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About Griffin daily news. (Griffin, Ga.) 1924-current | View Entire Issue (May 11, 1977)
If the city and county commissioners do what they should, both governments would get proportionate relief. If they don’t, the people should turn us out — Frank Thomas. flB IM W WJBW '■* >**■■*?-•*«<*•# sJJB I -,-»> -I r i “IBM T BiT •• 3fWr’~~*' iw i1 9f i I I r ▼ *W. ' '"- ® -—II • ’ -^X ( f | -C\ Hk E/ act yE-WF |H F Jk [ jfch J P® - flk •'Bf ' BF ® ' I ..^ I BjJp JB Father Timothy Ondahl (!) and the Rev. Charley Riggs. Prison chaplains serve ‘cafeteria’ ATLANTA (AP) - Father Timothy Ondahl and the Rev. Charley Riggs serve a walled parish of 2,200 captive men whose religious affiliations run from the Salvation Army to the Hanafi Muslims. They are chaplains at the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. “We coordinate 22 different religious groups which meet a total of 79 times a week,” said the Rev. Mr. Riggs. “And we have as good a cafeteria of religious styles as you will find.” But the chaplains say their most important work is meeting the in dividual religious needs of the prisoners. “Most of the prisoners we see have a religious orientation that is rather magical,” said Father Ondahl. “You holler ‘God’ when you’re up to your eyeballs in alligators.” “Many prisoners are out of touch with any religious orientation,” the Rev. Mr. Riggs said. The two chaplains have offices up two narrow flights of stairs in the prison proper. An iron-barred door is shut and locked to prevent theft when they are not in their offices. “Most of the prisoners we see,” GRIFFIN Daily Since 1872 City, county divided on local option tax Spalding County residents may get to vote on a 1 percent local option sales tax before the November school bond referendum. The city and county commissioners discussed the matter at length during a joint meeting Tuesday morning but reached no agreement. If a referendum passes county wide, some $1.4-million income would be earned by the city and county govern ments. About SBOO,OOO would go to the city and $600,000 to the county. Under a state law, the county would be obligated to roll back ad valorem taxes on property outside the city limits for the total amount collected each year. County taxes on city property would not be affected. The city, however, would be required to reduce its ad valorem taxes for the first year only. A referendum was held county wide less than 2 years ago and was defeated Father Ondahl said, “are filled with anxiety. They haven’t been able to cope. Most of them are genuinely aware that there is more to life than what they have.” The most serious problem faced by prisoners, the Rev. Mr. Riggs said, is “they have sensed a lack of love in their lives. “We try to live out our own com mitments and care for them. A number of conversion experiences have cen tered on the presence of another caring person,” he said. Many of the prisoners live in groups of four in cell blocks piled five or six stories high. The highest cells are fenced to prevent inmates from falling or jumping. A program run by Father Ondahl— “Genesis Two,”—aims at restoring a background of love. “The program uses scripture, common experience, mental health techniques, to teach that if we are trying to love, we must first see that we are lovable people,” he said. The chaplains do little overt evangelism. “The product sells itself,” said Father Ondahl, “and basically I’m (Continued on page three.) Griffin, Ga., 30223, Wednesday Afternoon, May 11,1977 by a vote of almost 5 to 1. If it's defeated again, the city could hold its own referendum. And if passed in the city, city residents would reap all the benefits, having some $1.2-million in extra income, more than enough to cut out all city property taxes, except the 2.4-mills for bonded indebtedness. City garbage collection fees could also be reduced $3 monthly, from $5 to $2. Residents who live outside the city limits would pay a large share but Vould reap no benefits. Some $200,000 annually would come from citizens who shop in Griffin but reside outside of Spalding County. According to the state law, the county has the first choice of holding a referendum. Before the city can call its own, the county first must either refuse to hold a county wide referendum or the measure must be defeated by county voters. People ••• and things Men using street closed sign while working on sidewalk in front of city haU. Boy about 6 years old taking nap in back of pickup truck parked downtown on South Hill street. Three husky men struggling to put big tank back on pickup truck at Solomon and 14th streets intersection while other drivers wait patiently for them to clear the way. Pike okays school budget for new year The Pike County Board of Education has adopted a $1,656,118 budget for the 1977-78 year. That figure only includes state and local funds. The local effort is $4,037 less than the 1976-77 budget. Final budget approval was made Tuesday night at the board’s regular monthly meeting. The board also approved a resolution, approving the purchase of lockers by the Pike PTA. The PTA will borrow money to purchase lockers and repay it through locker rental and projects. The lockers will be installed before the 1977-78 term begins. Board members also approved 3 new teachers, a bus driver and a teacher aide salary schedule. The 1977-78 school calendar was approved. The school board called a special meeting for May 17 to hear a report from Bill Cody on Pike’s comprehensive study. The State Department of Education recently submitted a written report to the Pike Board of Education that contains recommendations from the study committee on facilities, program and building needs of schools in the county. Mr. Cody, of the State Department of Education, will meet with the board to discuss those recommendations. Dr. Jim Mullins, superintendent, said the recommendations were very supportive of the educational program in Pike. “There are suggestions for building programs and expansion of several programs,” the superintendent said. Dr. Mullins also reported to the board that every school in Pike County had been evaluated and found in compliance with all standards. “Citizens of Pike County should be proud to learn that all schools have met all standards and accreditation criteria,” Dr. Mullins said. The city took the first step some 3 weeks ago when it asked the county to hold a county wide referendum. The county has 90 days to answer and if it decides to go ahead, must set the voting date within 45 days which would be sometime in August or September. County Commissioner Reid Childers said if the city is determined to have a referendum, the county will go ahead, but “if it is left up to us, we would not”. Terming the sales tax “the fairest of all taxes”, Childers questioned whether the city would encourage its defeat county wide so that it (the city) could hold its own referendum. “If the county has no relief, it has no recourse but to increase property taxes,” he said. The commissioners took divided stands on the issue. City Commissioner Louis Goldstein opposed a county wide sales tax unless its proceeds would be used to reduce Pair of pants saved ’em ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - A man who spent 17 hours adrift with a fishing companion, clinging to an in flated pair of blue jeans, says he is sunburned and bug-bitten, but alive and happy. “We beat the whole thing,” David Beaufait said in an interview Tuesday night, as he recounted his castaway ordeal. Beaufait said he, Dr. W. B. Walker and Dr. Milton J. Arras, all of St. Simons Island, were fishing from a sandbar on the island Sunday when their boat began to float away from them. “Jack (Arras) went after the boat and Dr. Walker stepped off the sandbar to retrieve our tackle. The tide got ahold of him and it pulled me out when I tried to help him back in,” he said. “We lost sight of the boat quickly and we figured Jack didn’t make it back,” he said. “We were so low in the water that I’m sure he couldn’t see us.” Arras got back to shore in the boat, BTe El 1 Eb r IB * ■ rl K IKv ■ I® ® \ Ph|H Hkg EF fl B ® HbA E V® I ■ B*W 'T ———*~j 'wMEEkEk JflT OBKp ; lb Wlbbbi Ww* , ■ wv ? fl £-?• V • - 1 - Otawl*’ JH —r- P - JJ 'OMWWBI ... . ■ ———--^-I —l-I—-—*—-- Curtis Riggins of Griffin led the pack in the 880 at Rockdale County as the Bears aimed at the 6-AAA finals Thursday. Pictures and story page 18. Vol. 105 No. 11l property taxes of county residents living inside the city limits. He said it’s not fair to lower county taxes of residents outside the city and not for those inside. Goldstein said he would like for the city property tax rollback to be made permanent and binding on future commissioners and that it be voted on as permanent in the referendum. City Commissioner R. L. “Skeeter” Norsworthy said he is opposed “to the whole thing. . . It’s ridiculous, the poorest piece of legislation I’ve ever seen. The legislature ought to go back and make a simple roll back equal for the city and county," he said. City Commissioner Ernest “Tiggy” Jones said he would not support spending money on a special called referendum. It should be on the November ballot, he said. He promised not to work for or against the issue but (Continued on page 3) but was convinced his companions had not, Beaufait learned later. Sharks were in the water, Beaufait, 41, knew. “I had caught a four-foot shark earlier in the day.” He managed to inflate a pair of pants he had been wearing after tying off the cuffs, and he and Walker clung to their makeshift water wings as they treaded water. The pair sighted a search helicopter during the afternoon, he said, “but it was going the wrong way. Another came around at night when we got up on a sandbar, but it turned away at just the wrong time.” When night fell, he said, “we kept trying to talk it up to one another that we would make it by morning. Both of us were afraid we wouldn’t. “We guessed the professionals—the Coast Guard and rescue folks—had given us up. But we were intent on licking it. “Hanging on to the pants kept us together during the night,” he said. “At one time we got our directions mixed up Weather FORECAST — Mostly fair with slowly moderating temperatures through Thursday. EXTENDED FORECAST — Fair Friday and Saturday. Partly cloudy and a little warmer with a chance of thundershowers northwest Sunday. LOCAL WEATHER — Low this morning at Spalding Forestry unit 44, high Tuesday 78. I’ll fight to get it passed county wide. If it fails, I would support it city wide. I’m for the coun ty getting benefits— Raymond Head. and tried to go in different directions, pulling on the same pair of pants.” He said they continued to drift, hoping the incoming tide would bring them to the land of St. Simons. About 1 a.m. Monday, Beaufait said, “Dr. Walker heard the surf in the dark, and we guided ourselves by the lights from Brunswick to the beach. “We were two very happy guys when we got there.” Beaufait’s wife Darlene said she never gave up. “Even after Jack said he was sure they were gone, I knew we just had too many people praying for them. I knew they would make it.” The pair snatched some sleep until dawn, when they discovered they were on little St. Simons, an island just north of St. Simons. “We had to walk about five or six miles to get to a phone. That was a beautiful walk,” he said. “When we walked up on the beach, we saw a bunch of buzzards circling around, and you couldn’t help thinking, ‘Who are they looking for?”’
