Newspaper Page Text
Hyde Park issue still bubbling
By Rhonda Y. Maree
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Despite dealing with the U.S.
Supreme Court ruling against
the 11th District, Rep. Cynthia
McKinney has vowed to keep con
taminated Hyde Park at the top
of her agenda, a member of her
staff told residents of the subdi
vision,
“As long as Congresswoman
McKinney represents this area,
it's going to fall within her juris
diction, and she’s going to do
everything she can to solve the
problem,” said Reuben Mestas,
spokesperson for Ms. McKinney.
Mr. Mestas and lawyers Will
iam R. McCracken and Harry
James gave residents an update
on their case at a recent commu
nity meeting at Mary L. Utley
Community Center.
Residents have filed a class
action suit against Southern
Wood Piedmont, a wood treating
plant once located near Hyde
Park and neighboring subdivi
sions. The plant closed in 1990
Chief McLane faces demotion
. From page one
“ “That’s a morale problem for
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Y But none of this is news to Mr.
“ McLane. The two heads of law
“? enforcement have been meeting
" regularly and discussing future
“ changes in the area’s law en
forcement.
“I couldn’t let the man be sit
ting out — hanging on a limb —
thinking he was gonna be mak
ing $61,000, and I've got two peo
ple making in the early fifties
doing the same job that he’s do
ing,” Mr. Webster said.
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for a state-ordered cleanup.
Serious health problems and
numerous deaths have been at
tributed tohazardous wood treat
ing chemicals which seeped into
residents’ soil and drinking wa
ter.
Litigation, which has been on
going for more than five years,
involves money for medical mon
itoring, property damage and
personal injury.
“I think there will be some de
finitive rulings that will indicate
the future course of the case lat
er this fall, probably before
Thanksgiving,” Mr. McCracken
said.
In a hearing last week before
Judge Dudley H. Bowen Jr., Mr.
McCracken succeeded in getting
a witness for the defense to ad
mit that Southern Wood Pied
mont office personnel imported
drinking water from Windsor
Spring, an admission that plain
tiffs’ attorneys say hints at knowl
edge of contamination.
As Mr. James and Mr.
McCracken fight in the court
room, Ms. McKinney has long
Mr. Webster also pointed out
that Augusta and Richmond
County officers have the lowest
starting salariesinthe area, with
the police department at $17,288
and the sheriff's department at
$18,541.
The starting salary at Colum
bia County Sheriff's Department
is $18,928. Hephzibah police of
ficers startat $20,700, and North
Augusta officers start at $24,537.
“If you want to create a morale
problem, then have people work
at different salary grades.... 1
don’t like a morale problem, I
want people to do their jobs. I
think this is something we’ve got
to look long and hard at,” Mr.
Webster said.
Local News
been leading the battle to win
federal support for the residents.
“If they change the lines and
Augusta is not within her realm
of influence, the people of Hyde
Park have developed a special
place in her heart, and I believe
that she will continue to be very
vocal about it no matter who rep
resents this area and make sure
that they get as involved as she
has,” Mr. Mestas said.
According to Mr. Mestas, Ms.
McKinney frequently discusses
the plight of Hyde Park with the
president and other leaders in
Washington “because she thinks
this is a travesty, and she wants
this problem solved.”
Currently, the Environmental
Protection Agency and other or
ganizations are studying the pos
sibility of relocating Hyde Park
residents.
“Right now, they're kind of con
cerned that you were not moved
out before, and they’re not really
sure they can justify moving you
out now, but at least they’re ex
ploring it,” Mr. Mestas said.
Mr. Mestas pointed out the in
“Morale is what [ count on,” he
continued. “If I'm treating him
right and treating him equal, he’s
got no right not to produce for
me.”
Mr. Webster said there will be
many changes, but he assured
the task force that “things are
going to be done right.”
But task force member Melvin
Ford, who is a city councilman,
said Augusta police officers won’t
be treated fairly. '
“Sheriff Webster said that he
has molded his department,” he
said. “So his people are going to
get privileges that the Augusta
Police Department, under the
same merit, should receive, but
probably won’t. He’s saying that
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Attorney William R. McCracken
represents Hyde Park residents.
Photo by Jimmy Carter
effectiveness of treating people’s
health problems only to return
them to the source.
“We take you out for that med
ical treatment, but what do we
do with you after we're finished?
We send you right back to the
neighborhood,” he said.
Ms. McKinney’s office, with the
help of local consultants and or
ganizations, has devised a buy
out plan that has been presented
to President Clinton’s chief of
staff, Leon Panetta, Mr. Mestas
said.
everyone will be treated fairly,
but in politics, that’s hard todo.”
Mayor Charles DeVaney, task
force chairman, said details such
as pay and rank will be left up to
Mr. Webster.
To help him with the funda
mentals of running law enforce
ment under a newly consolidat
ed government, Mr. Webster will
send three men, including Mr.
McLane, to various counties that
have undergone similar chang
es.
Mr. Webster also cited retire
ment plans, precincts and zones,
and rules and regulations asgrou
ble spots for restructured law
enforcement.
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AUGUSTA FOCUS
' From page one
'~ continue to do with government
’ and, in picking and choosing,
we're saying a lot about the type
| of people we are — whether we're
going to help our kids, and what
it’s going to be like to grow old in
America,” she said.
Accordingto Dr. Shalala, Pres
ident Clinton and Georgia Gov
ernor Zell Miller have a common
plan “to turn the welfare pro
- gram upside down.”
. She said, “They actually want
' to change the culture of the of
fice so the moment someone
walks in, the person doesn’t just
sit there and tell you what you're
eligible for, but tulks to you about
what you need to get out and
support your family.
“The welfare bill that we’re
working toward is a bill that
gives the states the flexibility to
take the resources and build
them around the individual so
that noone is on welfare for very
' long, but if they need welfare
| temporarily, it’s there for them.
' The whole effort is to move peo
ple as quickly into jobs and help
‘i them stay there,” she said.
| In situations such as Ms.
' Roberts’, it’s tough for people
to get back in school and bet
ter their lives, Dr. Shalala
said. If Republicans have it
' their way, times will be even
! tougher.
| “Inthe Republican welfare bill
'on the House side, they cut out
‘all the education and training
; money,” Dr. Shalala said.
| Sucha plan signals a change
lin philosophy over the years, she
said.
“John Kennedy used to talk
about lifting all boats so we all
went up together. We've got a
crowd in Washington now that
only wants to lift the yachts,”
she said.
July 27, 1995
“We've got to leave some edu
cation and training money for
the people for whom it's appro
priate, with everybody thinking
work, work, work, work,” she
said,
Dr. Shalala stressed the im
portance of child care to getting
people in school and on jobs.
“The key, which some of our
Republican opponents refuse to
accept, is adequate and quality
child care,” she said.
Frank Rumph, East Central
Health District director who was
a panelist at the forum, agreed
that quality health care is im
portant and emphasized the
need for better prenatal care.
According to Dr. Rumph, Geor
gia ranks 48th in the nation in
infant mortality, with more than
1,100 babies dying each year.
“The condition of women and
children often reflects the condi
tion of the entire community be
cause the infant mortality rate
also reflects the economic situa
tion of the community.
“It also reflects the medical
condition of the community and,
in general, it says something
about the overall quality of life
for the entire community,” Dr.
Rumph said.
A question raised by someone
in the audience also pertaining
tochildren’s well-being involved
Republican proposals to cut free
school lunches.
“We've got to make sure that
we're not cutting out programs
that have a great deal to do with
how well children can learn,”
Dr. Shalala said.
Other panelists participating
in the forum were Lisa Clancy, a
teenage mother; Tommie Royal,
a social security disability recip
ient; and Sharon Bivens with
the Department of Family and
Children Services.
3