Newspaper Page Text
2A
40
UPCOMING EVENT? TeB us about it! Call 825-2432 or email *6 Ktvans@evansrwwspapers.com
Memorial Bricks
Bricks are on sale to com
plete the Memorial Plaza to sur
round the Veterans Monument
in Fort Valley’s Everette Square
Park. Purchase a brick to honor
or memorialize an area veter
an, past or present. Up to 3
lmes, each which can have 18
spaces (Utters, commas, spac
with wrth rtCVeteran’Tnam^ndlitarv th Veteran s name, mthtary
branch and or dates of service.
mpmorui RBirar
VFTFRANK’ yriMi iMPMT
Box 908 F^^Hev GA^loS m
your namf- ahdrfss
S^PAYMEOT otmoncvmdlr phonftf maii BY Fisiri che^k nsrn f ~
Community CaOMUS
Peach County Community
Chorus-Please join us for
rehearsals each Monday night
at 7 m the FV United Methodist
Church Choir Room. Our per
fonnance will be June 21. We
will be the Thursday night event
of the Peach Festival.
Cub Scoijts
Come join Pack 59 Cub
Scouts for camping, popcorn, ^picnics
fishing, crafts, sports,
etc. Call Kimberly 478-967-
1148 or Tammy 478-822-9791
CIx.PI LEAP
Did you know that more
businesses and company owners
in Peach County and throughout
the State are looking first at
applicants who hold a high
school diploma or GED? If you
are seeking employment or are
currently employed and do not
have either, it is not too late to
eam your GED. Day and Night
classes, also ESL for Spanish
students are free. You can enroll
today in Byron or Fort Valley
by calling 825-9072, 956-7621,
or 825-9407 today for more
information. Join LEAP and let
us make a positive impact on the
community and each individual
Peach County School
Board Jeopardizes New
Schools
Dear Editor:
It seems the Peach County
Board of Education (BOE) is
playing Russian roulette with
the two new elementary schools
approved by Peach County
residents in a September 2005
E-SPLOST. Rising construc¬
tion cost, continued in action
and potential lawsuits all ham¬
per the school boards ability to
replace the fifty-year-old Hunt
Elementary School in Ft. Valley
and add a new school in East
Peach to relieve over crowd¬
ing at Byron Elementary. Since
2005 the estimated cost of con¬
structing the two new elemen¬
tary schools has risen from an
estimated $18 million to over
$25 million. Funding for these
two new schools was to come
from revenues generated by an
E-SPLOST and state funding.
It was anticipated that the E
SPLOST would provide an esti¬
mated $15.2 million to help fund
two new schools and upgrades at
various other school properties.
An additional $2.3 million in
E-SPLOST funds are to be used
to pay off school bond debt. The
school system will have $8.8
million in bond debt remaining
after this $2.3 million reduction.
This bond debt of $1.1 million
per year will come due in years
2011-2018. The previous school
board had planned to extend
the E-SPLOST again in 2010 to
payoff this debt; otherwise the
debt would have to be paid for
by increasing property taxes.
Demand for construction
materials and increased fuel
and labor cost continue to drive
up the cost of building new
schools. A representative of
Parrish Construction Company
addressed the BOE at its May
meeting and encouraged them
to move forward immediately
because $240 million in school
construction projects were
planned' for the middle Georgia
area this year. He stated that
it is better to be on the front
end of these projects instead of
the back end. Construction costs
are anticipated to rise about ten
percent this year alone, cost¬
ing Peach County Taxpayers
an additional $2.5 million in
construction cost. The rise in
construction cost far exceeds
our ability to collect E-SPLOST
♦ MAY 30, 2007
household. Illiteracy does not
discriminate. It effects all of us,
directly or indirectly. Together
we can help raise the literacy
level and declare Peach County
a Certified Literate Community,
Visit our website at www.
freewebs.com/leapinc
g OBEKT Sapf B aserau Camp
The 27th Annunal Robert Sapp
Basebal1 Cam P wiu ** heJd June
, g . 22 from 9 a m to 3 at
Rozar Park 111 P.m, Perry. u The camp
is for boys ages 7 to 14, though
°P en for 6-year-olds skilled
en0Ugh to p,ay wkh * e 7 ' ycar '
°* d g rou P s - The fee is $120 with
team rates avai,able - Call Mark
&tts < 478 > 784 - 3978 w Joh "
Wartick a (478) 987-8645.
Narconon
Narconon of Georgia offers
Qut-Patient help for Drug and
A Icohol Addiction. For more
informal ca n Narconon of
G eorg j a at 1-S77-413-3073*
Narconon offers re f e rrals,
assessments, drug | education and
oul . patient rehal litation .
r ^ J EENS n ^w> C£r .^; n Peach^ihS % aU ££ „
in th g e 3 at ^
, ^ , TTtLSZ .
4 “ k i,°
month, . you wtllreceive tickets to
enter our new Game Room. In
the Game Room teens will find
PS2s; Dance, Dance Revolution;
Guitar Hero II; board games and
much, much more. Other activi
ties planned for registered teens
this summer include crafts,
weekly anime movies, and a
CSI: Catch the Killer! program,
Meet your reading and participa
tion goals and attend the end of
summer party and “dance off’!
Registration begins Saturday,
May 26th, from 10 a.m. until
4 p.m., at either Thomas Public
Library, 315 Martin Luther King
Jr. Drive in Fort Valley, or at
Byron Public Library, 105 West
Church Street. Event calendars
or additional property taxes.
If school construction started
today the BOE is $3.8 million
over budget and could not com¬
plete both schools. In January
Norma Givens, Kay Whitley
and Jamie Johnson decided that
they are smarter than the people
who approved the E-SPLOST
and voted to look for an alterna¬
tive site for Kay Road, despite
having over $880,000 tied up
in land, engineering studies and
architectural work. Kay Road
is a very good location because
it is located near the center of
the growth occurring in the
East Peach area. Kay Road also
offers the advantage of being
able to accommodate a large
number of students within a
small geographic area and mini¬
mize system transportation cost.
Kay Road is also conveniently,
located on the natural commute
for the majority of parents who
live and work outside of Peach
County. It also has multiple
roads to get school buses and
parents in and out of the new
school. This location will also
have adequate water and sewer
facilities. Kay Road has the sup¬
port of the parents and students
most impacted by growth in the
area. This site also meets all of
the criteria outlined in the E
SPLOST documents. Any shift
from this location will delay
construction by six months and
jeopardize $4.2 million in state
funding. It will also lead to a
lawsuit tying up E-SPLOST for
months or years to come, guar¬
anteeing that neither school is
built for quite some time.
In May 2007, Norma Givens,
Jamie Johnson and Kay Whitley
decided, the new location of
Hunt Elementary on Highway
341 was no longer a desirable
location^ The new site is con¬
veniently located with in site
of the school system bus bam,
middle and high school. It is
also very close to the existing
Hunt Elementary School and
has adequate access to public
utilities such as water, sewer and
natural gas. Access to the prop¬
erty along Highway 341 and
Buddy Reddick Parkway should
make getting students and par¬
ents onto the campus very easy.
This location will also allow
the school system to minimize
transportation cost. Currently
the school board has over $1.2
million tied up in land, engi¬
neering studies and architectural
will be available the week prior
to registration.
Teen gaming times start
Tuesday, May 29th.
For additional informa
tion, contact Youth Services
Coordinator, Nancy Rairdon, at
478-825-1640.
“Reading TAMES YOU EYEKYWUEKE”
Are you already planning
where to go on your summer
/ ? I ^ ,1m, .
to become a book traveler . ?
Discover new trails at Peach
Publ ic Libraries-adventure
^ in Georgia that will lead
us to the Okefenokee Swamp,
oSrgiaY Appalachian Mountains, and
b«ache s ! Walk on ,he
wild sidt and meet live owb.
a red-tailed hawk, and llamas.
We’re “going wild in Georgia”
as we take a book trek through
our great state this summer!
Children, up through age 12,
can register for their “tickets to
read" beginning Saturday, May
26th, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., at
either Thomas Public Library,
315 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
in Fort Valley, or at Byron Public
Library ’ 105 West Church Street.
Event calendars will be available
w«k pno, «> regismion.
For a<ldi,lonal info ™ a -
1|0 "' con,acl Yo “ lh Services
CoordiMBr , N Pardon, at
478-825-1640
Peach. Regional Medical
Center Blood Drive
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Give Blood. Give Life.
See yourself as a HERO!
Contact Charlotte King Braswell
for more information (478) 825-
8691
Please Bring Photo ID
Bridoes Faxiu.v Rh xiqs
Saturday, July 28, 2007,
Christian Life Center (Old Baker
Academy), Hawkinsville 1-5 PM.
Relatives & Friends of Ethel,
Leigh, Perry, Annie Bridges and
work. Any shift from this loca¬
tion will delay construction by
six months and jeopardize $1.8
million in state funding. It is
the rights of parents and stu¬
dents affected by this change to
have a say in this decision and
decide what is best for their chil¬
dren. We the Citizens for Better
Education will support you in
your efforts as long as this effort
does not compromise the Kay
Road location. Construction
of the new Hunt Elementary
School could begin immediately
as architectural work is 95%
complete. The only thing hold¬
ing this project up is a vote from
the BOE to proceed. It would
be a shame if the students of
Ft. Valley lost an opportunity
to have a new facility because
Kay Whitley, Norma Givens and
Jamie Johnson chose to ignore
the students in the Byron School
District. All of these issues
would disappear if the BOE
would just adhere to the plans
already underway or just leave
the East Peach site alone.
Kay Whitley, Norma Givens
and Jamie Johnson are pursu¬
ing alternative sites that will
lead to BUSING students from
Ft. Valley and Byron to remote
areas of the county. This will
lead to increased transporta¬
tion cost, divide neighborhoods,
and possibly leave Ft. Valley
as one of the largest cities in
Georgia without an elementary
school. Neighborhood schools
are predominately what we
have and what we want in the
future. BUSING benefits no
one; especially the students who
must endure longer bus rides
and school days. The school
bus already passes through my
neighborhood at 6:15 in the
morning to deliver students to
a school only five miles away.
What time will students have to
get on and off the bus if we ini¬
tiate BUSING? BUSING does
not improve education and will
almost certainly guarantee that
PARENT CHOICE WILL BE
ABANDONED. Do you trust
the BOE to do the right thing?
I don’t.
The decisions the BOE makes
over the next few months could
have long lasting impacts: most
of which the people of Peach
County are opposed to. Jamie
Johnson recently indicated
Hancock Farms would be built
first If the school board chooses
to build on Hancock farms they
Mattie Lou Sangster (1st wife of
Leigh) are welcome,
Bring any old photos to share
(will make copies). Bring covered
dish. Contact Minnie Bridges
Davis, mini28@cox.net, 478
923-4061 or Ann Bridges Ray,
anndanray@cox.net, 478-328
9230 for detalls -
(UMtaUfltk
This Week
in World
History
May 30, 1431: Joan of Arc
martyred
At Rouen in English-con¬
trolled Normandy, Joan of Arc,
the peasant girl who became the
savior of France, is burned at the
stake for heresy.
May 31 1889: The Johnstown
Flood
In a river valley in central
Pennsylvania, heavy rain and a
neglected dam lead to a catas¬
trophe in which 2,209 people
die and a prosperous city,
Johnstown, is nearly wiped off
the face of the earth.
June 1, 1968: Helen Keller
Dies
On June 1, 1968, Helen Keller
dies in Westport, Connecticut,
at the age of 87. Blind and deaf
from infancy, Keller circum
vented her disabilities to become
a world-renowned writer and
lecturer,
have almost guaranteed that
another E-SPLOST will not pass
because they failed to adhere to
the original 2005 E-SPLOST; \
after all who in their right mind
would trust them again; certain¬
ly not the citizens of Byron and
East Peach County. This almost
guarantees that Hunt Elementary
will not be replaced for at least
ten years, because funds are not
available. It also guarantees that
Byron and Ft. Valley students
will be BUSED to a remote area
of the county.
It is time for all of the citizens
of Peach County stand firmly
together. Jody Usury and Wright
Peavy are in support of replac¬
ing Hunt Elementary and build¬
ing the new school on Kay Road
now. If you want these schools
completed in a timely manner
contact Kay Whitley, Norma
Givens and Jamie Johnson and
encourage them to act now
before the cost of construction
makes these projects impossible
to get off of the ground. If we act
now, we can build both schools
now and retire future bond debt
without raising property taxes.
This can only be accomplished
through a cooperative effort on
the part of the school board.
It cannot be accomplished by
alienating the residents of Peach
County. While legal action is
a last resort, we stand ready to
hold the school board account¬
able. We trusted them with $17.5
million in E-SPLOST funds, it is
time for the BOE to fulfill their
obligations and complete the
projects already initiated.
If you are interested in join¬
ing the Citizens For Better
Education, please send an
email to: citizensforbetteredu
cation@yahoo.com <mailto:
citizensforbettereducation@
yahoo.com> . Please include
your name, address, telephone
number, email address, and the
number of children you have
in school. You can also join by
calling 396-5803. For those of
you financially able to support
our efforts to hold the BOE
accountable, please feel free to
contact the Citizens For Better
Education.
Sincerely,
Nathan Sledge
V.P. Citizens For Better
Education
Byron
YOU CAN FIND THE LeaDEK-TrJRM
FRIENDLY LOCATIONS:
laMVollor, Jason's
Leader Tribune Office Quick Mart
Captain D's Big Chick m
Harveys Super Market Peach Co Hos
5-Points Chevron Food Depot
CVS
5-Points Flash Foods Ini 'll Liill
Hwy 49 Flash Foods Giant Foods
AP Mart Byron Exxon
El Paizainos Raceway ■
Tobacco Mart Visitors Center
Community Plaza II Huddle House
Sunny's Flash Foods
Neighbors Marathon Station
Valley Stop and Shop Citgo
RSC R #1
R« R #2 loMm
Community Plaza I 341 Groceries
June 2, 1865: American Civil
War ends
In an event that is generally
regarded as marking the end
of the Civil War, Confederate
General Edmund Kirby Smith,
commander of Confederate forc¬
es west of the Mississippi, signs
the surrender terms offered by
Union negotiators. With Smith’s
surrender, the last Confederate
army ceased to exist, bringing a
formal end to the bloodiest four
years in U.S. history.
June 3, 1965: An American
walks in space
One hundred and 20 miles
above the earth. Major Edward
H. White II opens the hatch of
the Gemini 4 and steps out of
the capsule, becoming the first
American astronaut to walk in
space. Attached to the craft by
a 25-foot tether and controlling
his movements with a hand¬
held oxygen jet-propulsion gun,
White remained outside the cap¬
sule for just over 20 minutes.
As a space walker, White had
been preceded by Soviet cos¬
monaut Aleksei A. Leonov, who
on March 18, 1965, was the first
man ever to walk in space.
Dear Editor:
I sit back each week and read Victtor Kulkosky’s column and
most of the time, just shake my head. Mostly I feel sorry for him
with the cynical, twisted way he appears to view life and the situ¬
ations around our community. I think he is probably lonesome and
unhappy and needing attention so I will give him a little....just a
little, as well as some advice. STOP looking at life so negatively! In
his column on last week, he appeared to poke fun and make light
the presidential awards given to the local officials by FVSU presi¬
dent Larry Rivers. Did he ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe,
those officials may have really DONE something to help the school
and it was more a show of appreciation versus political back scratch¬
ing? Or is he insinuating that our president would stoop to public
back scratching for political purposes? And why does he find it
important to note that the “first black chancellor sent a signal
he’s behind this historically black college” just because he spoke at
FVSU commencement excercises? Shouldn’t it be the responsibility
of ALL chancellors to be behind the institutions that they represent
and not do things just to send a signal? Shouldn’t the
make an effort to support the schools when he can? FVSU has been
considered a “step child” throughout the state and even in this very
community. I say thank you to those in this community and in this
state who have rallied behind President Rivers so that FVSU can
get the respect and recognition that it deserves. 1 pity those like Mr.
Kulkosky who choose to make light of the strides that have been
made and call President Rivers’ presentation back scratching. There
is a new “River flowing through the Valley” and I hope it cleanses
the minds of all the negative thinking people like Mr. Kulkosky in
this community.
Sandra R. Evans
St
•jfSg ! Franklin
[5Y" ? Financial
Serving Our Neighbors Since 1941
Starter Loans
Personal Loans
( .'onsolidation 1 .oans
106 N. Camella Boulevard
478 - 825-0201
-Alt loans subject to our liberal credit policy and
Umitatiom, if any. 1st *-rankJIrt Pinancial Corp. is a
CJeorgia Residential Mkntjjagd Jcensee
WARNER ROBINS
»
Trenchers - generators
nail guns-compressors
^mgmmagrlog BFI tillers splitters
-
g. I & morei
PERRY WARNER ROBINS
612 BALL ST. 2758 WATSON BLVD.
987-2334 953-4199
THE LEADER TRIBUNE
June 4, 1919: Congress passes
the 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution, guarantee¬
ing women the right to vote, is
passed by Congress and sent to
the states for ratification
June 5,1968: Robert F. Kennedy
shot
At 12:50 a.m. PDT, Senator
Robert F. Kennedy, a presi¬
dential candidate, is shot three
times in a hail of gunfire in
the Ambassador Hotel in Los
Angeles. Five others were
wounded. The senator had just
completed a speech celebrat¬
ing his victory in the California
presidential primary. The shoot¬
er, Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan,
had a smoking .22 revolver
wrested from his grip and was
promptly arrested. Kennedy,
critically wounded, was rushed
to the hospital, where he fought
for his life for the next 24 hours.
On the morning of June 6, he
died. He was 42 years old. On
June 8, Kennedy was buried
at Arlington National Cemetery,
also the final resting place of
his assassinated older brother,
President John F. Kennedy.