Newspaper Page Text
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VOLUME 136, NUMBER 165
Wednesday
August 23, 2006
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH I
INSIDE
■ In Sports today: Warner Robins
High School’s cross-country team
holds Track-a-thon as part of their
preseason preparation. Also,
Houston County’s softball team
wins Lead-off tourney. In addi
tion, look for Braves notebook and
Adam Van Brimmer writes about
the Falcons’ Shockley.
- See 1B
IN BRIEF
HMC welcomes new
administrator
Houston Medical Center has
named Skip Philips as administra-
tor for the
186-bed facil
ity in Warner
Robins.
He joins
Houston
Medical from
Riverside
Health System
in Newport
News, Va.,
where he
served as
PHILIPS
senior vice president of Operations
for Riverside Regional Medical
Center, a 570-bed tertiary acute care
hospital. He earned his Master of
Healthcare Administration and Master
of Business Administration from
Georgia State University, after gradu
ating from Emory University.
Matt Elementary sets
meeting dates
Matt Arthur Elementary School has
set its School Council dates. They
are: Oct. 20, Dec. 8, Feb. 9, 2007
and April 20, 2007. All, according
to a release, are slated to begin at
7:30 a.m.
Red Cross blood drive
coming to Perry
A Red Cross blood drive will be
held at First Baptist Church-Perry
located at 1105 Main Street today. It is
slated to be held from 3:30-7:45 p.m.
BIRTHDAYS
Today
■ Leah Dannenberg
■ Nisi Russ
■ Brenda Phillips
■ Rebecca Williams
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
WEATHER 3 A
SPORTS 7 A
COMICS 8 A
CLASSIFIED 1 0 A
FOOD 1 B
PERIODICAL 500
S ilolli 4
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Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
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GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
Main Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-DfGIT 306
August 22, 2006
Si:kvi.\g Houston Coivn Srxn: 1870
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Insurance costs WR extra $1 mill
By RATLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Warner Robins City
Council came up with $1 mil
lion to cover insurance costs
from the previous fiscal year
at Monday’s meeting.
“We had a number of claims
above the stop-loss number,”
said Mayor Donald Walker.
“There were unusually high
Medicaid expenses.”
The council approved the
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Those heading to and/or from work Tuesday found a change to Houston Lake Road. It now goes straight through
to Houston Lake. The construction at the south end of Houston Lake Road and Ga. 127 has changed the three-way
intersection around, closing the road that ran along Houston Lake County Club. The next phase of the project will
include a new bridge over Mossy Creek and widening the road into Perry.
City council takes aim at billboards
Annexes Peach County parcel, other land
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
“We’ve brought down
the first one,” said Mayor
Donald Walker.
The City Council approved
a sign variance for Wayne
Buzzell, so he could relo
cate one of the billboards
off Russell Parkway to 700
First St.
The variance stipulated
it must be a billboard off
Russell and it could not go
up on First Street until the
one comes down off Russell
Parkway.
Buzzell requested the
variance after his request
was denied by city Code
Enforcement because “it
doesn’t quite fit the criteria,”
explained Code Enforcement
Officer Jeff Kiefer.
While it is in an area
zoned for billboards,
Manufacturing, it is about
480-feet inside the mile
required away from any zon
ing district in which bill
boards are prohibited, Kiefer
explained.
Some smaller signs are
coming down, too.
Councilman Steve Smith
thanked Kiefer for taking
down all the signs along the
city rights of way, as the
council had instructed at
the last meeting, following
the election and citizen com
plaints.
“The signs cost about $lO
apiece,” Kiefer said. “It cost
them about $3,000 for the
signs we threw out.”
www.hhjnews.com
transfer of $840,000 from
the unobligated general fund
balance and $160,000 from
the unobligated water and
sewer fund balance to cover
deficits and expenses for the
period ending June 30, the
end of the city’s previous
fiscal year.
City Finance Director Bill
Harte explained, “we had
a negative fund balance of
$815,000.”
Harte said the city spent
Detour ahead
The council also annexed
another parcel out of Russell
Parkway in Peach County on
Monday.
The City Council unani
mously approved C. Tim
Dupree’s request for annex
ation of 35.699 acres and
rezoning it to C-2 (General
Commercial). The parcel is
between Frontage Road and
Sullivan Road off Russell
Parkway.
The land was zoned
Residential Agricultural in
Peach County and is adja
cent to a tract owned by
Flash Foods.
The city council also
annexed two other tracts
and approved three rezon
ings.
ROC Enterprises request
was approved for the rezon
ing of 40.52 acres on Sandy
. JpVi .. - ; v / j
HU I—■
Journal Kay Lightner
Warner Robins City Councilmen Terry Horton, Steve Smith and Clifford Holmes vote in
favor of an annexation as part of a unanimous vote.
"You cannot predict if someone has a
heart attack, brain surgery: We had a
high run on claims."
- Mayor Donald Walker
$7,127,307.12 last year to
cover insurance, prescrip
tions and administrative
fees. “Claims were 49-per
cent greater than the past
Run Road from Residential
Mobile Home to R-4, which
allows for multi-family and
single family dwellings. Tom
Brightman said the property
was purchased for specula
tion.
He said plans include an
assisted living facility up
front and apartments in the
back. He noted it would be
an improvement over the
current mobile home park
zoning.
The land is adjacent to
another mobile home park, a
golf course and the railroad
tracks along Ga. 247.
Silver Eagle Enterprises
requested the annexation of
four lots in the Tara Estates
subdivision totaling 2.46
acres at the zoning of R-2
(10,000-square foot lots).
The four lots, currently
Two sections • 14 pages
year,” Harte said.
“We based the budget
for this year on the last
five years,” he said, and
See COSTS, page 6A
zoned R-2 in the county, are
at the end of Tarlton Court
and Melanie Lane. One lot
there is already in city lim
its.
The others are being
brought in to obtain city ser
vices (water and sewer).
Walker noted the annexa
tions would put the adjoin
ing The Willows subdivision
contiguous to city limits.
The Willows already has
city sewer, the mayor said,
and there are covenants to
annex it in once it becomes
contiguous.
“We just have to notify
them,” Walker said, adding
the deal “was done before
my time.”
Council also approved
Edwina Gunn’s request for
the annexation and rezon
ing of 6.27 acres on U.S.
41, south of Gunn Road,
behind Tractor Supply Co.
See COUNCIL, page 6A
w Evans Family
Below the
fold
■ Warner Robins City
Council takes aim at
billboards; annexes
land
■ Three to graduate
from National Guard’s
Youth Challenge
Perry siteof
surplus foal
distribution
Special to the Journal
USDA Surplus
Commodity Food will be
distributed by the Middle
Georgia Community
Action Agency, Inc.,
beginning Sept. 12.
Distribution, according
to a release, is to begin
at 8:30 a.m. and be con
ducted at Rozar Park
Recreation Center in
Perry.
The following items,
once again according to a
release, will be available:
Green beans, corn, peas,
sweet potatoes, apple
juice, applesauce, mixed
fruit, peaches, beef stew,
beef, tuna, salmon, pea
nut butter, roasted pea
nuts and rice.
The release from the
organization also states
you must bring “proof
of street address and a
signed statement for any
one you will be picking
up for.”
Authorization forms
are available at the Perry
Neighborhood Service
Center.
Middle Georgia CAA,
Inc., is an equal opportu
nity employer and serves
people regardless of race,
color, creed, national ori
gin, age, sex or disability.
You can contact the
Perry Neighborhood
Service Center at 987-
3503 for more.
Three teens to
graduate from
youth challenge
Special to the Journal
Three Houston County
teens are among more
than 139 youth set to
graduate from the Georgia
National Guard’s Youth
Challenge Academy at
commencement ceremo
nies to be held in Macon
Saturday.
Takeria Mathis and
Samantha Campbell of
Centerville, and Javaris
Beck of Warner Robins
are members of Class No.
13 of the Fort Gordon
based YCA program.
Georgia’s Youth
Challenge is a 22- week
residential youth pro
gram for teens aged 16-
18 who have dropped out
of school.
The military-styled
program provides teens
with the opportunity to
complete basic academic
courses leading to a high
school diploma or GED.
The voluntary program
also provides teens valu
able life skills training
emphasizing academic,
physical fitness and per
sonal discipline.
Jennifer Buck, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of
See TEENS, page 6A