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Pkmstmi VOLUME 136, NUMBER 141 Friday July 21, 2006 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH INSIDE ■ Bonaire United Methodist Church youth perform a "mission of mercy." - See 2A ■ Perdue-Taylor race expected to get dirty. - See 3A ■ Warner Robins American Little League’s Minor Girls received a rude welcoming Columbus. Also, The Demons have been attending Peach County’s 7-on-7 league as well as continuing their conditioning program. - See 1B ■ Braves and NASCAR Notebook. - See 2B IN BRIEF Ride with PRIDE The Warner Robins Police Department will be offering a free, two-hour program, Georgia Teens Ride with PRIDE, Aug. 26. from 9 to 11 a.m. It will be held at the Warner Robins campus of Macon State College, 100 University Drive on Watson Boulevard and across from the city Recreation Department. PRIDE - parents reducing inci dents of driver error - was created by the Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute in an effort to reduce the high number of crashes, injuries and fatali ties involving teen drivers in the state. The course is designed to help par ents and their new teen drivers, ages 14-16, and their parents learn what they need to do during the 40 hours of supervised practice driving time. The program addresses driver's attitude, knowledge and behavior, rather than technical hands-on driver skills. To register for the Aug. 26 class, contact Grace Hodges at 929-7253. - Ray Lightner BIRTHDAYS Today ■ Homer N. Childs ■ Billy Franklin ■ Jim Rosser ■ Ned Sanders ■ Betty S. Dawkins E-mail your birthdays to: hhjnews@evansnewspapers. com or send them to: 1210 Washington St., Perry 31069: attn: Don Moncrief. DEATHS ■ Mae K. Walterser INDEX LOCAL 2 A WEATHER 3 A OPINION 4 A SPORTS 1 B COMICS 4 B CLASSIFIEDS .... 5 B PERIODICAL 500 nilllll 8 “5 510 8 0 0001*4 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest li illil I ii 1 11I 1 1 111 in ill liln ill ml Inin |i ||,,, || COOI * GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 3-DIGIT 306 July 19, 2006 Si rvi.xi, Hoi s/m (Oi xn Sixii: Is7o - - —■ LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville ~iM|ro irriTi 1 i % SBHhrJB ENI/Gary Hanson Houston County’s newest additions - three sets of “Jaws of Life" equipment - is displayed Wednesday at the station. The new wares were paid for by a SIO,OOO grant from Papa John’s Risk Services Corporation and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company. Grant opens new doors for FD By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Thanks to Papa John’s and Fireman’s Fund ciTaßbL ■aijlßChiPffil" fV ra t « Jj • <‘as& ENI/Gary Harmon Firefighter’s David Bostick, Alan Kramer and Hartley Kates domonstrate the new equipment. Some unhappy with new energy plant location By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Homeowners around Houston Medical Center turned out Monday to voice concerns about the hospital’s expansion plans. Several residents came to Monday’s Warner Robins City Council pre-coun cil session to speak out about the hos pital’s plans to put the energy plant across the street from their homes on Briarcliff Road. There were concerns about the noise, appearance and even possible explosion. “We’ve never had an injury at the present plant,” said Jim Seguin, direc tor of engineering at the hospital. “If anything did occur, it would likely be contained inside the building.” The building will be a two-story energy plant providing heating and cooling for the expanding hospital. The current energy plant is in the basement of the existing hospital. “It would be decommissioned once the new on is online, Seguin said. The noise was also in issue and resi Of Life Insurance, the Houston County Fire Department has three more sets of the “Jaws of Life” rescue tools. “We have 10 now,” www.hhjnews.com 'The issue is how do you fit a large institution into a neighborhood, without adversely affecting the property already there.' - Councilman John Havrilla dents were concerned about the roar ing of engines. “Why do you want to stick it 92 feet from my driveway?” As for the noise Seguin did not have a decibel level, but said the building would be between the cooling towers and the neighboring residences. He said there would be sound dampening landscaping and possibly fencing for the building. Residents suggested putting the plant near the detention pond. “To put anything up near the front impacts more parking,” Seguin said. It’s already difficult to park there. He noted the location was chose said Jeannie Bame, pub lic information officer for the Houston County Fire Department. “The grant allowed us to purchase three more.” Bame said the equipment is used in serious accidents, when firefighters have to cut someone out of a vehicle. “It depends on the situation,” she said as to whether or not it’s used. “We had a tow truck drive off the freeway (recently) into woods,” she said. “It was pretty serious but we didn’t need to use them to get the driver out.” Papa John’s Risk Services Corporation and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company awarded the grant SIO,OOO to purchase the extrication equipment. Papa John’s Risk Services Corporation is the insurance agency for Papa John’s Pizza franchis es. The local Papa John’s franchise owner, SFR, Inc., helped identify this com munity need. On Monday, the fire departed held a kickoff for interoperability sys tem, Bame said. “It will let See DOORS, page 5A to keep the connection tunnel short, due to the cost of the tunnel. And at the location near the pond the tunnel would go under areas where addition al bed and office towers are planned in the future. The building will be greenscaped. “That’s our front door as well,” Seguin said. “It will look well.” The hospital went before the city council to ask that three lots it pur chased on Briarcliff, be rezoned from R-2 (single family residential) to C-2 (general commercial). City Attorney Jim Elliott noted the Hospital Authority, as an independent government entity does not have to get approval for zoning or site plans and only went through the planning commission and the city council as a courtesy. To ease residents concerns about the commercial zoning, Councilman John Havrilla proposed an R-4 (high density residential) with a special exception for the energy plant. See PLANT, page 6 A two sections • 12 pages Below the fold ■ Some homeowners unhappy with new location for hospital’s energy plant ■ HCBOE approves its goals for new school year Council pods the switch on Peach zoning By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Questions over who can provide utilities have delayed a rezoning request in Peach County. About a dozen neighboring residents packed the upstairs meeting room at Warner Robins City Hall to speak out again against Larry Clark’s request to rezone 9.38 acres between Housers Mill Road and Interstate 75 from R AG (residential agricultural to R-3 (7,500-square-foot lot minimum residential). Many were concerned about the possibility of 32 homes and the increased traffic they would bring to the two-lane road. The city Planning Commission recommended approval with R-2 (10,000- square-foot lots). Jim Driscoll, an area resi dent and a member of the Peach County Tax Assessors Board, said, “we’re all on an acre or more. What do we need 32 houses out there and a road that’s not suitable? All we’re asking for is 1-acre lots, not the 10,000-square foot lots R-2 permits.” Larry Damron, who lives on Housers Mill Road, brought photos of the hous es in the area and the nar row road - “too narrow for that many houses. There’ll be more house on that nine acres than are in the rest of the neighborhood.” Jim Robbins, representing Clark, said Peach County has already approved R-2 a quar ter mile down the road. City Councilman Dean Cowart said, “to put a subdivision in there, we’d have to upgrade Housers Mill Road.” But the matter was ulti mately put on hold out of concern over who provides See PULLS, page 6A BOE approves goals for new school year By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer When doors open next month for the 2006-07 school year, Houston County public school teachers and adminis trators will be working with some specific goals, mostly aimed at closing achieve ment gaps across economic and racial lines. Those goals, present ed by Dr. Mike Mattingly and Dr. Ruth O’Dell at the board’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, were unanimously approved. The first goal will be for all schools to “make Adequate Yearly Progress,” by state standards as measured by standardized tests. This year Northside Elementary and See GOALS, page 6 A tv Eva vs Family Nlwspaphr ■ ------ - ~