Newspaper Page Text
Metro Phone Service Decision May Be Near
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Work Set
On Nursing
Home Here
Construction of a new 150-bed nurs
ing home on Samaritan Drive in Cum
ming is expected to be completed in
about eight or nine months, according
to Eugene Bishop, part owner of Health
Service Centers in Roswell, which will
operate the home.
Lanier Nursing Home, as the facility
will be known, is being built by First
Etowah Corporation of Rome at a cost
of approximately $1,700,000. Bishop
said last week that all grading has been
done and the foundation is in.
Located next to the Forsyth County
Hospital on a five-acre lot, the finished
structure will contain 36,000-square
feet of floor space.
When the home opens, it will offer
both skilled nursing care and interme
diate nursing care to patients admitted
by physicians, explained Bishop.
The staff of approximately 110 will
include a Georgia licensed nursing
home administrator and a physical
therapist, said Bishop.
Lanier Nursing Home will be the 20th
such facility in the state operated by
Health Service Centers, which is owned
by Bishop and J. Henry Rowland.
The only other convalescent home in
Forsyth County is the Cumming Conva
lescent Home, located at 111 W. Main
Street in Cumming.
Burglary
Charges
Face Five
Five persons have been arrested by
Forsyth and Clayton county authorities
and face charges in connection with 13
burglaries and two criminal attempts,
according to the Forsyth County Sher
iff’s Department.
Authorities identified those arrested
as Charles E. Bennett, 49 and Elvira
Bennett, 43, both of Jonesboro, taken
into custody by Clayton County authori
ties and charged with theft by receiv
ing stolen property.
Also arrested was John Timothy Al
bea, 18, of Ellenwood and two juve
niles, aged 16 and 15. The two juveniles
are brother and sister, authorities said.
Investigating officer J.C. Adams,
said burglaries expected to be solved
included two in Gwinnett County, four
in Clayton County, two in Forsyth
County, two criminal attempts in For
syth County, five burglaries in Hall
County. Also, Clayton and Butts coun
ties are expected to make additional
charges against the suspects for theft
by receiving.
“Between the five counties, there
were a total of 67 warrants being issued
out of all this,’’ said Sgt. Adams.
He added that the total value of the
burglaries solved should reach approx
imately $25,000. About $4,000 worth of
merchandise has been recovered, he
said.
Sgt. Adams said the investigation be
gan when Clayton County authorities
recovered a gun alleged to be stolen in
a Forsyth County burglary two weeks
ago. The gun was recovered when the
serial number was checked by com
puter, according to Sheriff Wesley Wal
raven.
A follow up investigation led authori
ties to the recovery of merchandise fol
lowing search warrant raids, Sgt.
Adams said.
Continuing information led to the
names of the suspects that were camp
ing in the Lake Lanier area. Forsyth
County authorities steaked out a camp
site and arrested one of the suspects,
Sgt. Adams said.
Additional investigations led to the
Clayton County arrests of the Bennetts.
, , tjx 30602 '
111 - JRSYTH miPWC
AMi county 11 Km vv 9
VOLUME LXXI—NUMBER 36
BY JAY JORDAN
News Editor
The Georgia Public Service Commis
sion may decide by early October
whether or not Cumming will be in
cluded in the Metro Atlanta toll-free di
rect dialing area.
The PSC’s action at a Sept. 4 meeting
was the most recent in an intermittent
struggle among some here for metro
phone service which goes back to the
early 19605.
The Metro Atlanta Telephone Group,
the Forsyth County Citizens’ group
pushing for metro phone service,
claimed the Cumming telephone ex
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And Playing Games
The Ducktown kindergarten, a part of the Forsyth County School System, is a
busy place these days. Mandy Samples, top, daughter of Byron and Debra Sam
ples, and Shane Strickland, bottom, are busy with activities and toys. It’s all in a
day’s work for the youngsters, who have found plenty of thing* to do to occupy
their time. (News staff photos by Lane Gardner.)
Commission Hears Budget Requests
BYJAYJORDAN
News Editor
The Forsyth County Board of Com
missioners reviewed 1981’s projected
budget in a special workshop last
Wednesday, Sept. 3.
The head of each county department
presented his budget request to the
commissioners for their comment and
questions. Commission chairman Bill
Barnett said no official action would be
taken during the workshop.
The county department heads have
requested a total of $3,362,286.11 for the
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10,1980 CUMMING, GA. 30130
change would benefit greatly.
Southern Bell Telephone and Tele
graph Co. claims adding Cumming to
the metro calling zone is not justified
by traffic studies and would be ex
tremely expensive. Bell is against add
ing Cumming.
Many from Cumming work in At
lanta, contended Jewel Palmer, an or
ganizer of the Metro Atlanta Telephone
Group. Not only that, many Cumming
people have relatives and friends in the
Atlanta-calling area, she said.
Lack of Metro phone service also has
hurt the Cumming area economically,
Mrs. Palmer contended. In a rebuttal
of Bell’s claim it would lose money if it
supplied metro phone service to Cum
1981 budget. But the official revenue es
timate from all sources is only
$2,642,920.03.
The draft budget shows an increase
of $860,210.62, or 34.38 percent, over the
1980 budget of $2,502,075.39.
During the discussion, two depart
ment heads said they based their bud
get requests in part on actual expenses
for the first half of 1980.
The recently-adopted merit civil
service system for county employees
will add about $140,000 to the payroll of
$1 million.
ming, Mrs. Palmer said the Cumming
area has lost more than $7 million be
cause it did not have metro phone serv
ice.
Mrs. Palmer evidently wrote the re
buttal in late 1977 or early 1978. Some of
the factors she said contributed to the
$7 million loss were:
lncreased private and public long
distance telephone costs because the
southern end of Forsyth County is in
the metro area.
Loss of new industry discouraged
by a lack of metro phone service.
Loss of new home construction and
sales because of the loss of industry.
Excessive milage charges paid by
phone subscribers in Cumming. Bell’s
County Takes Option
On Land For DFCS
The Forsyth County Board of Com
missioners has decided to accept an op
tion on land on Georgia Highway 20 as
part of a tenative plan to lease-pur
chase a new building for the local state
Department of Family and Children’s
Services Office.
During Monday’s meeting, a commit
tee composed of commissioners Leroy
Hubbard and Garland Barron and com
mission chairman Bill Barnett re
ported they had been investigating
finding a new, larger home for DFCS,
which is now located on the courthouse
square.
The committee considered expand
ing the present building, renting one, or
building a new one, but finally decided
to consider having one built and then
leasing it for 15 years.
Under this plan, the state Depart
ment of Human Resources, DFCS’s
parent agency, may agree to pay 100
percent of the lease. If DHR accepts a
Water Authority Preparing
Work On New Water System
The Cumming-Forsyth County Water
and Sewerage Authority was busy with
the details of starting work on its new
water system at its Sept. 2 meeting.
The authority wants to supply water
to Hoover Universal’s new ball bearing
plant on Pendley Road by Oct. 1. Au
thority chairman Gene Patten stressed
the need to have the water installed on
time.
Joseph Bork, a representative of the
authority’s engineering firm, said, “I
think we’re going to have the water
there for Hoover by Oct. 1. We’ve got
lots of good weather (for building)
ahead of us.”
One of the contractors, the Charles L.
Sullivan Co., was to have started dril
ling for water pipes under Georgia
Highway 400 at Pendley Road Sept. 1,
will now have to wait, the authority
learned. The Georgia Department of
Transportation is requiring Sullivan to
stockpile all his materials before start
ing instead of bringing them to the site
as they are needed.
The boring is part of a water line to
be laid along the north side of Pendley
Road to the Hoover plant.
The authority also voted to discuss
with Sullivan the price of boring under
Pendley Road to bring the water line to
the Hoover plant, which is on the south
side. If the price was satisfactory, he
would be authorized to go ahead. The
authority discussed charging Hoover
for the work as part of its tap-in fee.
Patten also urged that all necessary
rightoof-way be obtained as soon as
possible so they authority could actu
ally deposit its construction grants in
its bank.
The authority also voted to consult
with the state Economic Development
County administrator Donald Major
explained future pay increases will not
be so large. This year’s jump is needed
to bring county employees up to the
new pay scales outlined in the merit
system, he said.
Of tiie 30 departments and indepen
dent organizations, such as the Forsyth
County Humane Society, which pre
sented budget requests, five showed no
change from last year, one decreased
and the rest asked for increases rang
ing from less than one percent to
slightly over 300 percent.
34 PAGES, 3 SECTIONS-25 CENTS
bid for a lease-purchase building,
DFCS will have a new home and the
county will have a free building after 15
years, Chairman Barnett said.
To equalize the competition, Barnett
said the county decided to supply the
land for the DFCS building. The com
missioners voted to spend $1 to accept
an option on about one acre on Georgia
20 near the site of the new George Wil
son health clinic. The site is conve
niently- located and is very cheap,
Barnett said.
The commissioners decided to adver
tise for bids for the DFCS building and
see if DHR will accept the plan. If so,
then the commission will authorize the
winning contractor to proceed.
The commissioners also decided to
have Dtm the Riggins Con
struction Co. attend a 1961 budget ses
sion this week to explain why he has not
started work paving Sewell Road and
Settingdown Circle.
Authority about obtaining a sewer
easement on a piece of land whose
owner is out of the,country and can not
be easily contacted. If the easement is
needed to start construction, the au
thority’s attorney will start condemna
tion proceedings. ‘
Patten asked authority member Car
roll Buice, who is also director of Cum
ming’s water system, to talk with city
officials about setting a price on water
the authority will buy for Hoover.
Buice said he would put the matter on
School System Gets
$420,804 In Rebate
A check for $420,804 has been re
ceived by the Forsyth County School
System as part of $75-million that was
appropriated by the 1980 Georgia Gen
eral Assembly for tax rebates to the
state’s 187 school systems.
At last month’s meeting of the For
syth County Board of Education, the
board voted to use the $420,804 rebate
to “roll back taxes.” After the school
system’s budget is worked out, the fig
ure will be taken off the top.
The tax relief grants were appropri
ated in accordance with Act 562 (House
Bill 95) as amended by House Bill 1372.
School systems have the option of using
their grants for property tax relief or
for educational purposes in the school
system. Grant amounts range from ap
proximately $17,000 to $5.7-million.
The grants are based on a system’s
resident average daily attendance for
Chief registrar Janis Thomas asked
for only $3,674 for 1981, instead of the
$15,304 she received last year. No elec
tions were scheduled in 1981, she ex
plained.
One of the largest increases in budget
requests came from Chief Tax Asses
sor Floyd Switzer. Of his $188,420.74 re
quest, he said he wants to spend
$86,341.70 for a revaluation of taxable
property. Among other things, this
would buy updated maps, aerial photo
graphs, timber classification, and ap
praisal of buildings and land.
Roger Burge explained milage is al
lowed by the PSC to compensate Bell
for providing service to remote areas
with few telephones.
Long-distance telephone charges
to the metro area, or the alternative ex
pense of driving to avoid them.
Bell opposes adding Cumming to the
metro dialing system because of exces
sive cost and because the extra service
is not justified by traffic studies, or
popular demand, Bell’s local manager
Roger Burge explained.
“Our position has always been all
along...that we are opposed to a flat ex
tension of the Atlanta free calling area
into Cumming,’’ Burge said.
Continued On Page 2 A
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nrsTnnrflnse
Higgins was awarded a $98,224 con
tract for the work on Aug.ll.
Commissioner Harrison Tallant said
Higgins had told the commissioners he
would start work in two-weeks a month
ago.
The commissioners were worried
Higgins would not be able to finish the
roads before the end of the paving sea
son Oct. 15.
If Higgins can not finish the contract,
the commissioners will not have
enough time to advertise for bids
again. Instead, the two next lowest bid
ders will be considered.
In other business, the commission:
Accepted Wade Valley Way and
Redi Road into the county road system.
Gave a resolution of appreciation
to retiring employee Amie Grier.
Corrected minor errors in the re
cently adopted-flood plain ordinance.
the next city council agenda.
The city recently agreed to sell water
to the authority specifically for the
Hoover plant.
In other business, the authority:
Voted to install its own water me
ter as a temporary measure between
its lines and the city’s to measure how
much water is going to Hoover. City of
ficials will have the option of installing
the meter.
Continued On Page 5 A
the first four months in kindergarten
through grade 12. (Forsyth County’s
ADA was 5,679.) This means students
are counted for systems in which they
live even though they might attend
school in another system. Last year
students were counted for the systems
where they actually attended school.
The law again requires local boards
of education to notify taxpayers on
their tax bills how the system’s share
of the $75-million will be used before
the funds can be transferred from the
state to the local system, said State
School Superintendent Charles McDa
niel.
Last year about 80 per cent of the
systems used their funds to provide a
full or partial reduction in the millage
rate, while another 20 per cent used
their entire grants for needed school
improvements.
Fire chief John Moore included a re
quest in his budget to hire his dis
patcher as a county employee.
Presently, she is paid by contract and
is on duty seven days a week, 24 hours
a day, Moore explained.
What she wants is the pay and bene
fits of a county employee and only 30
hours a week off, Moore said.
The commission was very sympa
thetic, but decided to consult with the
county attorney before taking any de
tonate action. Chairman Barnett ex-
Continued On Page 5A