NCPA Award
Winning Newspaper
VOL.
NO. 52
MIRROR-HER&LD
- KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA 28086 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31,1975
Looking Back At 1975
15
By TOMMcINTYRE
Eitor, Mirr«r-Herald
nil be the year remembered for
r^ident Nelson Rockefeller’s
be a year remembered for many
Let’s begin with . . .
JANUARY
ITns month it was announced that a
Federal subsidy program was in the
works to create employment for some of
the city’s jobless. The program was Fed-
eral House Bill 16596. The program was
extended through the end of 1975.
Also in January active campaigns
were being waged in the local ABC
referendum by “wet” and “dry” forces.
Dr. Frank Sincox was still holding
committee meetings to determine a fair
water rate for larger users at the request
Sewer Line Rights Of Way
of the city council.
Also in January a committee was
appointed from the Chamber of Com
merce and the Merchants Association to
begin drafting by-laws and nominating a
slate of officers for the soon-to-be merged
organizations.
The city also received news that the
Farmers Home Administration had ap
proved a $90,000 grant to be used toward
the construction of a gas peak shaving
plant for supplementing the city’s
City Attorney Jack White said today
the problems of acquiring ri^ts of way
rthe Eaton sewer line are where they
Buld have been all along — with the
unty.”
Whitewas commenting on a news story
iblished last week quoting county offi-
ds who stated the rights of way
quisitidns “had been taken away from
Jigs Mountain.” The comments aluded
at the city had not fulfilled its obliga-
m in the acquisitions.
“1 maintained from the very beginning
e rights of way work should have been
ne by the county,” White said. “Be-
use, quite frankly. I’m not sure the city
s the right to condemn property out-
le the city under these circum-
inces.”
Ihe city does have the right to condemn
aperty within its extraterritorial boun-
ries if tlie action is both necessary and
: a public on t'-jh-i'.it \3f \7ri'
izeiB inside the city limits. The
imaiy purpose in condemning the
aperty between Kings Mountain and
aEaton Corporation site near Grover is
provide -Hat industry, and later
rhaps Grovel, with sewer facilities.
Miite said at any rate the city has been
[idling the rights of way acquisitions
ihave secured “20 or 30 of them.” He
d there were a few that had not gone
ngwith the offers and condemnation
olutions had been drawn under the
V condemnation laws.
he attorney explained that under the
V law the city appoints one appraiser,
property owners appoim one ap-
liser, then those two appioint a third.
:s committee makes appraisals on the
rth of each right of way and reports
back. A public hearing is held and if the,
property owners do not choose to accept
the appraisal, then condemnation is
affected and the city takes immediate
possession of the right of way.
Under the old law the city cannot take
immediate possession and should the
property owner raise a question as to the
l^al right of the city (or county) to
condemn their property, the entire mat
ter can be tied up for years in court.
Shelby attorney J. A. West is handling
the acquisition process since the county
has taken over the project. White said
“I’m afraid Attorney West is going to
find himself in a bigger hole than the
little ones he says he found in the project
drawn up here. The reason I feel that way
is because the county is handling the
project under the old condemnation
law.”
i\i ga . ..10111. ® Wtfs "handling the
r g*-1 c ^iiisitions, but the county
was pulling up the money to pay the
property ov.iners. The city was to turn
over [ne rigins or way to the county. The
county set a maximum amount they
would pay per foot of rights of way and
this, according to White, was the reason
that condemnation proceedings were
being drawn on several property owners.
“They would not accept the amount of
fered,” he said.
Early this year a condemnation
resolution ..'as drawn and approved by
the city council. In that resolution a date
was set for appraisals and a public
hearing (for last June). That appraisal
and public hearing was never held. The
condemnation resolutions were never
delivered to the property owners.
“The reason for that was the fact the
question arose over just where the finan
cing for construction of the sewer line
was coming from,” White said. “I was
unofficially told by the board to hold up
on the paper work until this question was
resolv^. I was never told to start the
paper work again.
“This whole project has been frus
trating,” White said “In the first place I
was never given a composite map of all
of the property involved in rights of way
acquisitions. Secondly, several plats I
was given to draw up were later changed
by the engineers on the project and had to
be redrawn and thirdly, another attorney
was given several of the plats to draw, so
I never have had a complete picture of
the project.”
White said he was not authorized to
conduct the rights of way acquisitions on
behalf of the city. “That job was given to
someone else,” he said.
The city attorney also said he had
never been invited to sit in on any
meetings between city and county and
Eaton officials concerning the project.
About two weeks ago, according to
White, he was called by County Manager
Joe Hendrick and told that the Federal
government wanted certification
showing that land had been acquired or
was in the process of being acquired be
cause of the $300,000 grant approved to
the county to pay for the sewer line con
struction.
“I told him at that time that all we had
to do was reset the appraisal and public
hearing dates and have the condemna
tion resolutions delivered to the property
(Please Turn To Page 4)
'EWMAGISTRATE — Charles T. Carpenter was sworn in as
gistrate of the number four township Tuesday and will as-
'e his duties on Jan. 1, 1976. A Kings Mountain native. Car
eer also operates a real estate firm.
HE’S RETIRING — J. Lee Roberts retires today as magis
trate of the number four township. He is being replaced by
Charles Carpenter, also of Kings Mountain.
Charles Carpenter Appointed
Four Township Magistrate
Carpenter Jr., has been named
pshate for number four township.
J. Lee
Roberts, who has re-
pP®nter, who was sworn in Tuesday
Euth Dedmon, Clerk of Superior
rt. takes office Jan. 1.
native of Kings Mountain, Carpenter
nwns and manages C. T. Carpenter
Enal Estate.
Carpenter is a former sports editor and
circulation manager of Kings Mountain
Herald, was for 17 years a ICS repre
sentative and is a former real estate
salesman for the C. M. Peeler real estate
firm of Shelby.
Carpenter is a graduate of Clemson
University and a veteran of World War
Two. He’s a member of the American
Legion and VFW and has held several
offices in the Legion.
Married to the former Marian
Laughridge of Gastonia, Carpenter is the
father of two children. Chuck and Laura.
The Carpenters attend Central United
Methodist Church and are members of
Kings Mountain Country Club and Lake
Montonia Club.
natural gas supply with the local manu
facture of propane gas.
In January the city was also studying
ways and means to cut back on expendi
tures to cope with the economic crunch.
In the latter part of January the
economic pinch in Kings Mountain was
finally catching up with the rest of the
state. The local Employment Security
Commission reported there were 1,400
unemployed residents filing claims at the
community center office.
Local telephone service charges were
also increased 20 percent this month, an
open house ceremony was held to dedi
cate the new Kings Mountain Junior High
and the Kings Mountain Centennial
Committee announced the city wound up
the city’s birthday celebration with a
$12,723.63 j)rofit to be used in
establishing a local historical museum.
It was also this month the Mirror-
Herald was honored with two N. C. Press
Association awards at the annual winter
institute banquet at Chapel Hill. Editor
Tom McIntyre and sports editor Gary
Stewart accepted the two awards — first
place for non-daily editorial pages and
second place in sports coverage.
Residential garbage pickups were cut
to once weekly in January in an effort to
cut down on the outgo of expenses in that
area of city service.
(Please Turn To Page 2)
County Should’ve Handled
Project All Along’- White
CENTRAL STUDENTS WIN PRIZES — The six Central
School students pictured won the top prizes in the annual
Christmas decorating contest, a library project. Seated, from
left, are David Faucette, Brian Lepley, Randy Parker, and
Photo By Lib Stewart
David Jones. Standing, from left, are Walter Frazier and
Teresa Oliver. The students gave the decorations to shut-ins of
the community as Christmas presents.
The Judge Hangs Up
His Gavel Today^
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff Writer
J. Lee Roberts, who just turned 74,
hangs up his hat today at 5 p. m. to devote
more time to family and church.
The personable, veteran magistrate
and Justice of the Peace, retires today
after nearly 30 years as No. 4 Township
magistrate in a “service” he has found
most rewarding.
Yesterday “Judge” or “Catfish” Rob
erts, as he is affectionately called by
friends, sat in his familiar surroundings
among his legal papers and books, seeing
visitors and “just listening” to people’s
problems.
He takes some of the work home but
never the problems, as the Judge, re
called wedding ceremonies he had per-
New Years Day
begins a new Ufe^
BloodmoMe:
Tues^ Jan. 6
11 cun. - 4:30 p.m.
Upstairs at KM
Community Center
200 pints in name
of Shirley Moore
Committees
Appointed
formed in the wee hours of the night for
many starry-eyed lovers with his wife,
Elizabeth Sapoch Roberts, as a witness.
Called by law enforcement officers for
warrants at all hours of the night is also
commonplace because effective Sept. 1
any man or woman confined or released
from jail has to be brought before a
magistrate, excepting in minor cases of
traffic violations.
He plans to continue notary service
from his home but because of crippling
arthritis, decided to retire this year.
Judge Roberts is quite proud of his
record in the magistrate’s job, one of
seven in this county. During his long
tenure, he had few civil and criminal
cases appealed and none reversed and
had high praise for local and county law
enforcement agencies, officials of the
court system and the Cleveland County
Bar Association.
Born on a farm in Patterson Springs
Community, he remembers, but doesn’t
relish, returning to “the good ole days”
when wind blowing through the weather
board house brought frost on his blanket
but is thankful he learned to work hard
and raised a Christian family.
He credits the high incidence of crime
today to lack of discipline parents give
their kids in the home and said juvenile
delinquency popped up soon after World
War 11 when Mamas left home to go to
work. “You have to tell a child what is
“off limits” and stick to it”, he declared.
adding that he hoped he had kept some
families together and some kids from
running away from home by just
“listening to them.”
Namesake of his grandfather who was
a Captain during the Civil War, Judge
Roberts’ said his early training in the
home prepared him for his work.
Judge Roberts had little opposition
when he ran successfully for JP at least a
dozen times and used to preside over civil
cases from the bench in back of his
present office prior to ’68.
He practices with a sense of humor
firmness in his profession and feels
strongly that dignity in the courtroom is
“a thing of the past” and that liquor is
responsible for almost all the civil and
criminal cases in the court system today.
“I know from my long experience as a
magistrate that this is true,” added Rob
erts.
Judge Roberts signs more deeds of
sqjaration than marriage licenses and
blames the high rate of divorce on fact
that couples marry young and their
courtship and engagement period is
short.
Today in the county a prospective bride
and groom can go to Shelby and with
proper identification and proof of age
obtain a marriage Ucense at the register
of deeds office, a blood test at the hospi
tal, and be married by a magistrate or
minister in the same day.
Life-long Democrat and Baptist, Rob
erts has a son, Joe Donald Roberts of
Shelby and a daughter, Beth (Mrs. Doug)
Eubanks of Kings Mountain. There are
three grandchildren.
New Year’s Day will begin a brand new
life for Lee Roberts, and he plans to enjoy
it.
Mayor John Henry Moss has appointed
commissioners to special committees for
the coming year.
They are: Public Works Building
Committee — Comm. Norman King,
James A. Childers and Fred Wright, Jr.
Water Project Expansion — Comm.
Corbet Nicholson, Humes Houston and
William R. Grissom.
Liasion Committee with General As
sembly Delegation — Comm. Corbet
Nicholson, Humes Houston and Fred
Wright, Jr.
Comprehensive Recreational Facili
ties Plan — Comm. W. Norman King,
William R. Grissom and James A. Chil
ders.
Tax Listing Begins
Friday At City Hall
Busiest spot in town during New Year
’76 will probably be the tax listing office
at City Hall.
Annual county tax listing gets under
way Friday and tax listers will be at City
Hall for No. 4 Township citizens to list
their taxes. Listers are Edwin Moore,
Mrs. Charles Ballard and Mrs. Jack
Hauser. The listers will also be in Grover
two Saturdays in the month.
County Tax Supervisor Jim Hendrick
reminded that persons desiring to have
the tax forms mailed to them and list by
mail should contact the tax listing office
(482-8311) between 8 a. m. and 5 p.m. by
Jan. 15.
Persons listing for the first time must
report to their listing location in person.