Newspaper Page Text
6A
♦ FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2007
DDA
From page lA
Batchelor said two devel
opers, identified as “Mr.
Eaves and Mr. Turner,”
made an offer to buy six
lots each in Wellston Villas
for $7,000 each.
The deposits are non
refundable and there is a
30-day option, Batchelor
said, and the developers
may want to buy more lots
after these are built out.
“I feel we ought to get out
of the residential business
as quick as we can,” DDA
member Sonny Watson
said, making the motion to
approve the sale. “This deal
will give the developers an
opportunity to make more
per house and encourage
more development in the
area,” he added.
Batchelor said the pro
posal was consistent with
the urban redevelopment
plan and leaves five on this
side and several others off
Orchard Pass, that have not
been platted. DDA member
Guy Fussell seconded and
the vote to sell was unani
mous.
New business began with
discussions of the future of
the DDA.
Watson proposed chang
es to the DDA bylaws to
clarify a couple of items “so
there won’t be any ques
tion about it.”
The changes included
setting a regular time and
meeting place for the DDA
meeting, which had been
left to be established in the
notice of the call. Future
meetings will be held on
the third Wednesday of the
month at 10 a.m. at City
Hall.
Other changes included
designating the city comp
troller as DDA treasurer
and appointing Ron Street
as vice-chairman.
Street, formerly an advi
sor to the board before
being appointed, noted
there was now a vacancy
and asked to notify the city
council of the vacancy. That
motion was also unani
mously approved.
City Councilman Doug
McDowell, the city council
representative on the DDA,
following up on Watson’s
statement, pointed out “the
scope of the DDA clearly
states we’re to focus on
commercial.”
He made a motion to
transfer all DDA residen
tial property to the mayor
Child molester back in jail
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Michael Antonio Walker
Jr. is back behind bars.
Walker,
32, of 102
Felton
Road, Perry,
was arrest
ed Monday
for violation
of proba
tion. Walker
was convict
ed of child
molestation
on April 22,
; / ' %>>
. i'
- i |
MCWEL A •> ■
WALKER
2004, from a Sept. 27, 2003,
THE HANGAR
5630 Houston Road (At Hartley Bridge)
(478) 781 -9468
May 18, Friday Night - Bruee Brookshire
May 19, Saturday Night - Tim Chandler
Kairaok# - Tuesday
Great Food, Live Music, Pool
and council and to the
Redevelopment Agency.
Batchelor said that was a
lot of residential property
and asked about the com
mercial property noting the
efforts of the Agency and
the DDA would be redun
dant.
McDowell offered to also
include the commercial
properties, which was also
unanimously approved.
Without any land, McDowell
noted “then what is the
purpose of the DDA? If
there is no use for it, then
it needs to be abolished.”
Batchelor said the DDA
still had $201,000 in the
bank, plus another $84,000
coming in the just approved
land sale.
DDA member Glynn
Greenway also questioned
the need for the DDA and
proposed transferring the
money too. “Let’s do it all
now and get it over.”
After consulting with
Elliott, Watson proposed
one last meeting to tie up
all loose ends, like the DDA
debt to the city and the land
sale. McDowell noted the
DDA still owes SBOO,OOO
from a loan from the city
natural gas fund.
After the meeting, Street
and Watson each saw some
humor in being appointed
to a board for only two
meetings. “What’s the pur
pose if we’re dissolving the
board,” Watson said, but
admitted that was the pur
pose of the new members.
McDowell said the meet
ing “took a good turn for
the city. It gave the new
agency a good place to
start. It gave us land and
money. We had to take care
of business and it got taken
care of.”
The land transferred
includes several lots in the
Wellston Villas area just
south of Watson Boulevard,
a few tracts on Myrtle Street
and several commercial lots
around Commercial Circle.
DDA Chairman Sonny
Ganas said the DDA has
accomplished a lot - more
than we’re given credit for
- and are being unduly crit
icized. I feed we took all the
criticism and got credit for
nothing.”
He cited “tremendous
successes of the Village at
Town Centre as well as
Wellston Villas.”
He has been on the DDA
for 12 years and chairman
for the past month. “I’m
glad it’s over.”
incident. He was found
guilty of child molestation
by a jury that also found
him not guilty of rape and
burglary in the incident.
Walker was sentenced to
20 years, three to serve and
was released from prison
Dec. 19, 2006, at which time
he registered as a convicted
sex offender.
He is currently being held
without bond at the Houston
County Detention Center in
Perry for the violation of
probation.
He have several previous
violation of probations, most
Open on Sundays
iscvp Music
W v S 1$
CONVICTS
From page iA
the robber dropped near
the bank depository where
the robbery occurred.
Fingerprint analysis
matched up prints found on
the sunglasses with Emory.
Two uncles of Powell also
testified that Powell drove
the truck around the time of
the robberies, that the truck
matched the description of
the truck leaving the scene of
the robbery, and that Powell
had confessed both his and
Emory’s involvement in the
robbery.
“Powell’s uncle cried on
INITIATIVE
From page iA
essentially cover the proper
ty taxes, and the land owner
would continue to use the
land.
AWARDS
From page iA
Resources - Gamma Sigma
Delta began at Ohio State
University December 1, 1905
as a professional agricultur
al fraternity for undergradu
ates. Senior students elected
to membership must rank
scholastically in the upper 15
percent of the class and they
must show promise of future
leadership in some phase of
agriculture in its broadest
meaning. This award is pre
sented to the senior with the
highest overall GPA.
• Outstanding Senior in
Forestry - The recipient of
this award is chosen by the
BENEFIT
From page iA
The latest on his status comes
from Warner Robins head
girls basketball and assis
tant girls soccer coach Tom
Mobley, who is FCA spon
sor rep for Warner Robins
High School. (Vicki Jones
is Northside’s FCA sponsor
rep and David Shepherd per
forms that role for Houston
County High School).
He, in turn, received his
information - this was on
Wednesday - from an e
mail from Johnson’s father,
who is a custodian at
Warner Robins High School.
Johnson’s mother is an
instructional coordinator at
Feagin Mill Middle School.
Hence, Mobley said, the rea
son why a lot of students
know him.
As far as Johnson’s cur-
recently in March, when he
was found in violation of
his probation fraud and sen
tenced for time served from
the Jan. 31, incident where
he violated his 11 p.m. to 6
a.m. curfew.
The prior violations stem
from new felony arrests in
October and November of
1999, including failure to
pay and report as instructed
and obstruction of and flee
ing of an officer while serv
ing eight years on probation
for drug charges. He was
convicted of the drug charg
es in December 1998.
Triuia -Thursday
LOCAL
EMORY
Assistant District Attorney
David Cooke prosecuted the
case. Emory was also identi
fied in court by the victim.
“She was very shaken up
both at the time of the rob
bery and when she had to
see him again at trial, under-
At the end of the five year
period, the city would have
the first option to buy the
land if it were to be sold.
If the landowner decided to
sell the land for develop
ment purposes, he or she
would then be responsible
UGA Forestry Club to honor
an outstanding student in
forestry who has shown
continued dedication to the
Club and to the School.
• UGA Rotoract Student
Services Award - The Athens
Rotary Club recognizes
twelve UGA undergradu
ate students each year for
their service to the Athens
Community, their profes
sional schools, their state
and beyond. Those chosen
receive a medal with the
Rotary and UGA symbols
and are invited to an Athens
Rotary meeting in late
spring, where they sit with
the UGA president. The stu
dents also receive letters of
recommendation from both
rent condition, Mobley said
Johnson’s father said his
cancer was 99 percent dead
and the one percent was
dying. He added, however,
there was still work to be
down - such as the possi
bility of a bone transplant
- and that the treatments,
the double doses of drugs, et
cetera, had him extremely
weak and worn down. He is
currently not taking visitors
- he is still hospitalized in
Macon - but is welcoming
ItyQSSj QIMrV 0
wjm Niiws s |
StQKK, CUSOIBK B
ftßsvnnsißiiiinJl
Call (478) 987-1823
%6) Subscmb.ei T<zd!g,%!J
Or mail in the form below to get your subscription started.
Name:
Delivery Address:
Billing Address (If Different):
Phone Number:
Please Check One: Bill Check
Credit Card #: Exp Date:
; Please Check One:
! Sign Up For:
CZZ
o.upoUState JZt s M^MQ)
mm "mm* - Tax Included j
the stand
when he
told the jury
his nephew
confessed,”
said Jason
Ashford,
Chief
Assistant
District
Attorney.
Ashford and
POWELL
did in this case, particularly
Detective Art Curnutte as
lead detective and Lt. John
Lanneau for matching the
fingerprints that were a cru
cial element in this case,”
said Ashford. Officer Randy
Evans was also instrumen-
for paying the back taxes.
“The purpose is to provide
some kind of relief for prop
erty owners who want to
continue with agricultural
use of their land,” Gilmour
said.
“There are environmental
the UGA president and the
Athens Rotary president.
• Who’s Who in American
Colleges and Universities
- This award is given to
upper level undergradu
ate and graduate students
whose academic standing,
participation in extra-cur
ricular activities and com
munity service are decidedly
above average. The Who’s
Who program has annually
bestowed this honor upon
outstanding campus leaders
for their scholastic and com
munity achievements.
Established in 1906, the
Daniel B. Warnell School
of Forestry and Natural
Resources at the University
of Georgia provides five
get-well cards and such.
As far as the idea for
the powder puff flag foot
ball game, which will be a
round-robin, and is slated
to start and 6 p.m. and be
held on Northside’s practice
field (which is right behind
the'school), Mobley said it
came from a similar - and
successful - fund-raiser back
in ’94 for another employee
in the school system. Plus,
he added, his wife had her
own fight with cancer some
[/Vtnit'iCafrf
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
tal in finding the sunglasses
at the scene by chance while
responding to another call.
“We’re very lucky to
have such alert officers in
Houston County,” he said.
Ashford added he was hope
ful this case would “wake
up would-be robbers that
Houston County will not tol
erate this type of behavior.
They will go to prison for a
long time.”
Sentencing is tentatively
scheduled for today. Judge
George F. Nunn presided
over the case. Powell was
represented by Rodney Davis
and Emory was represented
by Bill Peterson.
stand
ably,” said
Ashford.
“Warner
Robins
Police
Department
should be
commend
ed for the
outstand
ing job they
benefits. There would not be
as much pavement or devel
opment, and there Is also
educational and aesthetic
value.”
Interested landowners
may contact Gilmour at
Perry City Hall.
degree path programs in for
estry and natural resource
science and management.
These include the for
estry, wildlife, fisheries and
aquaculture, water and soil
resources and the natural
resource recreation and tour
ism programs. With more
than fifty faculty and 23,000
acres of teaching lands, the
Warnell School is the oldest,
and one of the most respect
ed, forestry and natural
resource education provid
ers in the United States.
The school also houses one
of the largest study abroad
programs in the nation
to provide global learning
opportunities for its stu
dents.
years ago.
“It’s just a great opportu
nity to help out,” he said.
“A lot of people did a lot of
things for us. They’ve got a
tremendous amount of med
ical bills. This is our chance
to do something to help them
as much as we can.”
The cost to get into the
game is $5 at the gate. But,
Mobley added, contributions
above and beyond that are
obviously welcome.
VISA
I 47812