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VOL. 90 ISO. 59 THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1979
H«ag .1 tons
Book Bindery, inc
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urns MOUNTAIN HERALD
15c
Lithium Building
European Plant
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HONORED FIREFIGHTERS-The 0»k Grove
Volunteer Fire Department held Ita flrat annual awards
presentation last Friday at Jackson’s Cafeteria,
Shelby. Earning awards were (left to right) Stokes
Wright for Outstanding Service; Tim Griffin, Rookie of
The Year and Most Fire Calls Answered; Howard
McKee, Most Fire Calls Answered (a tie); and William
Davis, Oak Grove Chief, for Fireman of The Year.
Photo by Tom McIntyre
Lilthlum Corporation ot America
will construct a catalyst plant In the
United Kingdom at Broomborough
near Liverpool In the northwest of
England.
Harold Andrews, president of
LCA, said the expansion Is
necessary In order to supplement
existing catalyst output at Its
Bessemer City operations which are
now operating above rated capacity.
7110 catalyst products find wide and
growing use In the manufacture of
specialty rubbers and plastics.
According to Andrews, the
European site was selected for the
expansion because Europe Is a large
and growing market now served
from the US under competitive
freight and EEC duty constraints.
Die specific site In England was
selected on the basis of transport
flexibility, expansion capabilities
and financing considerations.
LCA has formed a UK subsidiary,
Uthlum Corporation of Europe, to
produce and market the alkyl
lithium catalyst and coproduct
chemical called lithium chloride.
Lithium metal, the principal star
ting material for the catalyst will be
supplied to the UK plant from LCA's
Bessemer City operations. The plant
Is scheduled to start up In the third
quarter of 1980 and to employ about
20 persons. Total Investment In the
new company Is estimated to be $3.S
million with approximately $1.0
million provided by UK regional
development and Interest relief
grants.
The European plant will com
pliment the previously announced
$20 million expansion In Gaston
County which Andrews said will add
30 percent capacity to the existing
North Carolina basic lithium
production facilities.
Lltlilum Corporation of America Is
a subsidiary of Gulf Resources and
Chemical of Houston. Texas, and Is
the largest producer of lithium
chemicals In the world. It markets
over 50 lithium products to com
panies engaged In the manufacture
of greases, aluminum, glass and
ceramics, air conditioning equip
ment, dyes, pharmaceuticals,
batteries, rubber, polymers and
electronic components.
All of LCA's products are now
being produced from Its Integrated
mining, extract Ion and production
facilities In Gaston County, also the
location of one of the largest known
lithium reserves in the world.
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At Oak Grove VFD
Firemen Cited
Committee Hears Update
Traffic, Parking Study Underway
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Four Oak Grove Community
^ volunteer firemen were cited for top
9 honors Friday night at the annual
Awards Banquet at Jackson
Cafeteria In Shelby.
WUllsun Davis, Chief of the 30-
member volunteer department,
received a surprise plaque as
"Fireman of the Year", Tim Griffin
was voted “Rookie of the Year”,
Stokes Wright received the "Out
standing Service Award" and
% Fireman Tim Griffin and Howard
McKee won plaques for answering
the most csdls during the year, a
total of 86 each.
Commendations from Governor
James B. Hunt In the form of cer
tificates were presented to Don
Griffin, Tim Griffin, Donny 6rlffin,
Jerry Blanton, Jerry Shull, Stokes
Wright. Howard McKee, 'Dm BoUn,
^ Ray Blair, Moffet Seism, Jack
Seism, Gilbert Patterson, Mack
Hopper, Herman Wright, William
Davis, and Charles Grlgg which
recognized their "courageous action
as volunteers" In the Shelby fire
disaster of May 2Sth In which five
people lost their lives.
Fire Chief Williams Davis also
commended the fire department,
organized 11 years ago In the Oak
Grove Community, and termed the
Urflt "best In the county"’. "We can't
do this job alone.we work together”,
he stated, as he presented the
awards which were handsome
engraved pUques. All firemen voted
In the competition for the honors,
which was a first-time recognition
ceremony which firemen said they
plan to continue annually.
Members of the Kings Mountain
Traffic and Safety Committee piet
Tuesday night to hear preliminary
details from a traffic study un
derway In the central business
district.
Fred Rosendahl of the N.C.
Department of ’Transportafloif
Urban Planning Division, municipal
engineering section reaffirmed that
there are traffic and parking
problems In the downtown area.
Rosendahl suggested the city
consider realignment of East and
West Gold St. at the Battleground
Ave. Intersection to eliminate the
offset situation. The suggestion did
Legion Member Drive Begins
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finish
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Bethlehem
Celebrates
I
Anniversary
Bethlehem Baptist Church, thlrf
oldest church in the Kings Mountalr
Baptist Association, will celebratf
its 137th anniversary al
Homecoming Day ervlces Sun.
Aug. 6th, with special services.
I The church was organized July 16
1842 with 26 members. The churef
membership roster now totals 4M
members.
Special morning services will be
culminated with a picnic-style
luncheon at the noon hour.
KM School
Board Will
Meet Monday
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education will meet In special
session Mon., July 30 at 7:30 p.m.
I Supt. William Davis said the
meeting will be for educators to set
salary schedules for non-certlfled
personnel; establish lunch prices for
the 1979-80 school year; take action
on employment of new personnel;
and other business management
matters.
The regular monthly meetings of
the board will begin August 18 and
I continue each Second Monday night
'at 7:30 throughout the school year.^
At the August meeting, Davis said
the focus will be toward In
structional matters and program.s.
TTie Otis Greene American Legion
Post 166 will kickoff Its annual
membership drive at the post Sat.,
July 28 from 1-6 p.m.
Charles Hampton, membership
chairman. Invites current members.
former members and potential
members to come by Saturday for
free refreshments.
Former post employes will return
to serve visitors.
not Include either a bridge or un
derpass In connection with crossing
the railroad tracks.
City Engineer Alvin Moretz said
Rosendahl will return to Kings
Mountain next week to oversee
, synchronizing traffic signals In the
JBD Rosendahl suggested the city
consider upgrading all traffic
signals to meet federal standards.
The preliminary study, which will
be completed in about two months,
also Indicates the city should con
sider Improving East Gold St. from
Battleground to York Rd. and that
the York Rd. Intersection be Im
proved as soon as possible.
Rosendahl said Gold St. Is heavily
used now and projections Indicate
the street will be even more heavily
traveled.
Rosendahl edso reported on the
parking problems he has studied so
far and made recommendations to
the committee. He said the angled
parking on Battleground should be
eliminated to prevent accidents
from vehicles backing out into on
coming traffic.
His report also indicates that
parking In some areas gets 90
percent use and 40 percent in other
areas, giving an average of 60
percent usage overall In the CBD.
Rosendahl also suggested the city.
control the truck traffic in the
parking areas, which currently
reduces the usage of the parking lots
by other vehicles.
The committee also heard that
accident printouts Indicate the city’s
most dangerous Intersection to be
W. King and Cansler Sts. The report
even Indicates that on any Monday
between 3-6 p.m. during April the
chances of accidents there are
greatly increased.
Rosendahl said the study will be
finished by October and will be
presented to the city commissioners
at that time.
Agenda Heavy
With Rezoning
Requests Monday
. PRESENTATION-Ralph Goforth (center) presents
R<w. and Mrs. James Sanders Jr. with plaques
honoring tlie Kings Mountain natives for their 16 years
of service as puslnr and pianist at Bethany Baptist
f hurrh In (trover. Bethany has been Rev. Sanders' first
Photo by Tom McIntyre
and only pastorate since he became an ordained
minister. The presentation, made Sunday morning
during services, also Included two car-loads ot gifts
from the church congregation.
Public hearings on rezonlng
requests consumed the bulk of
Monday night's city board meeting.
Two Items, which drew citizens
from Canterbury Rd. when being
considered by the city planning smd
zoning commission, went quietly by
the boards Monday.
The first was rezonlng a portion of
the Paul Mauney property bordering
Canterbury Rd. and Hwy. 74 from
light to heavy Industry. The board
tqiproved the request which will
allow the outside storage of metal
fabricated parts and raw materials
stock.
No delegation appeared at
Monday’s meeting and during the
brief public hearing the board heard
no one speak either for or against the
matter.
The second Item, a request from
Rufus Thomas to rezone his Can
terbury Rd. property from R-20 to
light Industry, was tabled until the
August 27 meeting.
Thomas' request was to allow him
to make addition to his machine
shop. Tills Item drew more comment
than the first during the P&Z
meeting and that board had
recommended that the city com
missioners deny the request.
Monday night Mayor John Moss told
the board that Gastonia attorneys
J.B. Garland and Joe Roberts,
representing Thomas, had
requested the matter be tabled until
August 17 or longer. The com
missioners agreed to table.
Following other public Hearings,
the board voted to approve requests
for rezonlng from Nelsler Brothers.
Inc., Mrs. Peggy Guln and M E.
White.
Nelsler Brothers, Inc. requested a
change from R-10 to light Industry
about eight acres fronting on
Margrace Rd. The property contains
a former store, a dwelling house,
wood and coal sheds The lorniei
store building will be renovated for
use as a machine shop.
Mrs. Guln’s request was to rezone
403 York Rd. from NB (Neigh
borhood Business) to R-8
(residential) In order to add onto her
home.
M.E. White’s request was to
rezone 26.16 acres on N. Cansler St.
from R-20 to GB (General Business).
The property borders the Kings
Mountain Mica Mine property and a
former city landfill Just beyond the
city limits.
The planning and zoning board
had recommended all three be
approved.
In other action Monday, the
commissioners:
-Approved signing a lease-
purchase agreement with Auc
tioneers, Inc. to furnish equipment
for the Governmental Services
Facilities Center (City Hall);
-Approved advertizing for bids
for one air compressor for use In the
city's gas department;
-t Approved authorizing liability
Insurance for city offlclsds and law
enforcement officers through the
state coverage program.
On WCV
Dean’s List
Angelia Bumgarner,
Mary S, Goode, Sherry O.
Maddox, Frank G. Maner
and James B. Payseur of
Kings Mountain and
Charles W. Patterson and
Virginia B. Patterson of
Grover have been named
to the dean's list at
Western Carolina
University for the spring
semester