Newspaper Page Text
Houston Ibrily-journal
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 156
Thursday
August 10, 2006
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
INSIDE
■ Robins Air Force Base’s
Michael Membrila earns a spot on
the Armed Forces golf team. Also,
members of the Perry Horseshoe
Pitcher’s Club will contend in
Summer Fun. In addition, look for
a Georgia Bulldog notebook and
a story regarding GSU playing GT
in football.
- See 6A
IN BRIEF
Judge to accept
applications
Due to the passing of the Honorable
David Pierce, the position of Houston
County Chief Magistrate Judge is
vacant. Houston County Superior
Court Judge George F. Nunn Jr., is
soliciting applications for the position
from any interested Houston County
attorneys. The position is full time.
The attorney may not practice law
while a judge and pursuant to statute
must live in Houston County. It will
be an “interim” appointment as the
position becomes an elected one in
2008. If interested, indicate, in writing,
your interest to Judge Nunn no later
than Tuesday.
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 located at 100 University
Drive on Watson Boulevard.
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
fatalities involving teen drivers in the
state. The course is designed to help
parents and their new teen drivers,
ages 14-16. To register, contact Grace
Hodges at 929-7253.
- Ray Lightner
BIRTHDAYS
Aug. 8
■ Alice Burch
Today
■ Antoria Domonique Black
■ Ada Quesenberry
E-mail your birthdays to:
hhj@evansnewspapers.com or
donm@evansnewspapers.com or
send them to: 1210 Washington
St., Perry 31069; attn: Don
Moncrief. You can also call him at
987-1823, Ext. 231.
INDEX
LOCAL 2 A
WEATHER 3 A
OPINION 4 A
SPORTS 6 A
COMICS 8 A
CLASSIFIED 9 A
LEGALS 1 B
PERIODICAL 500
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ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-OtGIT 306
August 10, 2006
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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
It’s raining min
2+ million gallons lost in water incidents
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Courtesy/Bill O’Neal
City workers try to deal with a broken water line in downtown Perry on Monday. This break happened during road
way construction on Meeting Street, and followed a much bigger water calamity on Friday.
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
Water, water everywhere! The
Crossroads of Georgia almost turned
into a water park earlier this week.
In one incident, about 2 million
gallons of water gushed up out of an
ancient water main, flowing down
the streets and emptying the city’s
water tanks. In another broken pipe
incident, crews got wet and muddy
struggling with broken service pipes
as geysers shot up into the air.
Perry City Manager Lee Gilmour
said that the first water accident came
on Friday when workers removed the
WR to condemn bnd fop right of way
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Warner Robins aban
doned two rights of way
Monday, but will have to
condemn land to get anoth
er.
The city council, in its
meeting Monday, voted
unanimously to condemn
.209 acres along Ga. 96 near
Lake Joy Road so the city
and county can complete
the road widening project.
City Attorney Jim Elliott
said the land was sold and
annexed into the city in
2005, but the 10-foot right
of way was inadvertently
left off the deed.
The property owner,
Robert T. Hammond, sold
about a 50-acre tract on
Lake Joy Road, Elliott said,
“but the surveyor made an
error and left the right of
way off.”
Hammond no longer lives
in the state, Elliott said,
“and is not willing to nego
tiate - in good faith. He
thinks it’s worth $1 million
dollars.”
The city is paying $6,270
for the parcel, based on the
www.hhjnews.com
"One of the really big
problems, is that the
pipes were made In the
early 19405."
- Perry City Manager Lee Gilmour
old fountain, which is to be relocat
ed to another site by the Downtown
Development Authority.
The site was once the location of
a city water tank, and when workers
removed the fountain they unknow-
appraised value of the entire
tract when it was sold in
2005, Elliott explained. The
money will be set aside in
an account with the Clerk
of Superior Court.
The money for the pur
chase will come out of the
city’s portion of the Special
Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax, used for road projects.
Elliott said the road proj
ect was a SPLOST project
and the county attempted
to acquire the right of way
from the new owner, when
it was discovered the parcel
was left off the purchase.
The city had annexed the
property and the road, so
the city has to pay for the
right of way, he said.
The action taken by the
council directs the parcel be
acquired by condemnation
and directs Elliott to file
condemnation proceedings
including a “declaration of
taking” to acquire the land
and deposit with the court
the just compensation - the
$6,270.
The city, in other busi
ness, abandoned two other
rights of way including
the street Reid Place by
Pearl Stephens Elementary.
Elliott said the stub-out
street was built but never
used.
The city will execute quit
claim deeds to the tract, he
said, to the adjacent prop
erty owners.
Asimilar request for Gwen
Drive at Houston Medical
Center was removed from
the council agenda and the
council also abandoned a
sewer line right of way ease
ment along Chantilly Drive,
as the line was moved back
and the necessary right of
way acquired.
In still other business,
the city council presented
a plaque to the family of
the late Phillip Campbell to
honor one of the ball fields
at Flint Field being named
in his honor.
Mayor Donald Walker
said, Campbell, a former
city councilman was very
active in Warner Robins
American Little League for
decades.
“Certainly Mr. Campbell
contributed to many in
this community, myself
and Gov. (Sonny) Perdue
See LAND, page $A
ingly removed a cement plug which
had sealed off a water main, and emp
tied two of the city’s water tanks onto
the downtown street.
City workers have tried to locate
underground cut-off valves in the Main
Street area, but have been unsuccess
ful (as of Tuesday).
“One of the really big problems,”
Gilmour said, “is that the pipes were
made in the early 19405.”
He pointed out that the Main Street
and Carroll Street construction area
in Downtown Perry is one of the old
est parts of the city with some water
See GALLONS, page $A
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ENLGary Harmon
Youth coach Gerry Thaxton makes notes on Jeremiah
Stephens during the Warner Robins/Perry Recreation
departments’ Mite draft Tuesday on Perkins Field in
Warner Robins. For more, see 10A.
Two sections • 20 pages
Below the
fold
■ Owner: Give me $1 mil
lion. City: Condemned
■ Tolleson, Walker still
upbeat on Perry fishing
area
WRPD offers
reward for
information
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
On Tuesday, Warner
Robins Police Department
announced it is offering up
to a $5,000 reward for infor
mation that leads to the
arrest of person(s) respon
sible for the death of Felicia
Hardman.
Hardman, 29, was found
on Aug. 1, at approximately
1:43 p.m., officers responded
to 140 Vernon Dr. in refer
ence to a deceased person.
Hardman was found inside
of her home with multiple
stab wounds and was pro
nounced dead on scene.
An autopsy was completed
the following day and it was
determined that Hardman
died from these wounds
which were caused by some
See REWARD, page §A
Tolleson, walker
upbeat on lake
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
Will the dammed-up land
at the Flat Creek Fishing
Area turn into a lake in due
time?
Former Rep. Larry
Walker, who spearheaded
the effort to get the facility
for Houston County is still
cautiously optimistic.
“I’m no expert,” Walker
said, “but I’ve been to the
site several times and Les
Ager (a local official with
See LAKE, page ft
The write stuff
IS