Newspaper Page Text
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
VOLUME 137, NUMBER 46
BELOW THE FOLD: County: yes and no to requests ■ Former hospital land to be developed INSIDE: High school grad info
Thursday
March 8, 2007
The Home Journal s
FRONT
PORCH
IN BRIEF
Committee looking
for Class of ‘97 mates
The Perry High School Class
of 1997 reunion committee is
seeking the help of graduates
to help locate fellow classmates
for a reunion. If you have any
information in that regard, e-mail
PHS.l997@hotmail.com.
Memorial bench
dedication to be held
The Houston Association of
Educational Office Professionals
will hold a dedication ceremony
Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Parkwood
Elementary for a memorial bench.
The bench is in memory of Shirley
Calhoun and Yvonne Snipes.
Both were active members
of the organization who retired
from Parkwood Elementary and
have since passed away. HAEOP
purchased the bench with their
engraved names to place at the
school. Roses have been planted
around the bench to bloom each
spring. The public is invited to
attend the ceremony.
Parkwood Elementary is locat
ed at 503 Parkwood Drive in
Warner Robins.
For rtiore information, contact
Joanne Kile at Parkwood by tele
phone at 478-929-7822 or by e
mail at jkile@hcbe.net.
M*A*S*H production
set to open Friday
The Perry Players production
of M*A*S*H opens Friday at 8
p.m. with performances through
March 18. It is directed by Ann-
Marie Saul, and has a cast of 30.
The cast includes Nick Saul as
Hawkeye, Frank Riley as Trapper
john, Richard Alexander and
Father Mulcahy and Ryan Cruce
as Radar. Performance dates are
Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 2:30
p.m.; March 15 and 16, 8 p.m.,
March 18, 2:30 p.m. Tickets are
$lO. Reservations are recom
mended and should be made by
calling 987-5354.
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Today
Weather Mostly sunny
High: 67 Low: 49
hhjnews.com
Web Coed dorm a lowly
form of coexistence
Rezoning stirs Oldfield controversy
•Journal Charlotte Perkins
Colleen McGhee listens
in during the Perry City
Council meeting Tuesday.
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Lady Panther Maria Rowe fends off a ball too close in Perry’s game at home against Central. For more, see
18.
County: Yes to 1 home occupation, no to another
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Houston County Commissioners,
during their meeting Tuesday, denied
a home occupation for True Light
Transportation but approved one for
a mobile auto repair.
Both home businesses would be at
the end of cul de sacs in residential
subdivisions and both had comments
from neighbors.
“I think we should be consistent,”
Commissioner Gail Robinson said
expressing her support for the mobile
auto repair and noting it seemed to
comply with all the requirements.
She was the lone opposing vote in
the motion to deny the other request.
Commissioner Larry Thomson
noted the two are different businesses
with different numbers of employees.
True Light transportation, accord
ing to operator Brunetta Childs, is a
WWW.HHJNEWS.COM
Thanks to KWRB,
mayor and ctty now
a ’chip' oft
the old block gjj
"Why should it (Oldfield) be destroyed
or rezoned?”
- Ann Catheryn Willis King Toomer
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
A request to rezone a
small corner lot in Perry’s
Oldfield neighborhood from
residential to commercial
use met with opposition at
the Perry City Council meet
ing Tuesday night.
Colleen McGhee, who
owns and operates a clean
A tough Rowe to hoe
non-profit organization that trans
ports low- to moderate-income people
to doctor’s appointments - including
for dialysis treatments. Childs said
she uses her own personal vehicle, a
van, and a second van driven by her
son-in-law. Her daughter does the
paperwork, she said. The service had
been operating out of an office on
Davis Drive in Warner Robins before
Childs had to close it down.
She wanted to operate the service
from her Polly Court home until she
could find another location in the
city. She said she had been working
with Warner Robins City Councilman
Steve Smith to find a site in the city.
She was praised by the commission
ers for the work she does but they had
concerns about her doing it from her
home. A neighbor, Dawn Tilley was
also concerned about the parking of
vehicles on the street, increased traf
fic, and covenant violations.
L A.-
ing service, is seeking the
rezoning of the 1.17 acre lot
at 1519 Houston Lake Road.
McGhee said she wants to
use the house and a small
er house which was moved
onto the lot for offices. She
said she would also pave the
backyard for parking. The
Planning Commission has
recommended approval for
the change.
See REZONING, page 6A
“I think what she’s doing is wonder
ful,” Tilley said, “but she lives at the
end of the cul de sac.”
Tilley said the covenants in the one
street subdivision restrict use to resi
dential and prohibit on- street park
ing. She was also concerned about
renovations to an outbuilding on
the property that was being used for
prayer meetings.
She said the previous owner received
permission from the homeowners
association for the building to raise
birds in the building.
The outbuilding was not considered.
That’s another matter, the commis
sioners agreed, with Commissioner
Jay Walker noting he has prayer meet
ings at his own home.
In the end, what the commissioners
were concerned about was the request
not meeting county standards for a
home occupation. Childs’ daughter
See COUNTY, page 6A
Panthers, Bears and
Hornets post wins on the
diamond; Demons
and Eagles fall 1Q
short I D
— ;;■ n t f — 1 ,WT^
•Journal Charlotte Perkins
Ann Catheryn Willis King Toomer speaks during the Perry
City Council meeting Tuesday.
1 ' '
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Two SECTIONS • 16 PAGES
ff/ 11
Perry council
divided on
pay increase
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
The Perry City Council
has approved salary increas
es for the mayor and coun
cil, which will become effec
tive after the next regular
municipal election.
The mayor’s salary will
increase from SBOO per
month to SI,OOO per month.
The salary for the mayor pro
tem, who conducts meetings
in the mayor’s absence, will
be increased from S4OO per
month to S6OO per month.
Council members’ sala
ries will be increased from
$350 per month to $550 per
month*
The vote was divided, with
council members Bobby
Glover, Brian Bowen and
Phyllis Bynum-Grace voting
for the increases. Council
members James Moore and
Joe Kusar voted not. Council
member Riley Hunt was not
present.
James Moore said that he
did not object to the increase
for the mayor’s salary, but
thought that the increase
for council members was
excessive. Kusar did not
comment, but voted no.
Former hospital land
gets development nod
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
What was once going to
be the new site for Houston
Medical Center will soon
be a commercial site with a
high-density residential buf
fer for the neighbors.
The County Commission,
during its meeting Tuesday,
concurred with Warner
Robins’ request to annex
two tracts totaling 134.89
acres at the southeast cor
ner of U.S. Highway 41 and
Crestview Church Road.
The larger tract, at 97.14
acres, and which fronts on
both roads, will be rezoned
from residential agricul
tural to general commercial.
The remaining 37.75 acres
See LAND, page 6A