Newspaper Page Text
10A
♦ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2006
PLAN
From page iA
have to pay for those city fire
services. They would be pay
ing for “enhanced service,”
Edwards said, as the county
fire department would also
be a responder and they
would still be paying the
county fire tax to operate
the county fire department.
Commission Chairman
Ned Sanders noted the
“county can’t operate with
out the fire tax, citizens will
still have to pay it.”
“If we can get some sort of
millage thing we can make
equitable,” said Edwards,
“we’ll have active duty and
reserve firefighters show up,
providing more assets for
the chief on scene.”
“It’s something the may
ors will have to consider,”
Edwards said. “Your folks
are not going to go for an
increase in their millage to
provide services outside the
city.”
Vision 20/20, arecommend
ing body comprised of the
three mayors and the county
commission chairman, heard
a report from Warner Robins
Fire Chief Robert Singletary
on the proposed estimated
costs to county residents per
household to get fire pro
tection from Warner Robins
Fire Department north of
Ga. 127 and by the Perry
Fire Department south of
Ga. 127.
Singletary said the dis
tricts plan, with Centerville
covering its area and north,
originated with many years
ago when the fire chiefs
were tasked with coming up
with a plan of districting. “It
REFUND
From page iA
can be collected. Previous
legislation set the cap at five
years or a set amount - SBS
million for the 2001 Houston
County SPLOST - which
ever came first. Any money
collected beyond the set
amount had to be returned
to the taxpayers.
Walton Wood, on behalf
of fellow SPLOST opponent
Dave Wittenberg, asked the
County Commission, during
its meeting this week, about
the status of a SPLOST
refund.
Chairman Ned Sanders
said, if there is any money
raised above the voter
approved SBS million from
the 2001 SPLOST, “it will be
refunded in the next year’s
millage.”
Engle noted the SPLOST
projects had to be completed
first, and then any cost over
runs for those projects have
to be paid for with the 2001
SPLOST proceeds. “Some
projects (from the 2001
SPLOST) are going out to
bid just now,” Engle noted.
Those just going out for
bid include the widening
of Lake Joy Road phase 2,
from Ga. 96 to Ga. 127 and
Wellborn Road from Russell
Parkway to Booth Road.
Phase 1 on Lake Joy Road,
from Hatcher to Ga. 96 is
one of only six completed
projects for unincorporated
Houston County from the
2001 SPLOST of 23 speci
fied projects.
The other completed
projects are the widening
of Leverette Road, from
Houston Lake Road to
Hatcher Road; and intersec
tion improvements at Lake
Joy and Hatcher roads,
Moody Road at Ga. 127, Ga.
96 at Tara estates, Ga. 96
at Peach Blossom Road and
Ga. 96 at Mount Zion Road.
Of the 100 miles of resur
facing planned, about $1.6
LIST
From page lA
join Superior Court judg
es George Nunn and Ed
Lukemire on the bench
beginning in January.
Senior Judge L.A. “Buster”
McConnell Jr. also serves as
needed, explained Burke.
If Lumsden were named
judge, she would be the sec
ond to come from the District
Attorney’s Office. Lukemire
is a former district attor
ney. Nunn and McConnell
were not prosecutors, Burke
noted.
• The state provides the
$113,000 salary for the
judge as well as the fund
ing for an additional assis
tant district attorney. “With
the new judge,” Burke said
late Friday afternoon, “I get
another assistant district
attorney for my office.”
never went on. We’d have to
go to it in phases.”
Singletary said the cit
ies and county fire depart
ments “already work, train
and deploy together, there
would be a. bit of a learning
curve, but nothing too dif
ficult. Overall it is a doable,
workable plan.”
While both city and coun
ty units would respond,
Singletary said “90 percent
of the time, we’d be the first
ones there.”
Warner Robins
Councilman Steve Smith
noted about 70 percent of
the calls the fire department
responds to now are medical
in nature. “The added safety
might be a selling point.”
Smith said.
Singletary suggested fund
ing the service based on the
value of the property, like
the millage, instead of a fee.
The millage rate is how the
city residents pay for their
fire service and how unin
corporated residents pay for
county fire service.
Warner Robins Fire
Department has 100 full
time employees, who staff
fire stations 24 hours a day,
seven days a week with a
budget of $6.3 million.
The Houston County Fire
Department has 11 full-time
employees that staff eight
fire stations from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday, plus volunteers with
a budget of $1.4 million.
Fire services in the cites
are not broken down as a
part of the tax rate as it is
in the county. Edwards sug
gested the cities take the
fire department budgets and
back them out to determine
what portion of the millage
million of the projected $4.2
million has been spent so
far, with resurfacing com
plete on the following 16
roads: Saddle Creek, Sandy
Run, Old Hawkinsville Road,
Bear Branch, Hunt Road,
Woodard Road, Dragstrip
Road (Jerry Barker Drive),
Lashley subdivision, Bear
Drive, Ammons Road,
Lennon Drive, Langston
Road, Cambridge, Dunbar
Road, Old Farm Road and
Story Road.
The 23 projects also
include the paving of 16
miles of 12 dirt roads, which
is in various stages of design,
and right of way acquisition
with about $3.2 million of
the projected SIO.B has been
spent so far.
Only two of the county
wide projects from the
2001 SPLOST are complete
- the $12.5 million 800 MHz
public safety radio system
replacement and the Russell
Parkway extension. Both
came in slightly under bud
get.
Phase 2 of the Houston
Lake Road widening, about
14 months behind schedule
is expected to be finished by
year’s end, with phase 3, to
U.S. 341 in Perry to be fin
ished by fall of 2009.
The North Houston Lake
Road widening, from Watson
Boulevard to Thomson Road
is expected to be finished by
January 2008. The widening
of Corder and Moody roads
as well as the Ball Street
extension in Perry also have
2008 completion dates of
Dec. 31, Oct. 30 and Sept.
30, respectively.
The other countywide
projects, the widening of
Feagin Mill Road to three
lanes and the widening of
Carl Vinson Parkway, are
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is used to fund it.
Warner Robins Mayor
Donald Walker said only
$12.4 million of the city
budget is funded by prop
erty taxes and the public
safety budget is sl7 million.
“I don’t know that we can do
it,” he said
Once the cost per house
hold, based on property
value, is determined and
broken down into a mill
age rate, that amount could
then be added on the tax
bills of residents in unincor
porated areas to pay for city
fire service.
Singletary noted the
increased fire protection
would likely lower the ISO
(fire insurance) rating from
the current six to three.
The increase in taxes may
be offset by the reduction
in homeowner’s insurance
costs with lower ISO, he
said, with the possibility of a
“30 percent savings. It may
depend on if citizens are
willing to pay more or stay
with what they have.”
Singletary said his depart
ment could cover the area
north of Ga. 96 without any
additional stations, equip
ment or personnel, beyond
what is already planned.
Singletary said going to Ga.
96 could be the first phase
of the fire districts. “It’s too
big to do all in one step.”
He would need fire sta
tions, plus equipment and
personnel to cover the
area south to Ga. 127. “If
96 works,” Singletary said,
“then take the next step:
build a couple of stations to
go to 127.”
Edwards and Sanders
said if the city could pro
vide expanded service with
currently in the right of way
acquisition and design stag
es. Design of phase 1 of Carl
Vinson Parkway is complete.
Slightly more than $360,000
each has been spent so far
on the three projects with a
combined cost of about sl9
million.
Only Centerville has com
pleted all of its 2001 SPLOST
projects. The city only had
two, totaling $2,035,000 -
the new City Hall and reno
vations and improvements
to the police station.
Projects in Warner Robins
are also mostly ongoing
with only four complete so
far - the Wall Street exten
sion and sidewalks, Russell
Parkway, the South Davis
Drive extension to Booth
Road and the resurfac
ing of Green Street, North
Houston Road and North
Davis Drive.
Ongoing Warner Robins
projects include the Wellborn
Road widening, from Russell
Parkway to Robins Drive
and 4th Street; MLK Jr.
Boulevard widening from
Davis Drive to Ga. 247;
Corder Road, the Corder
Road extension, University
Drive, Osigian Boulevard
extension from U.S. 41 to
Chapman Boulevard; side
walks in the vicinity of
schools; drainage projects oi:
Northside Drive and Hazel
Drive; and the resurfacing
of 402 lane mines of city
streets with about 195 miles
done so far.
In Perry, the follow
ing recreation projects are
complete: Improvements
at Nunn Park; a restroom,
court resurfacing and a
pavilion roof at Creekwood
Park; roof for Rozar Park
Concession stand, with gym
lighting there 90 percent
LOCAL
no additional costs, “it could
be a windfall for the city,”
as there would be additional
people paying in.
“What it boils down
to,” Sanders said, “is city
residents pay lower taxes
because more are paying
in.”
Perry City Manager Lee
Gilmour and Councilman
Brian Bowen said that is not
the case in Perry and voiced
concerns about the city’s
ability to provide increased
services without increased
costs. Perry has full-time
firefighters but, like the
county, also relies on volun
teers.
“We don’t know the cost
for each of us here,” Bowen
said.
Sanders said, “the Perry
model is not exactly like the
Warner Robins model.”
The next step, Edwards
said is to take the propos
al to each body to get an
endorsement to send it to
the Middle Georgia Regional
Development Commission
for review and to share any
costs of the study.
“We’ll present the concept
to the RDC to cost it and
quantify the costs, and do it
in phases,” Sanders said. He
made the motion, seconded
by Perry Mayor Jim Worrall.
The vote was unanimous
with Edwards and Walker
also voting for the motion.
However Walker asked,
“why Warner Robins would
want to participate in fund
ing?”
Sanders explained “since
it is a collaborative effort,”
the four should share in the
cost of the study. “’’We’re
trying to improve services,
to improve safety.”
complete. Also complete are
sewer extensions on Gun-
Road and Part A and B at
Houston Lake Country Club,
lift station for Plantation
subdivision and water and
sewer improvements along
Hickory Drive.
The following road proj
ects are also complete:
Kings Chapel Road and
sidewalks, downtown side
walks, Morningside Drive
sidewalks, Northside Road
street and drainage improve
ments and a cul-de-sac,
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Journal/Charlotte Parkins
Gray, left, is congratulated and welcomed by Perry
Mayor Jim Worrall and City Council members James
Moore and Joe Kusar.
GRAY
From page iA
he was a code enforcement
officer, fire inspector and
investigator as well as fight
ing fires and being certified
as an Emergency Medical
Technician. He served
with the St. Petersburg
and Southern Manatee fire
departments, and contin
ued to volunteer as a fire
fighter in both Florida and
North Carolina while work
ing in the private sector as
a fire investigation and fire
combat expert, specializing
in hazardous material fires
and boat fires, a position
which led to extensive trav
el around the country.
Gray said that the ter
rorist attacks of Sept. 11,
2001, led to his decision to
return to full-time public
fire department work.
“I was already thinking
that it was more reward
ing to see the people you
the resurfacing of Justice
and Roughton streets, pav
ing of Airport/Walton Road,
Hickory Drive improve
ments and the Airport Drive
drainage study.
Ongoing projects in Perry
include the Big Indian Creek
Park and playground equip
ment for Woodlawn Park.
The bid was awarded for
resurfacing of the tennis
court at Calhoun Park and
acquisition is ongoing for the
Cherokee drainage/greens
pace area and for passive
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
help on a long term basis,”
he said, “and then 9-11
occurred. I was in a hotel
room working on an inves
tigative report that morn
ing, and I heard the first
news report. Then I saw
the footage of the second
jet (flying into the World
Trade Center) and I knew
we were under attack. I
went down tb the fire hall
to be with the firefighters
and we watched together.”
He left his private sec
tor job and returned to his
hometown of Clearwater,
taking a job with the fire
department there as a fire
prevention inspector and
investigator and was pro
moted twice after that.
Gray said, “I can see
Perry’s growth poten
tial, and I hope I can help
make it smoother, work
ing with the Public Safety
Department to make Perry
a safe place for everybody.”
parks in general.
Road projects in process
include Devonshire Court
extension, Smith Drive
drainage improvements,
Canterbury Court improve
ments, Perimeter Road
drainage, State Avenue
extension and improve
ments, Gaines Drive and
Courtney Hodges Boulevard
intersection improvements,
the Macon,/Perimeter roads
intersection and the Macon
Road/Carroll Street inter
section.
37378