Newspaper Page Text
Sheriff forms drug squad
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Softball game at Dundee park, one of many activities which the Recreation Department coordinates.
Plenty to do in warm weather
/ More and more people have leisure
/time and more and more of them are
spending it participating in programs
sponsored or coordinated by the Griffin
Recreation Department.
“We are serving more people than we
have ever served before,” Larry Neill,
director of the Recreation Department,
said.
Neill said the future is bright for
recreation programs. “We will serve as
many people as possible for each
activity,” he said.
Recently, sign-ups for a night
ceramics program had to be curtailed
because of a lack of space. More than
100 people had signed up.
“We just did not have enough chairs
for more,” Neill said.
The ceramics program is indicative
of the participation in other recreation
activities. More than 2,000 people are
participating in organized ball
programs this spring. There are 133
teams in the Tee League, Little League,
Babe Ruth League and softball
program.
Neill said there has been an increased
in participation in almost all of the
leagues this year.
“If we have 500 people to sign up for
one of these programs, we will try our
best to place each one on a team. They
Gordon marks 125th year
with student center opening
Chancellor George Simpson of the
University System of Georgia was
among the educators on hand Sunday
for the ribbon cutting which opened the
new Student Center at Gordon Junior
College in Barnesville.
Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Williamson were
hosts for the open house affair all after
noon. Dr. Williamson is president.
Visitors packed the auditorium in the
new facility for the ceremony.
Hundreds of visitors milled about the
campus in a bright May day sunshine to
DAI NEWS
Daily Since 1872
might not get to play as much as they
would on smaller teams, but they will
get to play,” he said.
Neill said participation had increased
in other seasonal activities such as
football, volleyball, basketball, and
non-athletic activities.
Some of the programs continue year
round. Ceramics is one of these. Health
Classes for men is another.
The facilities of the Recreation
Department are being used more than
ever before, Neill said. He said there
were so many organized activities
there was no time for unorganized
activities.
“I would like to have it so a man could
come out and shoot a few baskets
(basketball) with his son if he desired.
But, the way we are now, we are using
both of our gyms and some of the
facilities of the school system,” Neill
said.
Neill said the Recreation Department
has a good working relationship with
the school system.
“We use their gyms for basketball
and they use our facilities for some of
their ball games (baseball.”
Some of the programs Neill would
like to see in the near future and some
that have been requested most are
track, soccer, wrestling and
enjoy band concerts and other
activities.
Ice cream, cake, cookies, soft drinks
and other refreshments were served
visitors during the afternoon.
A huge cake marked the 125th
anniversary of the institution which
was Gordon Military College before it
became a junior college a few years
ago.
Many Griffinites were among the
visitors to the campus during the
afternoon.
GRIFFIN
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Monday Afternoon, May 2,1977
gymnastics. Neill said revenue was the
big problem in implementing the new
programs. Gymnastic equipment is
expensive and it would take a lot of
money to equip a room properly, Neill
said.
“All of the programs suggested to us
will be given consideration before the
next budget year. This does not mean
the programs will be included in the
budget,” he said.
In addition to the organized
programs, the department helps'
coordinate many activities conducted
at the park. These include Kennel Club
Dog Show, Special Olympics, the
Griffin Old Car Club Show in the spring,
the July 4 Celebration sponsored by the
Jaycees and others.
The new recreation complex at
Fairmont Park is expected to be an aid
in relieving pressure at the Griffin
Recreation Center.
“This is the first center that will be
built as a city-county effort. The Griffin
Recreation Center was built by a
private corporation and leased to the
city until the note was paid. The center
at Patrick Park was built by the Griffin
American Business Club.
Neill said the facilities at Patrick
Park would have been impossible
Building permits soar
The Spalding County Building
Inspections Department issued permits
for the largest dollar amount in a single
month in April.
The total valuation of the 98 permits
was $2,226,910.
The only other month in which the
valuation has topped $2 million was
June of 1971 when the total was
$2,069,000.
Permits issued in March by the
Spalding County department totaled
$1,314,524.
The city of Griffin Building Inspec
tions Department issued permits in
April with a total valuation of $727,608.
The permits issued by the county
without the cooperation of the
American Business Club and Dundee
Mills. Also, another parcel of property
was made available by Dundee for
recreation.
When completed, he believes the
facilities at Fairmont will be used as
much as the facilities at the City Park.
Participation is up on the golf course,
Neill said. The 18-hole course at city
park is operated by the Recreation
Department.
Neill believes more land will be
needed in the future to serve the people
of the city and county.
“More people are coming into the
county and I believe more of them
would participate in recreation
activities if they were nearer a
facility,” Neill said.
“I would like to see any new
subdivisions be required to set aside a
certain amount of land of recreation
facilities,” he said. He admitted it was
almost an impossibility to expect a
developer to give up part of his land for
recreation.
As more and more people move into
Griffin and Spalding, Larry Neill and
the staff of the Griffin Recreation
Department work harder to serve them
better.
included one for $568,369 for the con
struction of the youth detention center
at Williamson Road and the Griffin-
Barnesville By-Pass.
A permit for $104,000 was issued for
the construction of a Masonic Lodge on
U. S. 19 south of Griffin.
Permits for 38 single family
residences totaled $1,258,300; 27 mobile
home permits, $154,100 ; 26 additions to
homes, $59,250; 4 pools, $20,891; and an
addition to the Red Oak United
Methodist Church, $62,000.
The city permits included one for
SIBO,OOO to Otis Blake for construction
of the Sambo’s Restaurant at 1000 West
Taylor street, site of the old Randall
Vol. 105 No. 103
Two Spalding Sheriff’s officers have
been assigned to work full time with a
newly created county Drug
Investigative Division.
They are Sgt. David Head who has
been in the detective division and
Deputy Lee Oxford who was
transferred from the Uniform Patrol
Division.
Sheriff Dwayne Gilbert took the
action upon a recommendation by a
special called session of the Spalding
County Grand Jury. It found that
Griffin was an area center for drug
traffic.
The new division went into operation
Sunday.
No extra money has been
appropriated for the project. Sheriff
Gilbert said one patrol shift will be one
man short and other areas in his
department will be operated on less
funds. He said the unit can continue for
the remainder of the year but will have
no money for next year’s operations.
County Commission Chairman P. W.
Hamil said the county will try to work
something out when the new budget is
considered in December.
Hamil said the county is doing all it
can to cooperate and realizes the drug
division must continue into the next
fiscal year.
Oxford will work under Sgt. Head.
Head has been extensively trained in
drug enforcement. He spent 3 months in
a Washington, D. C. school under the
Drug Enforcement Administration.
Oxford will be trained on the job and
will attend GBI drug squad schools
within the next few weeks.
The 2 men will be available to fight
drugs 24 hours a day. They hope to
cooperate with the city’s drug division
to reduce the problem in both Griffin
and Spalding County, Gilbert said.
Effective May 15, Deputy Rollin
Busbin will be transferred from the
Uniform Patrol Division to the
Final meet
on schools
The fourth and final in a series on
school needs in the Griffin-Spalding
School System will be held tonight at
Jackson Road elementary school
beginning at 7:30.
School board members and other
officials will outline a bond issue
proposal and answer questions about it.
The public is invited.
People
...and things
Old timer fondly looking at old model
on display at antique car show here and
recalling, “I remember when it came
out.”
Tiny little girl at open house on
Gordon Campus, holding Gordon
balloon in one hand and ice cream in the
other, enjoying the afternoon.
Girl dispatcher at Griffin State Patrol
post smiling, “We’ve had no accidents
since last Friday.”
and Blakely building.
Other permits issued in the city in
cluded: 2 for new single family
residences, $130,000; 2 new com
mercial, $202,500; 43 additions to
homes, $52,436; 19 additions to com
mercial establishments, $326,210 ; 3
additions tb churches, $2,490; 3 utility
buildings, $3,150; 1 pool, $3,532; 7 signs,
$7,290.
Recently, building inspectors for the
city and county said they expected 1977
to be one of the best building years in
the history of the building inspections
departments. They said indications are
that the trend begun in March and April
will carry through the year.
Weather
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN AREA—
Partly cloudy tonight and Tuesday with
chance of showers. Low tonight around
60 and high Tuesday in upper 70s.
LOCAL WEATHER—High at
Spalding Forestry Unit Sunday 78, low
this morning 61.
Investigative Division to replace Head.
He will work under Detective Sgt.
Larry Campbell.
Both men will be enrolled in
advanced schools on law enforcement
as soon as possible, Sheriff Gilbert said.
Nixon
scandal
revived
NEW YORK (AP) - One thousand
days after his resignation, Richard M.
Nixon, Watergate and secret tapes are
before the American public again for a
revival of yesterday’s scandals.
Transcripts of unpublished tapes,
showing Nixon’s involvement in the
scandal and in hush money payments
earlier than was known before, blos
somed Sunday in two leading
newspapers and two weekly news
magazines.
The new accounts added only small
pebbles to the Watergate rockslide that
forced Nixon’s resignation in August
1974. But they served to focus interest in
his first television interview on the
subject since then.
The interview, paid-for and con
ducted by television personality David
Frost, airs Wednesday over 145
stations. Nixon reportedly received
$600,000 plus a share of the profits for
his participation.
The same tape transcripts that
surfaced in the New York Times, the
Washington Post, Time and Newsweek
magazines were used by Frost when the
interviews were taped last month in
California. Nixon expressed surprise
that Frost had them.
“It hasn’t been published yet?”
Nixon asked when Frost quoted from one
taped conversation.
“No,” Frost replies. “I think it’s
available to anybody who consults the
records.”
Time magazine, in a lengthy account
of the nearly 29 hours Nixon answered
Frost’s questions, quotes the former
President as saying his immediate
actions after the burglary June 17,1972,
at the Watergate offices of the
Democratic party were designed “not
to try to cover up a criminal action” but
to contain the scandal for political
reasons.
“We weren’t going to allow people in
the White House, people in the (re
election) committee at the highest
levels who were not involved to be
smeared by the whole thing,” Nixon is
quoted.
Time concedes “some brief crucial
moments of this taping have been kept
in strictest secrecy by Frost.” Indeed,
one question surely asked — why Nixon
didn’t destroy those damaging tapes —
is mentioned nowhere in the
magazine’s account.
The Country Parson
by Frank Clark
111
“A good sermon tells you how
your neighbors ought to
behave.”
