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VOLUME 137, NUMBER 123
BELOW THE FOLD: See Perry grow - More than 10,000 new homes on the horizon
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Weekend
June 23,2007
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
IN BRIEF
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
Russell Pkwy on US 41 - between
Russell Pkwy 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.
BIRTHDAYS
Today
■ Gabriel Rice
■ Robert Bearden
■ Brittany Capps
II John Hair
■ Taylor Loudin
Sunday
■ Chris Kinnas
Monday
■ Kyle Bryant
■ Eddie Blount
■ David W. Daniel (Happy 50th!)
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.
ANNIVERSARY
Today
■ Curtis and Mary McNeal (Happy
60th!)
CORRECTIONS:
■ In Thursday's edition, the pic
ture on 1A entitled “'Can a corn'
(Cobb)," the girl in the picture is
actually Skyler Thompson.
■ Also in Thursday's edition, the
picture on 2A entitled “30 years
with the WRFD,” the gentlemen
being honored for 30 years of
service - pictured - is actually
Steve Farner.
We sincerely apologize for
the errors!
PERIODICAL 500
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2004
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Main Library
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ATHENS GA 3GSC2-GGG2
3-DIGIT 306
June 23 2007
Si:Rvi.\'(i Houston Cot sty Since 1870
Today
weather Sunny
High: 99 Low: 73
hhjnews.com
Mfgh Mom, son team to
the challenge
City to build sports complex
WR also changes ordinance regarding elections
ByJRAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Warner Robins is spending $1 mil
lion to build a sports complex.
The project, which was proposed a
few years ago includes multiple ball
fields as well as massive park space
over two tracts of land totaling more
than 64 acres.
At a called meeting Wednesday,
the council voted unanimously to
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Rebecca Leigh and other basketball campers practice jump shots at the Houston County basketball camp held at
Houston County High School this past week. For more, see 28.
See Perry grow
More than 10,000 new
homes on the horizon
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
Mike Beecham, Perry’s Director of
Community Development, has some
numbers that suggest that Perry’s small
town days are numbered as farmlands
and woodlands give way to residential
development.
According to the U.S. Census, Perry’s
population in 2003 was 10,566.
At this point the best estimate of lots
already cleared for single-family resi
dential building within the city limits is
10,300, which could effectively triple the
city’s population in the decade ahead.
In most cases developers are getting
apprdval for subdivisions which will be
built as Planned Unit Developments, in
one section at a time, with green space
and forested buffers. As for the total
growth projections, Beecham said that
the projected increase is likely to take
10 to 15 years.
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
SPORTS: Next stop-ItBA
tor Perry grad Al Thornton.
Aquanauts post
state qualifiers. 1D
Music and more. IU
take $1 million from the unreserved
general fund balance to pay for con
struction of the sports complex.
To help expedite the project, like
the city did with the recent con
struction of two fire stations, the
council also approved a resolution
permitting the city purchasing agent
to issue purchase orders for materi
als and services less than SIOO,OOO
without first getting council approv-
Jump shot
Beecham says that a total 0f4,277.704
acres of land'have been zoned residen
tial, and while there may be a few
quadriplexes (or four-home groupings)
built on some of that land, most of the
applications from developers are for
single family homes.
The standard estimate for residents
per home is 2.5.
The 10,300 home “guesstimate,”
doesn’t include land outside of the city
limits but within Perry’s service area,
and also doesn’t include apartment
growth such as the 300 units going up
now on Houston Lake Road.
Beecham said that his department is
keeping the BOE informed of all sub
division proposals, and that the city’s
comprehensive plan includes land for
industry as well as residential growth.
WWW.HHJNEW S .COM
Lee 111
Map on 7A
• School registration set to begin in July
UTOTYIE A good
imir day 1 tor women
in need.
Columnists and QD
more. uD
al. The purchase orders will still be
submitted to the council for review,
City Comptroller Bill Harte said.
“This gets us started,” said Mayor
Donald Walker. “We have the soil
disturbing permit and we’ll pur
chase silt fences to be in compliance
with city ordinances oh runoff.”
The park includes the 45 acres
remaining after the city sold 50 to
the county Board of Education for a
middle school and 19 acres the city
swapped to and later bought back
from the Air Force, explained City
School registration
set to begin in July
Special to the Journal
Registration for students new
to Houston County schools will be
held in July for the 2007-08 school
year. Parents should register stu
dents at their zoned school. School
zones may be verified online or
by calling the school. Zone maps
are also provided on the HCBOE
web page, http://www.hcbe.net/
zonemaps.html. Dates for enroll
ment and required documentation
are provided below. School begins
Aug. 6.
All Elementary Schools
Beginning July 13
8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Parents are encouraged to reg
ister their children as soon as
possible to provide a smooth tran
sition and proper placement of the
child and are asked to provide any
medical information that would
impact instruction.
See SCHOOL, page 8A
Two SECTIONS • 18 PAGES
■r *
Councilman Dean Cowart.
Cowart has been a forerunner for
the project and has been in con
tact with the Georgia High School
Association about the city hosting
the girls softball tournament. He
also suggested the park as a site for
a Macon Music farm team.
At the called meeting held imme
diately following the called Warner
Robins Redevelopment Agency
meeting Wednesday, the city coun
cil also approved a change in
See COMPLEX, page 8A
Man faces
multiple
charges
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Slamming on your brakes
while in front of a pursu
ing patrol car might get you
charged with aggravated
battery.
Keith Bernard Brown,
32, of Robins Landing
Apartments, 320 Carl
Vinson Parkway, found
that out Wednesday night.
Brown was also charged
with fleeing or attempting
to elude and improper lane
change for his driving along
Ga. 247 around 11:17 p.m.
Wednesday while fleeing
deputies into Bibb County.
The incident began when
Warner Robins Police
requested assistance from
the Sheriffs Office with
a vehicle that refused to
stop during a traffic stop
at Elberta Road and Ga.
247. Warner Robins Police
reportedly stopped following
due to department policies
and the deputy continued
up Ga. 247 into Bibb County
looking for the vehicle.
After a few miles the dep
uty called in that he would
be heading back to Houston
County and looked for a place
to turn around, when he saw
a vehicle just ahead of him
matching the description
of the one Warner Robins
Police had been chasing.
He verified the tag and
initiated a traffic stop on the
2007 Chevy GMC Yukon,
activating all emergency
equipment - lights and
sirens.
The driver reportedly
failed to yield for about a
mile before stopping the first
time. The deputy reportedly
gave loud verbal commands
repeatedly to “put the car
in park and show me your
hands.”
The driver reportedly told
the deputy “listen to me,
I’m going back to Warner
Robins,” and drove off, pull
ing a U-tum and heading
southbound on Ga. 247.
While continuing south at
speeds of 50 to 60 miles per
hour, and the deputy pursu
ing with lights and sirens
going, the offender, report
edly slammed on the brakes
right in front of the deputy.
When eventually stopped,
Brown reportedly told the
deputy “I just wanted you to
slow down.”
The deputy had to’
Set CHARGES, page SA
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