Newspaper Page Text
River Creek apartments still hazardous
rom page one
SAshes left burning in the hall
ay
®Residents not instructed on the
disposal of fireplace ashes
®Fire window in exit corridor
thick enough to withstand heat
fire
S@Water s stem on 4-inch line,
codes require 6-inch line
S@Apartment management failed
monitor stairwells for rubbish,
The report was prompted by
üblic attacks spearheaded by
iver Creek apartment property
ager Fran Hall In response,
he Augusta-Richmond County
ire Department has released a
port titled: River Creek Apart
nt Investigation. According to
. G.B. Hannan, the fire official
ponsible for inspecting the
rned-out complex following a
- 19 fire which completely de
ished the 16-unit building, over
. River Creek management 1s
med irresponsible in failing to
onitor obvious fire hazards at the
plex which led to the destruc
ive inferno
'State flag controversy headed for legislature
From page one
ho wear masks for safety
South Carolina's mask law 1s
similar to New York's that drew
attention when New York City
police said in October that Klan
members could not wear their
hoods at a rally. A federal appeals
court said the 1845 law was un
constitutional. The Klan also has
won legal victories over anti-mask
laws in Indiana and Pennsylva
fia towns, \ ?
' Brown’s bill also would oh'n
nate penalties for burning a crols,
BL’s Restaurant
1117 Laney-Walker Blvd.
Augusta, GA 30901
Watch for the re-opening of
the restaurant in February
2000! Breakfast and lunch
menus planned for
Thursdays, Fridays and
Sundays. Stay tuned
for details!
Call 722-4222 for rental information.
Inhis reportdated Monday, Jan 3,
14 Hannan saud the “complete and
full investigation™ of the fire was
prompted by Ms. Hall's constant bar
rage of criticism about the way Fire
Chief Ronnie Few and hus firefighters
handled the fire.
On Dec. 27, Ms. Hall addressed
Richmond County Board of Com
missioners, Mayor Bob Young and
city administrator Randy Oliver at
their regular meeting — stating
her concerns about how she felt
Chief Few could have saved the
building. Published reports, edito
rials and even a cartoon caricature
were subsequently published, criti
cizing the chief for not aggressively
attacking the fire.
When informed the fire
department’s comprehensive re
port was primarily compiled as a
defensive and educational rcaction
to her public proclamation of dis
satisfaction which was reported as
a lead, front-page story in The Au
gusta Chronucle, Ms. Hall said she
had no regrets about her actions
Her statements to the media and
tothe commissioners, she said, are
based on her reactions as an “indi
vidual resident of River Creek —
not as property manager at the
which he said is free speech
Also in the House 1s Rep. John
Graham Altman’s proposal toban
any race-based political caucus
from operating on House prop
erty and prohibit its recognition
in the House. His bill ils aimed at
the Legislative Black Caucus.
“If there was a white caucus it
would not be allowed to stand,”
said Altman, a Charleston Re
publican and flag supporter.
“We've got a double standard and
I want to knock 1t out.”
Son, ‘Darvell Jabkson; a black
Demgperat from Columbia, gard
Altman was trying to get head
City / Region
complex,” Ms. Hall stressed.
“I ived there too. | am not speak-
Ing as a representative of my com
pany, but as a someone who was also
bumed out.” said the 28-year-old
singie mother. River Creek 1s owned
by AIMCO, Inc., an Atlanta-based
property and apartment manage
ment corporation. The Focus was
unable to contact AIMCO spokes
person Dick Lisska for comment.
Ms. Hall remains steadfast in
criticizing Few's 300-member
firefighting force and how she be-
Lieves they mishandled putting out
the blaze
“I think they screwed up, and 1
never hid my feelings about this A
hose exploded, and why didn't they
have a 1999 model truck out there”
They had a 1970 s model with a
history of mechanical problems. It
wasa pumptruck thatdidn't pump
water,” she said. “There weren't
any pressure problems at the hy
drants. Maybe they do have some
training problems,” she added.
Along with most of the residents
in Building 10, Ms. Hall was caught
without renters insurance policy
for fire coverage. “I lost as much as
everyone else. It's a learning expe
rience for all of us,” she admitted.
lines and furtner erode relations
over the flag “He’s drawing a line
in the sand. And that's fine if
that's what he wants todo,” Jack
son said
Messages left at the homes of
caucus Chairman Sen. John
Matthews, D-Orangeburg, and
Vice Chairman Rep Joe Neal, D-
Hopkins, were not immediately
returned.
Previous attempts to remove the
flag. which has flown atop the
Statehouse since 1962, have
failed. In 1995, lawmakers gave
themselves sole power to remove
it
She acknowledged the sutpouring
of assistance from local human ser
vice agencies, grocery stores and
private citizens in providing food,
toys and clothes to burned out vic
tims. “Mavbe 1t was because of the
Christmas, but I like to think if
something hike this happened 1n
July, people would still be as warm ”
she smd Ms Hall has 13-month
old daughter
Lt Haddan, a 20-year fire de
partment veteran with the city and
county, saud neither Building 10
nor other buildings on the apart
ment property, were constructed
under current National Fire Pro
tection Agency Life Safety Build
ing Codes 101. Therefore, he said,
when the complex was constructed
in 1980, 1t simply had to pass exist
ing county building inspections of
the time period If the complex is
reconstructed, the new building
must meet (NF P A federal fire
regulations including protective
fire walls beyond the roof separat
ing each apartment unit, fire-re
tardant windows and fire-resistant
exit cornidors “to allow people be
tween one and four hours” to get
out of a building, said the lieuten
ant.
Flag supporters say the banner
represents heritage and refuse to
budge until the NAACP lifts the
boycott. The Republican-con
trolled House has the votes to
keep the flag flving
House Speaker David Wilkins
said leaders in the House and
Senate must try to keep peace
“That flag won't create one job,
it won’t educate one child, 1t won't
build one school building,” Wilkins
said “We all have to be statesmen
enough to disagree agreeably and
to find the areas where we do
agree and debate the issues that
are important to the state.”
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AUGUSTA FOCUS
Commissioners vote
From page one
T e i
$417,587, this year he was bud
geted for $420 878
Many fear that this loosely regu
lated position gave Wall too much
monetary, and legal power, and
would be better maintained if di
vided among several people,
Cheek stated.
On Wednesday, Williams,
Cheek and Wall met, and dis
cussed, among other things, Wall's
possible re-appointment as county
attorney
Before the start of Tuesday's
meeting five commissioners-elect,
Ulmer Bridges, Bill Kuhlke. Ri
chard Colclough, Cheek, and Wil
liams, took the oath office
With no debate, the commis
Alleged robber arrested
after golf-course pursuit
Aiken
The Aiken County Sheriff's Of.
fice, with the assistance of the
Aiken Department of Public
Safety, has arrested a Beech Is
land man following an afternoon
pursuit
Earl Emerson Goforth, 43, 585.
A Pine Log Rd., Beech Island,
South carolina, 1s charged with
Burglary-second degree (two
counts), Forgery (three counts)
and Malicious Injury to Real Prop
.i‘
sion proceeded to unanimously
elect Willie Mays as mavor pro
tempore Former mayor pro tem
pore Lee Beard, stepped down
graciously. beginning the meet
ing with Mavs' nomination
After meeting with Mayor Bob
Young, Mays carned out his first
duty as mayor pro-tempore, and
announced standing committee
appointments for the new term
Mays appointed Bridges as
chairman of the Engineering Ser
vices Committee, and Shepard
chairman of the Finance Com
mittee. Henry Brigham main
tained his position as chair of
Admimistrative Services, while
Lee Beard took Freddie Handy's
position presiding over Public
Safety Commissioner Colclough
will take Mays’ place as head of
Public Services
erty
ACSO investigators last mght
attempted to arrest the man at
his home after receving informa
tion to be on the lookout for the
Goforth The nextday, ADPS spot
ted Goforth driving his pickup
truck ADPS pursued Goforth who
drove his vehicle onto a golf course
at Houndslake Country Club, and
then abandoned it ADPS officers
later captured Goforth in Aiken
Estates subdivision and held him
there until police arnved
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JANUARY 6. 2000
3A