Newspaper Page Text
Kindergarteners sign rolls at school
By ANDREA SELLERS
Staff Writer
Five-year-olds all over Perry will
go to bed dreaming about the start
of kindergarten in the fall.
The reason is that many of these
children were registered Tuesday for
fall kindergarten classes.
Registration took place at
Tucker, King's Chapel, Perry and
Bonaire Elementary schools from 9
am until 6:30 pm.
Every child that came through
was registered and tested.
The lest, the Bracken Test of
Basic Concepts, is not a pass or fail
test, according to Dr. Bill Adams,
the Coordinator of Elementary
Education.
f The Houston Home
Journal
AN AWARD-WINNING PARK NEWSPAPER © 1990
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4,1990
School board
picks pension
fund depository
By ANDREA SELLERS
Staff Writer
The Houston County Board of
Education took the final step to
solving the deferred compensation
crisis at a called meeting on Mon
day.
The board passed a motion that
would add two carriers, to the one
they arc now using, to replace First
Federal Savings and Loan.
The board withdrew their funds
from First Federal when rules gov
erning the bank were changed dur
ing the savings and loan bail out.
John Grundcn, a representative of
The Jonathan, a corporation that
gives investment advice, gave the
final proposal to the board.
His advice was to go with Pru
dential.
Prudential will guarantee 100
percent of the deposits in a deferred
compensation account at 8.75 per
cent.
After some discussion, board
member Skip Talbert made a mo
tion to add two carriers, Hartford
and Prudential, to insure the em
ployees have a choice.
Hartford will guarantee 100
percent of all deposits made at an
interest rate of 8.75 percent as well.
Hubert Hutcherson seconded the
motion and it passed unanimously.
The motion added Hartford and
Prudential to the carrier the board
was already using, VALIC
(Variable Annuity Life Insurance
Company).
Grundcn said that the most im
portant quality a company could
have was stability.
"The stability of the carrier and
the percentage of deposits guaran
teed were the most important
things," said Grundcn.
"The differences between the two
Please see PENSION, Page 6A
Airport authority
not happy with
field's manager
By TOREY JOLLEY
Staff Writer
The Pcrry-Ft. Valley Airport
Authority met Monday night at the
Perry Airport for its monthly
meeting and authority members
again expressed dissatisfaction with
the field's manager.
When the board was told that
Lynn Register, manager of the
facility, had not left a manager's
report again, board member Carl
Hammock said, "Register is never
around when he is needed and
something needs to be done about
it."
Tony Selier commented, "We
have discussed it before and we'll
discuss it again."
"We need to get to the bottom of
this," said Hammock. He
suggested "maybe a new airport
manager could be the answer."
The board also discussed the
upcoming April Fly-In.
Perry's Danny Evans, chairman
for the event, said, "Everything
seems to be coming together,"
Please see AIRPORT, Page 6A
; PERRY, GEORGIA'S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1870-FQR COVERAGE OF YOUR EVENTS, CALL 987-1823
"The lest is a guage of what they
know before they gel to
kindergarten," said Adams,
"I want to reassure the parents
that the future education of any
student is not dependent on this
test," he added.
The test is very simple and basic.
The child will be shown three or
four colors and asked to pick out red
or blue.
Children will also be asked to
identify letter and numbers.
The lest lakes ten or twelve
minutes.
"Most kids will do real well,"
said Adams.
"But the lest will allow us to
pick up on some problems early if
120TH YEAR, NO. 26 • 42 PAGES, 4 SECTIONS PLUS SALES CIRCULARS • PERRY & HOUSTON COUNTY’S LEGAL ORGAN
Journal color by Jan Hampton
Round and round it goes
One of the many attractions during the Dogwood Festival is the Ferris Wheel at
the Georgia Amusement Carnival on Washington Street. The carnival will be
there from 5 until 10 pm every night through Friday.
Larry Thomson
Thomson says
he'll seek office
Larry Thomson, 46, 2045
Norlhsidc Rd., has announced he
will seek the county commis
sioner's scat being vacated by Gene
Harrington.
Harrington resigned as county
commissioner last week to run for
the state senate scat now held by
Sen. Ed Barker, D-Wamcr Robins.
Barker is retiring after an 18 year
stint in sta'e government.
A local businessman, Thomson
is a graduate of Perry High School.
Please see RACE, Page 3A
there arc any," he added.
As of 6 pm on Tuesday, the first
day of registration, most schools
reported that they had registered a
fair amount of sludenLs.
Perry Elementary had registered
more than 25 students. Tucker El
ementary had registered over 20.
Kings Chapel Elementary had 15
registered at 1 pm on Tuesday but
were expected to have the approxi
mately the same numbers as the
other schools.
Registration and testing will take
RIGHT: Nancy Whiddon, left,
Ashley, who is shy and hiding.
County hears plea for more money as
McConnell says court running past budget
By TOREY JOLLEY
Staff Writer
The Houston County
Commissioners began their
meeting on Tuesday with a
correction of the last meeting’s
minutes. The minutes stated the
minimum wage was increasing to
$3.65 an hour but was corrected to
reflect the actual $3.80 an hour rate.
The county commissioners heard
Tommy Stalnaker, public works
director, present a recommendation
from Tom Pound, water department
director, concerning a computerized
meter reading system and a
computer upgrade.
Stalnaker said Pound is
convinced if the water system had a
new computer system and
equipment, which would cost
approximately $21,000, the county
would not have "such a large bad
debt on water bills."
In Pound's proposal, the upgrade
could cut down on misreads,
improve cash flow with daijy
place again on Saturday, April 7
from 9-12.
If you have not already registerd
your child, you will need several
things.
Parents need to bring
immunization forms, and eye, car
and dental forms. There will be
health department pcrsoncl there to
lest children not having eye, car and
dental tests.
The parent also needs to bring a
Please see SIGN-UP, Page 6A
registers her daughter,
I Look inside today's Home
Journal for your copy of
The Dogwood Jot
.. .your official welt
and guide to the i
weekend finale of
Dogwood Festive.. .
billings, speed up readings, send
final bills out faster and generate
refund checks weekly.
The commissioners agreed Tom
Pound and John Wingfield should
study the feasibility of upgrading
the current system and present it to
the commissioners at a future
meeting.
The question of additional funds
for the Superior Court brought
several concerns forward.
Judge L.A. McConnell Jr. has
requested an additional $35,000 for
projected expenses during the
remainder of the fiscal year. This
amount is in addition to the non
budgeted expenses that have already
been expended.
Juror expenses were budgeted at
$70,000 for the fiscal year.
McConnell requested an additional
$16,000 for the remainder of the
fiscal year.
Bailiffs and witnesses expenses
were budgeted at $ll,OO, and
currently total $17,186. McConnell
-' if»/^■
M-J-1
rn. *i I r. rM |« T|,
City: we'll build
on our own land
Council also wrangles over level
of support for convention bureau
By JAN HAMPTON
Staff Writer
The city of Perry will move
ahead with plans to build a recre
ation complex on a 20 acre tract of
city properly.
Citing the need for a "recreation
master plan" Councilman Buddy
Roper urged the council Tuesday to
make building a recreation complex
"a number one" priority.
"We've got grant money that is
sitting in the bank that we're going
to lose if we don't take some type
of action," Roper said." We've got
to get going.”
Roper told the council he thinks
the complex should be built on city
owned land.
"1 know we planned to build the
complex at Rozicr Park," he said.
"But how do we know the county
can deed us that property? Would
you build your house on my prop
erty? That's what it comes down to.
We have no assurance if the county
decides to pull out of the recreation
program this property will be
ours."
Roper suggested a 20 acre tract
of land on Highway 341 be used for
the complex.
However, Councilman Bobby
Glover blasted Roper's recommen
dation saying "back door politick
ing" had played its part in the
recreation issue.
"The reason we haven't gone any
further with our recreation plans is
because we've done some back door
politicking. If Perry had been to
gether, the county commission
would have already moved on the
requested $10,186 for the remainder
of the fiscal year.
Special Legal Services were
budgeted $20,000 and have already
cost $33,349. McConnell requested
$23,349 to finished out the fiscal
year.
Charles Cloniger, clerk for the
Houston County commissioners,
suggested since the public defender's
office has received a $15,000 grant
for indigent services that the
commission take SIO,OOO of the
grant and apply it to the $23,349
being requested.
Jay Walker, chairman of the
county commissioners, said the
public defender's office "would not
be happy with that."
Commissioner Samuel Buzzell
voiced concern on the apparent
over-spending in the Superior
Court, and other commissioners
voiced opinions against applying
the grant money to the additional
fund requests.
The commission voted to table
MIDWEEK EDITION - 25*
issue," he said.
City manager Marion Hay said
an architectural line drawing of the
recreation complex has been com
pleted.
"According to the plans we have
drawn up, the complex will cost
SIIO,OOO just for the floor and
shell to be constructed," he said.
”Wc have $25,000 in state grant
money that we have not used.
We've had to ask for an extension
to keep it and if we don't use it
soon we will lose it," Councilman
Ralph Gentry said. "We have 20
acres of city land that we will never
have to face a legal problem over. I
say let’s go with it."
Roper’s plan gained approval by
a 3-2 margin. Councilmen Glover
and Moore cast the minority voles.
A resolution to contribute 80
percent of the city’s motel/hotel
occupancy tax to the proposed area
convention and visitors center
passed unanimously after long dis
cussion by the council.
The city receives a five cent oc
cupancy tax from each rented hotel
or motel room.
Four cents will be contributed to
the convention and visitors center’s
operating fund.
"The convention and visitors
center is approaching area banks for
funding," Councilman Hervia In
gram said. "What they need is a
resolution from us giving them a
guaranteed sum.”
"I’m not sold on this resolu
tion,"Gentry said. "Will this be in-
Please see CITY. Page 6A
the issue until later in the month.
John Trussell, chief probation
officer, presented a petition to the
board requesting the county adopt a
county-wide no smoking policy in
all county buildings and public
meetings.
The petition stated the
employees of the county find llheir
health is endangered by cigarette
smoking, and asked the board ban
all smoking in public buildings.
It also stated smoking in public
places in Georgia is prohibited by
law under code section 16-12-2.
Buzzell then joked," Before the
board decides, I want one more."
The question of allocating space
for smokers was discussed and the
board decided to table that issue,
too, until the next meeting.
In other business, the
commissioners accepted the
nomination of Linda Adams for the
recreation department assistant
Please see COUNTY. Page 6A