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Volume 129 • Issue 27
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
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Land dispute on KM Boulevard
Judge rules for City in Round 1 Superior Court Judge J. Thomas Davis has ruled for the city in the ‘first round’ of a land dispute on Kings Mountain Boulevard that is at the center of a civil lawsuit. If the developer for Orchard Trace files application to proceed and move forward with the development of over 600 multi-family residences in a “Towne Hall” concept community it could mean a $32 million-dollar investment in housing in Kings Mountain.
MARY GRACE KELLER
Liberty Mountain
Joe Champion of Kings Mountain is agent for the developers of the proposed project. As of this week, Corry said Orchard Trace had not filed application to proceed with the project. Brinkley Properties and Jerry Moore, Carolyn Moore, Don Baber, Gail Baber, Barry Rikard, Jenny Rikard, Stephanie Short, Shane Short, Alice White, Mabel Moore, Mike Whitehead, Elizabeth Whitehead, Leonard Wright, George
Greer and Mary Greer are suing the City of Kings Mountain and Orchard Trace over proposed development of 120 acres of land along Kings Mountain Boulevard and Margrace Road. Meantime, the city has set public hearing for Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. at city hall on a request by Brinkley Properties of Kings Mountain, LLC, to rezone five properties (Parcels 11879, 11895, 9836, and 13648) located between Margrace Road and Kings Mountain Bou-
levard east of Bain Road to the east of Testa Family Hospice House and to the west of Pinehurst Drive. It encompasses 120 acres. The request is to rezone properties from Conditional District R-6 to Residential R-10 and the case number is No. Z-1-1-17. Corry said the plaintiffs in the law suit are seeking to reverse the zoning, changing the zoning back to R-10. At last Tuesday’s city council meeting the city also See JUDGE, Page 7A
A Theatre Career Sellers contract comes home By Robert Inman As “Liberty Mountain: The Revolutionary Drama” takes the stage for the third weekend of performances INMAN in this, our fourth season, the entire theatre company is saying thanks to a true professional who has brought talent, great work ethic, and generosity to our production. Mary Grace Keller of Kings Mountain is a big part of the glue that holds us together. Mary Grace has been with “Liberty Mountain” every year since our premier in October, 2014. She’s played a number of roles over the years, and this year she portrays Elizabeth McQueen, a fierce, strong-willed frontier wife and mother. Elizabeth and her family live in the Overmountain region, beyond the Blue Ridge in what is now Eastern Tennessee. Their lives are a struggle against the wilderness and the Cherokee Indians, who fight back against the encroachment of settlers. Only the hardy survive and succeed. At one point in our story, Elizabeth and another woman are captured by Cherokees. Her
husband Benjamin and son Franklin come to rescue her, and in a savage fight with the warriors, Elizabeth takes up knife and gun herself. Later, she sends Benjamin and Franklin off to fight in the Battle of Kings Mountain. “I’ll put you in the hands of the Lord,” Elizabeth says, “and I’ll be mighty proud.” Mary Grace’s theatre journey began as a student at Kings Mountain High School. After graduation, she honed her talents with acting competitions in Los Angeles and college work at the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and Adelphi University. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Performance from Adelphi in New York. From college, she plunged into the highly competitive world of professional theatre – touring with a children’s theatre group in the Midwest and competing for theatre and film roles in New York and California. Like most young theatre hopefuls starting out, it was a struggle for jobs. And like many, she suffered from burnout. Then in 2009, things changed with a phone call from her father, Kings Mountain CPA Darrell Keller, who asked her to help him for a couple of months in his business. “I’m a country girl,” Mary See LIBERTY, Page 7A
‘State of the City’ Breakfast July 12 Local officials will focus on issues concerning Kings Mountain and discuss challenges and successes from their respective areas of local government at an informal “State of the City”
on July 12 at 7:30 a.m. at the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life & Conference Center. Breakfast will be served and tickets are $10 for Chamber of Commerce members and $12 for nonmembers. Reply for tickets to 704-487-8521 by July 10. Sponsors are Cleveland Chamber, Southern Company, Summit Place, and Southeastern.
renewed
C i t y Council Tuesday night approved renewal of a five-year contract for City SELLERS Manager Marilyn Sellers. The vote came in open meeting after an evaluation in closed session by six councilmen of Sellers’ performance as city manager. Casting yes votes were councilmen Howard Shipp, Mike Butler, Rodney Gordon, Jay Rhodes, Keith Miller and Curtis Pressley. Sellers is the longest-serving city manager of the City of Kings Mountain. She joined the city in 1988 as administrative assistant to city manager George Wood and in 1990 was sworn in as city clerk by Mayor Kyle Smith. In 2006 she became city manager and was sworn in by Mayor Rick Murphrey. “I did not want to vote on the contract Tuesday since it was not due until Sept. 25 and I voted no,’’ said councilman Tommy Hawkins. ‘‘We all know assistant manager Nick Hendrick’s experience. I felt like Nick is the man to lead Kings Mountain in the future.” In other actions, Council: +heard presentation by Steve Padgett updating council on the certified Entrepreneurial community transition from startup to operational strategies. +approved budget amendment in the amount of $150,000 to cover medical claims and potential accruals that must be made at year end. +approved budget amendment in the amount of $20,000 to cover legal expenditures incurred/anticipated by the Planning Department above amounts originally budgeted/anticipated in regards to the Brinkley Properties of Kings Mountain LLC law suit. See CONTRACT, Page 7A
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A PROUD MOMENT - Retiring Chief of Police Melvin Proctor, City Manager Marilyn Sellers, and Mayor Scott Neisler, right, watch as Mrs. Jerry Tessneer pins the badge of Kings Mountain Police Chief on her husband’s uniform. Mrs. Sellers promoted the Assistant Chief Tessneer during a celebration of retirement for Chief Proctor, the city’s longest serving chief for 15 years and a city policeman for 30 years. The mayor swore in the new Chief at the close of a retirement party for Proctor that brought accolades and almost a standing-room crowd to the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life & Conference Center.
GIFTS TO THE CHIEF -Retiring Chief of Police Melvin Proctor received his service weapon among gifts from city council in a presentation by Mayor Scott Neisler at the recent city council meeting. Front row, from left, Councilman Curtis Pressley, the mayor, Chief Proctor and his wife, Lt. Lisa Proctor. Back row, from left, Mayor pro tem Mike Butler, Councilmen Jay Rhodes, Keith Miller, Howard Shipp, Rodney Gordon and Tommy Hawkins. Photo by JAN HARRIS
Friday was Chief Proctor Day Friday was Chief Melvin Proctor Day in Kings Mountain and hundreds turned out for a retirement party at the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life and Conference Center to honor him with speech making and gifts. City Council presented him with a rocking chair, every division at Kings Mountain Police Department presented gifts, handshakes and hugs and his successor, Assistant Chief – new Chief of Police Jerry Tessneer, said that “knowing Chief Proctor is an inspiration.”
Like Proctor, Tessneer was promoted through the ranks and has a record of 25 years’ service. “Some can lead, but it takes all to follow,’’ said Proctor, who called the Kings Mountain Police Department the “absolutely best in the country and my people have done it.’’ Proctor said “It takes a lot of faith and trust and today is a big step and a bigger step for me to see Jerry Tessneer installed as Chief. My last real worry was who would be sitting in the Chief’s chair and take care of my people. You are
that man.” Proctor thanked former Chiefs who preceded him and two of them – Bob Hayes and Houston Corn – were present for the festivities as well as former Mayor Rick Murphrey, with whom he served for a number of years, former city manager Jimmy Maney, who hired Proctor as Chief in 2002, and present city manager Marilyn Sellers. Sellers used the first letter of his name to spell out qualities of the man who is See PROCTOR DAY, Page 7A and more photos page 8A
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