Newspaper Page Text
HHJ Analysis
. Mobile Home Placement
"Thorny" County Problem
By Joe Hiett
A man purchases a home in
a subdivision in Houston
County, spends time making
his yard beautiful, tranquil,
and scenic, and relaxes,
secure in the faith his area will
remain high in beauty and in
land value. Crash! A mobile
home moves in across the
street— but “only” for at the
most one year— so the owner
can build a home.
What happens to land
value? Can the owner of the
home do anything at all to
prevent the trailer from
staying in his subdivision?
Can the County prevent the
placement of the mobile
home- albeit for temporary
"eposes? Those questions
and related ones have been “a
thorn in the side” of the
Houston County Commission
for months.
Now looking at the situation
from the other side, you
purchase a lot in a subdivision
with clear plans to construct a
modern home on the site. Yet
media reports of construction
sites being "ripped off” when
no one is around make you
fearful of building your home
and each night leaving it
unoccupied So you ask to be
able to place a mobile home,
out of zone, on the property
while you are erecting the
house. You figure if you live on
tlte property, chances are less
"ely for the “rip off”. Can
you put the trailer m the
subdivision, even for 01 iay?
There is a metl ! for
placement of mobile o nes
“out of zone” for temporary
purposes. The Houston County
Commission can and oc
casionally does permit
“hardship” placement out of
zone (in other words, in R-l, or
R-2 zoned areas) if the ap
plicant can prove the trailer
occupant is aged or an invalid
Also available, but carrying
a more stringent qualification
status, is placement of trailers
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Grant Plaza Shopping Center
for periods up to a year in
subdivisions for protection
purposes while building
permanent dwellings. The
County Commission almost
invariably requires that the
occupant of such a trailer
purchase a building permit to
show “good faith” plans to
construct a home... and the
permits are almost never
renewed for such trailers.
But at a recent Commission
meeting County Building
Inspector Fred Beard brought
up the subject of "restrictive”
covenants. Restrictive
covenants are agreements in
subdivision articles of in
corporation that forbid the use
of the property for certain
purposes, or limit the use for
certain purposes. Generally, if
they have been correctly
worded, courts hold that
restrictive covenants are
Mysterious Circle j
This almost perfect 12 foot circle suddenly appeared last week on the lawn of I
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Thompson on Henson Road in Hayneville. The circle \
was not on the lawn the day before, when the lawn was cut. (Note lawn- I
mower.) One authority says the circle is of a kind of fungus, but others are not )
sure. A sample was sent to the State Crime Lab in Atlanta for analysis. \
valid and enforceable.
At the meeting of the county
commissioners, they ap
proved Norman Peltz’s
request to place a mobile
home on his property in the
Bateman subdivision for one
year while constructing a
permanent dwelling. Alton
Tucker moved to approve the
request, subject to Peltz ob
taining a building permit. He
was seconded by V.W.
McEver and the vote was
unanimous.
In short order, C.F.
Richardson’s request for the
very same thing was ap
proved. Richardson’s
property is also located in
Bateman subdivision, near
Warner Robins in norther
Houston County. Again the
vote was unanimous.
A commissioner brought up
the subject of restrictive
covenants, wondering if some
Perfect' Circle i
Causes Shock I
In Hayneville j
Most people would be
shocked if an almost perfect
12-foot circle of unknown
origin appeared overnight in
their backyard and Mrs. Jane
Thompson is no exception.
Last Thursday morning Mrs.
Thompson arose to discover a
strange circle next to her
clothes line, on freshly cut
grass.
The circle was not painted
on, and really no one is quite
sure how it got there. Some
speculate the circle is a type of
fungus, but Mrs. Thompson
says she never heard of a
fungus spreading out over
night, especially in an almost
perfect circle.
The soft-spoken young
housewife is hesitant to talk
about the subject, and last
week said only, “I don’t know
just what it is.” A theory
immediately coming to mind
is UFO landings but Mrs,
Thompson is somewhat
skeptical.
She will admit that the night
before her doublewide trailer,
located on Henson Road in
Hayneville, was “shook like
someone had hold of it”. Mrs.
Thompson and her 12 year old
son Greg said, “Ole motor
mouth- their German
Shepherd dog “Shep” wasn’t
maldng barking sounds, but
more like a low growl in his
throat.”
Mrs. Thompson said she
saw “a light through two end
windows in the home” but did
not step outside to take pic
tures, She further admitted
that on that Wednesday night,
around "nine or ninethirty”
her tv screen “blipped like the
film was broken” during a
viewing of “Lucas Tanner”.
(No other viewers watching
the same show noted the
blipping.)
The Thompsons have lived
change in the county or
dinances ought to be made to
insure covenants would be
respected. But Tucker said the
ordinance would have to be
amended to affect such a
change. Beard said en
forcement of subdivision
covenants was “not the
County Commission’s
responsibility, but (that) of
property owners.”
Tucker agreed, saying the
county “cannot get involved in
private litigation”, but
Commissioners Steve Byrd
and McEver said they thought
the county should help keep
property owners from seeking
an injunction.
So as matters now stand, the 5
county can, for its purposes, /
allow placement in restricted \
areas. But the subdivision still I
has the right to go to court to J
seek a remedy. \
at the location for five years, j
Mrs. Thompson called the [
Houston County Sheriff’s j
department, who dispatched I
Lieutenant Billy Rape and J
Sergeant Harry Enckler to the \
scene. They were somewhat [
mystified by the circle
themselves, but took samples
and sent it to the State Crime
Lab for an analysis.
The Thompsons tend to
discount prowlers or
pranksters somehow im- (
printing the circle on the lawn, ,
due to the presence of three I
rather vocal canines. Mrs. i
Thompson said she did not
“really believe in UFO’s but” (
did have an open mind on the
subject. I
AARP ;
Meets
Here
The American Association
of Retired Persons held a
covered dish supper at the
regular meeting Tuesday
evening, May 13, at the
Episcopal Community Room
At the brief business session
Jack Davis, Tour Committee
chairman, announced pians
for a bus trip on June 20 to
attend the Atlanta-San
Francisco baseball game.
The program was presented
by Mr and Mrs. Wendell K.
Whipple who showed slides
and gave an informative
commentary on their recent
vacation in Mexico.
Approximately 85, including
several new members and
guests, enjoyed the evening
V
COMMUNITY NEWS FROM
Houston
BY PATSY WATSON
Mrs. Virginia Connell, Mrs.
Clara Passmore of Ft, Valley,
Ga., and Mrs. Elisabeth
Fuller visited Sunday with Mr.
and Mrs. Guy E. Watson
Mr. and Mrs. V.P. Brooks
and Trena Stokes spent last
weekend in Atlanta with Mrs.
Sharon White and children.
Mrs. Guy S. Brooks
returned home Thursday from
the Coliseum Park Hospital
after having eye surgery.
Mr. and Mrs. Clay Kirk had
supper Sunday night with Mrs,
Kirk’s parents, Mr, and Mrs.
W.E. Cain.
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Lasseter’s
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Mrs. Mabel Tate of Macon is
spending several days with
Mr, and Mrs. Guy S. Brooks
while Mrs. Brooks is
recuperating from surgery.
Bobby Taylor of Savannah,
Ga., spent Saturday night with
Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Taylor
and Cheryl Kangas.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward
Watson and Pam visited
Friday evening with Mr. and
Mrs. Guy S. Brooks and Mrs.
Mabel Tate, Later the Wat
sons visited with Mr. and Mrs.
Tommy Watson at Bonaire.
Mrs. Liz Irby spent last
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THUHS.. MAY 22, 1975,
Wednesday in Milledgeville
visiting with her parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Charlie Layfield and
family.
Mr. and Mrs. Terry Taylor
of Byron spent Sunday with
Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Taylor
and Cheryl Kangas.
Mr and Mrs. Joel Irby of
Lilburn, Ga., spent Saturday
night with Mrs. Edna Owens.
Mr. and Mrs. James S.
Horne, Sr., attended a family
reunion in Pineview Sunday at
the home of Mrs. Dave
Faircloth.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward
Watson visited in Clinchfield
Saturday night with Mr. and
Mrs. Joe B. Parkerson and
Keith, Mrs. Angela Putman
and daughter and Jenny and
Tal Parker.
Mr. and Mrs. W.I. Lewis and
Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Avera of
Macon visited Sunday with
Mrs. Edna Owens and Mr. and
Mrs. James F. Irby and boys.
PAGE 7-A
Mr. and Mrs. Edward
Watson and Pam visited
Sunday in Warner Robins with
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Gedrottis
and girls.
Mr. and Mrs. James F. Irby
spent Monday in Atlanta.
Mr. Edward Watson and
Pam visited Monday bight
with Mr. and Mrs. Harvey
Hackley and Janet. Mr.
Rackley is recuperating from
surgery.
Flea Market
Set In Cordele
The Cordele Crisp
Recreation Department will
sponsor their 2nd annual Flea
Market in Cordele on June 28-
29. Spaces will be SB.OO for
Saturday and Sunday or $5.00
for one day. Many activities
are on hand for this affair.
For further information
contact the Cordele Crisp
Recreation Department at
273-1323 or 204 2nd St. Nth,
Cordele, Georgia 31015.