Thursday
^ook a*
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Church Of God Bazaar
—Pane 4-A
VOLUME 90 - NUMBER 87 - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER I, 1979 - KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Audit Does Not Mean Funds Misused
By OAKY STEWART
Oo-Edltor
Hie Department of Houalng and
Urban Develc^ment (HtJD) haa
completed an audit of the Klnfa
Mountain Community Development
Block Grant Program in which
audltora Uat 10 flndlnga regardbif
queaUoned coeta exceeding 1700,000
and aubatantlve apparent non-
compllancea with certain appUcable
lawa and regulatlona.
However, the report, which waa
mailed to the city from Betay H.
Stafford, Manager of the Area HUD
office In Oreenaboro m October 23,
doea not neceaaarlly mean that the
money waa uaed for Improper
aervlcea.
WlUlam R. Tcdd, Regional In-
qiector Qeneral for Audit, Region IV
In Atlanta, haa told Ma. Stafford the
llndlngB are aubject to her offlce'a
final review and determination aa to
eligibility and corrective action
needed.
Hie city la to be given a period of
60 daya to aecura documentation to
aupport the coata queatloned In the
audit report.
Mayor John Henry Moaa aald the
dty "will reapond to each Individual
queatlon and aupply documentary
evidence to the eligibility. We feel
they’ll be aatlatled becauae they
approved the appUcatlona which aay
aubatantlally the aame thing aa the
audit.”
Hie audlt’a 10 flndlnga Include:
1) • Uie of neighborhood facility
(community center) la in conflict
with program requlrementa;
3) - Exceaalve chargea of
$120,010.74 to the CDBO program;
8) - Costa Incurred for projects not
approved by HUD, $74,408.30;
4) - Other coats questioned aa to
eUglblUty, about $46,600;
0) - Application for other federal
funds not adequately pursued;
6) - Weaknesses In contracting
procedures result In Inadequate
control over services of consultants
and project cost;
7) • Real estate acqulstlon
requirements not met;
8) - Weaknesses in administration
of Section 813 Rehabilitation Loan
Program:
W.W. (BOX) MeOABIEB
HAROUl MKRWnniV
RONALD qUEBN
EDWARD PIOLBEOK
Grover To Elect Mayor
And Five Commissioners
OROVER—Tuesday, the cltlaens
of Grover will elect a mayor and five
I council members to serve for the
next two years.
Only one of the 13 candidates.
Incumbent Mayor BUI McCarter, la
assured of election unless a strong
rumored write-in campaign iqiseU
the scales. Rumors have been cir
culating for several weeks that
write-ins for both Dean West
moreland and Tommy Keeter are
being urged. Keeter did not seek re-
election to hla seat cm the board and
Westmoreland was defeated by
1
V
ORADY ROSS
-HAj^HA BYr .Vf
PHILIP HARRY
McCiarter In a' write-in campaign
two years ago.
A total of 34S Grover cltlMns are
registered to vote and voting place
will be the Grover Rescue Squad
BuUdlng where the poUs c^en at 6:80
a.m., close at 7:80 p.m. Members of
the Grover Board of Elections, who
are conducting the municipal
election, are Clyde Randle, chair
man, Ethel Crocker and Quint
McCoy. Carolyn Grlndstaff wlU
serve as reglstimr and Judges wlU be
LuclUe Randle and Mrs. Fred
CfockreU.
Voters of Grover wUl receive two
ballots; a city baUot cmtalnlng the
names of the 13 candidates for
municipal office and a baUot to help
decide the winner of the KM District
Board of Education race where
three men are vlelng for the seat
now held by Alex Owens. County
registrar la Doris Cooke. Judges are
Mary Rollins and Jackie Rountree.
Hie top five vote-getters in the 13-
msm commission race wUl emerge
as the winner;, as no run-off election
Is held In Grover. By city ordinance
last year, the board upped the
number of members of the councU
from three to five.
Commissioner candidates include:
Incumbents Harold Herndon and
Msuiha Byers, Quay Moaa, Juanita
Pruette, C. Gene Atkins , Joe
Boheler, Philip Harry, Edward
Phllbeck, Ronald ()ueen, Grady
Ross and Martha Scruggs.
JOE BOHELER
6) • Improvements needed In
administration of labor standards;
10) - System for monitoring and
evaluating program activities not
established.
The audit report claims the city
qient $844,881.86 on community
center additions which were In
conflict with requirements of the
Neighborhood Facility and CDBG
programs; disbursed $74,488.30 for
three projects and charged the cost
to the CDBO program although the
projects were disapproved by HUD;
drew an excessive letter-of credit
funds of $130,010.74 and erroneously
charged the expenditure to the
CDBG program; charged $46,600 to
the CDBO program primarily for
office furniture and equipment used
for other tlum CDBO activities; and
that employees were partially
engaged In other activities.
HUD pointed out that this Is the
first audit of the city's CDBO
program and that It discussed the
findings with city personnel during a
review and conference on August 80,
1978.
Hie audit's questions on the 10
findings Include:
Finding one, commimity center -
Hie report claims the use of the
center Is In conflict with program
requirements because It was used In
many respects aa a sports arena,
exhibition hall for private
businesses and offices for groups not
engaged In community development
related activities. Two building
additions appeared primarily
designed to accommondate such
ineligible activities, and a sub
stantial portion of the original
facility was not used. Hie audit
claims the need for two additions to
the buUdlng and related costs of
about $836,000 are questionable.
Hie report also questions the fee
schedule for activities such as
basketball clinics, private classes
for modeling, dance and gym
nastics, karate, college basketball
and professional wrestling.
Auditors feel the use of the center
for wrestling, exhibitions of private
businesses and offices for the
CSiamber of Commerce and Credit
Bureau were In confUct with the
grant contract with HTB) and the
Housing and Urbsui Development
Act of 1966.
Mayor Moss said the audit was
conducted during July and August,
which Is a slack time for Inside
activities at the community center.
"We feel that surveys we’ve made
on the use of the building will satisfy
the request for additional
documentation.”
The audit suggests that the
Greensboro office enforce the terms
of the grant contract and require the
city to use the faculty for eUglble
activities and require the city to
develop a program for fuller
utilisation of the faculty within the
goals and objectives of the Neigh
borhood Facility and CDBG
programs. It further recommends
that the Greensboro office deter
mine what portion. If any, of the cost
of the additions to the facility Is
eligible for CDBG funding.
Finding two - The report claims
the city used $139,010.74 of HUD
money to pay a project which should
have been paid from other sources.
As a result, the project cost was
overstated by $139,010.74 and ad
ditional Interest was Incurred by the
U.S. Government.
Mayor Moss and city auditor Joe
Ogbum of A.M. PuUen and Co. of
Charlotte said the project
(Turn to page 8A)
KM School Race Tuesday
A total of 6,613 Kings Mountain
area cltlsens are registered to vote
In Tuesday’s Kings Mountain
District Board of Education elec
tion.
JUANITA PRUETTE
QUAY MOSS
MARTHA SCRUOOS
GENE ATKINS
Polls openate:80a.m. and close at
7:80 p.m. at five precincts where
citizens wUl be choosing an outside
district school board member from
three candidates—Paul A. Hord, Jr.,
Harold Llneberger and Robert W.
(BUI) Moss.
Hie candidate receiving the most
votes wUl be the winner. There Is no
run-off In this race and the elected
school district trustee wtU serve a
six-year term In the seat now held by
Aex Owens, who did not seek re-
election.
Bethware citizens wUl vote at
Bethware School where Mrs. Flora
Ledford Is registrar and H.A.
Goforth la Democrat Judge and Jack
Anthony RepubUcan Judge.
Grover clUzens wUl vote at Grover
Rescue Squad where Mrs. Doris
Oooke Is registrar and Judges are
Mrs. Glenn Rountree (D) and Mrs.
Mary C. Rollins, (R).
East Kings Mountain cltlaens wUl
vote at the KM Community Center
where Mrs. Margaret WhUe is
registrar and Judges are Milliard
Black (D) and Mrs. Connie Putnam
(R).
West Kings Mountain citizens wUl
vote at the National Guard Armory
where Mrs. Becky Cooke Is registrar
and Lewis Hovls (D) and Mrs.
Geraldine Myers (R) are Judges.
At Waco, where 863 cltlsens are
school district patrons, voters wUl
vote at Waco Volunteer Fire
DepsLTtment where Mrs. Della F.
Murray la registrar and Clayton
Absher (D) and Maureen Moore (R)
are Judges.
Max Brooks
Is Charged
In Robbery
Max Donald Brooks, 88, of 311
Parrish Drive, was arraigned In
Oiarlotte Tuesday morning and
charged by the F.B.I. In a federal
warrant with the robbery of In
dependence National Bank In Kings
Mountain Monday.
Kings Mountain PoUce had the
suspect In custody 80 minutes after
the armed robbery at 13:80 Monday.
Hie suspect, described as black,
with a moustache, and wearing a
tobaggon with dark gtasses, entered
the bsuik alone, demanded the
money, all In "large bills” to fill a
pillow case, and left in a white car.
An employee got the license plate
number and summoned police. Five
employes and one customer were In
the bsuik at the time.
Kings Mountain officers assisting
in the arrest of the suspect were Det.
Lt. Richard Reynolds, Sirt liiiuston
Cbm and Ptl. Ralph arlndstaff.
Voters will receive «ily one ballot
in the school board race. At Grover,
voters will receive two ballots, since
Grover is conducting Its municipal
election.
PAUL HORD. JR.
( i
HAROLD UNEBEROER
ROBERT W. (BILL) M088