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Coach Doug Porter hits
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Mr (Tribune
Volume 98 - Issue 39 /G gi l c (^ 30 pages in 5 sections 25 cents
Coalition united front
BY Cornelia B. Nichols
On Wednesday, October 25,
approximately 150 supporters of
what is known as Route F for the
Fall Line Freeway gathered at
Macon Junior College at 10:00 a.m.
for an official hearing sponsored by
the Senate and House of
Transportation delegation committees. Lead¬
ing the from Peach
County was Herman Stine, Execu¬
tive Vice-President of the Peach
County Chamber of Commerce and
Executive Director of the Industrial
Development Authority of Peach
County.
Peach County public officials and
civic leaders joined from Taylor,
Twiggs, Houston, and Macon
counties in urging Georgia law¬
Councilman upset over
re-imbursement to officer
By Mike Lovvom
K controversy has arisen among
mem ben of the City Council over the
reimbursement last week to a former
police officer for a class ring he feels
was lost in the line of duty.
A purchase requisition was written
and a check drawn for about $239-00,
to replace i class ring which turned up
missing over a year ago after Cpl. Bill
Sirmon was involved in a scuffle while
breaking up a domestic disturbance.
Councilman Wilbur Spillen, who is
not a member of either of the two
committees that approved the re¬
quisition, opposed the move and a
called meeting of the Council last
week addressed the issue.
Asked about the circumstances sur¬
rounding the loss of the ring, Police
Chief John Dankel said that an inci¬
dent occurred on June 2, 1984, in
which Cpl. Sirmon went to the aid of
a woman who was allegedly being
beaten by another man.
Dankel said a “bad scuffle” en¬
sued, during which time a number of
officers arrived on the scene. Sirmon
ended up wrestling with the man on
the ground and in a “deep mud
hole.”
Later, the officer discovered that his.
class ring was missing, and reported it
to the chief. Regarding the elapsed
time of over a year since the incident
occurred and the city decided to reim¬
burse the officer, Dankel said that Sir¬
mon and several other officers check¬
ed local pawn shops for a long while,
thinking the ring would probably turn
up.
Back in August, the request was
brought to the Police Committee,
which approved it, and later was also
approved by the Finance Committee.
Dankel said that in the past, the city
has reimbursed officers for personal
items lost or destroyed in the line of
Troop 59 to hold
Bike-A-Thon
On Saturday, October 12, Fort
Valley’s Boy Scout Troop 59 will
hold a Bike-A-Thon to raise money
for the Troop’s planned 1985-86
activities.
The uniformed scouts will be in
your neighborhoods asking you to
sponsor them for this fund raising
project. You may make your
pledges on a per mile basis; for
example, 50 cents per mile for each
Peach County’s best news and advertising source... Since 1888
makers to select Georgia 96 starting
at Geneva and going through Fort
Valley and Twiggs County as the
route for the four-lane developmen¬
tal highway that is planned to link
Columbus and Augusta.
Stine announced that the most
telling testimony at the official
hearing was the presence of a
number of county commissioners,
city councilmen, development au¬
thority members and chamber of
commerce representatives from the
five counties that are pushing for
selection of the 96 route.
‘‘When 1 read the list of names
and all of them stood up, that was
impressive,” said the Chamber
executive. “We had seven
mayors,” he added.
duty. He cited two instances in the
last two yean involving a broken pair
of eyeglasses and a damaged watch.
Dankel said that there was nothing
unusual or different about this case.
“This case is no different than the
othen,” the chief said. “It’s just the
amount of the reimbursement that is
attracting so much attention.”
About the policy, which he says is
only verbal, Mr. Spillen said, “I know
it’s not right in my way of seeing
things The private sectors wouldn’t
do it.”
“I asked them what we would do if
someone lost a big diamond ring.”
“If we are going to do it, the policy
should be in writing and should apply
to all personnel.”
Spillers said he asked some of his
fellow Councilmen what would hap¬
pen if a sanitation worker made such
a request, and was told the city would
honor it.
He explained that he first became
aware of what was going on when he
saw a requisition on a desk in City
Hall and asked Mayor Pete Peterson
what it was all about. He said he told
City Clerk M L Gilchrist that it was
not right, knd that he was not to pay
it. He later confronted Dankel with it,
and the chief said he felt it was a
policy and the request should be
honored.
The check was issued a few days
later, s^it to the Balfour Company to
replatS^he lost ring.
At a meeting of the Council last
week, the subject was discussed. After
some debate, Spillers moved that the
city not be responsible for any per¬
sonal items. Asked to define personal
items, he said he meant anything not
returnable to the city, including
uniforms and shoes.
The motion was defeated by a 3-2
vote, with Councilman George
mile ridden. All our local
businesses, service organizations
and community clubs are invited to
participate by becoming sponsors.
The Boy Scouts of America have
been instrumental in building
character and leadership in young
men since 1910. We feel scouting
provides opportunities for boys to
Continued On Page 2A
>
Trojans lose region 7Al Atlanta
opener to Dodge- See
According to Stine, about half of
the persons at the hearing were
there to speak for the selection of
Route F for the highway.
Stine’s presentation for the 96
Coalition, as the five-county interest
group has been dubbed, was
fourfold in nature, he said.
“First, I pointed out that the area
has genuine economic needs. We
have high unemployment and a
large percentage of people earning
below the national poverty level,”
the Route F spokesman stated.
In spite of the economic needs
that exist in the five-county area
Stine told state lawmakers that this
area nevertheless has active
development organizations, cham-
Hamilton voting with Spillen.
Spillen pointed out that he felt
there was no way Sirmon could be
sure he lost the ring in the scuffle, and
could well have lost it in the shower
after the incident was over. When
confronted with that question, he said
Dankel told him there was no reason
to doubt Sirmon and this had been
done in the past
Spillers said he was never aware df
such a practice until now.
Spillen also said that, after his mo¬
tion was defeated in the meeting, he
informed the Council that he would
“take it to the newspaper and let the
public know all about it.” After his
comment, Spillers said, Councilman
Bobby Hester, who is also chairman
of the Police Committee, said he had
better be sure he had all his facts in
order.
“He said if 1 didn’t, he would sue
me,” Spillers said.
Contacted Monday night, Hester
confirmed that statement.
“That’s exactly right. That’s what I
told him,” Hester said. “I told him
he had better be sure everything he
has done has been strictly by policy.”
Hester went on to say that Spillers
did not always do everything exactly
by the rules, saying that he had overs¬
pent a budget allotted to him to
repair some sidewalks and that “he
once voted to sell a tractor to his
brother in Crawford County.”
“This policy has been in effect ever
since I’ve been on the Council. There
are a lot of issues we should spend
time on, things that are a lot more
important than this.”
Hester further explained that, after
the motion to abolish the policy was
defeated, Mayor Pete Peterson refer¬
red it to the Personnel Committee for
study.
“If they recommend that we
change it, throw it out, or leave it as
is, I’ll go along with that,” Hester
said, “because we will have done it
like we are supposed to.”
Hester admitted that he felt the
policy would work better if put down
in writing and feels that will be done
when the Personnel Committee sends
a recommendation to the full Coun
cil.
“I could go along with not replac¬
ing rings and some other items of
jewelry, but we can’t change it and
make it retroactive on Bill Sirmon,
and I cannot go along with not replac¬
ing a man’s watch or glasses.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the
way this thing has been handled,”
Hester concluded. “Mr. Spillers just
gets mad when you don’t agree with
him.”
bers of commerce and indusyial
parks with available buildings.
“We have had a measure of
success jn attracting industries to
the area,” he emphasized.
The five-county area can capita¬
lize on opportunities for develop¬
ment if the road goes through this
area, Stine is convinced.
“We’re handicapped by not
having a four-lane highway through
here,” he explained.
Many large trucks used for
hauling industrial and manufac¬
tured products are limited to
four-lane highways and, thus,
cannot deliver to some parts of the
five-county area for this reason.
A fourth advantage of the choice
of Route F for the proposed
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THE SIDEWALKS OF FORT VALLEY are getting a
facelift. At last month’s City Council meeting,
Streets Committee Chairman N.W. Jordan a a
nounced that the sidewalk on College Streel
was next on the list for attention. Now the
\ t
Powell resigns from Committee
by Cornelia B. Nichols
“Effective immediately, I am
stepping down as chairman of the
Committee on Taxation and
Economy in Government,” announ¬
ced Billy Powell last Thursday
afternoon.
Powell’s decision was not
impromptu, he said, but had been
made after much consideration.
Instrumental in helping him reach
the decision were his wife, his
doctor, and Rev. Mervin Watford
Powell plans to devote more time to
his job as Religious Editor of The
Leader- Tribune.
“At present I’m going through a
spiritual metamorphosis. I have
found that the deeper I get into the
political arena, the farther I drift
from the Lord,” he said.
Formed amidst the protest over
property reevaluation that occurred
in 1983, the committee has had
positive results, its chairman
stated. The public is better
informed about the inner workings
of city and county governments,
Powell feels. Property appraisals,
the tax digest, budget development
and expenditures now are known
quantities to Peach County voters,
the chairman says.
The committee’s oversight and
involvement have kept the millage
rate down and have resulted in
more prudent use of tax monies,
Powell contends.
Powell praised the Fort Valley
City Council, calling it one of the
GA * 3M ____-vonds to
1 column - See Page 4A
four-lane highway is that it provides
the most direct linking of important
defense installations, Stine noted.
Fort Benning near Columbus,
Fort Stewart in Savannah, Fort
Gordon in Augusta, and Robins Air
Force Base in Houston County are
most accessible to each other if
Georgia 96 is the route chosen for
the Fail Line Freeway, the 96
Coalition spokesman tried to
impress upon the legislative
committee that will determine
ultimately the choice of route for the
state road.
After the official hearing ended,
Stine expressed optimism about the
presentation made that morning to
the committee of state lawmakers.
“Of course, there’s no way of
workers have moved up to Everett Square. Jor¬
dan stated that $900 worth of concrete would
be required to do the job. “We’re doing a little
bit more than we planned to do,” he said. Photo
by Pete Nichols.
most competent and progressive in
the state.
‘ ‘They’re doing a terrific job, ’ ’ he
said.
Powell expressed confidence that
the committee would continue to
function with Dr. A. D. Brann and
Claud Lawson in leadership
capacities. The retiring chairman
warned governing bodies to
Hospital spends
some campaign funds
"We’re excited to be making
some purchases with our Capital
Campaign funds,” said Mrs. Helen
Rhea Coppedge after last Thurs¬
day’s Peach County Hospital
Authority meeting. “We’re just
over $330,000, and seeing some
tangible resutls of all of our work
highlights the importance of the
contributions from the commu¬
nity,” she added.
Authority members voted to
purchase several pieces of new
equipment for the hospital. An
anesthesia machine, three EKG
monitors, and three Omega
automatic blood-pressure monitors
will be the first purchases made
with Capital Campaign funds
collected during the last few
knowing what route will be
selected, but 1 felt encouraged by
the large turnout of officials who
took the time to go to the hearing,”
he said.
He noted that an informational
meeting sponsored by the Georgia
Department of Transportation will
be held Tuesday, October 8, from
1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Peach
County High School in Fort Valley.
The hearings will be informal and
citizens may go at any time during
these hours to provide input to DOT
officials present.
“We encourage people to go and
express their opinions about the
freeway,” the Chamber official
said.
continue to exercise prudence.
‘ ‘Don’t get too reckless, because I
could be resurrected,” he advised.
A civil service employee at
Robins Air Force Base, Powell plans
to retire in five years and move to
North Georgia. There he plans to
pursue another career, probably in
real estate, he said.
months.
An appreciation banquet for
donors to the campaign will be held
Tuesday, November 5, Administra¬
tor J. G. “Mickey” Smith
announced.
A monthly profit of $18,210 was
noted.
“That’s in the neighborhood of
four to five percent,” the
administrator said. “The profits are
plowed back into the hospital. I
don’t think that’s anything to be
ashamed of,” he added.
Because of financial pressures in
the health care field the hospital
decided to go along with a
committed purchasing agreement
Continued On Page 2A