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VOLUME XCIV - NUMBER XVI
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The rising price of gas and the
shortage that is predicted prompted
Jim Thomason to pull this old
relic out of the garage, dust it off
Local Commuters Plan
Strategies In Light Os
Looming Gas Crunch
By DARRYL YOUNG
With dollar-a-gallon gasoline on the
horizon and shortages of the precious
fuel later this summer predicted, local
commuters are bound to be the hardest
hit by the gas crunch.
A random poll of commuters who
travel to and from the county to work
shows, that most of them are resigned to
spiraling fuel costs, but they’re not
happy about it.
The oil companies, one commuter
whose comments were typical of those
polled, said the oil companies “have just
gotten too big; they are able to manipu
late the prices and the market.”
The poll indicates that while com
muters are frustrated over the gas situ
ation, they plan or already are making
changes to accommodate themselves to
their long daily drives. None of those
contacted, however, said they are
contemplating moving closer to their
place of work or finding a new job
closer to home.
Whatever the reason for the soaring
oil prices, local commuters know that
some concessions will have to be made
somewhere . . . whether it be in cutting
out a Sunday drive, servicing their own
vehicle, or cutting back on some other
luxury they now afford themselves, the
poll indicated.
One man The News contacted was
Jim Thomason, who travels from his
home in Cloudland to Roper Corp, in
LaFayette where he works as a tool and
die man. “I don’t think gas will stop at
a dollar a gallon,” he predicted. “There’s
nothing a person can do about it,
though.”
If the shortage of gasoline gets as bad
as some officials foresee, “a lot of
people will be missing work,” Thomason
predicted. “When a man is out of work,
not only does his family suffer but the
government will be hurting too.”
At current gas prices, Thomason said
that he has been spending about SBO a
month for travel expenses and that is
with a four cylinder mini-pickup that
gets about 25 miles per gallon. “A
couple years back, though,” Thomason
said, “I used 1,800 gallons of gas in a
year’s time. This was due to cross
country travel as well as commuting to
work.” “We’re going to be able to do as
much traveling as we used to and
instead of driving the 200 miles to my
folks house (for a monthly visit) I will
give them a phone call instead,” Thoma
son explained.
Even before the Arab oil embargo in
1973, Thomason made concessions in
order to lower his electric heating bill
Routine Items Discussed By
Summerville City Council
A number of items of a
routine nature was discussed
at Monday night’s meeting of
the Summerville City Council
and Mayor.
Action included:
♦ A delegation representing
the library system appeared
to thank the council for its
support of the two local
libraries in the amount of
S6OO monthly and $6,000
annually in federal revenue
sharing funds.
* Henson Construction Co.
was awarded the contract to
move a gas line on Georgia
Highway 153 in Floyd
County as part of a state
widening program there. It is
anticipated the Department
Cheap Transportation
of Transporation will pay for
the cost of the work, some
$40,000.
* The council approved
the payment of an estimated
SI,OOO to the city’s
engineering consulting firm in
order to pay the costs of re
alignment of property to be
used in connection with the
city’s waterworks project.
* The council voted to
give laundromats and car
washes a “break” on their
sewage bill since they con
sume large volumes of water.
The two specified types of
firms will be charged for
sewer treatment at a rate of
40 percent of their water
®he ^ummerutlle New
and see if it is serviceable. Thoma
son drives his mini-pickup some 60
miles to and from work each
weekday.
and started to use a wood heater in his
home. He also said he cut down on gas
consumption before the embargo when
he went from driving a six cylinder car
to a four cylinder vehicle. “I wonder
how far backwards they will push the
American people,” he commented.
Even though other people in the
Menlo-Cloudland area work at Roper,
Thomason said that car pooling would
be a problem for him because at times
he has to work late on short notice. “If
I went to work the same time the
subway goes to LaFayette from Menlo,
I’d ride it,” Thomason joked.
With a more serious tone, he said
that a bus system could run cost
efficiently if “you could get people to
ride it instead of depending on their
own transportation.” But if the situation
gets as bad as predicted, Thomason said
he believed industry and business would
try to cooperate by scheduling shifts and
people so they could car pool to and
from work.
With a sarcastic smile Thomason said,
“We might all be working 24-hour shifts
two days a week pretty soon” in order
to save energy. Thomason blamed the
government for the present situation of
high gas prices and the sacrifices the
working American will have to make in
the future.
“Our country has let us down,” he
said, citing the food “give-away” pro
grams to the oil producing nations in
return for higher gas prices. “We’re
giving our grain away and buying their
oil.” Thomason then speculated that if
the United States converts grain into
“gasahol,” the country would be
♦extending its supply of energy and at
the same time putting pressure on the
oil-rich food-hungry nations to sell their
most-abundant commodity at a more
reasonable rate.
Driving 100 miles each way to work,
Hugh Hawkins of Cloud land has already
started an energy-saving program. Opting
for a more gas-consuming vehicle, a van,
but having five other passengers to share
expenses, Hawkins and his local co
workers have found away to cope with
the rising cost of gas.
By car pooling, what might be an
$lB a day round trip to work is reduced
to about $3.50 in gasoline expenses for
each of the five individuals. Hawkins
said that if a gas rationing plan were to
go into effect, coupons could also be
pooled in order to get the gas necessary
to travel the long distance to the job
site.
(Continued On Page 10-A)
bill, as opposed to 50 per
cent currently charged resi
dential and other commercial
firms.
* The council discussed a
request that the city pay the
costs of connecting a pro
posed highrise for the elderly
on North Scoggins Street.
The request was tabled
pending an estimate being
received of the costs
involved.
* A pay raise for city
employees was discussed in
executive session, but no
action was taken. A decision
is expected on the matter
next month, a councilman
said.
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA 30747, THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1979
City OKs Waterworks Design
The Summerville City
Council and Mayor Monday
evening accepted final designs
and specifications for the
proposed waterworks overhaul
project.
Herb Barnum, the con
sulting engineer hired by the
city to design the project,
said at the monthly cotincil
meeting that the project
mapped by his firm has
boosted the estimated cost of
the project to $2,011,000, a
Meeting On Schools’
Rebate Money To
Be Held, Board Says
The Chattooga County
School Board Monday voted
to hold a hearing to give
local residents the opport
unity to say how over
$200,000 received by the
system in the form of a tax
rebate from the General
Assembly should be spent.
The time and the place of
the meeting was not fina
lized, however it is expected
to be held in the near future.
The decision to hold the
meeting came after Mrs.
Linda Black, a Summerville
resident presented a petition
to the board with over 350
names of local residents
urging the school system to
keep the money it will
receive from the rebate bill.
The system will receive
$238,447.14 and has the
choice of keeping the money
in the system for school
enrichment or returning it to
the residents in the form of
a tax relief.
In other action the board:
* Discussed with several
representatives from Subligna
the leasing of some school
property and an old gym in
Subligna for the community’s
use. The board asked
Superintendent Bill King to
meet with the board’s attor
ney to discuss the proposal.
* Approved payment of
$6,119.85 to Murray Equip
ment Company for school
bus bodies.
* Approved the Chattooga
| Paper Rates Going Up |
The management of The Summerville News
$ announces that newspaper rates will be going up effec
•S tive June 15. X
Beginning that date, new and renewed subscriptions ¥
•X will be raised to $6.70 within the county. Out-of-the- $
county rates will vary according to the postal zone the X
subscriber lives in (see Page 14-A).
Single copies of the paper will be raised to 20 cents x
as of that date. $
X Subscriptions currently in force will be honored
under the old rate until they expire. In fact, prior to $
June 15, advance subscriptions can be purchased as
g many years in advance as a subscriber likes under the g
old rate.
X “We are sorry to have to go up on rates,” a spokes
man said, “but like everyone else, the newspaper has g
X; been hit hard by inflation, especially in the area of $
•X paper costs. Our last subscriber increase was eight years $
g ago, in 1971.”
Revenue Sharing:
By DARRYL YOUNG
Local governments face
losing roughly 10 percent of
their total income if Congress
fails to renew the federal
revenue sharing program next
fall, local officials estimate.
The program set up under
the Nixon administration to
funnel federal tax - money
back into local communities,
could be scuttled or seriously
curtailed by Congress, under
increasing demands to reduce
federal spending.
The county government
receives the largest amount of
the funds locally. Last year
the county was given
$200,000 in federal revenue
sharing money, almost 10
percent of its total budget. If
the funds are discontinued,
County Commissioner Pete
Denson said, the county “will
be hurting.”
In the past revenue sharing
money has been used by the
county to pave roads, supple
ment local recreation depart
ments, partially fund the
Summerville Fire Department,
and to help an assortment of
social services, including day
care, library and mental
health programs.
The most likely means of
generating the money lost if
revenue sharing is disconti
nued would be to raise pro-
5 percent increase from the
firm’s earlier-estimated
$1,800,000 pricetag.
Barnum said a number of
modifications were added to
the earlier plan which
resulted in the higher pro
jected cost. The additions, he
said, would make the
Summerville water system “a
jam-up system.” The modifi
cations and additions include
more piping, additional water
plant improvements, reno-
High School basketball team
'to sell candy as a fund-raising
project so players can attend
summer camp.
* Granted leave of
absences for Mrs. Virginia
Etchison and Mrs. Kay Wor
sham for the 1979-80 school
year.
* Approved the vocational
program for the Chattooga
High School.
* Hired four teachers for
the Chattooga High School.
The teachers are John
Turner, Donna Colliette,
David Matteson and Frank
Stewart.
* Approved to pay the
expenses for Mrs. Sue Spivey
to attend a Career Education
Seminar in Nashville, Tenn.,
June 29-30. She will be one
of only three people in the
state to attend.
* Reviewed the 1979-80
school calendar and approved
it. School is scheduled to
begin tAugust 23 and end
May 30 next year.
* Discussed annual basis
for teachers’ pay. The legisla
designed the 954 percent
'pay increase' to span 12
months with three different
increases. Superintendent
King requested that the
board average the three
increases and make only one
increase, but still covering the
954 percent. The board
approved the request.
* Approved the Title I
program for next school year.
perty tax, the commissioner
said. “1 think people’s taxes
are high enough,” he said,
“but there would be no
choice.”
Tax Commissioner Jerry
Money said it would take a
tax increase of nearly 3 mills
to generate that kind of
money locally. For the home
owner with a $20,000 home,
he said, this would translate
into an annual tax increase
of some $23.
Residents inside the muni
cipal limits of the county, it
appears, would be the hardest
hit if the revenue sharing
program is axed. For
example, the Town of Trion,
like the county, faces raising
taxes if the federal funds are
discontinued, Mayor Jake
Woods said. Trion expects to
receive about $45,000 in
federal revenue sharing funds
this year which is being used,
as in past years to partially
fund its recreation depart
ment. In the last couple of
years, the Town has relied on
revenue sharing funds to
provide about half of the
recreation department budget,
Woods said.
The City of Lyerly relies
heavily on .revenue sharing to
supplement its police depart
ment. About 10 percent
s2,ooo-of its total budget
vation and repainting existing
water tanks, and the
installation of valves that
would prevent the four
existing tanks from over
flowing, among an assortment
of other improvements.
“Summerville is going to be
very proud of this water
plant,” Barnum predicted.
He told the council that
when bids are received on
the project from contractors
the council may find that
bids “come in out of the
money,” meaning that the
bids may be too high.
“We’ve tried real hard to
determine what the bids
might be, but it’s hard to tell
what the contractors are
going to bid. Their prices
have been fluctuating wildly,”
the engineer said.
He explained that the new
modifications his firm is sug
gesting are “deduct expendi
tures,” which can be cut out
of the program if bids are
deemed too high by the
council. Or, he said, the city
could flat out reject all the
bids, and reapply for a grant
• I
t *
Ralph Stanley (R) is getting the
Town of Trion swimming pool in
shape to open early in June. The
pool was recently coated to stop the
leakage problem, which Stanley said
Mayor Cash Appoints
Panel On Fluoridation
At the urging of a local
dentist, Summerville Mayor
Sewell Cash Monday night
appointed a committee to
evaluate the costs and proce
dures that would be involved
if the City begins fluoridating
its water supply.
Dr. Richard Miller, who
shares a dental practice with
Dr. W. A. Bishop in Summer
ville, told the council that
“fluoridation would be very
advantageous to the commu-
Axing Os Program Would Cut
Local Governmental Income 10%
comes from revenue sharing
funds.
Mrs. Gwen Bentley, Lyerly
City Clerk said, that “services
would “have to go undone”
or taxes would have to be
raised if revenue sharing
funds were discontinued. The
City has been able to hire a
qualified full-time police
officer for the third shift
since it started to receive the
federal money in 1973, she
said.
Before that time the City
of Lyerly “sometimes had to
stick with people who were
semiretired or disabled who
were willing to take a smaller
salary,” Mrs. Bentley said.
Presently Lyerly pays the
third shift policeman a salary
of $6,500 a year and has
watchmen on first and
second shift who work under
the Comprehensive Employ
ment Training Act. Currently
revenue sharing money is
used “as far as it will go”
towards the policeman’s
salary, with the rest of his
salary covered by money in
the general fund, Mrs.
Bentley explained.
The City of Summerville
last year received about 12
percent of its income from
the revenue sharing program.
With a total budget of
$645,910 for fiscal year
from the Farmer’s Home
Administration.
“We could redesign and re
advertise it in the event
prices are too high,” he said.
The City already has a
commitment from the
Farmer’s Home Admini
stration for a low-interest
loan for the project, but the
FmHA has turned down a
grant request from the City.
Barnum said the changing
financial picture of the City
and changes in FmHA grant
rules might allow the City to
get a grant for the water
project in the future, should
the City decide to go that
route if contractor bids are
deemed too costly.
One councilman seemed to
sum up the general feeling of
the council, commenting that
the project had been
approved by the City earlier
and that there was no
alternative but to proceed
and see how high the bids
come in.
The council gave the
engineer permission to go
before the two regulatory
Getting Ready For Summer
nity.
“I speak not only for
myself,” he told the council,
at its May meeting, “but for
other dentists here, who feel
fluoridation would be helpful,
especially for the children,
but also to adults as well.”
Dr. Miller said he was
“sold on” fluoridation, noting
that the difference between
the number of cavities found
in fluoridated communities
and those that don’t is “like
1978, Summerville received
$73,254 from the federal
government, and another
$7,020 of revenue sharing
money from the county’s
funds to be used for fire
protection.
In recent meetings Mayor
Sewell Cash has noted that
federal revenue sharing funds
“ may run out” and that the
City must find alternative
revenue sources. The
legalization of wine here was
apparently one step towards
that goal.
Revenue sharing funds are
scheduled to run out next
year, and according to Chatta
nooga Mayor Charles A.
Rose, “The reenactment of
general revenue sharing is
not, by any means, a fore
gone conclusion.”
On a recent trip to Wash
ington, Rose said “We found
senators and representatives
saying that general revenue
sharing faced a long, uphill
battle before being reenacted
next year.”
“Even if the program gets
reenacted, there is the further
danger that it may be ham
strung with so many new
regulations that it will lose
all its previous flexibility—and
flexibility has always been
one of the major attributes
of this program,” Rose said.
agencies that must review the
project—the FmHA and the
Environmental Protection
Division of the Georgia
Department of Natural Re
sources. Barnum, president of
Williams, Sweitzer and
Barnum, Inc. in Rome, said
he anticipates quick approval
of the design by the two
agencies.
According to Barnum,
after that approval is
received, the project will be
advertised for bidding for 30
days, followed by a 60-day
period in which the City
would have to review the
bids. If all goes smoothly, he
said, construction could begin
in four months.
Barnum said he expects
contractors from all over the
Southeast will submit bids
for the project.
The project is aimed at
updating the city’s entire
water system, with particular
attention towards beefing up
pumping and storage capacity
and improving water pressure
in the outlying areas of the
system.
was successful. The algae that forms
in the pool when it is not in service
is so stubborn, he said, that it takes
muratic acid to clean it.
day and night.”
He said that many
children in the local area are
experiencing “rampant” den
tal problems that with fluori
dation in many cases would
not have developed.
“If we can’t stop decay,
children will never realize
their full potential,” he
continued.
The doctor noted that
fluoride is in the human
(Continued On Page 10-A)
Georgia’s U. S. Senator
Sam Nunn told The News
through a spokesman that he
supports the basic concept of
revenue sharing. “Money
should be returned to the
state and local government
officials, who know best the
needs of their localities,”
the senator said.
Nunn added that revenue
sharing gives local govern
ments more control over
federal money and how it is
spent than federal categorical
grant projects (such as
Housing and Urban Develop
ment grants, the county was
recently turned down for)
do.
A spokesman for U. S.
Senator Herman Talmadge
said the senator has voted for
programs that returned fede
ral money to state and local
governments. Revenue
sharing, the aide said, is
running into opposition in
the House. Congressman Jack
Brooks, of Texas is strongly
opposed to revenue sharing,
he said. Brooks is the chair
man of the House Committee
on Government Operations
where the revenue sharing bill
will be drafted, the spokes
man said.
Also opposed to the
extension of revenue sharing
(Continued On Page 10-A)
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