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Book Bindery, Ino,
" gpert, tdch. 49264
Thursday
VOLUME 94, NUMBER 10
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1981
20c
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
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RECEIVE BIDS — Th* Kings Mountain
Hospital Board oi Trustsos rocoivod bids on its
proposed expansion at a meeting on Monday.
Photo by Lib Stewart
Groundbreaking has been set for early March
on the $5 million plus pro)ect
Expansion To Begin
‘The Hospital executive com
mittee recommends we go forth
on this project,” said L.E.
Hinannt, president of the KM
Hospital Board of Trustees as he
called for a vote on confirmation
of construction bids on the pro
posed $5.3 million KM Hospital
expansion project.
Monday afternoon, the
hospital Bmrd of Trustees con
firmed the construction bids arid
recommended their approval by
the county board of commis
sioners.
David Ramseur, architect
with O’Dell Associates, an
nounced the apparent low bid
ders and estimated that ground
breaking at the hospital site may
begin early in March. ‘The con
tracts are now in the hands of
the low bidders for signatures,”
said Ramseur. “Certificates of in
surance and performance bonds
would have been in hand but
were delayed due to the
weather.”
Timetable calls for completion
of the new emergency and
radiology departments in 20
months plus an additional 10
months for completion of exten
sive renovation.
“I’m glad to see you taking
this step and the way it is financ
ed,” said Jack Palmer Jr., chair
man of the Cleveland County
Board of Commissioners. The
project is financed by a 30 year
$4.8 million loan from the
Farmers Home Administration,
$525,000 from the Duke En
dowment and $250,000 from
local funds.
Tlihnant also commented on
financing and said that ‘it’s very
doubtful we could pass a bond
referendum for this project.” We
had an awful lot of help from a
lot of peoople on this project,”
said Hinnant, as he took the oc
casion to praise the county board
of commissioners for their
assistance, the local medical staff
and all others who had a hand.
He said that bids were $8 to $10
under what the market had
been. Architect Ramseur said he
was highly pleased with the bids
and said they totaled $5,522,228
compared to $5,575,000
available for the project. The
base bid was $82.75 per square
foot but architects said they ex
pected bids to be $91 per square
foot.
Administration Grady
Cancer Society Secretary
To Speak Here Tonight
Mrs. Kay Holshouser, Ex
ecutive Secretary of the
Cleveland County Cancer Socie
ty, will be guest speaker at
Thursday night’s meeting of the
American Legion Auxiliary at
the American Legion Building.
Mrs. Holshouser will give a
program on “Breast Cancer and
Early Detection”.
Cancer Education is a state
project of Mrs. J.P. Dalmas,
state president of the American
Legion Auxiliary, and local
members are inviting the public
to attend the special program.
Mrs. Ruth Gamble is chair
man of the hostess committee.
Howard also echoed the remarks
of hospital officials. When the
expansion is completed, the area
will be virtually an all private
facility.
Apparent low bidders for the
construction were; L.P. Cox
Construction Co. of Concord,
general contractor, $2,590,350;
Port City Electric Co. of
Mooresville, electrical,
$768,000; TKEB Inc.'SfWorgan-
ton, plumbing, $376,966; and
Sanders of Gaffney, S.C.,
mechanical, $545,761.
Architect’s renderings of the
new exFiansion are expected
within the next two weeks.
The proposed expansion will
include a 39,000 square foot two
story patient wing adjacent to
the present building, A first floor
housing the business offices,
radiology department and ex
panded emergency department.
The second floor will include 35
all-private piatient rooms and a
sbt bed coronary and surgical in
tensive care unit.
After the expansion, 97 of the
hospital’s 102 beds will be
private.
The renovated area will in
clude all first fllor areas which
will be converted to private
rooms with toilet and shower
facilities, a modernized obstetrics
department with two private
labor rooms, an expanded
recovery room and renovation
of many departments in the ex
isting building.
Six alternates for renovation
work were not included in the
base bid but Administrator
Howard said that by relocating
existing radiology equipment in
stead of buying new the alter
nates can be completed.
Herald’s Hodden Dies
Henry Mason Rodden, age
54, of 101 North 12th St., Bel
mont, died Tuesday afternoon in
Charlotte Memorial Hospital.
Rodden was employed by
Herald Publishing Compiany.
Rodden had been with The
Belmont Banner and The Mount
Holly News since April of 1958.
Born on October 15, 1926, in
Mecklenburg County, he was
the son of the late Austin and
Myrtle Rodden. His wife was the
late Nancy Elizabeth Foster,
who died in November of 1979.
He was an active member and
a deacon of Unity Baptist
Church in Belmont. He was a ci
ty council member in his third
term for the city of Belmont.
He is survived by two sons,
Jerry Rodden of Belmont and
Kevin Rodden of the home; five
sisters, Mrs. Francis Beaty and
Mrs. Virginia Wix, both of
Charlotte; Samantha Henderson
of Spartanburg, S.C., Mrs. Elva
MASON RODDEN
London of Greenville, S.C.; and
Mrs. Rosethel Jennings of
Mount Holly; four brothers,
Paul Rodden of Gastonia, Bill
Rodden and Marshall Rodden,
both of Charlotte, and Austin
Rodden Jr. of Greenville, S.C.
Funeral services will be held
today at 4 p.m. at the Unity Bap
tist Church, with the Rev.
Charles M. Spence and the Rev.
Claude Connell officiating.
Burial will follow in Green
wood Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be
Charlie Flowers, Chris Atkins,
Doug Waters, Garland Atkins,
Dennis Connell and Belmont
Mayor Billy Joye Jr.
Honorary pallbearers will be
the city council of Belmont, the
administrative staff of the city of
Belmont, the employees of
General Publishing Co., and the
deacons of Unity Baptist
Church.
Bumgardner Funeral Home,
Belmont, is in charge of ar
rangements.
Grover Councilmen
Switch City Jobs
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Co-Editor
GROVER — Tempers flared
at the Grover Town Board
meeting Monday night and
before it was over Finance Of
ficer and Office Manager Ed
ward Philbeck and Water Com
missioner Ronald Queen swap
ped jobs after a disagreement
with the mayor.
“What’s going on?”, a ques
tion asked by Grover resident
Martha Hicks Turner, was never
answered.
Mayor Pro Tern Philbeck
made the motion that his
resignation be accepted. It was
quickly seconded by Quay Moss
and the board members approv
ed by 4-1 vote without discus
sion. Juanita Pruette voted
“Na.”
“Since I’ve been accused of
running the town, somebody else
can run these two jobs,” said
Philbeck, who had just prior to
his resignation been accused by
.Mayor W.W. McCarter of being
“derelict in his duties,” citing
failure by the commissioner to
check on a rebate from gasoline
the town purchased during the
period Oct. 1, 1979 to April 30,
1980 at Philbeck Shell Station.
Mr. McCarter said it had been
the policy of the town to pur
chase gasoline on a six months
basis with two stations in the
Grover area and that Philbeck
' had been instructed the toun'-
cil to seek a rebate on purchases.
“1 wasn’t even a member of the
town board when this
happened,” replied Philbeck to
the charges. “It’s the principle of
the matter,” said McCarter.
The Mayor also charged that
Philbeck “is in conflict of in
terest” in voting on matters such
as the purchase of gas and tires
from his station, quoting Public
Law 14-234. Philbeck replied,
‘Then it must have been wrong
for Ronald (Queen) to vote on
the water line which the town is
extending to his property and
Hambright and Herndon in Spr
ing Acres.” Philbeck told the
Mayor that “I talked to the town
lawyer (Andy Neisler) this morn
ing and he maintains we are not
in conflict of interest. You can
buy your d— tires somewhere
else.” Philbeck then suggested
that the town take action to pur
chase gasoline and supplies for
the town police car at other sta
tions. The Board delayed action
on his request.
“All this is just nitpicking,”
declared both Quay Moss and
Juanita Pruette. Ronald Queen
said to McCarter, “It sounds like
you just don’t like what we’re
doing.”
Later on in the meeting.
Mayor McCarter asked Philbeck
if he would reconsider his mo
tion to resign. Philbeck shook his
head. Quay Moss then made the
motion that Commissioner
Queen take the job as finance of
ficer and office manager, Juantia
Pruette seconded and the board
acted unanimously on the mo
tion without discussion.
Again Mrs. Martha Turner
sought an explanation of the
board’s action, noting that
“Seems to me you all ought to
stop this conflict and work
together. Ronald has been the
water commissioner for a long
time and does a good job. With
these two big water projects
coming up, it seems to be it
would be better for Ronald to
keep the water commissioner
job. I’m not saying that Philbeck
won’t do a good job and that
Queen won’t do a good job as
our finance officer and office
manager but it seems to me that
something is wrong when you
can’t make up your minds.”
Comm. Moss responded, “I
don’t see anything wrong.”
Comm. Queen said that he
would accept the new job “if
that’s what you all want but I
can’t keep both.” He then resign-
,4
Photo by Lib Stowort
SWAPPING lOBS — Grover Mayor Pro Tern Edward Philbeck,
left, who has served as Grover oiiice manager and finance of
ficer. is swapping jobs with Water Commissioner Ronald
Queen. Philbeck quit in a disagreement with Mayor Bill Mc
Carter Monday night.
ed as water commissioner. The
board approved unanimously,
without discussion, on motions
by Moss and Pruette. Moss then
made the motion that Philbeck
take Queen’s job, Mrs. Pruette
seconded and the action was
again unanimous without any
more discussion. Moss then
made the motion that Queen be
authorized to sign checks and
that Philbeck’s name be removed
from financial accounts of the
town. Mrs. Pruette seconded
and the action was unanimous.
In a major action of the
meeting, the board approved a
request for a water line to five
outside-town families who reside
on Highway 226. Mr. and Mrs.
Grover Rice, Donnie Herndon,
William Hudson, Nora Hutchin
son and Clifford Ford told the
board they would purchase five
water tapis at $35.0 each in their
request for 612 feet of six inch
water main and a fire hydrant at
an estimated cost of $7,176 plus
engineering fees. “We don’t have
water to take a bath,” said one
resident. “Well have to drill a
well if you tell us no,” said Mrs.
Rice.
“It makes a lot more sense to
lay a line where five families are
living and need water and spiend
$7,000 than to spend $23,(X)0 to
run a line in an empty field in
Spring Acres,” said John Brown,
resident of Cleveland Avenue,
who protested the board’s recent
action in approving a line to a
proposed development in Spring
Acres owned by Hoover Hern
don and Bob Hambright.
Brown also told the board that
citizens did not know about the
special called meeting on a re
cent Thursday when the water
line propiosal was approved. “1
don’t think you all publicize
these meetings. 1 never see any
announcement in the piapiers.”
McCarter referred the question
to the Herald repiorter present
who said that a notice of the
meeting was received on Thurs
day morning but too late for the
Thursday edition.
Comm. Moss interjected that
“I am disappointed to hear that
some of these outside city
residents object to coming in the
city limits but we will save
money in the long run to install
their line when we build the
other one.”
Comm. Martha Byers obsen'-
ed that “since we get most of our
water from outside city wells, we
ought to give the water back to
them.”
All board members agreed and
the motion was made by Queen
seconded by Moss that tm
engineer proceed with drawing
up plans for both the Spring
Acres and Highway 226 water
projects.
Queen said that estimates on
the Spring Acres project, in
cluding running a six inch water
main 1,448 feet around
Timberlake and Briarcliff Roads
to serve two homes to be con
structed by Hambright-Hemdon
and extend Queen’s two inch
line (322 feet), may run upwards
to $25,000. The developiers will
purchase 10 water tapis at $250
each and will be asked to begin
construction immediately. Clean
Water Bond monies are expiected
to help piay for some of the costs
of both water projects.
The board went into executive
session, upion motion of Comm.
Philbeck, to consider applica
tions for a second school cross
ing guard to be employed by the
Town of Grover. The Board was
continuing to receive applicants
Tuesday afternoon.
House Fire Is Fatal
To Lula McMullen, 80
An 80-year-old Kings Moun
tain woman died of smoke in
halation Monday.
Mrs. Lula McMullen
Galloway, of 219 W. Ridge St.,
was pulled from her smoking
apartment by a neighbor after a
television set apparently blew up
and burned.
Coroner Bennett Masters,
who investigated, said a
neighbor saw smoke coming
from the apartment and pulled
Mrs. Galloway from the house.
She died in Kings Mountain
Hospital. Masters said an autop
sy is being performed but that it
appiears the woman’s death
resulted from smoke inhalation.
Mrs. Galloway was a member
of Good Hopie Presbyterian
Church.
Surviving are three brothers,
Roger and Jake McMullen of
High Point, and Frank
McMullen of Youngstown,
Ohio, and two sisters, Mrs.
Alberta Williams of Gastonia
and Mrs. Dorothy Butler of
Washington, D.C.
J.W. Gill and Sons Funeral
Home is in charge of ar
rangements.