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Thursday, December 10, 2020
Scenes from the annual Gaston County Toy Run for Kids See Page 10
News from a neighbor!
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Belmont hires Kevin Krouse as Assistant City Manager By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
These young ladies kicked off the Belmont Cruise Through Christmas Parade. Photo by Alan Hodge
Cruise Through Christmas Parade was a stroke of genius By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The old adage “where there’s a will there’s a way” was certainly proved correct last week in the form of Belmont’s Cruise Through Christmas Parade event. Faced with the possibility of having a COVID-19 restrictions caused cancellation of the 2020 Christmas Parade- a many decades old
annual downtown blast- folks at the Montcross Chamber of Commerce and the City of Belmont put on their thinking caps and came up with the concept of a drive by style event. “During the pandemic we are having to make extremely tough decisions on either cancelling events or altering the way we operate to comply with COVID regulations,” said Belmont down-
town development director Phil Boggan. “The city and Montcross Chamber felt the Christmas Parade was something the community really needed to boost morale and spirits. City staff and Montcross Chamber board members collaborated to come up with a fun alternative way for us to continue with the parade.” See PARADE, Pages 6 & 7
Plans for new hospital in Belmont moving forward By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Plans for a new full service CaroMont Health hospital in Belmont are making progress. Construction should begin in the spring of 2021 with an opening date in 2023. The facility will be called CaroMont Regional Medical Center-Belmont. The hospital will be located near I-85 and Hwy.
273. It will boast an emergency department, a 66-bed inpatient unit for patients requiring admission or observation, operating rooms and surgical capabilities, a labor and delivery unit, and a full suite of diagnostic testing and imaging services. Medical office buildings for outpatient services and physician offices are also planned for the campus. Last March, leaders from
CaroMont Health and Belmont Abbey College signed a property lease for the new hospital. “The monks of Belmont Abbey happily welcome this exciting opportunity for Belmont Abbey College and CaroMont Health to combine our shared values and cooperate in promoting the welfare of our Gaston County See HOSPITAL, Page 4
Kevin Krouse has joined the City of Belmont team as Assistant City Manager. Krouse began his duties a couple of weeks ago. Belmont City Manager Ardrian Miller had this to say about bringing Krouse on board. “We are excited to have Kevin joining our team,” Miller said. “He has served Gaston County towns for the past 20 years, and I know he is excited to put that experience to work in Belmont. He brings valuable experience in planning, transportation, parks and recreation, and finance to us. I view him as a partner in overseeing the operations of our city government and of implementing the vision of Mayor Martin and the City Council. We are fortunate to have Kevin in Belmont, and I look forward to working with him for many years.” Krouse, 45, lives in Belmont with his wife Emily and their three children Jack, Joseph, and Sophia. He is a native of Johnson City, Tenn. and moved to Gaston County in 2001. He has a Bachelor of Science in Geography with a concentration in Urban and Regional Planning degree from East Tennessee University, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Appalachian State University. He also has a Municipal and County Administration Certification from the UNC School of Government. Krouse brings a wealth of practical municipal government experience to his new post. Before taking the Belmont job, he was city man-
Kevin Krouse ager for the City of Lowell for four years. Prior to that, he was planning director for the Town of Cramerton from 2013-2016. He also served as interim town manager during 2015. He was assistant city manager for Bessemer City from 2012-2013. He also served as planning director in Bessemer City from 2002 -2012 and zoning administrator and code enforcement officer from 2001-2002. Krouse has earned numerous awards during his career. Just a few include the Cenralina Council of Governments Region of Excellence Award, the Marvin Collins Outstanding Planning Award for Comprehensive Pedestrian Plan, the Marvin Collins Outstanding Planning award for Creating Opportunities for Active Living, and the Marvin Collins Outstanding Planning Award for Creating Opportunities for the Build a Better
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Boulevard Study. So, what will Krouse be doing for Belmont on a day to day basis? “I will be handing operations for the city,” he said . “That will include every department except police and fire. It will include public works, water, sewer, parks and recreation, and finance. My job will be to provide support for them. This city is about excellence, and the city staff is phenomenal in every department.” In addition to his professional expertise and drive, Krouse also brings something else important to his new job- a heartfelt fondness for our region in general and Belmont in particular. “I love Gaston County and Belmont is a great place to be,” he said. “The city wants nothing but the best for its citizens.”