Mounties Number 1
Oook Ri
Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers have been voted the number one 3-A basketball team in
North Carolina in the final Associated Press Poll of the 1980-81 season.
The Mountaineers, 24-1 overall, climbed into the top position after scoring three im
pressive victories in the Southwestern 3-A Conference tournament last week.
North Davidson, the season-long leader, dropped to third place after losing its last two
ballgames.
Durham Jordan, 214, which occupied the number one spot in the final poll last year,
finished number two. Jordan lost to R-S Central in last year’s state championship game.
This is the first time the Mountaineers have ever finished the season ranked as the
number one team in the state in any sport.
Coach John Blalock’s charges were unranked the first half of the season but were voted
the number 15 position following their 69-67 win over R-S Central on January 6. They
jumped into the fifth position following their second victory over the Hilltoppers on
February 6 and climbed to the number two position last week.
The Mounties begin play in the District Tournament in Mooresville tonight. Details arc
on page 3-A.
Thursday
20c
VOLUME 94, NUMBER 16
THURSO A Y, FEBR UARY 26, 1981
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Wall Damage Reported
By GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
The City Board of Commis
sioners Monday night awarded a
bid of $51,540 to BDF Construc
tion Company of Kings Moun
tain for wall restoration in the
downtown redevelopment area.
The board learned, though,
that its cost would run more
than that after representatives of
one of the downtown businesses
appeared before the board and
told of seepage problems in their
building caused by the destruc
tion of another building next
door.
Allen and Bob Myers, owners
of Myers Printing Company on
Mountain Street, said city
workers cracked their wall,
known in the restoration project
as the “Church Wall,” several
years ago when they leveled the
old Crigg Garage next door.
According to the Myers
brothers, city workers used a
front end loader to carry off
debris from the Grigg Garage
site, and used their wall as a
Gas Increases Again
By GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
Natural gas users in Kings
Mountain will see their second
price increase in two months on
March 1.
The City Board of Commis
sioners Monday night voted
unanimously to p>ass along to
customers price increases from
its supplier. Transcontinental
Gas Pipeline Corporation.
Transco will increase the city’s
u:osts 68.93 cents periJKX) cubic
feet on March 1, Mayor John
Henry Moss told the board.
That action will represent
around a 16 percent increase in
the bills of Kings Mountain
citizens. As an example. Moss
stated that a customer who used
10,000 cubic feet will see his bill
increase from $42.21 to $49.11.
Moss called the board’s action
“unpleasant” but stressed that
the city’s action is a “passing
along of exact costs” charged by
the supplier.
The board increased natural
gas by six cents per dekatherm at
its January 12 meeting, retroac
tive to January 1.
Meanwhile, the board urges
citizens to take advantage of the
city’s meter reading classes
which continue today at 1:30
and 7:30 p.m. at the Govern
mental Services Facilities
Center.
Walt Ollis, section supervisor
for the Public Works Depart
ment, is conducting the classes
on how to read gas, water and
electric meters, and Ollis also of
fers tips on how to conserve
energy.
.UlUs,. who used a weather
chart covering the last four
years, pointed out that
December and January were col
der than normal, causing ex
treme jumps in utility bills.
As an example, Ollis said a
person using 20,000 cubic feet of
natural gas in January of last
year would have paid $55.06 for
it. This January, because of the
below normal temperatures, the
same person probably would
have used 25,000 cubic feet and
because of that increase, plus the
four increases in costs from last
year, his bill would have been
$105.
During the last year, he said,
price per 100 cubic feet of
natural gas has increased from
.2753 cents to .4574 cents.
“We’re trying to teach the
citizens how to read the meters
and be prepared for the bill they
are going to get, plus help them
see little ways to cut back in
their usage,” Ollis said.
Ollis gave the following tips
on conserving energy:
•Insulate your home,
regardless of the type of heat you
use. ^
•Install storm windows and
doors to cut the amount of draft.
•When the time comes that
you must purchase a new fur
nace, buy an energy-efficient
unit. It will cost more but the
energy saved will make you
money after four to five years.
The average life of a furnace is
20 years.
•Insulate hot water tanks.
The cost is less than $20.
•When purchasing a new
television, buy a solid state. It
uses 20 percent less energy than
the tube type TV.
•Make sure furniture is not
placed over heat registers.
•Use fireplaces wisely. Unless
a fireplace has an extremely
(Turn To Pag* 2-A)
backstop.
The result, they said, was a
huge crack in their wall which
allows rain water to seep
through the building, and in wet
weather. Bob Myers said, he can
not shut the door of his
darkroom.
“We reported the problem to
Gene White, and Gene said he
would work on it and try to get
something straightened out,”
Allen Myers said.
White, who at that time was
director of the Redevelopment
Commission, which no longer
exists, acknowledged that he was
aware of the situation and sug
gested that the city have a “pre
construction conference” with
BDF, examine the wall, and
“take whatever action is
necessary.”
But, Commissioner Jim
Childers expressed displeasure
that the Redevelopment Com
mission had not already taken
care of the problem, and asked
White why that body had not
acted prior to its duties being
assumed by tbe^y. Several of
the commissioners and Mayor
John Moss told Myers they were
not aware of the problem.
“We anticipated another
building would go up,” White
said, “and decided not to do
anything until the city decided.”
“In the meantime,” Childers
said, “he (Myers) has suffered
damages and the city is going to
have to come along and pick up
the tab for something the
Redevelopment Commission
should have paid for.”
After another question by
Childers, White said that Griffin
Drug Store is also expieriencing
some problems but he did not
(Turn To Pag* 6-A)
Photo by Gary Stowcot
QUESTIONS BOARD — All*n My*r*, portnor in My*rs Printing
Company, tak*a th* floor ot Monday's City Board mooting to
ask commissionors why nothing has boon don* to corroct a
lookag* problem in his building, caused during domolition of
an adjoining building.
Building Drive Begins
Photo by Gary Stowort
INSPECTING METERS — Walt Ollis, loft, soction suporvisor for
th* City Public Works Doportmont, tolls citisons how to road
utility motors during a motor reading class Tuesday afternoon
ot tho Govommontol Sorricos Focllitios Contor. Th* final two
classes or* scheduled for 1:30 and 7:30 today.
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Co-Editor
Chamber of Commerce and
Merchants Association officers
kicked off Tuesday night a
building fund to house a “perma
nent” home for the two
organizations.
President Larry Hamrick Jr.
said the organizations are
“sound and strong financially"
and need a permanent home.
The two groups moved twice last
year and are now located in the
old City Hall on Piedmont
Avenue. The C of C and Mer
chants Association will be mov
ing again when the old City Hall
is refurnished to house the pro
jected Law Enforcement Center.
Hamrick reported a four per
cent gain in the membership dur
ing the first two months of this
year and said that the Chamber
and Merchants are cooperating
with the City of Kings Mountain
in a marketing survey to deter
mine what citizens want in the
business district. ‘This is an im
portant survey because we want
to know what our customers
need and want our people to
trade at home with local mer
chants.” The group will Also
begin publishing a new pamphlet
to welcome newcomers to the ci
ty and suggest to them shopping
areas.
President Hamrick called at
tention to the services of the
credit bureau and said that com
plete and accurate credit infor
mation is available locally to
merchants.
Dr. Stan Hardin of Shelby,
singer, impressionist, guitarist
and actor, delighted the large
crowd with his impressions of
singers from the 30’s to 80’s and
of actors from the movies and
radio, including John Wayne,
Walter Brennan, George
Kingfish Stephens, Sapphire and
others. He enlisted Glee E.
Bridges as a volunteer from the
audience for one of his rendi
tions of “Blue Moon” and ended
his performance with a trilogy of
Civil War songs including “Dix
ie.”
Hamrick recognized outgoing
directors Glee Bridges, Charlene
Ellis, Tommy Grayson, Hugh
Lancaster, Lee McIntyre and
Jerry Nation. He also recognized
Kay Little and Lucille Williams,
office secretaries, and new direc
tors, Doyle Campbell, Gary
Whitaker, Dan Honeycutt, John
Major, Jim Potter, Alan Propst,
W.S. Fulton III, Bill Grissom,
Andy Neisler and Larry Wood
and other officers, including
W.S. Fulton III, first vice presi
dent; Burris Ramey, second vice
president and Dan Honeycutt,
treasurer.
OFFICERS — Corky Fulton, loll. Dr. Stan Har
din. Burris Rcunoy and Lorry Hamrick Ir. chat
following th* onnual Morebants-Chambor
Photo by Lib Stowort
banquet Tuosdoy night ImproMionist Hordln
mimics as actor as ho greets Hcanrlck.