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Gaston County’s

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Thursday, August 11, 2016

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News From a Neighbor

Volume 82 • Issue 32

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Thursday, August 11, 2016

• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley

Abilities Experience riders visit Holy Angels for 29th year By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com

The weather was sketchy last Friday, but that didn't stop Abilities Experience bicyclists from peddling their way thousands of miles to Belmont for lunch and a Friendship Visit with Holy Angels residents. The bikers have visited Holy Angels each year for 28 years. This is just one of their stops during the 3,000-mile cross-country cycling event that raises funds and awareness on behalf of people with disabilities. The team members average 75 miles per day on their way from California to Washington, DC. Part of each day is spent with people with disabilities (Friendship Visits) on the 64-day Journey of Hope. “This visit is the highlight of our summer,” said Holy Angels CEO Regina Moody. Riders and their support team come from colleges and universities from around the country including Washington State University, Purdue University, Florida State University, Wofford College, Troy University, and University of Colorado-Boulder. Washington State student Logan Fitzgerald, 20, was one of the riders. “We started in Long Beach, California,” he said. “A couple of my friends took part last year and I decided to do it to give back to others.” Holy Angels has had a long time relationship with Abilities Experience (formerly Push America) having hosted the very first Give A PUSH weekend in 1989 – where members of the fraternity from throughout the southeast gathered to help build Holy See BIKE RIDERS page 3 Abilities Experience riders line up at Holy Angels during their visit there last Friday.

Belmont council names ABC Board By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews

Last week's meeting of the Belmont city council saw that esteemed body name a board to oversee and coordinate efforts to bring an ABC store to town. Named to the board were- Chair-

man Joe Stowe, Charles Olson, Anthony Marder, Jonathan Taylor, and Mike Pate. “What a wonderful, diversified, and talented group of people to work with,” Stowe said. Now that the board has been named, Stowe says the next step will be for it to

The Belmont city council named an ABC Board at last week's meeting. L to R: Chairman Joe Stowe, Charles Olson, Anthony Marder, Jonathan Taylor, Mike Pate, seen with Mayor Charlie Martin. Photo by Alex Robinson

meet with state ABC officials sometime in the next few weeks. “We will begin working on details regarding the store,” he said. “Naming the board was just the first step in that process.” New board member Jonathan Taylor shared these thoughts on the store. “Firstly, this is a rare and alternative source of income for the city without raising taxes, therefore the board needs to be a good custodian of this resource,” he said. “Secondly, we owe it to our many restaurant owners to get the store opened right because we have one of the largest hospitality districts in the Metro area, not only does Belmont have the largest volume bar in the county at Friends Pub, but Belmont also has the only craft cocktail bar at 10 Catawba that has probably the most diverse beverage assortment in the county; we need to have a store that can inventory and serve this wide range. Thirdly, I believe that this store can also be a revenue source for providing much needed monies to addiction therapy efforts and law enforcement in our backyard.” Last November, Belmont voters ap-

Photo by Alan Hodge

Ken Taylor proves volunteering can make a difference There's no doubt that growth and development in our region is blooming at an ever increasing rate. Some folks are content to just sit by and let things go in any direction, for good or ill, but others like Belmont's Ken Taylor want to take a more active role in seeing that careful and conscientious thought steer's the city's future. That's what led Taylor to volunteer for the Belmont Planning and Ken Taylor Zoning Board. The Planning and Zoning Board is an eight-member board that hears and makes recommendations on land use related issues such as text amendments to the City’s Land Development Code, rezoning requests, major development plans, and long-range area plans. This board serves as an advisory board to city council. The Board recommendations are transmitted to the City Council for its consideration when making land use related decisions. This board meets the third Thursday of the month. Taylor explained what inspired him to volunteer/ “I moved to Belmont a little over 10 years ago from

See ABC BOARD page 4

See TAYLOR page 3

2016 MontCross Area High Schools

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