Newspaper Page Text
♦ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008
10A
County approves Perry-HC Airport grant request, more
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Managing Editor
The Peny-Houston County
Airport Authority is continu
ing to pave its way into the
future - in the hope it’s both
literally and figuratively.
With two mqjor projects
already on the horizon, said
Art MacDonald, Chairman of
the authority, the organiza
tion has had a third potential
one fall into its lap.
“We received notice in
November,” he said, “some
what unexpectedly, that
Georgia DOT had tentatively
approved $255,000 in fund
ing for one of the projects
that had for some time been
on our list of capital improve
ments, but for which hon
estly we did not expect to get
funding.”
That was the good news.
The potentially bad news,
PERRY
From page iA
“We’ve been drawing traf
fic by lowering fuel costs,”
McDonald said.
Kusar said, “That’s an
awful lot of investment to
run a gas station,”
McDonald spoke then
about the importance of the
airport in the county’s eco
nomic development and said:
“It has no justification other
than to contribute to the eco
nomic development of the
area.”
This began a theme which
ran through the evening,
with Kusar asking if other
council members and depart
ments had: “No ideas of a
nickel that could be saved?”
He asked that the council
vote on his earlier sugges
tion that they not attend this
year’s Georgia Municipal
Association meeting and
when Councilman Willie
King argued that the situa
tion should be looked at “one
day at a time,” Kusar said,
“You’re going to need every
nickel. This economy is not
going to change on inaugura
tion day.”
Councilwoman Phyllis
Bynum-Grace countered,
saying, “It’s not in as bad
H ' 1 . ■■ I
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ENI
Mary Ellen Mulley stands in front of her home in Somerset
Subdivision. Her fire insurance rating has gone from a
rating of 5 to a 9 because of her homes location in rela
tion to the firestation.
ARTS
From page lA
on the funds it has - less
them S3OO.
Chase told the Perry City
Council on Tuesday night
there is some money that has
been donated for special proj
ects, and space for its office
is donated by the Houston
County Commissioners, the
operating funds have dwin
dled to the point that the
organization won’t be able to
pay its telephone bill or the
salary of its part-time office
manager after the end of the
year.
“We just don’t have opera
tional money,” Chase said,
noting that the group had
been trying to build its dues
paying membership but even
success with that won’t keep
the organization going.
No solutions were forth
MacDonald said, was the fact
it had *a short suspense -
“They asked us to be on con
tract with a grant by the end
of the fiscal year,” he said.
“This came in November but
they asked us to confirm in
the positive or negative this
month, because in order to
get on the contract in June,
we really need to do some
design work in January. ”
The project is to connect the
existing northern and south
ern taxilanes at the airport
thus, MacDonald said, facili
tating access to the ramp and
taxiway by the occupants of
future corporate hangars.
To that end, MacDonald
asked the Houston County
Commissioners to approve
half of $38,500 now, as well as
to give a “warm ftizzy” that
they were on board to try and
obtain half of $127,862 - the
a shape as you think it is,”
referring to the city’s bud
get.
The council is currently
having each budgeted item
brought up for individual
approval and voting, and
took the time to approve a
postage machine purchase,
as well as a new truck and
mosquito sprayer which are
already listed in the budget.
Kusar said that in the pri
vate sector, “We shop every
thing to death,” keeping up a
theme of cutting costs wher
ever possible.
Also at the work session,
Fire Chief Joel Gray present
ed the council with a written
report on the City’s situa
tion with Insurance Services
Offices rating for insurance
in the areas that are greater
than five road miles from
the city’s single fire station.
There was no good news here,
either, as council was told
that due an administrative
oversight by ISO the city had
not been informed by until
this week that the ratings
(on which insurance premi
ums are based for property
owners) had gone up. The big
impact is on properties that
are more than five road miles
from the fire station that
now have a Class 10 rating.
At the regular meeting
coming at the council meet
ing. Mayor Jim Worrall said
“It would be a shame to let
(HAA) go by the wayside.”
It was also suggested that
private funding sources and
civic clubs might help.
The situation looks bleak to
Chase, and to Belinda Taylor,
the HAA office manager
whose job is about to end.
Chase said on Wednesday
that the group needs around
$6,000 to keep operating long
enough to host the events
already planned, includ
ing another performance
by the Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra.
As for closing up, Chase
said, “I don’t see an option.
What we need is a miracle.”
Anyone with ideas on how
to save this organization
should call Tish Chase at
957-6352, or Edna Garrett,
HAA president, at 967-
2817.
remainder that would come
due - in fiscal 2010. They
did, voting unanimously in
that regard. However, they
also did so with a caveat.
That $19,250 they approved
is half because the other part
- half of that $12,862 as well
- lies on the shoulders of the
fellow airport sponsor, the
City of Perry. The caveat is
that their payment is contin
gent on Perry also paying its
share.
MacDonald, prior to the
commissioners’ meeting
Tuesday evening, said he had
approached Perry with the
same request just prior. The
City of Perry he said indi
cated it was favorable to the
grant funds but that it also
might have trouble finding
the money. Its representa
tives, MacDonald said, said
could not make a decision
Tish Chase (see related story
on Houston Arts Alliance)
informed the council that the
Houston Arts Alliance is on
the verge of folding because
of having less than S3OO in
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At Security Bank, we think its time to get back
to the basics. Our employees are sharing some of
their favorite family recipes and we’d like to pass
them along to you. You don’t have to spend
much money to enjoy simple homemade treats.
Instead, spend a little time in the kitchen with
your friends and family this holiday season.
That’s my bank:
www.securitybank.net
until January, leaving it to be
determined if it indeed will
come to fruition.
In other business the com
missioners approved:
• A resolution in support
of a program implemented by
the Department of Housing
and Urban Development
“designed to assist local gov
ernment to purchase aban
doned or foreclosed proper
ties and sell or lease them
back to low and moderate
income families that have
been displaced from their
homes.”
For Georgia, the
Department of Housing and
Urban Development has allo
cated $75.9 million and for
Houston County that breaks
out to $610,040. The money
can also be used to demolish
blighted structures.
It was noted by the com
their bank account.
The council also voted
down a proposal supported
by Councilman Charles Lewis
to reduce speed on Valley
Road. Public Safety Director
mission that the area need
ing the greatest assistance -
having the most foreclosures
- is Warner Robins. To that
end, they voted to designate
Warner Robins to be the lead
applicant for applying for the
money as well as adminis
tering the program. Warner
Robins in turn voted like
wise during it council meet
ing Monday.
The target area is reported
to be the Tabor Drive area,
according to the commission
ers’ handout, “demolish the
blighted structures, and then
offer various financing incen
tives to private developers
to build new single family
homes for low or moderate
income families. The pro
gram would be similar to the
‘New Town’ development off
Watson Boulevard.” Warner
Robins will reportedly use
George Potter argued that
there are big trucks on the
road, and while the purpose
of the proposal was obviously
to make the road safe for
golf carts used by Houston
Security
Bank
Warner Robins
119 S. Houston Lake Rd 722-7100
302 Russell Pkwy 749-1320
849 Warren Dr (Hwy 96) 722-7170
1869 Watson Blvd 749-1340
i*eny
1208 Washington St 722-7130
Member FDIC
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
some of its own money on the
project as well.
• Adopting an amend
ed Section 97 to the
Comprehensive Land
Development Regulation on
Signs.
• Releasing $45,000 in
2006 SPLOST funds to the
Houston County Public
Libraiy for the purchase of
books. (Note: $351,000 total
SPLOST dollars have been
earmarked for books.)
• Raising the salaries
of commissioners Tom
McMichael, Gail Robinson
and Larry Thomson (from
$13,988.92 to $14,388.64) as
well as for the sheriff and
the clerk of the Superior
Court. These raises it was
noted were not cost of living
increases but adjustments
due to “term longevity based
on re-election.”
Springs residents, it was his
position that it would lead to
tragedy if a truck hit a golf
cart. Lewis made the motion
anyway, but it died for lack of
a second.