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VOLUME 95, NUMBER 10
THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1982
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC
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THE nEUUS
in BRIEF
BAND CONCERT
The Kings Mountain Senior
High Blazer Band and the Kings
Mountain Junior High Ninth
Grade Band will present a public
concert on Thurs., Mar. 18 at 8
pjn. in B.N. Barnes Auditorium.
The program will consist of State
Contest Music Festival selec
tions. Admission is free and the
public is invited to attend.
SUPERIOR
The Kings Mountain Junior
High Ninth Grade Band, under
the direction of Christopher H.
Cole, received a superior rating
at the Junior High State Band
Concert Festival Friday at
Wingate College. The band per
formed in the Grade 3 Division
and was one of 30 bands par
ticipating.
TJILENT SHOW
The East School Talent Show
will be held Thurs., Mar. 18 at 7
pjn. at the Central School
Auditorium. Admission is SO
cents. The winners will advance
to the annual Kiwanis Club
Talent Show. Willard Boyles will
be the Master of Ceremonies.
PRECINCT MEETING
The annual meeting of the
East Kings Mountian
Democratic Precinct will be held
Thurs., March II at 8 p.m. in
Room 111 (Mountaineer Room)
of the Kings Mountain Com
munity Center on Cleveland
Avenue. All registered
Democrats in the East Kings
Mountain precinct are urged to
aMend. • -
If you hear a buzzing sound
when you pick up your
telephone, donY worry.
Southern Bell has changed
some equipment in the Kings
Mountain area, causing the dial
tone to sound different from in
the past.
“Do not call Telephone Repair
Service to report this, as it does
not affect your local service,”
said Sam Davis, Southern Bell
Public Relations Manager.
RUMMAGE SALE
The Kings Mountain Fire
Department will sponsor a rum
mage sale on March 27 in the
field across from the fire depart
ment. In case of rain, it will be
held inside the fire department.
Clothes, furniture, cakes and
pies will be sold. All proceeds
will go toward the construction
of a roof on the fire museum.
Anyone with items to donate
may call the fire department at
739-2552. Items may be brought
to the fire station or firemen will
pick them up.
TJILENT SHOW
The West School Talent Show
will be held Thurs., Mar. 25 at 7
p.m. at Barnes Auditorium.
Steve Baker will be the Master of
Ceremonies and special enter
tainment will be presented by
Kate’s Skating Rink of Gastonia.
Admission is one dollar for
adults and 50 cents for students.
Kiwjuns CLUB
Ronnie Robinson of Eastern
Airlines will be the guest speaker
at Thursday night’s meeting of
the Kings Mountain Kiwanis
Club at the Woman’s Club
■ BuikUng.
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City Gets Good Report
On John Moss Lake Dam
The City of Kings Mountain
has received a good report from
Subsurface Investigations, Inc.
of Charlotte, which was hired
recently to inspect the dam at
Moss Lake.
Although the investigators
found some minor problems,
they said they could be easily
corrected. The city, according to
Mayor John Moss, will correct
them in the spring.
The firm investigated the dam
on February 10 and February
26, with the latter investigation
dealing solely with a 2S0-plus
feet corrugated metal pipe which
has been leaking for sometime.
Edward S. Cummings III,
Engineer-in-Training and
William G. Smith, President of
Subsurface Investigations, said
the pipe was not constructed on
a straight line and has slight
bends along its downstream 250
feet.
Mayor Moss said the city
believes the pipe was bent during
installation.
The investigators said there
are several isolated points of
leakage at bolt holes and water
discharges from those holes.
They also said the bulge or in-
war^y deflected pipe wall in the
right side of the pipe(facing
downstream) is large and
noticeable and seveal leaks bet
ween the steel plate near the up
per two-thirds of the piipe are
prominent” and that discharge
“is clear at this time.”
They further said that “as we
understand it, the pipe is not
bedded in concrete or filter sand
m
Photo by Gcvy Stawort
SCOUT WEEK PROCLAIMED - Mayor John Scouts Cindy Adams and Mevy Stomss look
Honry Moss proclolms tho wssk of March 8-13 on. Girl Scout Day in Govommont was hold
os Girl Scout Wook in Kings Mountain os Monday.
Radar Bids Okayed
Kings Mountain’s Board of
Commissioners, in a brief
meeting Monday night at the
Governmental Services Facilities
Center, awarded bids on two
new radar units for the Kings
Mountain Police Department.
The units-including one
mobile unit and one hand-held
unit-will be purchased at a cost
of $2,790 from MPH Industries,
Inc. of Chanute, Kansas.
The Kansas flra placed a base
bid of $4,170 with an allowance
of $1380 for an old unit which
wiU be traded in.
The only other bid received
was $3,14635 from Skip Spence.
In other action Monday, the
board:
*Proclaimed March 14-20 as
“Employ the Older Worker
Week” and March 8-13 as “Girl
Scout Week."
“Received an annexation peti
tion from Marion Dbion for two
tracts of land in the Kings
Mountain Country Gub section,
and authorized City Clerk Joe
McDaniel to investigate the peti
tion.
“Received a request from
George Mauney to rezone pro
perty on the northwest side of
South Railroad Avenue (the old
Nation Chevrolet property) from
C-J9 to G-B. The request was for
warded to the Planning and Zon
ing Board.
“Authorized advertising for
bids for lighting of City Stadium.
“Authorized the city to work
with Bobby Collins of 901 Gantt
Street to correct a drainage pro
blem on his property. The cost to
the city will be approximately
$740.
“Designated the weeks of
April 19-24 and September
13-18 as Clean-up, Paint-up and
Litter Weeks in Kings Moun
tain. The clean-up efforts here
will be part of a statewide effort
sponsored by individual cities
and the Department of
Transportation.
“Authorized advertising for
bids for concessionaire rights for
the Gty Parks and Recreation
Department. Mayor John Moss
said the recreation department
will continue to operate conces
sion stands at the Neighborhood
Facilities Center complex but all
others will be put out to bid.
and the embankment soil is ex
posed directly to this flowing
water. This is a potentially
dangerous situation.”
They said another area of con
cern is the “performance of the
pipe shell under load. In many
cases bedding is important to its
arch function and design. If the
pipe bedding or symmetry are in
fluenced its strength may be in
fluenced.”
The city, as suggested by Sub
surface, plans to cure the pro
blem by installing a new metal
pipe inside the existing one. The
space between the pipes will be
grouted full to transfer any
potential load and stop the leaks.
In the earlier inspection. Sub
surface reported that the dam
and spillway structures are in
tact, sound and operating pro
perly, and no major problems
were found.
The investigators found what
they called several “minor” items
which should be corrected in
three to 12 months.
They included brush, tree
seedlings and weeds growing on
the downstream slope of the
dam. They recommended that
they be mowed to maintain grass
cover which is necessary for ero
sion protection as well as to
eliminate tree root penetration
into the dam.
They also suggested that weir
boxes be cleaned every three to
four months and said that even
tually the open construction
joint in the east spillway wall
may require a sand filter backfill
and a surface seal to insure that
no soil fines are removed from
under the spillway or behind the
wall.
Subsurface was hired by the
city to inspect the dam twice a
year. Moss said stale law re
quires that it be inspected once a
year. The state inspects it once a
year and W.K. Dickson Co., the
city consulting engineers, in
spects it quarterly.
Moss smd he considers the
Subsurface reports a “good
report. It’s the city’s general
desire to maintan a safe and very
viable facility to improve the
economic development of the
entire area,” he said.
Bruce Seism To Run
Bruce Seism of Kings Moun
tain has announced his can
didacy for the North Carolina
State Senate.
He will run in the 25th
Senatorial District, which com
prises Cleveland, Gaston, Lin
coln and Rutherford counties,
against incumbents Ollie Harris,
Marshall Rauch and Helen
Rhyne Marvin.
The dates of the filing period
and primary election have not
yet been announced, due to re
districting plans.
Seism, 37, is a Baptist. He at
tended Kings Mountain High
School and Nashville Auto
Diesel College and is co-owner
and President of Southern Ex
cavation Co.
He is married to the former
Martha Ernst, who is a can
didate for the Cleveland County
Board of Commissioners. They
are parents of three sons. Seism
is a member of Fairview Lodge
339 AF & AM, Loyal Order of
Moose, and serves as president
of the Association of Cleveland
County Taxpayers (ACT).
Seism said he’s running for
Senate because he feels it is time
“went sent some people with
common sense to Raleigh.”
“I am a common working man
with common sense.’ he said. “1
started my working life by digg
ing ditches. As a working man
climbing the ladder, 1 know what
it’s like for the average person
trying to achieve the one feeling
all people desire and few receive-
-security.
“1 believe it’s time we sent
some people with common sense
to Raleigh to counteract some of
BRUCE SaSM
the legislators’ over-educated,
stupid laws that they pass and
expect us to believe they’re for
our sakes,” he said.
Seism said he has taken
several trips to Raleigh to see the
legislature in action, and has not
been impressed with what he has
seen.
“For extunple,” he said, “how
many people know that when a
jury works so hard to reach a
verdict in a trial, the judge, after
praising them for serving and
telling them what a fine job they
have done, and after excusing
them, decides he doesn’t like the
verdict. Then in his almighty
wisdom and for even selfish
reasons, he can set the verdict
aside and declare there has to be
a new trial? What’s the use of a
jury trial with this law, except to
make us little people believe we
have a fair court system?”
Seism said he opposes a
referendum to allow four-year
General Assembly terms.
“This is just another example
of how they sneak laws right
under the peoples’ noses,” he
said. ‘They know that most peo
ple don’t vote in primaries, and
that’s what they’re counting on.
‘Common sense tells me, if
you are not satisfied with our
present Senators in Raleigh, or
2my other elected official for
that matter, then do something
about it. Vote in all elections. It
is your duty and responsibility as
a citizen to vote in thjs primary
election.
‘Things are not going to get
any better until the pe<^}le do
better,” he continued. ‘This
statement might make some peo
ple angry, but the people who
haven’t voted in any of the past
primary elections, and don't in
tend to in this one because they
think it’s a waste of time, in a
way deserve what they govern
ment shoves down their throats.
‘The system has forced such a
burden on us that we can’t even
walk, much less climb. If our
children are to enjoy the
freedom our fathers did,
something htis to be done.
“My father and grandfather
always said if you want
something done right, do it
yourself,” he added. ‘That’s why
I’m running for Senate.”
Board Says No Again
The Kings Mountain District
Schools Board of Education
Monday night voted for the se
cond time in five months not to
participate in any further talks of
merger of the three school
systems in Cleveland County.
The board, which voted in
November not to participate in
discussion of a merger feasibility
study, had received an invitation
from the Cleveland County and
Shelby City school systems to
meet on March 15.
The three boards met last fall
in Shelby to discuss the possibili
ty of a study, at which time most
of the Kings Mountain board
members said they were against
it.
At Monday’s meeting, four of
the five members said they were
still against it. Harold Lineberger
said he is against a merger but
does not oppose a study.
Chairman June Lee said that
since last fall’s meeting in Shelby
she has been “bombarded from
people in Kings Mountain who
are opposed to a merger or
discussion of merger.” She said
rather than to spend time
discussing merger she will “spend
my time and efforts making bet
ter what we’ve got.”
New member Jerry Ledford,
who said before his election last
November that he would oppose
a merger, stuck by his platform.
He said most people in Kings
Mountain feel that if a merger of
administrations comes about
Kings Mountain High School
would be closed and all ad
ministrative offices moved out of
town.
A merger study conducted by
an independent firm would cost
at least $20j000, according to
school officials. A free study
could be conducted by the State
Department of Public Instruc
tion.
“A study conducted by the
state would probably recom
mend merger,” Ledford said. “I
see no reason participating in a
stddy if we’re against merger.”
Lineberger said he had receiv
ed some input from persons
“who think we might have been
a little too hasty” in opposing a
merger discussion. “Even though
we’re against merger at present,
we might feel differently in years
to come.”
In another matter Monday,
the board adopted a current ex
pense budget propsal of
$2,525,709 and a capital outlay
proposal of $415300 for the
1982-83 school year.
The board is requesting
Turn To Pago 3-A
Graveside Services Held
For Nell Biser, Teacher
Graveside services for Mrs.
Nell Watterson Biser, 76, of 408
West Gold Street, were con
ducted at 11 a.m. Saturday at
Mountain Rest Cemetery by the
Rev. Ivan Stephens.
Mrs. Biser, widow of the late
M.H. Biser and a retired teacher
for Kings Mountain District
Schools, died Thursday night at
Kings Mountain Hospital.
She was the daughter of the
late Noal F. and Emma Goforth
Watterson and a member of
Central United Methodist
Church.
Surviving are two daughters,
Lina Behems of Alexandria,
Va., and Joyce Biser of Kings
Mountain; one brother, Charles
K. Biser of Charlotte; one sister,
Mrs. M.M. Barber Sr. of Chat
tanooga, Tenn.; and one grand
daughter.