Newspaper Page Text
Sacksnn Prngreas-Am6a
Volume 100 Number 2
Ice Storm Sunday
Brushes Butts Cos.
Sunday, January 7th, was a
day to be remembered. It
rained, it sleeted, it snowed, and
the whole conglomeration of
precipitation began freezing
late Sunday afternoon and
continued throughout the night
but fortunately a whim of
nature spared the Middle
Georgia area from what could
have been a severe and
paralyzing ice storm.
An artic cold front moved into
the south Saturday night and
Sunday while a low developed in
the Texas-Louisiana area with
warm moist air overriding the
colder air which event triggered
the ice, sleet, and snow storm.
The National Weather Service
issued an ice storm watch about
mid morning Sunday for the
areas north of Atlanta. Sleet
and freezing rain began
covering the landscape in
Atlanta shortly after noon and
by nightfall Atlanta had been
converted into an icy fairyland
with an ice storm alert having
become a full fledged reality.
For a time Sunday afternoon
and night several highways in
North Georgia were closed with
hazardous driving warnings
issued. Monday morning there
were several inches of snow, ice
and sleet reported in the Dalton,
Toccoa, and Athens areas.
In the Atlanta area electrical
service was seriously impaired
by falling trees and limbs with
Georgia Power Cos. rushing in
crews from South Georgia and
South Carolina to help restore
Line of dashes on this map indicates 4-lane route from Griffin to M-75
Connector route picked
A four lane connector
between Griffin and 1-75 moved
a step closer today with an
announcement from the Depart
ment of Transportation that a
route had been selected.
The Federal Highway Admin
istration approved Alternate V
as the location. The project was
designated F-022-1 (4), for
Spalding and Butts Counties.
electrical service.
In Jackson the slush began
coating trees shortly after dark
and as the sleet began in
earnest about nine o’clock
conditions rapidly became
worse. Snow mixed with the
sleet and rain fell for a short
time Sunday evening, helping
cover rooftops and the ground
with a thin white mantle by
Monday morning. Roads re
mained open in the Butts
County area with no serious
driving problems occurring and
despite the bad weather no
accidents reported.
The inclement weather forced
the closing of the Butts County
Schools as well as those in the
neighboring counties of Henry,
Jasper, Newton and Rockdale.
Many school systems in North
Georgia were forced to close
schools while many colleges,
industries, and private schools
were closed in the Atlanta area.
Butts County, however, did
not escape scot-free during the
bad weather of Sunday and
Monday. Raymond O’Quinn,
assistant manager at the
Central Georgia Electric Mem
bership Corporation, reported
some damage to lines in Butts
County. Mr. O’Quinn said that a
tree fell across a line on
Brownlee Road and that a line
on the Griffin Road near the
vicinity of the cattle barn broke
due to an accumulation of ice.
Mr. O’Quinn said that the
Co-op’s full work force was
available andThatthey also had
The project will involve
relocation of Route 16 between
Griffin and Jackson.
It will run east-west with the
western terminus on U. S. 41
(Memorial drive) in Griffin and
the eastern terminus at the
interchange of 1-75 at Route 16
in Butts County.
The project will be built under
stage construction whereby 300
two crews coming in from South
Carolina if the situation
worsened. Mr. O’Quinn re
ported several outages in
Jasper, Spalding and Clayton
Counties. Outages had begun to
be reported about midnight
Sunday with the work crews
beginning at this time to restore
the lines.
Eddie Anderson, plant opera
tor at the Lloyd Shoals Plant of
Georgia Power Cos. on Jackson
Lake, reported no damage in
the Jackson area. He said the
gauge at Lloyd Shoals register
ed 1.73 inches of rain in the 24
hour period beginning at six
o’clock Sunday and ending at
six o’clock Monday morning.
J. Howard Rooks, electric
superintendent for the City of
Jackson, reported very little
damage in Jackson because of
the ice storm. He did report one
circuit out on Shoemaker Street
which was caused when a small
pine tree fell across the lines. As
of Monday morning Mr. Rooks
said that all power was on in the
City of Jackson.
The Butts County Sheriff’s
Department reported no acci
dents and a very quiet weekend,
according to Barney L. Wilder,
sheriff.
The Jackson Police Depart
ment, Watson Vaughn chief,
also reported a quiet weekend
with no accidents despite the
poor driving conditions.
However, one accident in
Jackson Monday morning waw
attributed to the weather
feet of the right-of-way will be
purchased for the four lane
facility.
Only two lanes of the project
will be constructed initially.
The two remaining lanes and
median will be added at a later
date as needed for service, the
DOT said.
A bridge will be provided over
the Central of Georgia Rail
Jackson, Georgia 30233, Thursday, January 11, 1973
MARCH OF DIMES
CHAIRMAN
ill
b /' U
•y 1 * jrflW
. V ,s
PLANS ACTIVE CAM
PAIGN - Mrs. Ethel Ault,
above, Butts County Chairman
of the March of Dimes plans a
vigorous and concerted cam
paign so that Butts County may
Achieve its goal in the fight
against birth defects and other
conditions that leave children
retarded and deformed.
conditions. A car driven by
Walter B. Harper of Jackson
and a car driven by Vickie
Kinard, also of Jackson,
collided about 8:15 on Weaver
Street in East Jackson when
Harper was attempting to make
a right turn while the right hand
side of his windshield was
covered with ice and snow,
hindering his vision. The city
police investigated the accident
in which they reported a child
received a cut on the eye.
The temperature dropped to
28 degrees Monday afternoon
with light intermittent snow
flurries noted in the Jackson
area. Hazardous driving warn
ings were continued.
road.
DOT said the project is to
improve the flow of traffic and
safety conditions.
Griffin has been pushing for a
four-lane connector with 1-75 for
several years.
The DOT did not announce
any timetable for construction
of the project.
The DOT held a public
Commissioners Vote Approval
For County Zoning Ordinance
The Butts County Board of
Commissioners at its meeting
on January Ist voted unani
mously to adopt a general
zoning ordinance for the
unincorporated areas of Butts
County, a move that is certain
to have a far reaching effect on
the growth and orderly expan
sion of Butts County.
Many realtors and land
developers have contended that
the two factors holding back the
growth of Butts County from an
even more accelerated pace
were the lack of a county wide
zoning ordinance and a county
wide water system. Now that
the county commissioners have
acted favorably on zoning for
Butts County and have already
taken steps for implementation
of a county wide water system
the growth of Butts County in
the immediate future may well
be as phenomenal as that
presently occurring in Henry
and Monroe Counties where
motels and restaurants are
springing up along 1-75 virtually
overnight.
In other action January Ist
the commissioners requested
members of the General
Assembly representing Butts
County to introduce local
legislation that would set the
salary of the Tax Commissioner
of Butts County, Mrs. Mary Will
Hearn, at $7,500 per year with
the tax commissioner to receive
the authorized commission as
set by law for the sale of motor
vehicle license plates sold in her
hearing in Griffin and one in
Butts County to get the views of
citizens on the proposed
location of the connector.
Several alternates were dis
cussed and the Federal High
way Administration finally
selected Alternate V.
It will cut to the left from that
point and head toward Butts
County. The Specific location of
office annually.
The commissioners also auth
orized the County Treasurer to
issue a voucher for SIO,OOO to the
Butts County Hospital Authority
to apply upon its current
operating expenses. The resolu
tion also requests that the
hospital authority submit to the
commissioners an estimate of
funds needed to provide for the
maintenance and operation of
the hospital on or before
September Ist of each year.
The commissioners re
appointed Hulon Cook to the
Board of Tax Assessors for a
full six year term, his present
term expiring on December 31,
1972.
In another important action
the Board of Commissioners
requested local legislation
whereby upon the recommenda
tion of the November 1972 Butts
County Grand Jury could be
acted upon that would authorize
the sheriff of Butts County,
Barney L. Wilder, to have four
full time working deputy
sheriffs. In addition, the local
legislation when introduced and
passed would give the commis
sioners the authority to deter
mine what salaries would be
paid to the said deputy sheriffs
and the responsibility of
furnishing necessary cars,
equipment and uniforms.
The Butts Commissioners in a
resolution adopted January Ist
endorsed the efforts of the
Coalition for Pollution Control,
Inc. in its fight to abate
the intersection will be deter
mined when the road designers
work out the details, the
spokesman said.
The connector will intersect
on Memorial drive (Old U. S.
41) south of Blake’s Building
Supply, a spokesman for the
Highway Department told the
Griffin Daily News Today. -
The Griffin Daily News,
$5.00 Per Year In Advance
pollution at Jackson Lake and
offered “reasonable economic
assistance.”
In another important action
the commissioners unanimous
ly adopted the resolution for
securing necessary repairs and
improvements of the Butts
County Courthouse and the
Butts County Jail.
This would include, according
to the resolution, placing of
storm windows in the Butts
County Courthouse and the
recommendation that the court
house should be air conditioned
if found to be feasible from an
engineering standpoint. The
commissioners also recom
mended that new doors be
installed to the Superior
Courtroom and other offices
upstairs with improvements of
the restrooms to be made in the
courthouse. The commissioners
further recommended that the
outside of the courthouse should
be sandblasted and modernized
and that all walkways leading to
the courthouse should be
improved.
As for the Butts County Jail,
the commissioners recommend
ed that the plumbing and wiring
in the jail should be improved
with the basement of the jail
repaired and placed in good
condition.
The commissioners adopted a
resolution that local legislation
be introduced so that Butts
County can establish a fire
control system for the various
communities of Butts County.
The commissioners also adopt
ed a resolution asking that local
legislation seek to obtain top
priority for securing additional
permanent improvements for
Indian Springs State Park at the
1973 general session and that
the necessary legislation and
appropriation for the following
permanent improvements be
secured, to wit:
1. Necessary funds for the
extension of the beach area of
Rev. Bob Baggotf Jr. To
Speak at Athletic Banquet
The Jackson High School
Athletic Banquet will be an
event of Thursday evening,
January 18th, beginning at
seven o’clock at the Jackson
High Cafeteria. This annual
event, always keenly antici
pated, is sponsored by the
Jackson Boosters Club with
awards to be presented to the
most outstanding back on
offense, most outstanding back
on defense and to the
outstanding offensive and de
fensive lineman as well as the
100 percent effort award.
Jackson High School Head
Football Coach and Athletic
Director Ron Wade announces
that the Rev. Robert T. Baggott,
Jr., pastor of the First Baptist
Church in Opelika, Ala. will be
the guest speaker. Mr. Baggott
is a much sought after speaker
on the banquet circuit and has
addressed the Jackson Kiwanis
Club on at least one occasion.
Mr. Baggott is a native of
Augusta where he was born
March 26, 1932 and obtained his
education at Mercer University
and Southwestern Seminary
where he received his BD
degree in 1959. He served as
First Lieutenant in the Medical
Corps from 1954-56 and married
Betty Sue Dempsey in 1954 and
they have three children.
Mr. Baggott has served
pastorates in West Palm Beach,
Fla. and Newnan before moving
to the First Baptist Church of
Opelika in September 1972.
Mr. Baggott is a trustee of
Mercer University, a trustee of
Southwestern Baptist Theo
the state owned lake of at least
one mile.
2. The necessary funds for the
construction of at least 25
additional cabins for year round
use.
3. The necessary funds for the
purchase of the Varner House at
Indian Springs so that it may
become part of the Indian
Springs State Park property.
4. Secure necessary funds for
the grading and paving of the
connecting road from the
Brownlee Road to Indian
Springs State Park, which is 1.4
miles so as to have a paved
connector road direct from 1-75
highway to Indian Springs State
Park; and secure the necessary
Indian Springs State Park turn
off signs placed in appropriate
locations along 1-75 highway
between Macon and Atlanta,
and at such other places as may
be deemed proper.
A resolution was adopted by
the commissioners which recog
nized that certain roads and
bridges in Butts County are in
need of improvements and that
there is on file with the State
Highway Department a priority
list of such improvements for
the county. The commissioners
ask that this priority not be
changed by the State Highway
Department so that said
priority can remain in tact with
the commissioners exerting
their best efforts to see such
improvements are made.
Recognizing the need for
additional sanitary landfills, the
commissioners resolved that
the board initiates to take
necessary action to provide for
more sanitary landfills in Butts
County on some reasonable plan
and basis.
Another resolution passed by
the commissioners pertains to
the introduction of certain local
legislation whereby the salary
of each member of the Board of
Commissioners be raised from
S2OO per month to S3OO.
logical Seminary, was president
of the Georgia Baptist Conven
tion Pastor’s Conference in 1971
and in the field of civic
endeavor was president of the
Newnan-Coweta Chamber of
Commerce in 1969, president of
the Newnan-Coweta YMCA and
was named Coweta County
Outstanding Young Man in 1963.
Coach Wade announces that
tickets are now on sale at $2
from the following locations:
City Pharmacy, Western Auto
and C&S Bank from Denny
O’Neal. Coach Wade empha
sized that the banquet is not an
invitational affair, but urges the
public to purchase tickets so
they can be present to recognize
and honor Jackson High’s
outstanding athletes and the
team.
SPORTSMEN’S CLUB
WILL MEET FRIDAY
The Butts County Sports
men’s Club will hold a general
meeting Friday evening, Jan
uary 12th, at Tomlin’s Restau
rant beginning at seven o’clock.
The nomination and election of
officers for the club to serve
during 1973 will be conducted
during the business session.
Millard Daniel, Jr., Butts
County Extension Agent and
secretary-treasurer of the club,
urges all members to attend
this important meeting and
enjoy a free meal. In a letter to
club members Mr. Daniel also
stated that several door prizes
will be given away with a rifle to
be the main prize.