Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville
Volume 78 • Issue 33 • Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Lakewood sculpture one of a kind
Contributed Photo
Artist Jan Craft is seen with the unfinished version of the sculpture she has created for the roundabout on Lakewood Road near Stuart Cramer High School. The piece will be 30-feet tall when stood on end. ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Right now, the new roundabout traffic circle in front of Stuart Cramer High on Lakewood Road in
Cramerton is growing a crop of grass, but soon it will sprout a beautiful, modern piece of public art. The sculpture is being created by artist Jan Craft of
Gastonia and will stand nearly 30-feet tall. It’s crafted of steel and will weigh nearly two tons. Cost of the sculpture is around $14,000 with another
$11,500 or so to actually install it. The Cramerton ABC Board is providing funding for the sculpture, and the Town of Cramerton is funding the installation. Work on actually getting the sculpture in place should begin soon with Custom Building Systems doing the work. Preparing the center of the roundabout will involve creating a reinforced concrete footing. As far as landscaping, members of the Cramerton Beautification Committee will pitch in for that phase. Lighting and irrigation will be installed after the sculpture is up. The hope is that the piece will be in place by the start of school on August 26. The sculpture is a big piece of work, but Craft brought a lot of experience to the Cramerton job. “I describe myself as being a metal smith because I work in different metals on different scales including jewelry, tabletop sculpture, floor size sculpture, and large scale outdoor sculpture,� she said. “I have
designs for furniture combining steel, glass and leather to start constructing soon. All my pieces are similar in concept whether it’s jewelry, sculpture or furniture, only the scale changes. I have a Master’s degree in Metals: Jewelry / Sculpture, from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois. The school is known extensively, for its metals program. SIU-Metals program is well known in Europe, and has an exchange program with European blacksmiths and jewelers. My undergraduate degree is a BFA from ECU, Greenville, NC., which is also well known in the Southeast for a strong metals program. I did Special Studies/concentration at Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC., whose reputation for the works of professional craftsmen is second to none. I have taught jewelry design at Gaston College Art Dept. and Sacred Heart College, Belmont, which is now See LAKEWOOD, Page 6
Shane Trull: Sports teaches you about life By Kathy Blake When Shane Trull was in fourth grade, his friend Robert Seward handed him a basketball. Robert’s house had a goal, when most other kids’ didn’t. “And he had a paved driveway,� Trull said, “when everyone else had dirt. We’d play 2-on-1, and he was just a lot better than everybody else, and that certainly drove me to be better than him. “We played every day after school, and he taught me how to shoot, and everything else.� The lessons worked. Trull, 43, of Mount Holly, is a married father of three, but he still holds the East Gaston High School record for most points scored in a career (1,685). And he’s eighth on
Belmont Abbey’s all-time scoring list with 1,743 points (1988-92), even though he essentially played out of position as a senior. “It’s pretty amazing that the record’s stood (at East Gaston) since 1988, because I only had three years of playing. We could only play in 10th, 11th and 12th grade, and kids today get four years,� he said. “I try to go back to watch a couple of times a year. My jersey’s retired, so my kids enjoy seeing it there.� Trull is the son of Ty and Sandra Trull, who still live off Highway 27 in Mount Holly, in the same home as when Shane was born. “My mom was a stay-at-home mom, and she took me a lot of places and sacrificed a lot, for me to follow my dreams,� he
said. “I appreciate that. I still talk to my parents every day. We’re close.� Trull’s first basketball challenge came at Mount Holly Junior High, when there were 12 boys on the roster but only 10 uniforms. “The other two guys had to wear girl uniforms,� he said, “and I told myself I’d never be in that predicament.� At East Gaston, playing shooting guard and small forward, Trull set the record of most points in a season, with 750, and averaged 30 points per game as a senior. His highest game was 48 points against South Point in 1987 – in three quarters. “They played a box-and-one on me and it didn’t work,� he said. “That was a big rivalry.� He has a story or two
about his late coach, Jim Turpin, whom he greatly admired. His 10thgrade season, East Gaston was playing a tournament at Cherryville. “A guy jumped on me and broke my tooth, and it came out,� he said. “I went over to the side and handed it to Jim and said, ‘Hold this; I might need it later.’ And kept on playing.� When Trull played his last game, he said, Turpin hugged him at the end. “He said ‘thank you.’ He hugged me and just said
‘thank you,’� Trull said. “And after that, he never coached again.� Interest came from Tennessee, Wake Forest, UNCC and Xavier, as well as Belmont Abbey. See TRULL, Page 6
Belmont approves naming of Kevin Loftin Riverfront Park Acting on a recommendation from the Parks and Recreation Citizens Advisory Board, the Belmont City Council has approved naming a new park that will be located on Catawba Street the Kevin Loftin Riverfront Park. Loftin, who was Belmont’s mayor from 1992-1997, was tragically killed in a car crash on the night of Feb. 22, 2012 that also took the life of his friend Donna Deitz. Loftin was a 1974 graduate of South Point High and graduated NC State in 1978 with honors and a degree in economics. He was a leader in the revitalization of downtown Belmont and was active in the Montcross Chamber, serving as its
president in 2001. He was also a board member of Holy Angels and involved in numerous other civic activities and organizations. He was employed by Pharr Yarns as Process Control and Engineering Manager at the High Performance Yarns I-85 facility. The park that will bear his name will be on the Catawba River near the Hwy 29/74 bridge and across from the Belmont Public Works building. The idea is for the park to be developed in three phases. The first phase will include land owned by the city on the Catawba River above 569.4 feet in elevation. The second phase will be construction on land managed by Duke Energy. The final phase will deal with the boat landing near the US 29/74 bridge on property not owned by the city. According to exhibits W.K. Dickson, Inc. presented to the City
Photo by Alan Hodge
This photo shows the spot where Belmont’s newest park will be located. The park will be named for former mayor the late Kevin Loftin. Council earlier this year, the park can include niceties such as a 250seat amphitheatre and outdoor classroom, a 30 space parking lot, a
restroom, a bus drop-off area, nature trails with interpretive signs, two fishing/observation piers, a na-
75¢
Winter bow hunting approved in Reflection Pointe ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Thanks to a decision last week by the Belmont City Council, if someone is seen dressed in green and carrying a bow and arrows in the Reflection Pointe housing development off South Point Rd., it probably won’t be Robin Hood. The decision by the council to approve bow and arrow hunting in Reflection Pointe had its roots last April when a Reflection Pointe HOA representative gave a presentation declaring that deer were devastating flower beds and other landscaping in the community. The council took the complaint under advisement and also applied for and received approval to take part in the NC Wildlife Resources 2014 Urban Archery Season. The season will run Jan. 11-Feb. 15, 2014. About 30 other NC cities have an Urban Archery season. One portion of the proposed Reflection Pointe deer herd-thinning plan was not approved by the council. That part would have allowed at least one hunter in a group to carry a firearm to dispatch injured animals. The rules as approved by the council will allow for bow hunting from stands at four locations in the development. The stands must be at least 100 yards from a public road and the same distance from an occupied building or residence. The stand must be elevated so that arrows travel downward, the back of the hunter must be within 150 yards to keep from shooting in the direction of the road, there must be evidence that deer are in the area, there should be little to no visibility of the stand from a road, stands should be spaced out for safety and optimal coverage. Stands will be on the community’s common area. The stands will be put up before the season begins so that deer will be used to their presence and taken down after the season ends. In some locations, deer can be fed to allow the hunter to select the desired animal and make a good shot with the result as humane as possible. Cherryville Hunt Club President Scott Craine will coordinate the herd-thinning hunt. Craine is highly experienced and will carry insurance on the participants as well as issue a permit stating they are legally hunting. All hunters must have five years experience with bow and arrow and are subject to Craine’s approval. Jamey Jones, who is Belmont’s inspector for the Reflection Pointe development as well as a seasoned hunter and CPR certified, will work with Craine to set up a schedule for the hunters and stands. The hunters will sign in and out with the pair so that they will know who is hunting, when, and where they are. A sign-in board will be in put at the development’s gate near the power lines where hunters can sign in and out. The gate will be used to enter the hunting site and parking will be nearby. Vehicles used by hunters and parked in that area will have placards in place identifying them as such. Deer that are taken will be removed by the hunter. All deer taken will be used as food.
See LOFTIN PARK, Page 3
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