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Volume 78 • Issue 51 • Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville
McGlohon retires
Contributed Photo
Gaston County Schools retiring superintendent Reeves McGlohon is seen at the entrance to the auditorium at Stuart Cramer High that bears his name. A farewell event for him was held there last Thursday. By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
An host of educators, government officials, and well-wishers packed the auditorium at Stuart Cramer High last Thursday to bid a fond farewell to outgoing Gaston County Schools Superintendent Reeves McGlohon who will be retiring Dec. 31. A 40-year veteran of the education environment, McGlohon began as a teacher in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools before coming to Gaston County 22 years ago. From 1976-1991 he served as deputy superintendent for the NC Dept. of Public Instruction before joining GCS as assistant superintendent of human resources. He was named deputy superintendent of administration in 1996 and superintendent of schools in 2006. During his career, McGlohon garnered many honors including being named North Carolina Regional Superintendent of the year in2011, Administrator of the Year from the North Carolina American Counseling Association, North Carolina Association of School Administrators' Trailblazer Award for innovative work to enhance instructional technology. He also received
an appointment from NC Gov. Bev Perdue to serve on the NC Education Transformation Committee. During his tenure, GCS continued to grow academically and became one of the safest school systems in North Carolina. The celebration honoring his retirement saw a wide variety of speakers heap praise on McGlohon. W. Jeffrey Booker, who has been named as McGlohon's successor, described him as “a man who chose to give his life to education”. Gaston County Board of Education Chairman Kenneth R. Lutz, Jr. also spoke at the event. “It's hard to believe he is retiring,” Lutz said of McGlohon. “Gaston County schools are much better off thanks to him.” Other folks that made remarks thanking McMahon for his years of service included a variety of school principals, Gaston County Sheriff Alan Cloninger, NC Rep. John Torbett, Gaston County Police Chief James Buie, and former GCS superintendent Ed Sadler. Todd Hagans, GCS interim communications director emceed the event that also featured a video tribute to McGlohon from students and teachers as well as snapshots from his career.
Wastewater spill in Cramerton The City of Gastonia Utilities Dept. cleaned up a sewer spill/overflow which took place Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 3pm at 139-1 Eighth Ave. in Cramerton. The overflow lasted 45 minutes. Debris in the station well caused both pumps to fail. All debris was cleaned out
and both pumps pulled and inspected to prevent further discharge. Approximately 2,287 gallons was discharged, some of which flowed into nearby South Fork River in Catawba River Basin. The spill was reported to the NC Div. of Water Quality.
Philbeck new board Chairman Members of the Gaston County Board of Commissioners, at the December 10th Board of Commissioners Organizational Meeting, unanimously elected Commissioner Tracy L. Philbeck as Chairman, and Commissioner Joe D. Carpenter as
Vice Chairman of the Board. "It is an honor to serve the citizens of Gaston County as well as my colleagues in this new capacity. We, as a Board, set priorities for moving forward this past August. Those priorities included an emphasis on job creation through economic development, working with the Gaston County Board of Education to ensure a world class school system and improving the quality of life for our citizens." states Chairman Philbeck.
Santa visited several communities last week taking part in parades to usher in the Christmas season! Photo by Alan Hodge
200+ jobs coming to Mount Holly By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Two major rezoning requests were unanimously approved by the Mount Holly city council last week, paving the way for major construction projects that will bring both revenue and jobs. The first action saw a request by Regional Developers LLC to rezone 20.59 acres of land at 210 Beatty Dr. from B-3 General Business South Gateway Overlay District to Conditional District/Office Manufacturing. The council's approval of the request means that plans by Porter's Fabrication to construct a 265,000 sq. ft. corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility on the site can move forward. “Our first goal in this project was to get the land rezoned to ensure the project was feasible,” said Ken Hammond, MAI Project Manager, Porter's Fabrication. “Our next steps will take a while, and will include typical due diligence, design, and other developmentrelated items before we can estimate a budget, start date, or construction timetable.”
Photo by Alan Hodge
This architectural drawing shows how the new corporate headquarters and facility for Porter's Fabrication will look when finished at 210 Beatty Drive in Mount Holly. When the Porter's Fabrication project is done, the company estimates as many as 270 jobs in three shifts will be created. “We are very excited about Porter’s Fabrication selecting Mount Holly for the location of their new facility,” said Mayor Bryan Hough. “They will bring
much needed jobs to the area and add to the city’s tax base. We appreciate the support of the Gaston County Economic Development staff and County Commissioners for their support of this project. This project demonstrates our commitment to continued economic See MH COUNCIL, 5A
Delaneys carry on Belmont’s distilling legacy, with great rum! By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Gaston County has a tradition of making liquor that goes back to the 18th century, but it has always been highly illegal to do so and the product was sometimes tonsil-scorching sketchy. Now, an energetic and imaginative young couple is carrying on that distilling legacy in Belmont, but this time on the right side of the law and tastebuds. Enter Robbie and Caroline Delaney, their Muddy River Distillery at 1500 River Rd. in East Belmont, and the top-notch rum they produce there.
The idea to start a distillery came to Robbie several years ago when he spotted a magazine article on the subject while flying back to Charlotte from a construction job in Texas. Work in the construction industry was drying up and he was casting about, looking for another career. Not only that, but the constant travel was making spending time with Caroline logistically problematic. “I got excited when I read the magazine article,” Robbie said. “I started doing research on what it would take to build a still and to begin distilling.” See DELANEYS, 5A Photo by Alan Hodge
Robbie and Caroline Delaney are seen with the rum still at their Muddy River Distillery operation in East Belmont. The Delaneys ship their product to over 300 ABC stores across North Carolina and are looking to expand.
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