The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 65

JUGGLING ACT I SPORTS I 4L Scholar-athlete An tone Little balances school sports and work priorities SUPER SPELLER I 5L Pumpkin Jessalyn Cullitan wins third in Observer Spelling Bee wwwcharlottecom WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12 2003 SECTION Dl COUNTY STUDYING Idea: Put EDC in visitors center Economic Development Commission bacfa project despite concerns and with conditions potential investment would be almost $1 million of $112 million project Proposed expansion of planned building could cost $220000 i government contributions to pay for the project think when you have a project like this you need to be optimistic but you need to be Elliott said still gotten an answer to the money coming Commissioner Joe Carpenter a park proponent said optimistic the project will succeed despite misgivings risk involved in Carpenter said risk with the (Gastonia) Technology SEE CHERRYVILLE I 6L rely on county funding to operate the center The decision means the county over the next eight years will set aside one-third of its annual occupancy tax revenues to pay for land acquisition and construction for the equestrian park Board members Chuck Elliott Jim Jones and Bill Lineberger voiced concerns about the business plan The Piedmont Equestrian Park Authority the nonprofit group trying to develop the park is relying largely on state and federal grants plus local park the Gaston Economic Development Commission on Tuesday unanimously green-lighted the $112 million project with stipulations The conditions designed to protect the nearly $1 million potential investment include requiring that the money be used only to buy land or build the park and a requirement to purchase the land by Jan 31 2004 EDC members said they imposed the conditions to ensure the group behind the park By Sharon White Staff Writer GASTONIA Despite concerns over where the money would come from to operate a proposed Cherryville equestrian TEAMS NOW USE YMCA POOL IN GASTONIA By Sharon White Staff Writer GASTONIA Gaston planned Belmont visitors center could also be the future home of the Gaston Economic Development Commission offices County officials are studying the feasibility of expanding the proposed 3500-square foot visitors center by 2000 square feet The center will be located off of Interstate 85 on property owned by Belmont Abbey College Current plans call for the center to only house the TYavel Tourism Department But with the addition it could accommodate the EDC offices a conference room and storage space for both groups Currently the EDC and TYavel Tourism departments are housed in cramped quarters on Second Avenue in Gastonia The county would pay to expand the visitors center to include those departments not clear what that would cost But based on the typical cost per square foot it might be about $220000 said county engineer Ray MaxwelL The county has earmarked $600000 in the TYavel Tourism budget to pay for the building The Gaston Board of County Commissioners is expected to view drawings of the visitors center at its Feb 25 work session Gaston would join several other area cities and counties that have their own visitor centers including Hickory Moores-ville Statesville and Lincoln and Cabarrus counties The project has the backing of Belmont Abbey College and Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont two of the top tourist attractions Proponents say the center would highlight tourist attractions throughout the county have to market Gaston County to get people to spend time and Harding Stowe chief executive of RL Stowe Mills in Belmont has said visitors center is a way to get people off the Sharon White (704) 868 7746 swhitefacharlotteobserver com Dave Baity Iids books make for a great team GASTONIA The Gaston-Lincoln County Success By 6 program gave away 850 free books Saturday at Westfield Eastridge Mall But the push to turn kids on to reading over Success By 6 sponsored by Bank of America and the United Way in Gaston and Lincoln counties is collecting more books to give away The purpose is to encourage parents to read to their children before the kids enter first grade important says Mal-inda Lowery head of the two-county program Lowery was a school guidance counselor before becoming a partner in Multiple Choice a Gastonia counseling firm percent of a brain development occurs between birth and age Lowery says 50 percent of a intellectual development their critical thinking skills ability to create their own thoughts and put thoughts together occurs between birth and age Reading to them during early childhood she says helps them develop those skills we do during those Lowery says a tremendous impact on That became clear to me when our first son Beau came along 37 years ago My wife Barbara loved reading to him when she rocked him at night Later when Beau became a toddler and accompanied me on trips to our neighborhood supermarket he quickly spied the rack of Little Golden Books On each visit he eagerly chose a new book And his enthusiasm launched what the supermarket manager Bob McBee jokingly called the weekly Baity Reading Circle Before we covered two aisles with our cart Beau generally began begging me to read the new book to him Since an uninhibited fellow park the cart out of the traffic lanes sit cross-legged on the floor and comply Curious shoppers would slow to see what a big galoot like me was doing on the floor If they had children in tow they generally stopped to let their kids listen It became a pleasant break for all of us I thinking about stimulating my intellectual development I was simply having fun with my son And with the other parents and children who joined us But it worked Beau was so eager to read that he picked up the skill in kindergarten rather than first grade And what Success By 6 is all about Lowery says Even as infants children learn to form words by listening to your voice and watching your lips when you read to them she says Snuggling up to their parents also makes them feel warm secure and valued -good feelings to associate with reading So why not help spread that joy? Success By 6 is collecting new or used books until Feb 21 that volunteers will distribute as part of the Across celebration to be held in March Donations can be dropped off at the United Way of Gaston County Inc 200 Franklin BlvcL Gastonia United Way of Lincoln County 100 Main St Lincolnton or any Bank of America branch in Gaston or Lincoln counties Dave Baity (704)868-7749 dbaitycharlotteobserver com ROBERTIAHSER- STAFF PHOTO BJ Alyea 11 prepares to plunge into the YMCA Central Branch swimming pool in Gastonia a busy indoor swimming facility Officials are looking at sites for a new indoor aquatic center for competitive swimmers City eyes aquatic center site Study suggests using 10 acres of city-owned land in east Gastonia be The wastewater treatment center closed in the mid 1990s and a water pumping station was later installed An aquatic center could be built near the station on the 10 acres of land SEE POOL I 4L city bought many parks The site is on Duke Street off of Gaston Day School Road not a bad said council member Keith TidwelL land the city already owns Anywhere that we can get the land to reduce the cost would City council members recently received an aquatic center study they commissioned last year that favored land near the Catawba Creek Waste Water treatment center because spacious flat and in the eastern part of Gastonia where the By DAnica Coto Staff Writer GASTONIA Property near a former wastewater treatment center could be the ideal location for a $12 million aquatic center that would include an indoor pooL EX-ABBEY STUDENT ON A MISSION Granddaughter extols legacy of country music pioneer Gaston FYI Emergency Waterline Cherryville wants to tap into Lincolnton system CHERRYVIIXE The city is moving forward with its effort to connect with water system The City Council Monday approved the request to apply for $600000 in state community development block grant funds toward the $1 million project Cherryville Mayor Wade Stroupe said the connection would only used only during emergencies such as last drought The city will seek an additional $488000 from the state for the project ADAM CATALDO Grandpa Dan Hornsby should be enshrined in hall of fame she says such as the Delmore Brothers and the Skillet Lickers she became more convinced he should be in Country Music Hall of Fame or the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon Now Hornsby is trying to convince others pioneer should spend a lifetime doing something and not be recognized for his said Hornsby who lives in Lomita Calif in Los Angeles County done so much for others What kept him going was the music and the same for Dan Hornsby was a popular radio announcer on Atlanta stations in the 20s and He played a comic role in a bedtime series on Bluebird Records and worked as a talent scout for RCA SEE COUNTRY MUSIC I 3L Confused about property tax revaluations? Just in time for the upcoming property tax revaluations here are a few ways to get more details about the process: Attend county seminars Thursday TYiesday or Feb 20 or call a special customer service line at (704) 862-6500 ALICE GREGORY i- vy A Hornsby Hornsby who skipped town with the money Decades after her own musical career led her from Gastonia to Los Angeles former Belmont Abbey College student Nikki Hornsby discovered that her grandfather Dan Hornsby was a country music pioneer She never knew Dan Hornsby who died in 1951 at age 5L but soon grew to appreciate him And the more Nikki Hornsby learned about his work with country superstars of the day By Joe DePriest Staff Writer As a child Nikki Hornsby could hardly stand to hear her singing on scratchy 78 rpm records as big as small pizzas The songs made for the Columbia label in Atlanta during the 1920s seemed silly to the young Beatles fan: Shelby a tear-jerker about a building collapse that killed six people in Shelby on Aug 28 1928 and Ballad of CS a true tale about an Atlanta church official Index The Source Sports Daily School Notes Honor Rolls Reach The Observer 2L Home Delivery (704) 358 6000 4L News (704) 868-7730 51 mail gastoncharlotteobserver com 61 www charlotte com jr.