•e
Thursday
VOLUME 94, NUMBER 36
THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1981
20c
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Public Housing Idea
Protested By Citizens
I GROVER- A dozen citizens
appeared before the Town Board
meeting Monday night to air
^ ^ their concerns that a govern
ment subsidized rural rental
housing project is planned in
Grover.
Clyde and Lucille Randle,
Monroe and Viola Crawford,
Estelle Tesseneer, Mrs. Grady
Ross, Martha Turner, Gary
Byers, Shirley Philbeck, and
Commissioners Juanita Pruette,
^ 0^ Quay Moss, Edward Philbeck
and Ronald' Queen told the
board that a housing project is
not needed and questioned
Town Attorney Andy Neisler as
to procedures to keep the hous
ing project out.
Neisler pointed out that the
town has no zoning ordinance
» gk and builders can request sewer
^ ^ and water services from the
town. Comm. Queen said that he
was told that Minette Mills had
agreed to provide the sewer ser
vice for the proposed 32-units of
housing and it was his
understanding that Mayor Bill
McCarter had suggested that
water would be available. Water
Commissioner Ed Philbeck said
I ^ that he had not been contacted
" " about the project and knew
nothing of any requests for the
town to furnish the water for the
project. Comm. Quay Moss said
it was his understanding from
newspaper reports that Mayor
McCarter was encouraging the
project but the Mayor said that
“all of this talk is a little
premature.”
I 9 The Mayor told the board
that any proposed housing pro
ject “is not a town project” and
that private contractors can
build within state requirements
and that he has been contacted
by several developers about
water and sewer. “1 have made
no commitments”, he told the
board.
Speaking out against publi
I ^ housing, Mrs. Estelle Tesseneer
reminded the group that “We
have a nice, clean town and
we’ve got enough going on down
in Booger Hollow without put
ting a housing project there. I’m
against it.” Others concurred
with her remarks.
Mills Construction Company
of Shelby has applied for
^ ^ Farmers Home Administration
* ™ funds for the project which is
reported to cover a three acre
site on Maple Street, and if the
project is approved, would cost
over $1 million. Mr. Mills had
told the Herald several weeks
ago that “it’s a bit premature to
announce the project now”, ex
plaining that he wouldn’t know
whether it will be funded until
the end of June. He said that the
chances of the project being
funded are slim but that Grover
met the criteria for the project
by its small population, by the
fact that it’s in a rural area and
that the mayor encouraged him
to build a project there.
Citizens at Monday’s meeting
said that the property is owned
by Avery Hardin of Hickory
who has given the Mills firm the
option to purchase the land. The
proposed building site is located
directly in back of the home of
Comm. Martha Byers and her
husband, Gary.
Attorney Neisler, who spoke
in defense of housing .projects
and elaborated on some of the
good points of public housing,
cautioned the board that failure
to okay water for the project, if
it becomes a reality, could result
in a discrimination suit against
the city. He suggested they take
their concerns to local
legislators.
Bob Hambright, local mer
chant, said he had approached
by several builders interested in
housing and remarked that com
petition for the FHA funds is
very competitive. Mills had been
quoted in a local newspaper that
“securing the FHA funds would
be like throwing a penny into the
ocean and trying to find it...It’s
very much a possibility for
Grover, not a probability.”
In other actions the board ap
proved backfilling and finish^
grading work on the right-of-way
area at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. J. P. Cooke. Mr. Cooke,
through attorney Steve Crosby,
said he would resort to litigation
for damages if the city didnot
fulfill its obligations in com
pleting the sidewalk construction
at his house. Mayor McCarter
said that he had hired someone
to do the work and that if the ci
ty didnot see fit to reimburse
that he would be responsible for
paying the bill.
Mrs. Martha Hicks Turner ap
peared before the board in a
related matter and asked that
backfilling and seeding be done
on her property and Comm.
Juanita Pruette contended that
since most property owners had
paid for their own improvements
that the town had errored in its
decision to “satisfy one property
owner and not the othefs".
Mrs. Estelle Tesseneer sug-
ge.ned that in the future the
board obtain written contracts
and let bids for street im
provements and eliminate all
confusion. The board said that a
verbal contract was executed
with Spangler’s Construction
Co. during a prior administration
and that Spangler’s did not agree
to provide the backfilling and
seeding. Mrs. Turner interjected
that “You could have fixed all
our properties with these lawyer
fees you’ll be paying. 1 could
have obtained a lawyer too, but I
would prefer that you abide by
your word which was placed in
the minutes a^d stick to it.”
Charles Harry, Jr., treasurer
of Grover Industries, appeared
before the board to request the
closing of a portion of Maple
Street for a shipping dock to
facilitate the industry’s shipping
department. The board tabled
the matter for further study. At
torney Neisler pointed out that
all adjoining property owners be
notified and asked to appear at a
public hearing after proper
advertisement. Mr. Neisler,
responding to a request from
Mrs. Mary Lou Atkins, said that
the town’s responsibility is to
deem and drain side ditches. ,
The board directed Attorney
Neisler to write letters to proper
ty owners on Pine Street inform
ing them that if shrubbery is
growing out on the street and
over the right-of-way that the ci
ty has the authority to have the
shrubbery clipped and bill pro
perty owners for payment.
Upon recommendation of
Comm. Martha Byers the board
voted to study its insurance
policies for comprehensive
general liability and voted to pay
for four water taps at cost of
$1,086.32. The bt^d endorsed
the Clevel no County Arson
Task Force organizational plans
of which Charles Forney,Jr. is
chairman.
I After returning from ex
ecutive session. Mayor Mc
Carter announced that the board
took no action on vacation
schedule for personnel.
COMMUNITY WATCH
A Community Watch will be
organized in Grover on June 2 at
a 7 p.m. meeting which is ten
tatively scheduled for Grover
School.
Sgt. Pruitt of the Cleveland
County Sheriffs Department,
Clyde Randle of Grover, and
Reserve Officer Tony Anthony
will lead the organizational
meeting to which ail citizens of
the Grover area are invited to at- ‘
tend.
V-
B
I '
STUDENTS HONORED - KMSHS Principal
Bob McRae, left, presents a gift to Boo Robin
son and Dr. Gurney Chambers, far right.
Photo by Lib Stewart
presents a gift to leff Lineberger at the first an
nual Top Ten Academic Awards Banquet
Tuesday night at KMSHS,
32 Students Cited
At Top Ten Banquet
A total of 32 Kings Mountain
Senior High School students
were cited for academic
achievements at the first annual
KMSHS Top Ten Banquet Tues
day night in the KMSHS
Cafeteria.
Dr. Gurnery Chambers,
Associate Dean of the School of
Education and Psychology at
Western Carolina University,
gave the keynote address in
which he chaillenged the honor
students to become “Lifetime
Members of the Hit Parade”,
alluding to the Top 10 hit songs
of the past and challenging the
young people to “be on the top
list for a long time and avoid all
negative self concepts while
maintaining knowledge, in
telligence or desire and motiva
tion.”
Supt. Wiliam Davis also com
mended the staff of KMSHS and
Principal Bob McRae for the
first-time program and con
gratulated the students.
Rev. Gary Bryant, pastor of
First Presbyterian Church, gave
the invocation and Brian Norris,
a senior voice student, delighted
the group with two sacred
numbers. Give It All To Jesus’
and ‘He Was There All The
Time.’
Special awards were presented
to ‘All A Seniors’ Boo Robinson
and Jeff Lineberger.
Academic awards in the form
of certificates went to
Sophomores Don Ayscue, Mark
Cloninger, Sharon Dilling, Kevin
Dixon, Joan Finger, Kelly Good-
son, Joanie Hamrick, Jimmy
Lackey, Clayton Ollis, and Lisa
Smith; Junors Sandy Appling,
Janet Blttir, Kristin Gatts, Pam
Hatch, Laura Herndon, Toni
Nicholson, Lisa Roark, Scott
Shaw, Bob Smith, Tillie Watson
and Eric Wright; Seniors Kent
Bush, Carol Edwards, Bobby
Hagens, Eddie Hammett, Steve
Lee, Jeff Lineberger, Eric Myers,
Boo Robinson, Janice Scoggins,
Kathy Stamey and Rhonda
Toney.
Rev. Bryant
To Paw Creek
Rev. Gary Bryant, pastor of
First Presbyterian Church for
almost seven years, resigned his
pastorate Sunday to become
pastor of Paw Creek
Presbyterian Church of
Charlotte.
Mr. Bryant came to Kings
Mountain Sept. 15, 1974 from
Lumberton where he had served
for several years as assistant
pastor of Lumberton
Presbyterian Church. He is a
graduate of King College of
Bristol, Tennessee and Columbia
Theological Seminary, Decatur,
Ga. Mr. Bryant is married to the
former Gail Ladd of Cromona,
Ky. and they are parents of two
children, Elizabeth, age sbt, and
Mark Andrew, age two.
Rev. Mr. Bryant will complete
his duties with the local
300-member congregation on
June 1 and will assume his new
duties in Charlotte July 1. Paw
Creek I*resbyterian Church has
a membc.ship of 500.
In Kings Mountain the
Bryants have been active in com
munity and civic affairs. Mr.
Bryant has served as chairman
REV. GARY BRYANT
of the Kings Mountain
Ministerial Association Helping
Hand Fund for several years and
as secretary and treasurer of the
ministers group. He has also
been active in the Kiwanis Club
and in activities of Concord
Presbytery.
Jaycee News
Hambright Elected
»I
lAYCEE OFFICERS - Plcturod or* mw oi-
ilcm oi th« Kings Mountain JoycMs. Front
row. Vico Prosidont Doug Burch. Myors Horn-
bright, Proaidont. and Vico Prosidont Danny
Dilling. Back row. bom loft, Dboctor Ilm Tato,
Ron Millor, Socrotary and Lou Sabottio.
Troasuror.
Myers Hambright Jr. was in
stalled as president of the Kings
Mountain Jaycees at an installa
tion banquet Friday night at the
Ranch House in Charlotte.
Corky Fulton, the Jaycees’
Young Man of the Year, install
ed the new officers.
Other officers include Alan
Propst, chairman of the board;
Doug Burch, internal vice presi
dent; Danny Dilling, external
vice president; Jim Tate, state
director; Louis Sabetti, treasurer;
Ron Miller, secretary; and Mike
Neely, Larry Hamrick Jr., Bob
Maner, Kemp Mauney and
David Dilling, directors.
Awards were presented to
Alan Propst, president’s plaque;
Tom Franks, Jaycee of the Year;
Jim Dickey Jr., External Project
of the Year; Louis Sabetti, Inter
nal Project of the Year; Doug
Burch, Spark Plug of the Year;
Jim Tate, Support External Pro
ject; and Tom Franks, Support
External Project.
★ ★★
Mike Neely, past External
Vice President of the Kings
Mountain Jaycees, was elected
District Dire-tor of the Midwest
Region of the North Carolina
Jaycees at the Midwest Regional
meeting April 24 in Gastonia.
The role of the district director
is to survey conditions of area
local chapters, to make recom
mendations for the improvement
of programs, and to address the
general membership of the local
chapters, and to serve as a liason
between the local and state
Jaycees.
Neely is owner of Neely TV
and has been active in the Kings
Mountain Jaycees for several
years.
Neely and his wife, Linda, and
son. Tommy, reside on Roxford
Road, Kings Mountain.
iritif
Eight Kings Mountain
Jaycees attended the Midwest
Regional Meeting of the North
Carolina Jaycees Friday night at
the Gastonia Jaycee Building.
Guest speaker for the event
was John Long, President of the
North Carolina Jaycees.
Attending from Kings Moun
tain were Myers Hambright Jr.,
Allan Propst, Dan Dilling, Doug
Burch, Brad Tate, Larry
Bcaseley, Mike Neely and Rick
Wallace.
REVIVAL
Rev. Robert Wright of Kings
Mountain will be evangelist for
special services May 10-16 at the
House of Prayer near Fallston.
Services will be at 7 p.m. each
eveand Rev. Clyde Price, pastor,
invites the community to attend.