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I The Houston Home f I Journal Perry, Georgia's Hometown Newspaper & Houston County's Legal Organ Since 1870-A Park Newspaper SATURDAY, JUNE 17,1989-119th YEAR, NO. 48, 3 SECTIONS, 30 PAGES, PLUS SALES CIRCULARS Agricenter contractor in default By MELISSA CRADDOCK Staff Writer After months of delays, promises and sub-standard work, the contractor for the Georgia Agriccnlcr has been declared in default of its contract as of Friday, June 9. "We've gotten a lot of promises about what's going to happen," said Project Architect Jim Ingram to the members of the Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority, the Agriccntcr's governing board, at its monthly meeting in Perry Wednesday. "The job continues to drag and it seems to be getting worse." The Georgia Slate Financing and Investment Gunman fires wildly in park 'People were running, children were screaming, it was a very traumatic situation. He was just shooting any way.' Dry trash landfill to open on July 1 By MELISSA CRADDOCK Staff Writer City and county workers are busy getting Perry's new dry trash landfill ready for its scheduled July 1 opening. Thursday, Houston County workers bulldozed what will be an all-weather entry road to the land fill, one of the first steps in open ing the location on Toomcr Road off of Highway 224. City officials decided to create the landfill, which will accept grass clippings, leaves and limbs, after the city's Elko Road landfill was ordered closed last year by the Environmental Protection Division. "We will continue to operate the city landfill for sometime yet," said Bill Haflcy, who is organizing the transition for the city. "The closing process will have to be kind of gradual." Garbage will be dumped at the Houston County landfill at a per ton cost to the city. Haflcy is optimistic about the July 1 opening, and credits County Engineer Milton Beckham with or Thought for the day "People who put on airs are usually full of wind."— The late John Hodges, Perry, Ga. Local death notices Henry T. "Hal" Gilbert Jr., 84 — Lola B. Martin Akins, 97 James Brown Jr., 67. Death notices appear on Page 3A Index THE BEST OF BOBBY 4A CLASSIFIED ADS 5,68 EDITORIALS 4A DEATH NOTICES 2A PERRY WOODS 'N WATER 4B POLICE NEWS 2A SPORTS IB To subscribe, call 987-1823 | PERRY, GEORGIA'S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1670-FQR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF YOUR NEWS EVENTS CALL 987-1623 ~ H Commission, the agency responsible for all state construction projects, declared the Carlson Southeast Corporation of Smyrna in default of its contract to build at the Georgia National Fairgrounds. It is now up to the bonding company insuring the job. Seaboard Surety of Boston, Mass., to decide what to do. "The surety has the election to remedy or perform," said Bill Roberts, director of the GSFIC's construction division. The bonding company has 25 days from the declaration on Friday to decide to "set guidelines and permit the current contractor to complete the job or it could chose to hire a new Continued on Back Page " I Bill Hafley ...organizing transition ganizing the county’s efforts to open the landfill. The landfill will be "a shared facility" between the city and the county. Along with preparing the entry road, workers arc developing a sur face water run-off system to divert rain and storm water from the working area of the landfill. A sedimentation pond will be Continued on Back Page ** ••••• /W tt«t® oorn Wfl 0 MAMA 7“ fjmd K J Houston County Probate Court Judge Francis Annls, also known as the "Oreo Mama," celebrated her birthday at work Friday with her "Oreo Kids." Judge An nis is so much like a second mother to employees Mary Jo Cummings, Tammie By OLIN HUBERT Staff Writer No one was hurt at Rozar Park Wednesday evening, when several shots were fired after an argument over a basketball game. Frederick Louis Whitaker, 29, of 1057 Lancing Court, was arrested Thursday and is being held without bail on charges of aggravated as sault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and carrying a pis tol without a license, according to Perry police investigator Detective Leyon Roberts. After a fight broke out on the basketball court, Whitaker went to his truck and got a pistol, Roberts said. He returned and started firing through the fence at the man he was fighting with, who was standing among a crowd of men on the court, Roberts said. Then he cb sed the man toward the picnic grounds. Witnesses said there were about 20 people on the basketball court, and that about four to six shots were fired. About six parents and eight or nine children from a baseball team for five- and six-year-olds were having a picnic, when a number of boys came running toward them from the basketball court, witnesses said. "We thought it was firecrackers at first," said one of the mothers. "The kids were playing hide-and seek. We saw some boys coming from the basketball court, hilling their stomachs like they were trying to protect themselves. Then we saw the one with the gun up at the top." "The guy came toward the picnic tables, yelling, T'm going to kill you,'" another mother said. "People were running, children were’ screaming, it was a very traumatic situation. He was just shooting any old way. He got in his truck and Continued on Back Page Happy Birthday Francis! WEEKEND EDITION-250 £t||| y ■ 1 1 it .tm v- A I Pikml ! \ : vk l SH 9 |jQ jH "’'****• < *- lf ' ' PPG Plant Manager Walter Scott is a dad proud of his four kids ...Here, he’s seen with the childrens' pictures in his Perry office Perry dad Walter Scott taught his kids to be optimists in life By RALPH MORRIS Managing Editor Walter W. Scott of PPG Indus tries is a professional man of many achievements. But to Scott, his greatest achievements are found at home. They arc his four children - three girls and a boy. Just about everyone here knows Scott as the plant manager of PPG's Works No. 18, Perry newest industry. They don't know that he is a dedicated and devoted dad who is enormously proud of the accom plishments of his children. A modest man, Scott does not like to talk about himself. But he will open up when you mention the children, or his wife Kay, his best frend and companion. On Friday, Scott was prepared to drive all night, if necessary, to be back in Pittsburgh today for the 10 a.m. graduation ceremony of his third son Kevin. Scott was worried the bad weather might delay his flight out of Atlanta. "I'll get there one way or the other," said the determined Scott, who added there was no way he will Sutton and Diana Lowing that she gave them matching T-shirts. She was treated with a cake, gifts and a lovely serenade by a trio made up of Diana, Mary Jo and Mary Jo’s son Kelly. Perry people Walter Scott, devoted father L— J* miss this milestone in his son's life. Since February, Scott has trav eled to and from Perry to his home in Pittsburgh, residing here a part of each week, while the plant has been under construction. The family will move down by the first of July. The Scotts' oldest son is Jeff, 22, who is a senior in electrical engineering at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. He is following in the footsteps of his dad, who has his degree in ceramic engineering. "I think he got into engineering to please me and found he likes it," said Scott, who added that Jeff is doing very well with his grades. The second son is Brian, 21, who also attends Grove City Col Firm to seek rezoning for shopping complex By MELISSA CRADDOCK Staff Writer To clear the way for its proposed shopping center, the Jacoby Man agement Company will request the commercial re-zoning of 56.125 acres Tuesday night at the Perry City Council meeting. At the 7:30 p.m. meeting Tues day, city councilmen will consider a Swift Street four-laning should be ready by Oct. By MELISSA CRADDOCK Staff Writer The "four-laning" of Swift Street is "well under way," but because of problems with utilities, will not be completed until October. Georgia Department of Transportation Area Engineer Francis Marshall said, "We're working on it now and it should be done in a few months lime." The project completion date was extended because the city had to come in and remove gas lines which were in the way of the roadwork. Marshall also reported that the construction at Interstate 75 and Marshallville Road is on schedule for its October 1 completion date. lege. He's a senior, but he's study ing music education. Right now, he's playing the saxophone profes sionally in the Pittsburgh area and teaching 25 kids. Third son Kevin, 17, will enter either Georgia Southern College or the University of Georgia in the fall. He's not sure what he wants to do, but he may study law. Daughter Amy, 15, will be a sophomore at Westfield High School this fall. All the kids are musical. Jeff plays trumpet, Brian the saxo phone, Kevin the trumpet and Amy the clarinet. That musical talent came from the parents, who also are musical. Each plays the organ and piano. Also, Walt played the trumpet in his high school band. "When the kids were young, we used to play along with them," Scott said. Also, the three boys are Eagle Scouts, also following in the foot steps of dad, who earned his Eagle award as a teenager. When time permitted, Scott assisted the troop Continued on Back Page recommendation by the Perry Plan ning and Zoning Commission to approve the request to rezone the property between Washington Street and Perimeter Road from R-3 to C-2. Richard Culpepper, project con struction coordinator, was in Perry Thursday looking at the site, and Continued on Back Page