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Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Volume 129 • Issue 7
kmherald.com • 704-739-7496
75¢
Service medals to 114
Local Vietnam Veterans honored Their Vietnam War service is over and they served their country with pride but the 114 who joined a local group to fellowship once a month at breakfast are thankful that our young men and women get a proper welcome home. The Kings Mountain veterans – 45 of the large membership – were presented a lasting memento of the nation’s thanks, a Vietnam Veteran lapel pin – Monday morning and pins will go to the entire membership.
Viet Nam War Veteran pin John Parker, of the First Cavalry Division of the North Carolina Chapter of the 50th commemoration, made the presentations.
Main Street Director Jan Harris is liaison for the city on the commemoration committee. This is the third year of the commemoration activities that mark the 5oth anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. “It was a tough period of time for our country and for our military,’’ said Parker at the breakfast at Mountain View Restaurant. He said the 50th commemoration of the end of the War in Vietnam has its main purpose to See VETERANS, Page 4B
Equipment from Thailand has arrived at the NTE Energy plant off Dixon School Road and is the first of the large equipment components to be shipped here.
Big equipment arriving at NTE Energy plant The first of the large equipment components arrived at NTE’s Kings Mountain Energy Center (KMEC) site on Tuesday, February 7. One of 15 Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) modules that will make its way to the jobsite from Thailand by ship to Charleston, SC, then by
rail to Blacksburg, SC, and finally by road along Dixon School Road to the Kings Mountain Energy Center site. The HRSG module was transported from Blacksburg to the KMEC site on a self-propelled transporter with 18 axles and 144 tires. The HRSG modules range from 400,000 to
500,000 pounds and are about 90 feet long. Within the next few days, the heavy-haul transport of all 15 HRSG modules will be completed. There will be about 5 other large components arriving at the job site on Gage Road over the next few months.
PLAYGROUND PROJECT – Melissa Brooks, Eli Osborne and Ruby Osborne, right, hold up a brick and poster as the church launches a big fundraiser at Central United Methodist Church to expand the church playground.
One brick at a time
Athletes honored Tuesday CMC upgrading playground Kings Mountain Mayor Scott Neisler recognized a number of people at the Jan. 31 city council meeting and presented appreciation certificates. The mayor and city council honored the Kings Mountain High School Women’s Tennis Team, tennis and golf athlete Natalie Lutz, the KMHS Women’s Cross Country Team, and the KMHS Women’s Volleyball Team with city pins and special presentations. Natalie Lutz was named Most Valuable Player for Kings Mountain High School Women’s Golf Team and Player of the Year for the South Mountain Athletic Conference and medaled in all seven conference matches and finished 7th place overall out of 64 individual p participants. She also finished 20th place overall out of 78 participants in the State 3A Championships at Longleaf
ATHLETE HONORED – Natalie Lutz is presented an award from Mayor Scott Neisler and city council after excelling in two sports – tennis and golf – at Kings Mountain High School. She was SMAC tennis player of the year and teamed with Madeline Frye to win the 3A state championship in women’s doubles. She was also Most Valuable Player for KMHS. Photo by JAN HARRIS Golf Club in Southern Pines and during the same season excelled on the Kings Mountain High Women’s Tennis Team, where she and her doubles partner, Made-
lynn Frye, won the 3A State championship in Women’s Doubles. Lutz was All Conference and was named SMAC Player See ATHLETES, Page 3A
Kings Mountain best place to live Kings Mountain is ranked by Smart Asset as one of the most affordable places to live in North Carolina. Places in the study are ranked on an Affordability
Index weighting property taxes, homeowners’ insurance fees and mortgage payments against local median income. Kings Mountain Ranks No. 6 in the annual study. The affordability index rank: average closing costs on homes 42,246; annual property tax $1,027l annual homeowner’s insurance $666; average annual mortgage payment $4,846’
median income $40,939 and affordable index 34.56. City of Cherryville in Gaston County ranked No. 2 and Stokesdale, NC as Number One. Other cities included in the study: Lewisville, No. 3; Half Moon, NC number 4; Indian Trail, No. 5; Trinity, NC number 7; Holly Springs, No. 7; 8; Knightdale, No. 9; and Sawmills, No. 10.
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Central United Methodist Church is upgrading its children’s playground this spring and a big fundraiser is currently underway. The new playground, which is expected to cost $100,000, will be funded by the sale of bricks for $100 each and engraved (up to 20 letters) with the donor’s name and the person honored. A brick can memorialize or honor a loved one or friend. Bricks will be featured against a wall around the playground. The new playground will feature a variety of features
designed to provide educational and interactive play elements, such as a climbing area, slides, ropes and wall to climb, and art and music stations. For older young people, there will be a cliff to climb and a hold and spin game, among others. Greg Dixon is chairman of the fundraising committee and members are Mary Lou Ware, Jennifer Osbourne, Lindsey Romberg and Aaron Simmons. Creative Playscapes of Matthews holds the contract for the construction. ‘’A church that is vital
and growing spiritually and numerically spends time, energy and monies on the development of existing and new disciples,’’ said Pastor Jill Rhinehart. She added, “We are hopeful that the new playground will help grow our membership by showing that we are invested in our children. We are excited about the new plan for the playground.’’ The project is expected to be completed by Summer. The current church playground was completed in Spring 2005 as an Eagle project by Stewart Livsie.
Accessible garden new senior project Senior participants in the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life & Conference Center love to garden. Kings Mountain Aging Program Director Sharon Eaker got the idea how to help them do just that. Her idea was to construct an accessible garden where senior citizens could walk up to the planting beds and stand to plant, weed, fertilize and nurture their plants. That would keep the gardeners from bending over to the ground and she was sure the project would delight them. Boy Scout Stephen Velky and the city’s Building and Maintenance Supervisor Darryl Dixon were contacted by Eaker and liked the idea and started on the project. See GARDEN, Page 5B
ACCESSIBLE GARDEN – Stephen Velky, Troop 92 Boy Scout, built this accessible garden, pictured, for the Patrick Senior Center as his Eagle Scout Project. The new garden makes it much easier for some senior citizens to plant and work a vegetable garden. Photo by SHARON EAKER
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