\
At JHM Reservoir
Land For Park May Be Sought
Followinga tourof the John Henry Moss Reservoir Saturday
by the Kings Mountain Lake Authority, Mayor John H, Moss
suggested application be made to the Federal government for
grants to purchase additional land for a municipal park at the
reservoir.
Moss also suggested the southeast side of the lake where the
city already owns some property would be the ideal location
for additional aquisitions.
On this property the NC Wildlife Commission has suggested
the establishment of a small game preserve and a duck hun
ting region.
This suggestion came, according to Moss, after the com
mission discovered the variety of migratory ducks found at the
lake each day. The Commission reported finding 300 to 400
mallard, canvas back, pin tail and other varieties.
The mayor suggested to the authority that the two northern
tips of the lake could be flooded each fall as shallow water
feeding areas to attract the ducks.
Flooding the areas, according to Moss, could be done easily
by plugging up cluverts where the tips of the lake pass under
the roads. Since the city owns eight vertical feet above the
normal level of the lake, flooding would take place within city
property which, in flat areas, is 200 horizontal feet or more
from the normal lake shore.
“Silt is a problem at the lake.” Moss told the authority,
“most of it coming from the grubbed areas within lake
boundaries.” Moss suggested the county commissioners adopt
an erosion policy around the lake to take care of this problem.
Tbe authority also noted it has received a letter of petition
from property owners in the Jean Schenck and Carl Spangler
developments objecting to a private, cluster-type marina
which they say is proposed for the Schenck development. Such
a marina, according to the petition, would cut off access to
their property.
Signatories on the petiton are Carl M. Spangler. John L.
Hawkins, Jacks Morgan. Lamar L. Young, Ed Young, Charles
D. Forney Jr., Jack Palmer Jr., Ernest Rogers. Joe C. Grigg
and W. Scott Todd.
Consideration was given to making the lakeside A.B. Cline
house, owned by thecity, the lake manger's residence; and the
authority agreed to obtain fee schedules from other lakes to be
used as guidelines in establishing lake use fees .at the Moss
Reservoir.
Tom Cox of Charlotte was hired as contulting engineer to
design uniform piers which could be allowed at private lots on
the lake. Cox's earlier suggestion was to limit concrete
structures to no more than 20 feet and allow no overnight boat
storage facilities at the piers.
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0 /VL Y
'7Kinn<n
VOL. 3 NO. 21
KINGS MOUNTAIN. NORTH CAROLINA 28086 Thursday, January 31,1974
/o*
Mayor Moss Breaks Tie Vote
Lake Name Stays Same
By JAYASHLEY
Mirror Staff Writer
On a “call for question”
after a 3 to 3 tie on the matter
of changing the name of the
John H. Moss Reservoir,
Mayor Moss elected to “af
firm the decision” of the last
city board.
'Hie matter of changing the
lake’s name came from an
agenda item placed there by
Ward Two Commissioner
Lloyd Davis in the Monday
night meeting.
Davis said he had “had
requests from various people
and businessmen to change
the name of the reservoir to
the Kings Mountain Lake”.
Davis added, “it seems like
everything else in town is
named Kings Mountain
something so why not the
lake.”
.-V.
Photo by Gary Stewart
KE.li) 1/ .A.NO WEc-r - Thk. >igu at City Seivice i>i Kings
Minn’tain (ells the story as the energy crisis continues. V, hile
the local Exxon station sells gas for emergency use only,
several other stations are limiting purchases.
SPO Pauses Resolution
KMHS Students Plan
Car Pool Formation
By JOHN McGILL
Special To The Mirror
The Kings Mountain high Student Participation
Organization (SPO) Senate has unanimously passed a
resolution calling for the formation of student car pools during
the current energy crisis and gasoline shortage.
The Senate’s resolution was also passed by the SPO House of
Representatives.
SPO President John Plonk opened the discussion on car
pools in a meeting last week. He named himself, Nancy Hord,
Ken'Farias and John McGill to a committee for the job of
sc'ttingupa street-by-street listing of all KMHS students.
“This directory would inform students of other students
living near them so they can ride to school together,”
President Plonk said.
The plan is expected to be put into effect in the immediate
future.”
Murder Suspects
Nabbed By KMPD
Kings Mountain policemen
arrested a Gastonia man
Saturday night here on a
capias and the man was later
charged in the murder of Miss
Pearl Henderson of Gastonia.
Miss Henderson, an 84-year
old retired school teacher was
shot to death in her sleep last
week in her home. The home
had been ransacked and
telephone wire had been
severed.
The chain of events began
Saturday when the KMPD was
alerted by Gaston authorities
that a suspect, Johnny H.
Boyd, 34, of Union Rd. in
Gaston County was in the
Kings Mountain area. Boyd
also had a capias instanter
outstanding on him.
Chief Tom McDevitt was
called at his home by one of
his officers who told him they
had received a call from a
woman who told them Boyd
was at a local apartment
complex. The caller said Boyd
was with a woman and tlut
both were armed
McDevitt, Lt. J.D. Barrett,
PtI. Julius Burton, Ptl. Robert
D(xlge, Ptl. Bynum Cook and
Ptl. Richard Reynolds went to
the apartments in unmarked
cars.
McDevitt said he knocked
on the door of apartment
No.48, where Boyd was sup
posedly hidden, and it was
locked. Ptl. Dodge secured a
key from the tenant of the
apartment who had left
b^ause, as the chief said,
“she was afraid of the pair”.
McDevitt said he knocked
on the door again and he
“heard some commotion
going on inside the apartment
and the door began to ease
open”. He stated Katherine
Brown came to the door and
he asked her if Boy d was in the
apartment. She said no and
McDevitt obtained permission
from the owner of the apart
ment to search the premises.
The chief went on to say the
officers searched the down
stairs area of the apartment
(See MURDER p.2A)
The commissi(xier said
when he worked in the water
plant he answered the phone
one day as the Buffalo
Treatment Plant He said the
caller had been Mayor Moss
who instructed him to call it
the Kings Mountain Water
Facility. “If that’s what we
have called it, why not have it
die Kings Mountain Lake?”
Commissioner of Ward One,
Ray Cline, who was on the
board when the reservoir was
named for Moss, told Davis,
“we already have two lakes
named Kings Mountain Lake
so I move we keep the name
the John H. Moss Reservoir.”
The motion was seconded by
Ward Five commissioner Jim
Amos.
On a vote, Cline, Amos and
Corbet Nicholson voted to
keep the name with Davis,
Don McAbeeand M.C. Pruette
voting to change the name
A discussion was opened for
the audience and Ollie Harris,
acting as liason between the
KM Chamber of Commerce
and the cify board said, “I was
asked by chamber president
Dr. Frank Sincox to address
the board on the matter.”
Harris said the Chamber had
gone on record, unanimously,
to keep the lake name as the
John H. Moss Reservoir.
Commissioner Pruette
stated, “1 see no significance
in the lake’s name but I have
been approached by some
businessmen and in
dustrialists who might be
enticed to coming into the
area. They harbcred no
malice towards the maycx' but
felt economic growth could be
had better by having the lake
known as Kings Mountain
Lake.” Pruette added he
didn't know if such a premise
could be proved but “felt 1
should bring the idea before
the board.”
Don McAbee of Ward Four
asked if the matter could be
brought before the people in
an election.
Attorney for the city, Jack
White answered in the positive
and said “the city would have
to bear the expense of such an
election.”
Commissioner Amos stated,
“we have industry here now
and can get more when we are
able to supply the labor. Labor
is our problem n >w. vt e nave
grt .vth, and ac\^uau ; elec
tricity but we don’t have
Sheriffs Commissioner
Allen, Rucker File
To Seek Reelection
Sheriff Haywood Allen and
County Commissioner Phil
Rucker have filed to seek
ree lection.
Allen has served as
Cleveland County’s chief law
enforcement officer for the
past 23 years, going into office
in 1950 as chief deputy. Prior
to his county office, Allen was
an officer on the Kings
Mountain Police Department.
He is married to the former
Majel Stewart and has three
children. Allen, to date, is
unopposed in the May
Democratic primary.
Rucker, completing his first
four-year term on the county
commission, is the second
man to file for reelection. The
first was C.M. Peeler Jr., a
Shelby businessman.
A grading contractor and
cattle farmer, Rucker is a
native of Cleveland County.
He is a Korean War veteran
having served in the US Air
Force. He is a member of the
American Legion, VFW, Elks
Lodge and is director of the
Virginia-Carolina Charolais
Association. He is a member
of Central United Methodist
Church.
Married to the former
Carolyn Webb, he is the father
ol four sons.
Following his filing for
reelection, Rucker com
mented,”! felt it a privilege to
have served the fine people of
Cleveland County in the very
important position of county
commissioner. 1 would like to
serve for another term and
will continue to seek progress
in the Icxal county govern
ment as long as it can be done
on a low, sound tax rate.”
On Centennial Planning
Public Meeting
By TOM McIntyre
Editor, The Mirror
The Kings Mountain Cen
tennial Commission has a public
meeting planned for Tues., Feb.
12, one day after the celebration
of the city’s 100th birthday.
This meeting, to begin at 7:30
'p.m. at a to-be-announced
location, will spell the difference
between whether the first cen
tury celebration is to be com
pletely coordinated locally or by
Tlie Rodgers Co., a 71-year old
firm based in Fostoria, Ohio.
In a special meeting last
TTiursday. night Rogers field
representative Robert Howett
told members of the commission
that his firm is the only business
of its type in the country and that
the firm's sole efforts are con
centrated on developing and
managing celebrations of the
type planned here.
Howett asked for
meeting if he was
return with a
budget (and he
the public
invited to
proposal and
was asked to
BOB HOWETT
.<rf Rogers Co.
return). “This is company
policy,” Howett said. “If we
work with a community we want
it to be by majority vote. That
way we feel the planned
celebration has the potential of
being a success.
“We have a reputation and our
pride, too,” he continued. “If we
feel there is no cooperation
between the separate factions in
a community and that the plans
of action we provide are not
being followed, then we’ll ask to
bow out.”
Howett spread the table in
commissioner chambers at city
hall with a briefcase full of data
on how the Rogers Co. handles
such celebrations. What the
(See PUBLIC p.2A)
m
mm
COOKIE SALE BEGINS - East Elementary
PrinirpalC.A. Allison getsa previewofihe five
kinds of Girl Seoul Cookies offered this year.
Troup 96 Girl Seoul Dee Dee Stroupe. II, and
daut^ler of the Walter Thompsons of Kings
Mnuiilaiii, is sure of a sale here berause she is
Photo by Tom .McIntyre
a sixlh grader al East. Orders are being taken
now Ihrough Feb. 9 and deliveries will be made
February 28. The eost is fl per box and
proceeds finanee Girl Seoul programs in the
Pioneer Council. Mi-s. Kenneth Bunkuwski is
the local cookie sale cliairnian.
people. The name matters
not.”
From the audience, Larry
Hamrick asked Commissioner
Pruette who had requested
him to change the name of the
lake. Pruette said he had had
about “a 50-50 split on the
matter, but had some com
munication from businessmen
who expressed a desire for a
name change.”
Another spectator, Joe
Smith, said, “I talked with the
commissioners before the
meeting and they said they
were in favor of keeping the
lake named the same.”
McAbee and Davis both said
they had no commilnication
from Smith on the ma’iter.
, lady in the audience .saiJ
1 we ar'. all dedicated
Mayor Moss and appreciate
what he has done for us in
going to bat for the lake. The
water is going to be as pure as
it is now, regardless of the
name.”
Again the question arose as
to who wanted the name
changed.Commissioner Davis
stated “abixit 12 businessmen
asked me to make the request
They wanted to get up a
petition but 1 tolld them not to.
I’m tired of petitions.”
Larry Hamrick said, “if
they are so interested in
having the name changed why
aren’t those opponents here
tonight. Who are they?”
Hamrick added, "they can’t
be too prominent in txjsiness
because the Chamber of
Commerce voted unanimously
to keep the name the same.
They must not be in the
Chamber.”
Smith said, “I want these
commissioners to do the job
they were elected to do and to
stop rehashing everything the
old board did. We are not
moving forward in the city
business.”
Commissioner Amos then
called for question, placing
the tie breaking vote in the
hands of Mayor Moss, for
whom the honor was
bestowed. Moss said he had
been “highly honored when
the commission named the
lake for me. 1 was deeply
moved. We worked hard on
the lake project and feel it will
aid Kings Mountain in many
ways. I think those com
missioners were sincere when
they named the lake so I vote
to affirm their decision.”
Planners
To Meet
Monday
The Kings Mountain
Redevelopment Commission
will hold a meeting next
Monday night to map out 1974
plans to downtown merchants.
John Hall, assistant director
and manager of the downtown
project said the Feb. 3
meeting is designed to let
businessmen know exactly
what will be transpiring
downtown and to start them
thinking on how they will
renovate their buildings.
Hall said, “renewal of the
business district is coming
< .See PLANNERS p.2A)