'1
VOL, 90 NO, 67 THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 1979
^•ag it ions
fook Bindery
^ Pt’ingp.rt ; 1
Mch.
KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD
15c
Resolutions Now Go To HUD
Commissioners Approve Closeout Of Redevelopment Commission
t •
t m
«
i
«)!
«)i
♦>j
city commissioners approved
resolutions outlining the closeout
proceedure (or the Kings Mountain
Redevelopment Commission In a
special meeting Monday night.
The two lengthy documents,
already approved by the
redevelopment board, spell out the
assets and liabilities the city must
accept under the agreement. The
resolutions now go to HUD (or (Inal
approval or rejection.
Sept. Is the date set (or the city to
accept (ull responsibility (or com
pleting projects underway by the
redevelopment commission. 'Ihls
Includes continuing, under the city’s
community development program,
the land acquisitions, (amlUes, In
dividuals and business
relocationlngs and demolitions.
The resolutions (or the Central
Business District and the Cansler St.
projects state the city will assume
the project debts as well. When
questioned about whether the city
will have to expend money on the
projects when It takes over. Gene
White, executive director o( the
commission, explained that "the
surplus In money and property the
city will receive when the closeout la
dnal - and earned grants credited to
the redevelopment commission - will
take care o( Indebtedness."
Tlie surplus Includes an estimated
$300,000 plus the value o( 45 unsold
loU (about $166,000) in the Cansler
St. project. In the CBD project,
surplus (unds Is estimated up to
$60,000.
White said both projects, alter 11-
years o( planning suid action, are
essentially completed. A total o( 146
sub-standard structures have been
acquired and demolished In both
project areas. Families and in
dividuals relocated In the Csinsler St.
area number 160 and 2(X> parcels o(
property have been acquired, with
about 20 more to be acquired. White
said 46 parcels In the central
business delocations have also been
accomplished.
White began his presentation to
the board with a slide presentation
showing the areas where
redevelopment has taken place. The
slides showed be(ore and alter In
many cases and caused com
missioners to remark that tmtll a
backward look Is taken at what was,
one did not realize just how much
has been accomplished under
redevelopment.
In other action last Monday, the
commissioners:
-f-Approved a resolution In
memory o( (ormer city com
missioner David L. Saunders (1946-
47), who died last Saturday. The
resolution will be (orwarded to the
Saunders (amlly.
-(-Approved extending Sims St. to
Waco Rd. and W. Parker to Intersect
with Sims St. The extensions will
give the city a complete north-south
street and will provide Improved
trattic flow to the junior and senior
high schools.
Mayor John Henry Moss said the
plans at this time call (or grading
and graveling. The mayor said other
streets have priority In curbing,
guttering and paving.
-(-Awarded contracts to ITT
Grlnnell and Musco (or water and
sewer pipe on bids o( $11,673 and
$4,380, respectively.
The city board will meet In Its
second regular session (or August
next Monday at 7:30 p.m.
p—V
I
I* •
mSS
t
City Officials Turn In
List Of New Projects
With construction complete on the
new city hall, community center and
Citizens Service Center, the mayor
and commissioners are turning to a
new list o( projects they rate high in
priority.
“These projects are In addition to
other priority Items already plan
ned,” Mayor John Henry Moss said.
One o( the major e((orts the city
oHlclals will become Involved with Is
the creation o( a development
corporation (or a downtown
revitalization program.
"Within this project we will ask
businessmen and citizens to make a
commitment to see this project Is a
success," the mayor said. "We
anticipate (oUowlng the examples
set by Hickory, Hendersonville,
Rockingham and Smlthfleld. Those
communities created development
companies, which In turn developed
financing techniques to assist iti
upgrading their business com
munities.”
The mayor and commissioners
say "a robust e((ort” will be made to
see this program is successfiil. "We
plan to be downright stubborn about
succeeding," the mayor said. "We
(eel the business leaders and citizens
will be Interested and will assist In
this case.”
Another project deals with private
housing development.
"The mayor and commissioners
will review our subdivision
regulations and city policy with an
eye toward providing an Incentive
for construction o( private housing
In the community," Mayor Moss
said. "We also plan to work with the
local (Inanclal Institutions to en
courage the development o(
apartment complexes, con
dominiums and townhouse con
struction.”
The mayor said he and the com
missioners have discussed the
matter and “(eel strongly that the
economic conditions In Kings
Mountain will remain good with
orderly growth patterns In the early
1980s.
"I point this out In view o( one new
Industry already announced this
year, another nationsd Arm planning
construction In early June 1980 and
yet another to announce this week,"
the mayor continued. “One ad
ditional reputable Arm Is also
considering a Kings Mountain
location, coupled with the e((orts o(
the Kings Mountain Development
CMAce, which continuously searches
(or commercial Industrial en
terprises to locate In the city."
(Turn to page SA)
KMSHS Senior
Pictures To Be
Election To Be Oct. 9
File Now For City Elections
TakenAug,28-29 \
Seniors at Kings Mountain Senior
High School are reminded that the
Delmar photographer will be at the
Iflgh School on Tuesday and Wed
nesday, Aug. 28-29 (or Portraits.
Most students have been con
tacted by letter, but U a student was
not notlAed the (oUowtng schedule
will be observed:
Tuesday: 9-12; 1-3:30 students
whose last names begin with A-I.
Wednesday: 9-12; 1-3 students
whose last names begin with I-Z.
Students are requested to dress
appropriately.
Mayoral and commissioner
candidate (iltng opened Frl., Aug. 17
and will run until noon, Frl., Sept. 7.
The election will be held Tues.,
Oct. 9 and quallAed voters will elect
a mayor and district one, three and
four commissioners to serve (our
years terms.
Candidates may Ale with Luther
Bennett, chairman o( the Kings
Mountain ElecUons Eloard, during
the day and Mrs. BeWy Mercler,
evenings alter 6 p.m. Contact
Bennett at 739-8100 and Mrs. Mercler
at 739-2192. The (illng (ee Is $6.
Voter reglstraUon (or the Oct. 9
election will run until 6 p.m., Mon.,
Sept. 10. To register, potential voters
must contact either the registrar or
judges In each precinct (or an ap
pointment.
In West Kings Mountain;
Registrar, Mrs. Geraldine Myers,
317 ScoUand Dr., 739-9188. Judge,
Mrs. Rebecca Cook, 717
Meadowbrook Rd., 739-3660. (A
second judge has not been appointed
to date).
East Kings Mountain; Registrar,
Mrs. Margaret White, 102 S. Pied
mont Ave., 739-4019. Judge, Mrs.
Connie Putnam, 311 York Rd., 739-
6617. Judge, Hillard Black, 617
Rhodes Ave., 739-2367.
Kings Mountain subscribes a non
partisan runoA (orm ol election and
mayor ' and commissioners are
elected (or (our-year staggered
terms. Under the No. 4 election
proceedures, a winner Is declared
when one candidate polls more than
the total votes o( the remaining
combined candidates In each race.
When this does not happen, then the
second highest Individual pollster
may call (or a runo(( election. NoAce
o( a runoK request must, however,
be (lied with the Kings Mountain
Elections Board chairman by noon
o( the Monday (ollowlng the election
in this case Mon., Oct. 15.
I-®***#* -, .w
Photo by
Tom McIntyre
GETTING IT ON —George Black and JeA Chaney,
two city employes, llA o(( in a cherry picker to continue
painting operations to the exterior o( the Kings
Mountain Community Center. The work Is being done
under a development grant (or renovation and ex
pansion o( the recreation-o(flce-publlc meeting (acllity
on Cleveland Ave.
RR Crossing To Remain Open
Board Rejects Resolution
A resolution to close the
Hawthorne St. railroad crossing was
derailed by the city commissioners
In last week’s board meeting, until
more ln(ormatlon Is available.
Commissioner Jim Childers asked
the matter be tabled until the next
regular board meeting and that at
this meeting representatives (rom
the N.C. Departmen o( Tran
sportation and Southern Railroad be
on hand.
Childers asked that a study be
made to determine the amount o(
tra((lc (low at the Hawthorne
crossing and that more dednlte
plans be made to re-route that
tra(Ac 1( the crossing is closed.
Alvin Moretz, city engineer, said
the resolution be(ore the board was
just to let the DOT know how In
terested the city Is In doing
something about the dangerous
Hawthorne crossing. He said the city
has been Insistent on a parallel
street to be built to Oak St. and that a
crossing be developed there.
Such a street, according to
Oommlssloer James Dickey, who
also serves as chairman o( the city
tra(Ac sa(ety and (low committee,
would (all on the railroad rlght-o(-
way, but added that "Southern says
this will not be a problem.’’
In a similar agenda Item, the
board approved entering a contract
with Southern Railroad and DOT (or
slgnallzation gates to be Installed at
the Llnwood Rd. crossing.
Other board action In last week’s
meeting:
-(-Awarded contract to Henry L.
Wilson, Inc. (or Northwoods pump
station Improvements at cost o(
$8,270.
-f Approved advertising (or bids
tor a street sweeper.
-f Received bids on water and
sewer projects materials, then
tabled action until (urther study csui
be conducted on pricing.
-f-Approved application to the
Economic Development Ad-
mlnlstratio.n Department (or (un-
dlng assistance to enlarge the city’s
natural gao pipe line to Transco’s
line on fl-vy. 161.
KM Teachers To Report
To Classrooms Today
.. SENA’TORIAL ESCORT—Sen. OlUe Harris o( Kings Mountain escorts
Miss North Carolina - Dianne Jamerson - toward the speakers platform
during last Saturday’s Shrine Day Activities at the KM Community
Center. Both had arrived a tew minutes earleir than this photo (rom the
shrine parade through the downtown area.
Kings Mountain district teachers
will report to the classrooms today,
and district pupils return (or the
1979-80 term o( school Sept. 4.
With the hiring o( six more
teachers and the announcement o( a
new position—coordinator o( math
and reading programs In the
system—the board o( education
Monday night finalized plans (or the
opening o( school.
’Itie new position, which may pay
up to $20,000 annual salary, was
recommended by Supt. William
Davis, results, he said, (rom hours o(
IdentUylng ways to Improve In
struction on the part o( school ad
ministration and board. “Our
children are progressing through the
grades and not knowing how to
read," said Supt. Davis, who said
some system must be established to
Identity thsoe needs.
In a related motion, the board
approved the conversion o( (unds
(rom capital outlay budget to
current expense monies to fund the
new position, which Is expected to
begin with the new term. Mr. Davis
said that applications are In order
(br the new post, noting that several
teachers In the system meet the
qu&Uf(cations. ’“This will be a very
difficult and challenging ro’e
because It will Involve expertise In
human relations ai^d creativity,”
said Supt. Davis.
All board members agreed that
"reading Is low” In the system but
Board member Kyle Smith said he
"hated to see” capital outlay (unds
used (or the purpose, citing pressing
needs in the athletic department,
Larry Allen responding that the
board would need to readvertise (or
bids (or the KMSHS gym floor, a
projected sanding and (Inlsning
project, (or which capital (unds are
to be used. He said Initial bids o(
$11,000 were “too high.”
Mr. Allen sfUd that ail buildings
"are ingood shape (or the opening at
school,” citing a large number of
Improvements during the summer
months. At East School the fourth
and (lAh grade classrooms have
been air-conditioned with a storage
room renovated to house a
classroom. Partitions have been
installed between first and third
grade classrooms, the first grade
room has been carpeted and
acoustical tile has been added to the
multi-purpose room and carpets
cleaned throughout the complex, a
mobile unit has been moved to the
camps to house the exceptional
children’s program.
At Grover School the office has
been relocated to the library
building.
Acoustical tile has been added to
the multi purpose room at West
School where two mobile units have
(Seen moved on campus to house the
exceptional children’s program.
Carpets have been cleaned.
The Art program headquarters
has been moved to the (ormer sliop
building at Central School and
present art rooms have been con
verted Into classrooms.
A storage facility has been erected
on campus of the Junior High and all
carpets have been cleaned.
New .student lockers have been
converted into classrooms. Contract
(Turn to page 34)