of the county and what can be done to improve it?
Dean Spears: “Kings Mountain is on the verge of eco-
nomic development, Spears said. He told the audience he
served on the EDC before serving on council. I would vote
for all the incentives I could and persuade others to.”
Lamar Fletcher: “Kings Mountain and Shelby need to sit
down and work together to bring in economic develop-
“Kings Mountain and the rest of the
county get along fine.”
. Kings Mountain as a good place to live, work and retire.
Keith Miller: “We work together as friends and neighbors
but I sleep with one eye open. Shelby, Gastonia, Gaston
County, Cleveland County and Kings Mountain are all com-
Miller said all benefit from local assets like
Gardner-Webb University and the state and national parks
and Kings Mountain has the advantages of Interstate 85,
water, the transco pipeline and having the parks nearby.
Rick Murphrey: “The city and county have a great rela-
tionship and work together on economic development.”
What is your general position on taxes and what specif-
ic pledges would you make regarding taxes.
Tommy Hawkins: “Kings Mountain has been blessed the
See Forum, 3A
Hawkins said he would promote
Council passes North Piedmont rezoning request
. ANDIE BRYMER
. abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com
A controversial rezoning request
passed 5-1 during Tuesday night's
Kings Mountain City Council meet-
ing.
Council member Houston Corn
cast the lone dissenting vote against
J. Glenn Carroll's request to rezone
his property at 605 N. Piedmont
Avenue from residential to general
business. Councilman Carl DeVane
was not atthe meeting.
Three members of nearby First
Wesleyan Church spoke against
Carroll's request, calling it spot zon-
ing. The church representatives said
‘that general business included so
many uses, leaving them afraid of
what could be built there. Carroll
said he had several offers including
business and residential uses.
Church member and former coun-
cilman Clavon Kelly said he lived in
the neighborhood as a child. He
talked about the “fine homes” which
were moved when Highway 74 was
built. He questioned what the prop-
erty would be used for.
“It could be a bingo parlor, shoot-
ing range, garage, car wash, conven-
ience store, liquor store, pawn
shop,” Kelly said. “We don’t know
what they're going to put there.”
“I have no intention of putting
anything in the area that would dis-
rupt the neighborhood,” Carroll
_ said. “It’s really not a neighbor-
hood.”
According to Carroll, 8,000 cars
pass through the area daily and the
highway has four lanes in front of
his property.
Church member Ted Huffman
argued that the church’s pastor was
on call 24 hours a day and business
traffic could disturb his sleep. The
church used that same argument
when a home day care provider
located next door to the parsonage
asked the zoning board to allow her
to provide childcare around the
clock. That request was turned
down.
Initially council members asked
Carroll to resubmit his request as a
conditional use which would require
specifics on use. Carroll said he did
not want to work with the planning
board or planning director.
In other business, Cleveland
County Commissioner Johnny
Hutchins told the council that the
city’s extra territorial jurisdiction is
under represented on the planning
board. He said this is not fair and
that the board's decisions could be
challenged in court because of this.
Fire Chief Frank Burns updated
council on disaster preparedness.
Burns explained that the fire depart-
ment works with other city depart-
ments, Cleveland County
‘Emergency Management and
Gaston and Cleveland county EMS
agencies. Generators have been
installed at the police department,
both fire departments, public works
where an emergency command cen-
ter is located and at the Red Cross
office.
The types of disasters Kings
Mountain is most at risk for include
heavy rains, tornadoes, ice storms
and train or vehicle accidents.
“You would not believe some of
the chemicals that go up and down
the road and the railroad,” Burns
said.
Kings Mountain has access to
decontamination through Cleveland
County and Gastonia’s hazardous
materials teams and a regional team
from Charlotte and has access to
urban search and rescue.
To notify citizens in the event of
an emergency, police and fire vehi-
cles are equipped with public
address systems. The fire siren can
be sounded to alert residents that
they should tune in to a news sta-
tion. Staff can go door to door as
well.
During a natural disaster extra
staff can be used at the police and
fire departments and vehicles are
kept full of fuel. The fire department
has a meteorologist on staff. The Red
Cross office located behind Kings
Mountain Baptist Church is the
city’s designated shelter.
Hutchins wants more ET) representatives
- ANDIE BRYMER
] abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com
A Kings Mountain extra-territori-
al-jurisdiction resident and
Cleveland County commissioner is
asking for more representation on
the city’s planning board and Kings
Mountains mayor says more mem-
i ¥
bers can be added.
Johnny Hutchins says the board
should have four representatives
from the city’s ET] instead of just
one. Currently there are seven mem-
bers representing the city and one
representing the ET] which falls in
Cleveland County and one for the
Gaston County ET].
Using 2000 Census data, there is
one city representative per 1,406
people and one Cleveland County
ET] representative per 5,580 people,
Hutchins said.
“I see nothing wrong in having
additional representation,”
Murphrey said.
The portion of the city’s ET]
which falls in Gaston County only
has 345 people total. Hutchins
agrees that this area should continue
to have only one representative.
Cities recommend planning board
. members to county commissions
who have the final say on the
appointments. Planning boards
make recommendations but the final
say-so is left to city councils.
& ; 9