Gastonia mayor faults staff, lead agency after planned cooling station was not opened; fire officials say Salvation Army building was cleared

Mayor Franks criticized city staff and the lead agency on Tuesday after a planned cooling station for people experiencing homelessness did not open, calling the failure “unacceptable” and saying the city manager ignored a council consensus to use a city‑owned building.

The dispute drew remarks from council members, fire officials and the city’s assistant city manager at an emergency meeting called by the mayor. No formal vote or ordinance was taken at the meeting.

The issue, the mayor said, began when volunteers and faith groups assembled to operate a temporary cooling station and were later told not to show up. “We can't take a vote today on what our city staff was to directed to do on Monday. Our city manager was informed of the wishes of the council. He decided to go against those,” Mayor Franks said. Franks said she would call repeated emergency meetings and that she planned to release text messages related to the incident.

Councilwoman Cheryl Littlejohn told fellow…