The Forest Park free press and Clayton County news and farmer and the Forest Park news. (Forest Park, Ga.) 1967-1969, February 06, 1969, Image 6

The Forest Park free press and Clayton County news and farmer and the Forest Park news., February 06, 1969, Image 6

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Newspaper Page TextGrand Jury Presentments the Superior Court tor the County of Clayton, State of Georgia In Ite Grand Jury Presentments, No vember t erm, 1968 1. rne Court deleted the follow •ng upon publication “Solicitations for Bonding Companies by law en torcement officers should be stopped.” 2. fhis averment is prohibited by section 21 504 of the Code. If the Grand Jury had sufficient informa tion that this has transpired, a pre sentment should have been brought aqamst the offending officer So ordered this January 23. 1969. Harold R. Banke. Chief Judge Clayton Superior Court Clayton Judicial Circuit GE ORGIA CL AY ION COUN I V NOVEMBf H I t RM. 1968 IO THE HONORABLE HAROLD R. BANK! CHILf JUDGE. SU PERIOR COURI CLAYTON JU DICI AL CIRC UI T Ibis Grand Jury convened on Monday. November 4, 1968, with 2J members present. f he group elected the following: i rank < Brown, jf. Foreman; Lindsey Campbell Assistant Fore man. Mildred Abercrombie Secre tary. James W. Grist Doorkeeper I his Coand Jury has met since the above date as often as it was felt necessary to attend to the criminal matters brought before it by the District Attorney. Various commi ttees were formed and work as signed, which kept these com mittees very busy, often meeting at mght to complete then task Not all departments of the County have been investigated, hut effort was placed where trie Grand Jury felt the greatest need Ihe reports of each of these committees have been considered carefully by the entire i.land Jury Each of these recom mendations contained in committee reports has been adopted by the (.rand Jury as a whole, and is to be considered a recommendation of tms body Ihe reports and recom mendations of these committees, which follow, are therefore incor porated and made a part of these presentments WA I I R AUH IORI I Y : the 6und Jury toured ail the mam facilities of the Clayton Coun ty Water Authority, and found them to be operating m an orderly and efficient manner. A training program has been set up by Mi. Ed Huie, the Manager, ami the personnel appears to be well qualified, and the morale ap peats to be high, we found the rates competitive and the equipment ap beared to be in good order. Mr Fl me stated that their aim is to surround tire County with mams, water and sewage, so as to be ready to meet the fast growing needs of mn i ounty This is to be done Pat I .ally by budgeting and partially by surplus momes if there is a sm pin . al the end of the fiscal yeai e found the water and sewage facilities to be adequate now and plans are under way tor the future We feel that our water and sewer systems are on a very sound basis, b'»th physically and financially, and a>e a real asset to our County I X COMMITS I < iNL RS AND ASST S'.OHS •Vv. the (oand Jury have made a complete investigation of the tax '■l'm tore o’ Clayton County, and further investigated several com pla«nts regarding the assessments which revealed that quite a few people icccived a fifty per cent discount ‘rum the re evaluation rec < immendation four years ago. The ■ ■ ■ .'.'ii!equested that all as .♦’■ sments be corrected so as to be oil an equal basis; therefore, the tax assessors moved the assessments back to where the re evaluation was unmended m 196 L We feel that Hu tax assessors were justified m the majordy of these cases However, our investigation also • wealed several other properties not m hue generally with other assessments We recommend that steps be taken immediately to cor reel these assessments. We have been assured by the tax assessors tfi.it tms wifi be corrected in the neat future We furthe* rviommend that the taxpayers be better informed as to the way m which taxes are assessed according to the laws We also feel ttut the tax assessors should be better staffed in the field o’ necking outside appraisements and assessments in order to comply with the above as soon as feasible In ■ . the tax assessors Ju- trying to make the proper ad fustments. We feel that the govern •ng authority as well as the public st' mid cooperate in every way pos sibie to bring an assessments on an r c laundry and Mir W CLENAMATION "Growing With Clayton County" Proudly announces the opening of Plant No. 2, Southway Shopping Center, Jonesboro Come and see Clayton County's finest equipped with the world's best Dry Cleaning, Finishing Equipment and Stainless Steel Wash ers in Laundrymat. THE ONLY DRAPERY MACHINE TO GIVE A DECORATIVE FOLD SOUTH OF ATLANTA THIS SERVICE AVAILABLE AT BOTH PLANTS Quality Cleaning a MUST with Personalized Attention YOUR INSPECTION WELCOMED 2 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU DRIVE-IN WINDOW SERVICE B - I / 797 MORROW ROAD MR mLm 111 m*™ ■ —w Southway Shopping Center W Jonesboro - Tel. 478-3393 We Pamper Your Wardrobe equal basis. If the assessments are not corrected, the governing au thonty will be compelled to either increase taxes or have all properties re evaluated in order to meet the needs of the County in the im mediate future. BOARD OF EDUCATION: This Grand Jury has received only two complaints. I hese were regard •ng overcrowding of the buses and selling books m the schools that could be bought at newsstands. A committee was assigned to investi gate the situation and found the following to be true. I his committee met with the County Board of Education and discussed these two problems. I he books are sold for the convenience of the students and they did not sell enough to hurt anyone that is •n this business All profit from the sale of these books go to the school library. I he committee also met with Mr. Arlm Harr, T ransportation Director for the County He stated that the State allows a 10 to 40 per cent overload factor on the buses, but the County does not exceed 30 per cent We recommend that the County not exceed 10 per cent. Mr Barr stated that he has three full time licensed mechanics, one helper, and one service man. Ihe committee inspected the garage and found it to be a clean, modern, and efficient mstaiiation. Buses are taken to the garage every other day to fill up with gas and have an inspection If anything •s wrong with the bus, the driver is required to write it in a log book, which is kept for each bus A safety check is made on brakes, tires, steering, etc for each 1000 miles and a 5000 mile check is made each summer and then any major repairs are made. A school audit is made each year ' by the State Board of Education /Auditor and, on occasion, by a f ederai Auditor. 1 he developers of future subdivi Sions should be required to provide adequate "turn around” roads to accommodate school buses and, where possible, access road to en able school buses to avoid travel on hazardous highways. Commissions rs of ROADS & REVENUES Ihe Grand Jury met with the commissioners, both old and new, so that all might see the operation of this office first hand Rec om mcn d a tions concer mog this office are as follows 1. f hat the quahfications for the directors and personnel hired by and answering to the commissioners be set forth by the commissioners and adhered to strictly. 2. I hat immediate action be taken to comply with the law per taming to the purchasing agent de voting full tune to the duties of his office; 3. I hat immediate action be I taken to comply with the law per taining to the hiring of a comptrol ler ; 4. I hat the Public Works Director have a college degree tn civil engi neermg, licensed by the State of ieorgta, and have at least five years experience in public works or re lated field; 5 I hat the Planning and Zoning Board be consolidated and come under one Director. We fmd the Public Works Depart ment keeping a backlog of com plaints and repair calls sometimes as much as two years old. We also fmd them handicapped by a shortage of labor and skilled heavy equipment operators. We recommend that steps be taken to see that better care is taken of County equipment, that steps be taken to correct this backlog of orders by better coordi nation, by change in personnel, by changing method of operation, by hiring more men, or whatever net essary' I IRI DE PAR IMI N I We fmd this department operat •ng very efficiently and with excel lent co-ordination. Morale seems to be high among all men and the firemen have respect for the offi cers All equipment is in excellent condition, being new or nearly new and maintained m good order Men are well trained by competent tram mg of f icers. We recommend 11 hat the County adopt state and national fire codes with local mod if icat ion; 2. I hat salaries for personnel be raised to compare with other At •anta metro area fire departments; 3 I hat unprotected areas of County be brought under protec tion by vote of the people, by legislation, or whatever means nec essary. INSPEC I ION DE PAR I MLN T We met with the Inspection De partment and found this depart ment to be operating smoothly and well organized. This department has functioned well for about ten or twelve years and is operated by a staff of four, a Chief Inspector, two other men, and one secretary. I hey <ssue an average of 75 permits for new buddings per month and take in approximately $6,000.00 pei month. I here are at present 117 electrical contractors and 175 piumbmg contractors operating m our County. These contractors are governed by two five-men boards, who are appointed by the Commis sioners. We recommend that building per mits be more accurate as to loca tions. It should be mandatory to have a lot number and a street number listed on the permit when issued and before any inspections are made. CIVIL DEFENSt We met with Mr. Christopher, Di rector of Clayton County Civil De fense, and found this department confronted with a tremendous re sponsibility of providing emergency shelter and provisions for approxi mately 90,000 people. They are making great progress despite the fact that they are very much over crowded insofar as office and op erating space is concerned. Plans are underway for a new operating cen ter to be built, possibly in 1970. Land has already been purchased and plans formulated They are now waiting the necessary funds, the Federal Government will co operate fifty fifty on this. Their books are audited separately from the County books by a government auditor. During an emergency, all county employees become a part of this team and are under the orders and directions of Mr Christopher. We think that the salary of the Director needs to be raised to be more in ime with responsibility and tune consumed by this office. He is now paid : 6 46.00 per month In six years of operation of this depart ment, through matching funds with the U.S. Government and purchas ing surplus equipment, has bought $200,000 00 worth of supplies and equipment for $38,000 00. We also think the transportation should be furnished for the Director by the County. He presently drives his per sonal car 1000 miles per month, j with a rermbutsement of 8 cents per mile His only recommendation is that he have a seven man advisory council to help make decisions at times. BUSINESS LICENSES: I he only thing we see that needs changing in this department is the fee structure for business licenses. We feel that this needs to be revised so that fees are more in line. COMMISSIONERS OF ROADS AND REVENUES BOARD MEMBE RS Our investigation reveals that several Board Members are holding more than one appointment as well as some Board Members are con nected or doing business with the County We recommend that the Governing Authority appoint Board Members to only one Board, and no one connected with or doing busi ness with the County be appointed in the future We feel that there are lots of qualified people in our County to fill these posts. LEGISLA TORS We, the Grand Jury, recommend that the Clayton County Legislators be more specific m the wording of Local Laws pertaining to elected officials. The wording "authorize” and "empower" should be replaced witfi the wording “require” in such Local Laws. I his Grand Jury feels that >f a law is important enough to be passed by our Legislature, it should be incumbent upon the County Officials to carry out the purposes of said law. BOARD OF HEALTH I he Health Department Commit tee of this Grand Jury visited Mr. Jones, Sanitation Engineer of the County Health Department, and discussed the Department’s opera Rons and problems. A complete or thorough investigation was not made, as no matters were made known that would require that this be done. Ihe following is recom mended by the Grand Jury for co nsideration . 1 I hat trash dump areas be pa trolled more closely for people dumping along the highways or un authorized dump areas, and that violators be fined; 2. I hat all haulers of trash and garbage use covered containers or covered trucks or be fined; that public haulers have their permit re — voked after an established number of violations; 3. That a County Health Depart ment Patrol Officer be hired to enforce the above and&or related duties; 4. i hat consideration be given to having subdivisions approved by the Health Department prior to being approved by the Planning and Zon mg Commission; 5. It was determined that the land fill for public use is open six days each week. This appears to be suf ficient for the county residents' use. SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT : The committee visited the Coun ty Jail, had lunch and an inspection tour throughout the jail. On return mg to the sheriff’s office, we dis cussed several subjects that had been brought to our attention. T raff ic problems still exist on the South Expressway and there seems to be no answer until county and state officials cooperate in making the corrections. A more strict set of qualifications for Justices of the Peace should be written and they should be ex amined for these qualifications. Peace officers in our cities and counties need better legislations to enable them to perform their duties in apartment complexes. Beer and liquor sales at every major roadway and county line junctions are creating more and more problems in our county. Cooperation between law en forcement departments m our county should be improved. It is time foi them to try to get the job done rather than fuss over which is the right department or who has jurisdiction. A metropol system within our own county could help. This committee would like to thank the outgoing sheriff for his splendid cooperation. DEPART MEN I Os FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES: The Committee on the Depart ment of f amily and Children's Services visited the office of the Director and discussed various areas of their operations. It is felt that at this time the department has adc quate office space and employees I his committee feels that the De partment is doing a very great serv ice to the County. The Committee visited the Coun ty Juvenile Home and talked with the Superintendent and teachers. There are meals provided by a full time kitchen staff. Ihe kitchen ap peared to be very clean and well operated. The bedding is adequate for a small number of juveniles, but probably would not be sufficient for times when larger numbers of juveniles were in detention. The new wmg of the Juvenile Home is near completion, and is expected to be completed in early 1969. REMARKS AND RECOMMENDA I IONS The November 1968 Term of Clayton County Grand Jury pre sented the following six auditing firms for selection of one firm to conduct an audit of County books and records, and of the books and records of the Clayton County Water Authority, in accordance with Section 2 and Section 14 (a) of H. B. No. 535: Young and Joyner, Milam and Milam, Price Waterhouse & Co., Murray S. Siegel, Jack A. Blackwell, and Pyke & Pierce I he Grand Jury was advised by the Clerk o’ the Court that the ballot boxes from the November 5, 1968 elections were being held for safe keeping. Since no discrepancies were found, the Cle»k is instructed to dispose of them as required by law. Following several recommenda tions, and after considering the qualifications of Waiter R. Pressley, 4170 Sweetbriar Lane, Forest Patk, Georgia, this Grand Jury recom mends the appointment of Walter R Pressley as Ex-OHicio Justice of the Peace for the 1644th District for by the Superior Court of this County Ihe term of office expires I eb. 28, I 969. I his Grand Jury recommends that the salary of jurors be set at fl? Everything Must (/1 Go!! V M BY MARCH Ist MEN & WOMEN'S A ® clothing v IK'IrBB nt X *3 i *w IS ft 1 Name Brands Reduced I S F From Our Regular Stock ALL ITEMS REDUCED -’*2s 60 SMITH-WILLIAMS CLOTHING 7581 So. Expressway JONESBORO (Corner of Expressway /iff/ xV and Highway 3) I f USE YOUR / W’ CHARGE JoHf / X Ts T i •11 I ■ BANKAMERICARD I i ■Mil PW { \ 1 or C&S CHARGE > | V > I > ? _ J — i I “ ’ ■** , u> cX ***/ > I I ; SECOND EMBREY LAUNDRY—Embrey, whose first laun dry is located at Ash Street and Morrow Road, has just i opened No. 2in the Southway Shopping Center at Jones- ' boro. Embrey Opens Second » : Laundry in Southway linbrey’s Laundrymat, Laundry & Cieanamation, for ■ several years established on ‘ | Morrow Road across from Ash ; Morrow Plaza, has expanded, i i SIO.OO per day and the salary of J bailiffs be set at $15.00 per day. I here has been entirely too much i talk and too httie action on recrea . I tion programs and facilities. ( i We cannot afford to continue to pay lip service to recreational prob ’ I lems. If we are to provide our youth as well as adults with a truly । well rounded recreation program . i with sufficient facilities, then we [ should stop waiting for outside help to do the job for us. । A good recreation program and , facilities is the result of much effort on the part of local citizenry. If , you do not have volunteer program : m your community, now is the i time to begin. Show your interest by your effort. । We recommend that a copy of these presentments be published in । the Forest Park Free Press and , Clayton County News and Farmer, > and in the Clayton County Journal. ! Frank Brown, Ji., James W. Grist, Kenneth Buchanan, Witham Meyer, } M, R. Stone, Pat Chapman, Parks j Mann, Edward Bailey, W. L. Wilson, Mrs. Mildred Abercrombie, Barry । Harbin, Chester Budkoski, M. M Buice, Troy Thomas, Horace Dodd, James Benford, Preston Sears, La mar Garner, C. E Colims, W. W. r Foust, Robert Thradkill, R. G. . Boyd, Lindsey Campbell. Frank Brown, Jr., Foreman. Lindsey Campbell, Assistant > Foreman. I Mrs. Mildred Abercrombie, Secre ' tary. ORDER I he within presentments received in open court and ordered filed; , that the same be published in the . Forest Park Free Press and Clayton County News and Farmer and For est Park News, and in the Clayton County Journal This 23rd day of January, 1969. > Harold R . Banke, . Chief Judge, Super lor Court > Clayton Judicial Circuit They now have two lo cations following the opening last week of Plant No. 2 at Southway Shopping Center on the Southeast I xpressway at Jonesboro. It is one of the finest, if not the finest, dry cleaning places South of Atlanta, being , equipped with “the world’s best dry cleaning, finishing equipment and stainless steel washers” in the laundrymat. They also have “the only drapery machine to give a decorative fold tn this area. Drive-in service is another : feature. Quality cleaning is a MUST with personalized attention. “We pamper your ward robe” is the company slogan. John W. Gardner, former ; Secretary of Health, Education ; and Welfare: “fhis generation will not ■ accept solutions that are pre cooked in the back room of the Establishment. People want to have their say.” GRAND opening 1)^11 AQTOflOflk||O ...biings you the full beauty of 11 w vUlllw music, with breathtaking dimensional QTCnrrt realism and tonal purity. Thrill to glorious Stereo FM, O I LIILU drift-free and noise-free Monaural FM. powerful AM Radio, plus the fabulous Mieromatic Record Player that lets your records last a lifetime! And, advanced solid-state circuitry eliminates tubesand heat — assuring superb performance and lasting reliability. Don’t you owe yourself the pleasure of owning the finest a magnificent Magnavox? WittiS ns I l / L r • > W* - IJPT v Wld Mediterranean styling ~ — model 3813, on concealed swivel casters. $39850 44utpxrijvt ' SPECIALS! Heavy-Duty 16-lb. Load WASHER and MATCHING DRYER BOTH ONLY e*>r Ann^Bi < "J|| VV BankAmericard Easy Credit Terms or Complete Line of e Stereo Records HOTPOINT APPLIANCES and • Tapes Magnavox Televisions and Stereos • Car Tape Players RENTER FOR FREE an d PORTABLE TELEVISION THOMPSON, INC NO PURCHASE NECESSARY L South way Shopping Center c , * Shop Two Locations McGARITY SHOPPING CENTER I SOUTHWAY SHOPPING CENTER McDonough, ga. I jonesboro, ga. 957-3184 I 478-0234 RaLiWi .. ■ I 1 M WIW WARD E. FABRICS—It has just moved into a new loca tion, Southway Shopping Center, from Bonanza. Owners are Mrs. Emma Ward and son, John (pictured here). Their home is Jonesboro. Ward E. carries all lines of fabrics, specializing in nylon tricot and laces dyed to match. ■ —- ————— — — i*. l _ Z-M ' 4 rBH| H . y । d M mi ’I 'i Si COOK & THOMPSON, INC.—Appliance dealer carrying Hotpoint and Magnavox TV and Stereo. They have an other store at McGarity Shopping Center in McDonough.