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VOLUME 137, NUMBER 122
BELOW THE FOLD: County to look into water runoff One annexation leads to two INSIDE: Commuter rail loses steam
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Friday
June £2, 2007
The Hohie Journal s
FRONT
PORCH
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IN BRIEF
Houston Arts Alliance
to meet in Perry
The Houston Arts Alliance Board
will meet Monday at 6 p.m. at
the Arts Center in Perry. (Editor's
note: Please disregard information
on page 2A. That page had already
gone to print when the update
above came in.)
Barbecue to be held
for Rick Goddard
A barbecue for Rick Goddard,
candidate for Georgia's Bth
Congressional District will be held
Monday at 6 p.m. at Hooterville
Farms Hangar - at the home of Tim
Dupree and Linda Shingler, 519
Landings Drive in Warner Robins
(approximately one mile south of
RusfitttOwyy on US 41 - between
RussmiTKwy and Hwy 96). The
cost is $lO, children 12 and under,
according to a release, are compli
mentary.
For questions or to RSVP, con
tact Katie Connell Miller at 478-550-
0152orKatie@goddardforcongress.
com.
American Red Cross
looking for ‘heroes’
The Houston-Middle Georgia
Chapter of the American Red Cross
is currently taking applications for
"Hero of Middle Georgia.”
Hero per their release - but not
full limited to this description - is:
"A person who risks his or her life
to save another; a person of admi
rable courage; anyone regarded as
an ideal or model. To that end, they
are asking people to nominate the
person who comes to mind when
you think of the word “hero.”
The nomination deadline is July
2. Aug. 16, according to the release,
the Heroes of Middle Georgia
Coordinating Committee will honor
six local heroes from Robins Air
Force Base, Bleckley, Houston,
Pulaski or Wilcox Counties. Visit
middlegeorgiaredcross.org to
download a nomination form or call
them at 478-923-6332 for more
information.
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Today
Weather Sunny
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hhjnews.com
tJUgh Man gets 30 years
for murder
RDA names Lee executive director
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Warner Robins
Redevelopment Agency
finally made it official
Wednesday, hiring Gary Lee
as executive director.
Mayor Donald Walker said
he “conducted two inter
views, talked to several
others and after discussion
about what the job entails,
they declined.”
Walker asked for a motion
to appoint Lee and even
tually got one after some
discussion, but the vote was
not unanimous. Councilman
Terry Horton voted against
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Contributed
Perry Players Youth Theatre will present “We the People,” a patriotic program with skits, music and dance June
29 at 7 p.m. and June 30 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Shown here in a chorus rehearsal are, front row from left: Katelyn
Prowell, Maggie Swearingen, Carrie Goodman, Erin Matthews in the middle, Melissa Hebenstreit and Mackenzie
Stephenson in back. Admission is $5.
County to look into water runoff
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The County
Commissioners pledged to
investigate water runoff
from the Amelia Place sub
division on U.S. 41.
The board heard several
residents in the area near
the subdivision in the area
of Giles Road and U.S. 41.
More than two dozen came
out to Tuesday’s county
commission meeting.
They had first taken
their concerns to the city
of Centerville since some of
the effected residents are
within city limits, but the
new development is within
the county, so Centerville
Mayor Bubba Edwards sent
them to the county, explained
County Commissioner Jay
Walker, who attended the
Centerville meeting.
Carolyn Reynolds is one
of the impacted residents
and told the commissioners
“there is a project ongo
ing that will do irreversible
damage to Amelia Estates
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
the appointment.
Horton explained he was
not voting against Lee. “I
can’t object to a man I don’t
know. My objection is to the
process. This appointment
was made weeks ago.”
He was referring to the
defacto appointment of Lee
when the agency was first
discussed and two previous
subdivision, due to the run
off,” referring to the Amelia
Place development on U.S.
41.
She said there is no ease
ment for the ditch, which
runs between her yard
and her neighbor Trudy
Reynolds. She showed the
commissioners photos of
the water flowing through
the yards, as well as pic
tures of the culverts and
detention/retention ponds
at the new development.
“We feel like we as prop
erty owners are bearing the
brunt of the water and have
made repairs and mainte
nance of the ditch at our
own expense,” Reynolds
said. “We can’t understand
why the water has to come
through our ditch.”
She also cited examples
of other subdivisions in the
area, where the detention
ponds were simply deep
ened or enlarged. “We know
this can be alleviated. We
ask you to restrict permits
until it is,” Reynolds said.
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"I can't object to a man I don't know. My
objection is to the process. This
appointment was made weeks ago.”
- Councilman Terry Horton
‘We the People’
www.hhjnews.com
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failed motions to appoint
Lee to the job.
Horton said he’s asked
three different times to see
a resume. “I think it’s unfair
to vote without seeing it. I
don’t know anything posi
tive or negative. I’m dis
appointed I haven’t seen a
resume.”
See LEE, page $A
“It is shocking to see
how others have made pro
visions, but Amelia Place
has not,” Reynolds told the
commissioners.
Jerry McCaskill, who
operates a boarding kennel
on Giles road, said he had
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Journal/Ray Llghtner
Carolyn Reynolds presents photos to the County
Commissioners while raising concerns of water runoff
from a neighboring new subdivision.
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Journal Ray Lightner
Gary Lee addresses the Redevelopment Agency/City
Council, thanking them for hiring him as the agency’s
executive director.
“lost a third of his property
because of this problem. We
didn’t have this before that
subdivision,” he said.
Trudy Reynolds, who
has lived in the area since
1968 was concerned about
See RUNOFF, page *4
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One section *lO pages
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County moves
Ms around
to tmlsnee FY
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Houston County
Commissioners approved
moving some money around
to balance out the books
as the county’s fiscal year
comes to a close.
Commissioner Tom
McMichael said this is some
thing “we do every year,
prior to the audit. It’s mov
ing money from one line
item to another.”
Every increase has a
corresponding decrease,
McMichael said.
Even with the changes,
Engle said the county still
will have about $300,000 in
its contingency fund. These
funds will be used to adjust
any remaining expenses fol
lowing the audit.
The adjustments includ
ed:
• $396,700 in general gov
ernment buildings and plants
which included decreases of
SIOO,OOO from natural gas,
$70,000 from repairs/main
tenance, $33,000 from other
equipment and $25,000
from electric for increases
of $375,000 for buildings,
$12,000 for professional
services, $6,000 for small
equipment and $3,700 for
gasoline.
• $35,000 in Special
Purpose Local Option Sales
See FUNDS, page
One annexation
leads to 2 more
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Warner Robins approved
the annexation of one lot
in Imperial Forest and a
Georgia Power easement so
a developer can replace a
trailer park with single-fam
ily homes.
Juan Salazar’s request to
annex his .94-acre lot at 211
Hatcher Road, on the exte
rior of the Imperial Forest
subdivision was approved
the city. It will remain zoned
R-l (single family residen
tial).
See ANNEXATION, page *4