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f —The Houston Home Journal— '
State Grant Due Soon
Crisis Centers Saved
By Commission Action
The Houston County
Commission may have saved
the county's Drug Crisis
Centers from going out of
business, Tuesday night when
the commissioners agreed to
pay one hundred percent of a
$14,967 County budget. Drug
Abuse Commission Chairman
Sherrill Stafford of Centerville
had presented the request at
Tuesday night’s meeting in
Perry
Stafford also told the
commission that the county
Drug Abuse Commission,
which is the overseeing body
in charge of operating the
county’s Crisis Centers in
Warner Robins and Perry,
will receive a $63,2% state
grant which also carries with
it $15,927 of in-kind services,
making the total benefit to the
county of $79,123.00.
The state grant will be used
to operate Drug Free Centers
Perry Mayor James McKinley (L) seated, outlines reasons why the City of
Perry cannot contribute to the $14,967 Drug Abuse Commission budget for
1974. Listening are Commissioner Alton Tucker (center seated) and Dr. David
Harvey (R) chairman of the Houston County Drug Action Council (HODAC).
McKinley mentioned that the City of Perry is at present paying S2OO monthly
lease for the Perry Plaza Drug Crisis Center. The lease expires soon and rent
is expected to increase.
County Applies For
$1,250,000 FHA Loan
Elmo Richardson of the
consulting engineering firm of
Tribble and Richardson of
Macon, Houston County’s
engineers, Tuesday night
succeeded in getting the
county commissioners to sign
an application for a $1,250,000
Farmers Home Ad
ministration (FHA) loan, and
a $150,000 grant for the
county's financially plagued
water system. The county is
eyeing $540,000 of new con
struction for the system if the
loan is made.
Scheduled to be built if
financially possible is a new
deep well with standby
engines, chemical feeders,
metering and controls. Also
eyed are a new 250,000 gallon
elevated water storage tank,
six thousand (6,000) linear feet
of eight inch cast iron pipe,
20,200 linear feet of six inch
pipe, twenty-two (22) fire
hydrants, and an altitude
valve.
The $540,000 in new im
provements is, according to a
letter sent to the Georgia
Department of Natural
in Perry and Warner Robins.
The commissioners agreed to
sign the contract accepting
the grant. The Perry Drug
Free Center will be Out
Patient in nature.
Stafford introduced his
revised budget request, which
was SIOO less than the original
budget requested in June. At
that lime, the commissioners
told Stafford, Houston Drug
Action Council Chief Dr.
David Harvey, and Crisis
Centers Director Hunter
Hurst that the original
agreement between the
county and the cities of
Warner Robins and Ferry had
called for the county to supply
only fifty percent of the entire
budget.
Furthermore, in the June
meeting, during 1974-75 county
departmental budget
hearings, the Drug services
trio was told to obtain the
Resources on August 30 by
Richardson, supposed to be
paid by a $290,000 Farmers
Home Administration grant,
and a $250,000 proposed En
vironmental Protection
Agency grant
In the letter sent by
Richardson to J C. Meredith
of the state DNR, En
vironmental Protection
Division, an attached priority
rating notes that "engineering
plans are underway. Ap
plication has been filed with
the FHA and they have
assured Houston County of a
loan. The Houston County
Water System is experiencing
a serious water shortage.
Within a year, this will
become an emergency
situation."
In related developments,
sixty Henderson area
residents crowded into the
small meeting room at the
Houston County Courthouse in
downtown Perry to voice
strong concern about their
water systems capabilities.
Spokesmen Fred Langston
PAGE 2-A
remainder of their new budget
from the municipalities within
the county. But Tuesday night
Stafford told the commission
that the mayors of Perry and
Warner Robins could not
“make further contributions”
in this fiscal year.
Commissioner Alton Tucker
stated, “Our original
agreement was for the county
to agree to pay up to one-half
of funds requested I know
because I was on the Drug
Abuse Commission at the
time. We’re still willing to go
that fifty percent.” The
chairman of the county
commissioners is an
automatic member of the
Drug Abuse Commission
Tucker was chairman in 1973.
Tucker continued, “I hate it
that some of the parties want
to back out. But this was the
thorough understanding. We
put up $15,000 last year
and Wendell Kersey said “the
water system is failing us.
Four times in the last week
people have been out of water.
There is a short somewhere,
because the switch didn't
come on at the pump. We've
also had problems with mud in
the pipes ."
Assistant County Clerk
Lamar Brown, head of the
county water system, said
that his men had checked the
problem “today'' and
diagnosed it as a "faulty
switch". Commissioner Alton
Tucker instructed Brown to
investigate possibilities of
acquiring a backup deep well
pump in case the present one
at Henderson "goes out". The
Henderson residents had
seconds before cautioned that
the pump was old and
unreliable.
Assistant Clerk Brown told
the group to call the Sheriff's
Department in Warner Robins
if more water problems oc
curred The Sheriff's men
will (hen con'act Browns
water repair crews.
because Warner Robins - in a
one-shot deal - had to pay
$15,000 for their building (on
Duke Avenue). The next year,
now this year, all costs were to
be divided.”
Stafford agreed that
Tucker’s surmisal was
correct, and this was how the
arrangements were supposed
to be conducted.
Tucker then moved to ap
propriate fifty percent of the
$14,967 budget. He was
seconded for discussion
purposes by Steve Byrd.
Tucker reminded, “This only
leaves about $7,000 to be
divided among the three
cities." (He was evidently
counting on Centerville to
contribute.)
Stafford pleaded, “The only
thing I can say, is we certainly
don’t want to see the program
tall apart.
But Tucker insisted, “If
anybody backs down it won’t
be us. It’ll be the cities.”
Stafford reminded the board
that “a lot of volunteer work”
was needed lx)th in Warner
Robins and Ferry “to get
those things going.” He stated
that Perry was continuing to
pay S2OO per month in lease
fees for the Ferry Plaza site.
He also told the board that if
all volunteers were paid, the
budget would be “five or ten
times" the $14,967 request.
Warner Robins Mayor Ed
Bryant said, “I think the Drug
Abuse Commission is a county
service - serving all - and it
should be a county financed
area. The whole northern part
of the county is served by the
Warner Robins Crisis Center.
I don't want the municipalities
double-paying.”
Commissioner Charles
Carter spoke up. He said,
“Let’s look at this as a total
entity. I agree somewhat with
Bryant. Look at money, and
donated time. If those Centers
saved one life, we’re well
ahead of the game. We
shouldn’t let their efforts die.”
Stafford then agreed, “Let’s
accept the fact that the cities
are derelict in their duties.”
Commissioner V.W.
McEver gave his opinion, by
reflecting, “The original
agreements were just like
Alton said. But the thing is, we
can’t sacrifice that project
and let it die. I’m not in favor
of that, even if we have to fund
one hundred percent.”
He continued, “The bill is
just twenty-four cents per
person to fight drug abuse.
But the cities have to un
derstand what is happening
here, and come next year’s
budget hearing, things will
have to be arranged.”
Ferry Mayor James
McKinley said, “We’ve
adopted a real close budget
this year. We're having ex
treme difficulties. Bear with
us for this year. That’s my
plea."
Commissioner Byrd with
drew his second of Tucker’s
motion to pay fifty percent of
the budget. Byrd then posed
his own motion, to pay one
hundred percent. Charles
Carter seconded Byrd’s
motion, and it passed 4-1, with
Tucker dissenting, and
saying, "Once an agreement
is made, we should stick to it.”
Mayor Bryant again said.
“We’ve discussed the tax
situation many times. WTiere
is the $14,967 coming from?
Percentagewise, the cities are
already paying their fair
share."
Tucker retorted, 1 resent
every time 1 pick up the
papers seeing where you’re
saying y'all aren’t getting
your lair share of taxes. You
know we’re not ever going to
have everything fair, and that
the whole tax (property tax)
situation is unfair in concept.”
A>C *&*&’ Z s(?jl X : «for -Js|L
The Houston County Hospital Authority
discusses reasons for five members handing in
resignations at a Monday night called meeting of
the Houston County Commission in Warner
Robins. Four of the six in the picture are no longer
on the Authority, their resignations being ac
cepted. and then being replaced Tuesday night.
Not To Re-Appoint Members I
*
■ ■ A
‘New ’ Information May
Have Made Decision !
ANALYSIS
The Houston County
Commission Tuesday night
surprised nearly every
political “expert” in the area
by accepting all six
resignations from the Houston
County Hospital Authority
that had been given to the
board at a special meeting
Monday night in Warner
Robins. More surprising, to
most observers, was the fact
that none of the six were re
appointed.
The Home Journal has
learned that additional, new
information may have been
given to the County Com
mission that prompted their
decision not to re-appoint any
of the six Authority members
who had resigned. It had been
speculated that five of the six
members would be re
appointed to their positions.
The Home Journal has
secured a copy of some of the
“new information” that was
reportedly made available to
the commissioners. It con
cerns the inhalation therapy
department, and a charge
made against then-Aulhority
member Dr. Wentford Spears
of a conflict of interest.
At Monday night’s meeting
the five who resigned said that
they had no knowledge of a
contractual negotiation
between then-Warner Robins
Hospital Administrator
Beverly Chester and the
inhalation therapists to
provide coverage for the
hospital. But at a September,
1973, Hospital Authority
meeting, the Authority, ac
cording to the official minutes,
"a motion was made by Mr.
Stubbs (James Stubbs),
seconded by Mr. Spears that
the anesthesiologist begin
performing the Inhalation
Therapy Service October 1,
1973, if this change can be
worked out orally pending
implementation of contract.”
Earlier records of the same
meeting, on September 25,
1973, says, “The proposed
contract for the Anesthesia
Department to assume
supervision of the Inhalation
Therapy Department is being
modified on an individual
contract basis with the
Anesthesiologist, rather than
a group contract as earlier
indicated. Mr. Chester asked
the Board Members' opinion
regarding the
Anesthesiologist performing
this service, beginning Oc
tober 1, 1973, as earlier an
ticipated. pending im
plementation of modifying the
contract on an individual basis
rather than group basis.”
The Anesthesiologists in
question are Dr. Robert
Carter and Dr. Hunt Sanders.
Both are members of the
Doctors' Clinic, across the
street from the hospital, as
are Commissioner V.W.
McEver and Dr. Spears.
On Nov. 12, 1973, the Warner
Robins medical staff voted 8-7
to discontinue the practice of
having the Anesthesiologists
operate the Inhalation
Therapy Department. The;
Home Journal has learned
that “after lengthy discussion
(at an executive committee
meeting of the medical staff),
* I
Two Perry High Girls
Named Semi-Finalists ;i
Perry High School Principal
Malcolm J. Marchman has
announced that two students
at Perry High have been
named Semi-finalists in the
competition for about 3,400
Merit Scholarships to be
awarded in 1975. The students
are Lynn Myers and Eileen
Neubaum.
The Merit Program Semi
finalists were the highest
scorers in each state on the
1973 Preliminary Scholastic
Aptitude Test - National Merit
Scholarship Qualifying Test,
administered to over one
million students in about
17,000 schools nationwide. The
Semi-finalists will be iden
tified to regionally accredited
U.S. colleges and universities.
The approximately 15,000
Semi-finalists in the nation
represent the top half of one
percent (.005) of the nation’s
most academically qualified
young people. To become
Merit Finalists, the students
must be endorsed by their
schools and recommended for
scholarship consideration,
confirm their high PSAT
NMSQT scores with an
equally high performance on
the SAT, provide evidence of
high academic performance,
and supply information about
their other accomplishments.
One thousand winners of
SI,OOO Merit Scholarships will
be selected next fall.
Perry High School Principal Malcolm Marchman announced this week that
two PHS students have been selected as national merit scholarship finalists.
They are shown here, Lynn Myers (left) and Eileen Neubaum.
Left to ngnt are: Louis Harper of Perry, former 1
chairman L.A. McConnell, Paul Stalnaker, j
Sherrill Stafford (still a member), Billy Beckham j
of Perry (still a member), and Hugh Beatty of 1
Perry. Also no longer on the Authority are Dr.
Wentford Spears of Warner Robins and Freeman \
Colbert, Jr., of the same city. *
a motion was made by Dr.
Carl Beard, and seconded by
Dr. Lindsey that the
Inhalation Therapy Depart
ment stay on a contract with
the hospital and Dr.
Eileen Neubaum is a senior
at Perry High. She is active in
the Beta Club and a member
of the yearbook staff. She
received the University of
Georgia Certificate of Merit
last year, and was a par
ticipant in the 1974 Governor’s
Honors Program. Eileen is the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
For Equipment
Perry School
Seeks Labels
Perry Elementary School is
in the midst of a special
collection drive aimed at
obtaining greatly needed
audio-visual and athletic
equipment. The program,
Labels for Education, is
sponsored by Campbell Soup
Company and offered to
elementary schools, both
private and public. “Between
now and December 31 we hope
to collect enough Campbell’s
Soup labels to earn several
pieces of equipment for our
school,” said Mrs. Hickock,
who is one of the co-sponsors
Sanders work on a fee for I
service basis either by*
arrangement with the patient
or by arrangement with the
hospital. Seven members
voted in favor of the motion
and eight opposed.”
’ 1 i
Warren Neubaum of Perry.-’
Lynn Myers is aKo a Plffi ■
senior. She is a member of the
Beta Club and Spanish Club.
She too last year was awarded
the University of Georgia
Certificate of Merit. She is the
daughter of Mr, and Mrs.
Daniel B, Myers of Pern/.
m
of the drive. “Our students are
saving their labels, and they
would appreciate it if friends
of the school would do, the
same,” continued Mrs.
Hickock.
Any Campbell’s Soup or
Beans label counts in the
drive. More than 110 audio
visual and athletic equipment
items are being offered. A
participating school in
the assigned number of labels
for the particular items
selected. The more labels
collected, the more and better
the equipment which may be
secured.