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Houston Ibitn 3|onnia I
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 185
Below THE Fold: Final phase of Mayberry annexed □ Middle Georgia and Middle Georgia Technical colleges to benefit from bond sale
Friday
September 22,2006
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
IN SPORTS
■ The unstoppable Lady Bears
volleyball team was unstoppable
again, this time beating Perry and
Mary Persons. On the gridiron,
Northside's Jacobi Rodrigues
has made a nice transition from
quarterback to wide receiver.
- See 1B
IN BRIEF
Georgia DOT to hold
open house on plans
The Georgia Department of
Transportation will conduct a
Public Information Open House
Oct. 5 in Warner Robins to provide
the public an opportunity to view
proposed plans for the widening
and improvement of Corder Road
from State Route 247C/Watson
Blvd. to 1,000 feet north of Richard
B. Russell Parkway in Houston
County. It will be from 5-7 p.m. at
Warner Robins Middle School, 425
Mary Lane in Warner Robins. The
purpose of the Open House is to
provide the public with an opportu
nity to view the proposed project,
ask questions, and comment on
the proposal.
Marching band invite
to be held at stadium
The Heart of Georgia Marching
Band Invitational will be held Oct. 7
from 9 a,m.-10 p.m. in McConnell-
Talbert Stadium. The cost is $5 per
adult, $3 per child. The event will be
hosted by the Warner Robins High
School Band Boosters, Inc., and will
feature bands from all over the south
eastern part of the United States
competing against one another.
BES sets School
Council meetings
The Bonaire Elementary School
Council will meet on the following
dates: Dec. 5, March 20, 2007 and
‘June 12, 2007. Meetings, accord
ing to a release from the school,
will be held at 7:30 a.m. in the
conference room.
BIRTHDAYS
Sept. 21
■ Pauline Lewis
Today
■ Fran Dalton
■ Joyce Soops
■ Mary Weidel
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.
DEARLY DEPARTED
■ Robert L. Grubbs, Sr., 81
■ Thomas E. “Ed”
Williamson, Sr., 88
PERIODICAL 500
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2004
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September 22, 2006
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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
County to write off debt
Gone but not forgotten, however, as it also plans to sue
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The County Commissioners unanimously
approved during their meeting this week to
write off $54,254.96 in bad debt from the
landfill.
That doesn’t, however, mean they’re giv
ing up on it. “It’s an accounting measure,”
explained Commissioner Tom McMichael,
to close out the books at the end of the fis
cal year. “Two companies haven’t paid us,”
McMichael explained. “We’re gonna sue
them.”
Tri-County Sanitation owes the county
landfill $49,360.06, with a $3,366.47 penal
ty. Aspen Construction owes $4,894.90 with
a $930.51 penalty.
The vote was to write the Solid Waste
Department debt off and seek legal action
immediately. The first suit against Tri-
County has already been filed. The other
will be soon.
Also during its meeting, the board
approved the hiring of election workers for
CM'.ac, £«9OTnaWon mate( „l th,
Journal/Kristy Warren
A group of people play Bingo Wednesday at Rozar Park. They were taking advantage of an opportunity offered by
Perry Volunteer Outreach.
By KRISTY WARREN
Journal Staff Writer
Perry Volunteer
Outreach has
bridged the gap
between those with
something to give
and those in need.
And, they have been doing so
since 2000.
Because of tremendous com
munity support, last year the
program received more than
$250,000 in private donations,
said Larry Wood, Outreach
Minister.
Although the "ministry” is
not tied to a specific church or
denomination, “our main goal is
to have the opportunity to talk to
(people) about the experience of
life,” said Wood.
Those in need can submit
an application for PVO review.
Applicants are called in each
Monday for an interview and,
if accepted, they can then
receive assistance from PVO
with expenses such as utility
bills, rent, home repairs, some
medical expenses and even with
rides to doctor’s appointments.
www.hhjnews.com
the Nov. 7 election and for the accuracy test
prior to the election.
Four women were approved for the test
ing and about $21,841 was approved for the
election.
That cost includes 29 poll managers, 58
assistant manager, 110 clerks, 24 janitors,
three election night helpers, two supply
pickup helpers, one technician and 28 cell
phones at $lO each. The cost was budgeted
under contract labor.
The commissioners also approved:
■ Changing the starting time of the Oct.
17 Commissioners’ meeting from 6 p.m. to 5
p.m. so the board could attend the Warner
Robins Rotary Club roast of State Rep.
Willie Talton, at 6:30 p.m.
■ An amendment to the defined benefit
plan for county employees, to allow for the
offset of benefits to make up for over
payments, regardless of fault. “It is rare,
but I happens,” said Commissioner Jay
Walker, noting the amendment seems pretty
See DEBT, page 6A
The PVO payback
PVO is having a family barbecue as a way to thank those in
the community who have contributed to their mission of “people
reaching out to people reaching up.”
The public is invited to attend “a family evening of down
home food and music, and real testimonies of hope from lives
touched.”
The event will be held Sept. 30 from 6-8 p.m. in the Westfield
Schools Gymnatorium. For more information or to RSVP, call
218-2274.
“We try to meet the needs of
people in the community who
don't have the resources,” Wood
explained.
The funding for their generos
ity comes from the generosity of
others.
They accept cash donations,
appliances, furniture and auto
mobiles. All donations are tax
deductible.
Currently, the outreach is in
the midst of a much larger proj
ect. They are building a home
less women’s shelter, Grace
Village. The project is being
funded by government grants
through the City of Perry with
labor provided by a crew of
inmates. The facility will have
Perry councilman pushes
fir lower aHlsee rate
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
Perry Councilman Joe
Kusar is looking for a
break for taxpayers.
While public notices
have already been pub
lished advertising public
hearings on a property
tax millage rate of 13.33,
which is a reduction of
one mill from last year,
Kusar voted against that
rate at the first meeting in
September, and has talk
ed the City Council into
reconsideration of the rate
at their first meeting in
October.
Under his proposal, the
millage would be lowered
to 13.05, which would
24 units with single and family
apartments, as well as a training
center.
The training center will hold t
classes for the women during
their three to four month stay,
teaching a variety of life skills.
PVO not only reaches out to
those in need, but also to senior
adults of the community.
The reach of PVO also
extends beyond the Middle
Georgia Area. Last year they
used their refrigerated truck
to deliver food from the Bird’s
Eye Plant in Montezuma to
Hurricane Katrina Victims. And,
they also used the truck to deliv
er the frozen goods to local
See OUTREACH, page 6A
Two sections • 12 pages
i • Kusar"*
Jk quast
JgflSp - Millage rate
SgSBL advertised:
13.33
SmjSmjr - New
proposed
' 4m W millage rate:
13.05
mean that it would consti
tute a full rollback in view
of higher property assess
ments.
Kusar said that he fully
supported increases that
have been made to water
and sewer rates, in order
to make those city ser
vices self-supporting, but
that it is his position that
the city has an adequate
See MILLAGE, page 6A
Happy Hour
helps kick off
campaign
By JOE SERSEY
Journal Correspondent
The 2006 Houston County
government United Way
drive lacked off Wednesday
with a breakfast at Happy
Hour and attended by more
than 30
county gov
ernment
officials,
including
commis
sioners.
Following
the meal,
the guests
toured Happy Hour, official
ly known as Houston County
Association for Exceptional
Children, Inc.
“Normally, places
put on a dog and pony
show,” said Happy Hour
Executive Director Stephen
See CAMPAIGN,page 6A
Council annexes
Mayberry phase
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
What would a Warner
Robins City Council meeting
be like without an annexa
tion?
Mayor Donald Walker
asked that question as
he introduced the lat
est annexation during the
council’s meeting this week.
During that time, the city
approved the request to
bring 15.74 acres into the
city for the final phase of the
Mayberry subdivision off
See MAYBERRY, page 6A
Colleges gain
from bond sale
Special to the Journal
Gov. Sonny Perdue
announced Wednesday the
state of Georgia sold more
than $578 million in General
Obligation Bonds to support
Georgia’s education system
and state infrastructure.
In impact locally, that
translates into $4.5 million
going to Middle Georgia
See SALE, page 6A
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