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Thursday, March 3, 2016
Vintage rail cars removed from downtown Belmont By Alan Hodge alan.bannwernews@gmail.com
The vintage railroad engine and caboose next to South Main Cycles in downtown Belmont pulled out of town last week, but not in a way you might expect. The cars were loaded on flat bed trucks and taken away. Hunter McMillan, who owns McMillan Crane Service in Dallas, brought two cranes to Glenway St., picked the cars up one at a time, and hauled them to his base of operations. McMillan also removed the bogey wheels and a section of track and took them to Dallas for the cars to sit on there. The operation drew a lot of attention. Folks stopped and took pictures as the cars were lifted and hung in the air by steel cables. “I haven't decided what I'm going to do with them,” McMillan said. McMillan said he bought the cars from Steve Pepitone, owner of South Main Cycles for an undisclosed amount. A third passenger car on the stretch of tracks beside the bike shop will remain for now. The cars had been a familiar sight in downtown Belmont since they were placed there in July 2007 (caboose) and January 2008 (engine) by Richard LaVecchia. He had bought the engine in Laurinburg and the caboose in Clinton. LaVecchia had the engine and passenger car painted with a “Milltowne Railway” logo and left the caboose red. But they were not the first railcars on the spot. Another engine and caboose had been on the siding before when the depot was known as the Piedmont Carolinas Railroad Museum. That caboose was purchased by a guy named Jim Lively of Oak Hill, See RAIL CARS page 2
Two cranes lift the rail engine beside South Main Cycles in Belmont last week. The engine and caboose were moved to Dallas, NC by their new owner Hunter McMillan. Photo by Alan Hodge
Torbett and Deason honored by Town of Stanley New public shooting
range opening soon
By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
NC Rep. John Torbett and Stanley's parks and recreation director Tug Deason received a well-earned honor last Thursday at the Brevard Station Museum. The dynamic duo were presented with the Town of Stanley Golden Eagle Award for their efforts in making Harper Park a reality. To get grant funding for Harper Park,which opened in 2013 on Blacksnake Rd., both men worked tirelessly in their respective arenas of influence. The park has been enormously popular and ground was broken in January for a new gym there. Interim town manager Heath Jenkins praised Torbett and Deason. “Both are out front advocates for Stanley,” he said. “They have a team approach to Stanley and a passion for the community. They are true leaders in everything they do.” Following the Golden Eagle Award aspect of the evening,
P LAY T H E
By Elizabeth Stewart
resents the 108th District that includes I-85 from Belmont to Hwy. 321 and includes Stanley, Ranlo, Lowell, McAdenville, Mt. Holly, and portions of Belmont and Gastonia. Prior to his state office he served on the Gaston County Board of Commissioners.
Contractors have set a target date of April 12 for the grand opening of the new Foothills Public Shooting Complex. Johnny Hutchins, the county commissioner from Kings Mountain who has spearheaded the project for the past seven years, said “it’s a dream come true.” The 55-acre complex on Fielding Road on Highway 150 between Shelby and Waco is an estimated $3 million dollar project with $2 million from the North Carolina Wildlife Association and monies coming from donors. Hutchins said the county had stood out among others for its drive to build a full-service range that would include a 3-D archery range with 20 stands for archery, a 250 yard rifle range and three pistol target shooting bays. The range will also feature two skeet trap facilities and two 50-yard utility ranges. A house on the property will house the administration building and plenty of room for gun safety classes, concealed weapons classes, and beneficial for all county law enforcement agencies and surrounding areas as well as Boy Scouts for training exercises. “We want to put on multiple safety courses for youth and adults and probably stage a pistol match in the fall,’’ said Hutchins. Hutchins said North Carolina Wildlife “made this happen.’’
See TORBETT page 4
See SHOOTING RANGE page 4
NC State Rep. John Torbett and Stanley parks and recreation director Tug Deason were given the Golden Eagle Award last Thursday. Seen with them are interim town manager Heath Jenkins (left) and mayor Andrew Quigley. Photo by Alan Hodge Torbett took time to give the 20 or so folks in attendance the lowdown on happenings in the General Assembly in Raleigh- especially in regards to transportation, infrastructure, and roads. Torbett, a resident of Stanley now serving his third term in Raleigh, is chairman of the NC Transportation Committee. He rep-
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