Newspaper Page Text
f The Houston Home I
Journal
AN AWARD-WINNING PARK NEWSPAPER © 1990
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990 120TH YEAR, NO. 24.24 PAGES, 3 SECTIONS PLUS SALES CIRCULARS • PERRY & HOUSTON COUNTY’S LEGAL ORGAN MIDWEEK EDITION - 25 C
City panel does about-face on zoning
By JAN HAMPTON
Slall Writer
The Perry planning commission
will suggest a change to the C-l
zoning code to allow the sale of
horse trailers.
"From a city standpoint 1 don't
think we have a defensive position
on this issue," Perry building in
spector Steve Howard told
commission members at a meeting
Monday.
"In the C-l zone we allow the
sale of mobile homes, boats, auto
mobiles and travel trailers," Howard
said. "If we say that horse trailers
Journal color by Eric Zellars
Shea Brown (far left) and Coach Isabelle Schell look over a DARE box kite while
teacher Kaye Simmons helps students Laquinta Taylor (behind kite) and Matt
Roth with a star shaped DARE kite. Morningside Elementary School students
made kites and brought in some store-bought ones during "DARE to fly your
kite."
Morningside Elementary students
DARE to fly their kites, win prizes
By ANDREA SELLERS
Staff Writer
Morningside Elementary School students look
advantage of a picture perfect day last week and flew
their kites for DARE.
Students were encouraged to make their own, but
those who couldn't were encouraged to bring one to
fly.
Students, under the attention of coach Isabelle
Schell, flew kites in all physical education classes
for the day.
Coach Schell also arranged for the home-made
kites to be judged and for prizes from DARE
instructor and Perry Police Officer Jerry Hamilton.
Michael Key, who won first place honors for his
County races through short agenda
driven by budget restraints, planning
By MARK D. SAMUELS
Managing Editor
Despite a 20-minute delay starling
their 7 o'clock meeting Tuesday eve
ning, the Houston County Board of
Commissioners ripped through a short
agenda in record time.
First up after the call to order,
invocation and routine approval of
previous minutes was Bailey Cock
rell, president of the Houston County
chapter of the American Association
of Retired Persons.
Cockrell told the board his group
wanted to "adopt" a stretch of county
road and be responsible for keeping it
Georgia Poll, Part IV: In the end, education viewed as top priority
By ANDREA SELLERS
Staff Writer
Georgians believe that education
should have lop priority for stale
funds according to a Georgia De
partment of Education poll released
recently.
Th poll asked the respondents to
prioritize a list of four areas, high
ways, prisons, education and health
care, that receive state funding.
Over 55 percent of those polled
gave education first priority. Al
most 40 percent gave health care
the first priority.
Fifty percent gave health care
PERRY, GEORGIA’S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1870-FQR COVERAGE OF YOUR EVENTS. CALL 987-1823
See " Opinion " on Page 4A
can't be sold then I feel like we're
taking a weak stance if our decision
ever gels challenged."'
Last week die city council heard
a request to rezone a tract of land
from C-1 to C-2 to provide for the
sale of horse trailers. The planning
commission had recommended to
the city council that the request be
denied.
However, the council tabled
action on the request and asked the
kite, won a DARE t-shirt and some stickers,
pencils, and a ruler.
Courtney Crawley, who took second, won a
DARE hat and some slickers, pencils and a ruler.
Third place was shared by Adrienne Craig, Valerie
Summers and Brad Bozeman. They were given an
assortment of DARE stuff.
Honorable mentions include Joni Money,
Shannon Ash, Christina Brown, Brandi Harmon,
Natalie Taylor, Kim Lands and Jim Birdsong.
The students Hew many different kinds of kites
from store-bought to box kites to two small kites
built by Coach Schell that fit into the palm of the
hand.
clean of roadside trash and debris.
He asked the board to provide
appropriate signage and trash bags,
and got the board's blessing for both
requests.
Next, the board reviewed again a
Warner Robins drainage problem,
electing to meet with the properly
owner to explain the board's options.
Looking ahead to the summer
mowing season, the board authorized
public works head Tommy Slalnaker
to hire a supervisor for inmate mow
ing and drainage easment details, and
told Slalnaker to go ahead and seek
second priority while 30 percent
gave education second priority.
This left highways and prisons
third and fourth priority for over 80
percent of those polled.
Road Superintendent Ellis Scar
borough admitted that they receive
little funds from the stale.
"The Federal Government used to
do most of the funding," said Scar
borough.
"But the Feds have cut it out of
the budget and the states don't have
the money to pick it up," he added.
Scarborough says that the roads
in Houston County are in pretty
planning commission to reconsider
it.
"The council is wailing to hear
from us," Howard said.
Howard told commission mem
bers that amending the C-l code to
include the sale of horse trailers
will prohibit feed and fertilizer
sales.
"Thai's my main concern,”
Howard said. "I don't think Perry
needs to have cither feed or fertilizer
bids on two new trucks for the roads
and bridges department.
Stalnakcr will seek prices on a 3/4-
lon pickup and a 1-lon crew cab and
chassis. The vehicles will replace a
1984 Dodge pickup with over 130,000
miles, a 1979 1/2-lon Chevy, and a
1982 Dodge pickup with over 95,000
miles.
The Chevy and the 'B2 Dodge will
be declared surplus, Stalnaker told
the board.
Commissioners also approved the
purchase of a low band, 60-watl
Please see COUNTY, Page 8A
good shape.
"We have the best roads in the
country," he said.
"Other slates arc having major
problems," he added.
Houston County Shcrriffs Office
doesn't receive any money at all
from the stale.
The only funds they have received
is a grant to help build an annex
onto the jail in Perry.
Statewide the problem is bigger.
At the present time there are 34
people in Houston County awaiting
transportation to slate prisons.
Sheriff Cullen Tallon estimates
Panther netters
drop Harrii
Allen Griffin continue
torrid play to lead Panth
See Page 1A of today's
Home Journal
sold in the areas where these zoning
requests have been made. Some city
council members have told me the
same thing."
"If we change the zone to C-2
then we will have no control over
what is sold," he said." But by
amending die C-l code we can con
trol what is sold in these areas. If 1
have to I'll go in there and pull
their business license."
The commissioners agreed to
amend the C-l code and send their
recommendation to the city council
for consideration.
Competitor buys
Continental Can
Impact on Perry operation is unknown, but new owners
admit they'll probably deep-six some plants to hike profits
By MARK D. SAMUELS
Managing Editor
Continental Can employees have
been told the Norwalk, Conn.-based
company's two metal can divisions
arc being sold to Crown Cork & Seal
Co., pending government anti-trust
approval.
And the buyers admit up front some
of Continental Can's plants will be
closed in an effort to increase profita
bility.
Crown Cork isa IcadingU.S.
producer of metal containers,
crown and closures, in addition
to manufacturing packaging ma
chinery.
Crown Cork is based in Phila
delphia, Pa. and a corporate
source there admitted Monday
some of Continental's plants will
be closed, particularly those
plants which serve metropoli
tan areas like Atlanta and Ma
con, and which duplicate the
capacity of current Crown Cork
installations.
Plant closings would bring
Crown Cork immediate savings
in overhead - manufacturing,
research and development - and
divert revenues to the most
desirable plants.
Will Perry's plant be closed?
Crown Cork's Cornelius Cur
ran, corporate treasurcrand head
of the company’s acquisitions
team, was in the field Monday
sorting out the Continental buy.
Curran was quoted Saturday
in the Philadelphia Inquirer as
saying Continental Can's opera
tions were "going to fit well,"
but confirming that plant clos
ings were a possibility.
"It really boils down to the
more efficient plants are thcones
you keep," Curran said.
Tim Bums, an analyst for Prescott
Ball & Turben Inc. in Cleveland, Oh.,
said the sale of Continental Can’s
businesses had been expected for some
lime in the packaging industry.
The company was considered a
poor performer, hampered by out
dated plants and weakened by intense
competition in the can business over
the past two years, he said.
News of the sale came came to
Perry workers via a letter pinned to an
that there are "3000 inmates
statewide waiting for pickup."
Slate prisons are overcrowded and
there is simply not room for them.
But the two main priorities in the
people's opinion were education and
health care.
Steve Johnson, at Perry Hospital,
said that they receive Medicaid
funds from the state.
"Medicaid has grown to be a sig
nificant part of the slate's budget,"
said Johnson.
Medicaid is the state's matching
portion to the Federal Government's
Medicare.
Wendell Kersey: "I'm just a
simple, honest businessman
By JAN HAMPTON
Staff Writer
Wendell Kersey describes
himself as "just a simple honest
businessman" trying to establish
a business in Perry.
"I don't really understand what
the problem is," Kersey said.
"All I want to do is sell new
horse trailers on a vacant lot on
Courtney Hodges Boulevard."
Kersey and the lot's owner
employee building board late Friday
afternoon.
John Moore, manager of staff serv
ices at the Perry Continental Can
facility, confirmed the sale Monday
morning.
"That's what I hear, but that's all I
know," Moore said, adding, "you'll
have to talk to Connecticut to get the
details.”
"It came as a complete surprise to
Pensions assumed,
but not legal losses
In paying $336 million for Continental Can's
two food- and bcveragc-can divisions, Crown
Cork also assumed some liabilities.
Although a Crown Cork spokesman would
not disclose the amount of the liabilities, he did
say they would relate to future medical costs for
Continental Can retirees.
According to corporate treasurer Cornelius
Curran, the purchase price docs not include two
important items.
Debts incurred by Continental Can's parent
company, Peter Kicwit Sons Inc., in the purchase
of the business in 1984 will not be covered,
Curran said.
Kiewit, of Omaha, Neb., look over Continen
tal after Sir James Goldsmith, an Anglo-French
corporate raider, made a hostile bid for the com
pany in 1984.
Nor will the purchase include any potential
liabilities from a pending class-action lawsuit
involving Continental Can workers, who claim
they were laid off to prevent them from becom
ing eligible to collect pensions.
Curran declined to say whether Continental
Can made any money in 1989, noting only,
"They are not as profitable as we (Crown Cork)
were."
us all," echoed Continental's local
personnel man, Tom Keenan.
According to Crown Cork, it will
pay Continental 5336 million and will
assume some of the company's lia
bilities.
* The two Continental divisions
acquired represent more than 30 plants
in the U.S. employing more about
4,000 people.
Revenues for 1989 were approxi
mately $1.3 billion.
"The aging of the population in
creases the costs of health care per
patient," he said.
According to Johnson, Medicare
spends the most money in the last
six months of a person's life.
"Schools are the foundation of
the future," said Johnson. "But
people want the security of afford
able health care."
Johnson said that many of the
hospitals in the area arc in poor
shape.
"We arc in relatively good shape
compared to others," he added.,
Johnson credits a prosperous
Sam Nall asked the Perry city
council to rezone die tract of land
from a C-l zone to an
agricultural C-2 zone at a
meeting last Tuesday.
However, concerns were raised
among both citizens and council
men about the location of a horse
trailer business across the street
from the proposed welcome and
visitors center.
Please see KERSEY, Page 8A
Crown Cork already operated KM
planus worldwide with 14,7(X) em
ployees, producing revenues of 51.9
billion in 1989.
Perry's Continental Can plant cur
rently has about 125 employees, ac
cording to Keenan, down from a peak
of 250 when the operation first leased
space in 1969 adjacent to the G. Hei
leman brewery.
closing of the brewery last
July dealt a major blow to the
Perry plant, whose workers arc
represented by the United Steel
workers of America.
The current labor contract
expires Feb. 21, 1993, accord
ing to Keenan.
A United Steelworker
spokesman in the union's Pitts
burg, Pa. headquarters said
Crown Cork played a leading
role in the industry-wide labor
management contract negotia
tions, which resulted in laslFcb
ruary's national agreem ml.
"We've had noconversations
with Crown Cork, other than to
be notified of the purchase,"
said Charlie Robb in the na
tional union's communications
department. "But at least on the
basis of past experience, we've
had good relations with Crown
Cork.
"1 guess they could try to
monkey around with union rec
ognition," Robb added, "but it's
100 early to tell."
Robb noted the acquisition
of Continental by Crown Cork
represented a majorcfforl at ex
pansion into the metal container
industry.
Crown Cork had been the
smallest producer of metal
containers among the industry’s
three U.S. giants: American National
Can, Continental and Crown.
The acquisition will make Crown
Cork the largest U.S.-owned manu
facturer of metal packaging and the
second largest manufacturer of cans
in die country.
Crown Cork board chairman John
P. Connelly and president and CEO
William J. Avery said.die two Conti
nental divisions will "enhance" Crown
Please see CANS, Page 10A
county with an expanding lax base
as Houston County's reason for
keeping ahead when others arc hav
ing problems.
"We arc one of the most prosper
ous counties in the area," he said.
Houston County has also re
ceived its share of money for
education.
Just recently, the legislature au
thorized the funds for Houston
County's new high school.
The funds, SlO million worth,
will build a new complex with a
Please see POLL, Page 8A