Page 2 LOCAL The Kings Mountain Herald Hospice waits on approval of certificate to come to KM EMILY WEAVER eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com In a grove of peach trees, near the intersection of Phifer Road and Kings Mountain Boulevard, lies the site of the new Hospice house in Kings Mountain. Although the ground on this five-acre tract of land, overlooking the western mountains, has yet to be disturbed, over half of a million dollars has already been pledged to bring Hospice to Kings Mountain. : State Rep. Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) announced on Friday the City of Kings Mountain received a $130,000 wastewater grant from the NC Rural Center to expand sewer service to the new Hospice location. But before any land is cleared or any of the donations or grant can be put to use the state health department must first grant a Certificate of Need. Hospice at Wendover, officials, in Shelby, were anxiously waiting on Friday to hear back from the Certificate of Need application that they sent to the state in May. Final decision on the legal review was sched- uled for Friday. But Les Brown, with the state CoN review board, said that the decision of whether or not to grant Hospices request has been extended. He added that he expects a ruling in the next few weeks. Many letters of support from citizens, express- ing the county’s need for a second facility, were affixed to the 42-page application. And although the new KM Hospice Home hinges on approval of the CoN, more funds will be needed to bring the dream to life. The 15,000 square foot facility is expected to cost over $4 million in capital expenditures. Hospice has reserved a total of $570,000 in pledges as follows: Courtyard, water feature $100,000 Chapel $75,000 Family sitting area #1 $75,000 $50,000 Nurses station Four patient rooms $50,000 (each) Family quiet room #1 $40,000 Children’s playroom $30,000 Site plans for Kings Mountain's Hospice House include eight private patient rooms, complete with sofa beds, television /entertainment centers, private baths and patios; a living room; a chil- dren’s playroom; a dining room; a patient spa room; two porches; family sitting areas; and a small chapel. Plans also outline a large confer- ence room, complete with audio and video capa- bilities, and a commercial kitchen that the com- munity will be able to use. Local architects Holland & Hamrick are in charge of the design and floor plans. When Hospice announced its plans for build- ing a new home in Kings Mountain in March, “representatives said that for certain donation amounts, individuals or groups could name a room. Commemorative plaques, within the facil- ity, will bear the donor’s names. For $600,000 a family, business, group or indi- vidual can have the honor of naming the entire Hospice facility. Other naming and donation opportunities are still available as follows: Conference room $250,000 Living room/entrance $150,000 Dining room $150,000 Family sitting area #2 $75,000 Four patient rooms $50,000 (each) Commercial kitchen $50,000 Family quiet room #2 $40,000 Nurse manager office $30,000 Two front porches #30,000 (each) A total of $2,175,000 in donations, in addition to funds, sought from grants, are expected to help establish Hospice’s new home in Kings Mountain. “We intend to begin construction in January 2009 and still anticipate serving the first patient in January 2010,” said Hospice Executive Director Myra McGinnis, who grew up in Kings Mountain. . What to do if Hurricane Hanna comes REBECCA PISCOPO rpiscopo@kingsmountainherald.com Hurricane Hanna, which had been reported as a tropical storm Tuesday morning, is regaining its strength and is expected to hit the coast between Savannah, Ga. and Myrtle Beach, SC as a category two on Friday, according to early reports from PRNewswire in Raleigh. Weather reports Tuesday Digh suggested the storm may hit strongest east of 1-77. But whichever ‘way the hurricane blows, here are some tips, from several agencies, to help keep you safe and pre- pared. BM Check with your local news outlets for shelters in your area. Mayor Rick Murphrey said that in emer- gency cases they have opened up the Neisler Red ross Center, behind Kings Mountain Baptist Church on Piedmont Avenue, and the fire station as shelters in the past. He said that if the weather war- rants such action, and upon advice from emergency personnel, they will contact local news media to inform the people of shelter locations. HM Place grills, outdoor furniture, bird baths and feeders inside. They can become dangerous during high winds. HM Check to make sure you have ample supplies of: flashlights and batteries, candles, lamps, matches, first aid kits, and canned or packaged food that can be prep] without cooking. HM Have several days supply of drinking water. BM Make sure you have a full tank of gas. BH Unplug appliances. Alvarh advanced surge- protectors may protect your home during most storms, it will not prevent damage from lightning. BM Have a weather radio or other battery-powered radio or TV handy. Pay attention to the television or radio broadcasts for more information. ; HM Prepare for heavy gales by boarding windows. HM Put important papers in watertight containers. M Fill your bathtub with water for sanitary purpos- es. September 4, 2008 Bethlehem Baptist Church Disaster Relief team brings aid to La. REBECCA PISCOPO rpiscopo@kingsmountainherald.com Hurricane Gustav barreled towards Louisiana last week-. end as a category three hurri- cane. As many as 80,000 people fled New Orleans to escape, what many feared might be a repeat of Hurricane Katrina. ousands trickled into shel- ters in upper Louisiana and in border states. The mayor of New Orleans has asked folks to wait until parishes are declared safe before they return. But Lawrence Bolin and his wife, Juanita Bolin, of Kings Mountain, didn’t wait. On Monday morning, the Bolins and Robert and Denise Dodge, members of a disaster relief team at Bethlehem Baptist Church, packed up an 18- wheeler, with a mobile kitchen that can feed up to 20,000 peo- ple, and headed south to pro- vide relief. The mobile disaster relief unit is provided by the North Carolina Baptist Men, accord- ing to Aloma Falls, who is also on the Relief Team. In a telephone interview on Tuesday, she said that her team members - were - traveling through Shocco Springs, Ala., waiting for instructions from Gaylon Moss, President of the North Carolina Baptist Men, as when to enter Louisiana. “They are out of the way of the hurricane. Gaylon is in con- stant touch with FEMA and the ADVERTISING _ | Display Ads - 12 p.m. - Friday Classified - 1 p.m. Monday | NEWS ITEMS & SOCIAL NOTES a 12 p.m. Monday * LETTERS to the EDITOR 12 p.m. Monday OBITUARIES 5 p.m. Tuesday ( DEADLINES Red Cross,” Falls said adding, “The North American Mission Board tells him where to send the kitchen.” Accordin to Monday's Charlotte Observer, the NCBM could dispatch as many as 40 more members on a bus from Charlotte to serve and cook food. “Anytime the kitchen goes out, they (volunteers) go and set it up. Then they call out the feeding team to go and do the feeding,” Falls said. She said as many as 4,000 eople are volunteering across C to help those troubled by Gustav. In fact, more members of Bethlehem'’s 10-person relief team could travel to the Gulf. “We keep our bags packed. We're a very active group. It’s not a vacation, but we do a lot of things when we're serving the Lord,” Falls stated. What appears to be good news for New Orleans is that the new levy system stood solid against urricane Gustav, which was expected to be much worse. The Mayor of New Orleans said on The Today Show Tuesday morning that Katrina definitely taught them a lesson. Those who. didn’t have cars were loaded onto buses. As many as 90% of the City of New Orleans, was evacuated. Now Kings Mountain and the rest of the Carolinas may need to look to its own shores for Hurricane Hanna. THE KINGS MOUNTAIN 824 1F Kings St. . PO. Bx769 Kings Mountain, NC 28086 (04)739-7496 _ Fax (704) 739-0611 Hous = Monday through Friday 8 am. to 5pm. + Submission of news items and so- cial notes are recommended to be e a week in advance. Submissic : : A EE aT 2 na 2 el By Ta a RE fo Aad” aR