Newspaper Page Text
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Volume 112, No. 45
Newton County jail
The Newton County jail, built in 1901, is one of many across
Georgia that do not meet state standards. The county com
missioners have been researching ways of financing construction
of a new facility, which would cost nearly a million dollars.
Drop in fire rating is
possible, agents say
By Greg Jones
News editor
A drop from a class 10 to a class
nine fire insurance rating in Newton
County could save homeowners as
much as $156,000 a year and offset
the cost of a county-wide volunteer
fire system, the Newton County
Board of Commissioners was told
Tuesdav.
Local insurance agent A. J.
Spillers, representing a group of five
firms, presented the results of a
study showing the reduction, based
on an average fire insurance rate of
the companies involved.
The study assumed that an average
home in the county is valued at
$25,000 and that the ratio of brick
and frame homes is about half and
half. And while Spillers pointed out
Shown in the Tabernacle are participants in the
Sunday morning worship service at Salem Camp
Meeting. Pictured (1-r) are Robert H. Elliott Jr.,
Salem Board of Trustees secretary-treasurer;
Board Chairman Clarence Vaughn Jr.; Mrs. Bob
Williams, soloist; Dr. John Tate, music director;
that all the estimates might not be
correct, he said if anything a greater
reduction could be expected.
“I was ultra-conservative with all
the figures,” he said.
The insurance study also found
that several subdivisions which are
relatively close to Covington would
stand to benefit by obtaining "pro
tected suburban” status —a status
possibly available to areas where fire
hydrants are already installed and
where a mutual aid system with the
city of Covington could be establish
ed.
Using five subdivisions that lie
within the five mile radius of the city
fire station required under "protec
ted suburban” status, Spillers' group
estimated that residents there could
save some $16,000 on fire insurance
per year.
Salem Sunday morning participants
32 Pages
Rev. Paul J. Harwell, guest minuter; Dr. G.
Marion Wilder, supt. Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford
district; speaker; Rev. Dean Kring, Salem Chur
ch pastor; Miss Alice Griffin, guest pianist; Vice-
Chm. Sam Ramsey; and Mrs. Ramsey.
A Prize-Winning Newspaper, Serving Newton County For 110 Yearn
Covington, Georgia — Thursday, August 18,1977
commissioners told
No money for new jail
By Greg Jones
News editor
The proposed new Newton County
jail, talked about for the past several
years and recommended by numer
ous grand juries, may still be a long
way off if federal or state funds are
relied upon to build it, a state official
told the board of commissioners
Tuesday.
John Siler, a jail specialist with the
community development section of
the Department of Human Resour
ces (DHR), told the board “it’s a
very gloomy picture, simply because
there is no money available.
“Jails are expensive. I wish there
were state funds available, but there
are none,” Siler continued.
The current Newton County jail —
some 76-years-old — is only one of
many around the state that do not
meet state standards.
Plans for a new jail, which would
cost in the neighborhood of
#900,000, were drawn up several
years ago and have been updated
several times, according to Com
mission Chairman Roy Varner.
The plans were filed with the Law
Enforcement Assistance Admini
stration (LEAA), a federal agency,
in hopes of obtaining a federal grant
The point of the study, Spillers
said, was that substantial savings
could be realized by county residents
if some reduction in the county's
current fire insurance rating of 10
could be achieved.
The best way to do this, the agents
insisted, is through a series of volun
teer fire stations scattered through
out the county.
The study estimated that only four
stations would be required to cover a
great majority of the county and that
each could be installed at a cost of
roughly $70,000.
Broken down, that figure includes
$30,000 for a mini-pumper for each
station, SIO,OOO for a tanker and
$20,000 to purchase land and
construct a metal fabricated
(Please turn to page 3A)
to build the facility.
Siler said the only federal money
potentially available would come
through the Economic Development
Administration, but not much of
that has been awarded for the
building of jails.
He also warned that if the jail is
built with federal funds it would be
subject to stringent federal regula
tions that could force the cost much
higher than anticipated.
On the other hand, he said if the jail
were built to comply with only state
standards, someday the federal gov
ernment might decide that all jails
must meet federal guidelines.
Since there are no state funds for
jails, Siler recommended that the
Willie Ware of Fulton County may be a lifelong
fan of the troublesome kudzu vine since his acci
dent on 1-20 in Newton County last week. Ware's
automobile left the road in the westbound lanes,
plowed through a patch of kudzu, knocked down
Hundreds hear old, old
story at Salem services
From reveille to taps, by Terry
Hicks, bugler, hundreds of wor
shipers from Newton and
surrounding counties and states,
some as distant as Texas, are en
joying a week of Spiritual enrich
ment at historic Salem Camp
Ground, where the 149th session of
Interdenominational Salem Camp
Meeting is in progress through
Friday, August 19.
When the old bell, with sixth and
seventh generation descendants
tugging its rope, peals out its call to
worship, its clarion call holds the
same soul-stirring appeal as it did
when cotton sheet tents surrounded
the brush-arbor, which preceded the
ancient tabernacle; and, hundreds
Inside
s,,t News
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1977
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3 Sections
county “keep an eye out for federal
money and if possible use local
money."
On other matters, the board passed
a resolution approving a contract
with Jim Norman and Associates for
the county-wide property reassess
ment. Norman is expected to begin
work immediately on the project.
Oliver Capes, chairman of the
Newton County Water and Sewage
Authority, asked the board's advice
on whether to allow Rockdale
County to extend its water system
into Newton County in the Bucking
ham subdivision.
Capes was instructed to negotiate
with Rockdale County and stipulate
that any lines put into Newton
Kudzu, anyone?
a fence and came to rest. Neither Ware nor his
several passengers were injured and the cushion
of kudzu may have just been the reason. Notice
the path cut by the automobile and how the
vehicle sits nearly buried in the thick kudzu.
converge from surrounding “tents”
(cottages) built by their ancestors, to
hear able Men of God expound the
ever new, “Old, Old Story”, in the
Airport work okayed
Covington City Council voted
Monday night to spend $25,000 for
additional paving and tie-down
hangers at the Covington Municipal
Airport. Action on the airport im
provements came after Wemer
Gruenhut, lessee of the facility, met
with the council and requested the
improvements.
John Deering met with the council
to discuss sub-division development
of Pinewood Drive and Crestview
Drive. After discussion, it was the
concensus of the council to remain
with the present policy for sub
division development.
A motion passed to extend a
dormant gas line down Pineview and
Crestview at city expense in order to
loop the existing gas service line, and
for future investment. This will
enable the city to keep from cutting
up the streets at a later date after
paving and curbing has been
completed.
The council voted to set the license
fee for a discotheque to be located in
Charwin Plaza at SSO per year. The
request for an operational permit
Twenty Cents
County would become the property
of this county in the event that
Newton begins supplying water and
services for such lines.
Ambulance Service Director
Tommy Atcheson asked for permiss
ion to purchase a Like-Pak cardiac
monitoring device, saying that a
salesman's demonstrator model
could be purchased for 14,027. The
ambulance service already makes
use of one such Life-Pak, but Atche
son said another is needed. No decis
ion was made by the board on the
purchase.
Builder Frank Christian discussed
with the board the refusal by the
(Please turn to page 3A)
11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. worship
services.
(Please turn to page 8A)
came at the last council meeting
from Carl Lambert and Terry Hall.
In connection with the licensing of
the discotheque, action was taken to
amend Section 14-3, City of
Covington Code of Ordinances, to
comply with state laws, and to delete
Section 14-4, in its entirety, upon
recommendations from city at
torneys.
Approval for final adoption was
voted an ordinance to provide for
paving of Banks street from the
existing curb on Banks street to
Hudson street. Two-thirds of the
actual cost will be assessed against
the abutting property owners for the
paving.
The council voted to approve for
payment a statement from Campbell
& Bouchillon in the amount of
$2,680, for legal fees associated with
the city’s Employee Retirement
Plan. Purchase orders were also
approved in the amount of $550.40.
Priority projects for the coming
budget year were discussed prior to
adjournment at 9:10 p.m.
