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VOLUME XCIV- NUMBEF
U.S. Widening Proposal Stirs Protest
By TOM KIRWAN
Strong opposition to the pro
posed reconstruction and widen
ing of U.S. Highway 27 between
Summerville and Trion was voic
ed Thursday evening at a public
hearing on the project.
Sixteen residents rose to air
their opinions on the project; all
but one stingingly denounced it.
The hearing was called to give
the Department of Transporta
tion the opportunity to explain its
proposal to the public and in turn
to allow for public comment on
the project. Slightly over 100
residents turned out at the cour
thouse where DOT represen
tatives had set up microphones
for the hearing and placed a long
aerial photograph of the route
which showed existing rights of
way, new rights of way that
would be required, and temporary
construction easements that
would be needed for the project.
AIM: REDUCE ACCIDENTS
DOT Transportation Planner
Jim Schell, moderator of the
public hearing, told the cour
troom audience that the hearing
was not called “to take a referen
dum or vote, but we do encourage
each person to express their opi
nion on the project." He then in
troduced Neil Passmore, a design
engineer with the DOT who
helped develop the proposed
design for the project.
Passmore cited the DOT’s aim
at reducing accidents on the
highway as a key factor in the
proposing of the project. "In
calendar 1977 and 1978,” he said,
“there were 146 recorded ac
cidents along this route, with 63
resulting in injuries and one
resulting in a fatality. It is
estimated $174,200 in property
damage occurred as a result of
these accidents.”
Os the 146 accidents, he said,
58 involved rear-end collisions, 16
were sideswipes, 27 involved tur
ning movements and four were
head-on accidents.
Those four categories encom
passed 71 percent of all the road’s
accidents in those two years, he
said, and it is those areas the
DOT believes the project would
be beneficial in reducing ac
cidents.
Passmore outlined the general
features of the project, which the
map showed will begin at First
Street in Summerville and will
PROPOSED R/W 80’ MIN -PLUS EASEMENTS EXISTING R/W VARIES 60 -80'
IO 1 | 60' ,L 10’ „
“ : " FOUR 12' TRAVEL LANES 8 12' FLUSH MEDIAN
I r.
EXISTING PAVEMENT 40' _
'^7
‘Typical Section 9 Os Proposal
The diagram above shows a “typical section” of the proposed widening of U.S.
Highway 27.
FBI Arrests Three Men;
Alleges They Operated
Motor Vehicle Theft Ring
The Federal Bureau of In
vestigation said Tuesday it has
broken the back of an interstate
motor vehicle theft ring with the
arrest of three local men.
Details of the ling’s operation
were sketchy, but the FBI said at
least four vehicles—two cars, a
pickup truck and a motor
cycle—had been recovered. The
vehicles, an FBI spokesman said,
had been stolen in Chattooga
Public Hearing Held On
Proposed Nursing Homes
The Appalachian Georgia
Health Systems Agency held a
public hearing in Rome last week
to receive public comment and
suggestions regarding seven com
peting proposals to construct
nursing homes in Bartow, Chat
tooga, Floyd, and Gordon coun
ties. More than 60 persons at
tended.
The applicants included: Dan
Curtis, Adairsville Nursing
Home, Bartow County; Edward
Reid, Adventist Health Center
Nursing Home, Gordon County;
Bill Langham, Riverview Nursing
New
continue north to the Triangle
Shopping Center driveway on
U.S. 27 in Trion.
The road, as proposed, would
consist of four 12-foot wide travel
lanes and one 12-foot continuous
turning lane, he said, with
another 10 feet allowed on each
side for gutters, utilities and
reconstructed sidewalks and
grass trails.
Under the plan, a new
underground drainage system
will be developed along the route,
he added.
The hearing revealed that the
DOT currently holds sufficient
right of way (80 feet, or 40 feet on
each side of the existing center
line) for the entire project length,
except for one area: the long block
from the First Avenue bridge to
Cleghorn Street where the right
of way is only 60 feet. As a result,
the only actual new right of way
to be bought by the state under
the proposal would be there, and
the road would be widened only
on the west side to minimize its
impact, DOT engineers said.
TEMPORARY EASEMENTS
Temporary construction
easements would be required for
the length of the road, Passmore
said, but existing driveway ac
cess would not be restricted
throughout and after the project.
According to the DOT, at
least 35 residences and 36
businesses stand to lose existing
parking space as a result of the
project. Some would be affected
more severely than others, one
engineer told a reporter prior to
the hearing. “That’s what this
hearing is all about,” to find ways
to minimize that impact. No
businesses or residences will be
displaced under the proposed
plan."
The loss of parking spaces was
at the heart of the strong protests
raised by the vast majority of per
sons at the hearing, all of whom
have businesses or homes on U.S.
Highway 27 North. Spokesper
sons for businesses concentrated
in the area of the Piggly Wiggly
store and in Pennville dominated
the public comments on the pro
ject in objecting to the proposal.
Piggly Wiggly owner Jim
Woodard informally led the coali
tion of people protesting the pro
posal and was the first to speak of
those present. “I want to em
phasize that I am not against pr-
County and in South Carolina and
had been transported in both
directions for resale.
Benjamin Cook, special agent
in charge of the FBI office in
Atlanta, listed the following
suspects in connection with the
break-up of the ring:
* Ronnie Lee Wooten of Route
1, Trion, arrested in Trion Aug.
17 and charged with conspiracy
to transport a stolen motor vehi-
Home expansion, Floyd County;
Bobby Toles, Summerville Pines
Nursing Home, Chattooga Coun
ty, and Roman Pines Nursing
Home, Floyd County; and Ed
ward Bond, Heritage Inn of Sum
merville Nursing Home, Chat
tooga County. Each of the ap
plicants made a brief presenta
tion which outlined the merits of
their proposals. HSA Staff gave a
brief summary of the Heritage
Inn of Summerville proposal in ■
the absence of the applicant.
Questions and comments that the
see HEARING, page 3-A
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA 30747, THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1979
ogress and that I appreciate the
chance to speak at this hearing,”
he said. "I feel that if we could
use the existing highway proper
ly, we think we'd have sufficient
highway facilities.
ALTERNATIVES URGED
He said a “few minor things”
could be done “instead of forcing
people to move.” He suggested
that strictly enforcing no parking
regulations along the highway, as
is done on South Commerce
Street, would help ease conges
tion on the road. The erection of a
traffic light would be a benefit,
also, he said. Currently there are
no traffic lights allowing traffic to
enter the mainstream. DOT of
ficials said in literature
distributed at the hearing that
"traffic signals will be required or
updated at the major intersec
tions throughout the project."
Woodard charged that the
project is “going to put some of
us out of work—relocation at the
age of many of the merchants
would be economically
unfeasible.”
He said merchants along the
route would also be financially
crippled by a loss in business dur
ing construction.
Later in the hearing DOT of
ficials emphasized that construc
tion-estimated to take from 12
to 18 months would not hurt
businessmen along the route.
District Engineer John Wade
said “No one area would feel the
impact for that long” and stress
ed that all temporary construc
tion easements would revert back
to the owners and that all
driveways along the route would
remain operational during con
struction.
Woodard, whose remarks were
met with much applause from the
crowd at the hearing, urged the
DOT engineers to scale down the
project at least to four lanes if it
decides to go ahead with the pro
ject. He noted that four lanes
would allow five extra feet on
each side of the road as opposed
to the 5-lane plan and that with
such a compromise the DOT
"wouldn’t have to take people’s
parking in front of their houses
and in front of their businesses.”
James Marks of Marks Auto
followed Woodard. He concluded
that the loss of parking spaces
would de irreparable harm to
many businesses. Sue Timmer
man of Timmerman TV Service in
cle in interstate commerce. He
faces a possible five-year im
prisonment term and/or SIO,OOO
fine upon conviction.
* Darty Westbrooks, 317
Reed St., Trion, arrested at his
residence Thursday and charged
with conspiracy to transport a
stolen motor vehicle in interstate
commerce and aiding and abet
ting in transportation of a stolen
motor vehicle interstate. If con
victed, he faces the same possible
imprisonment penalty as Wooten,
but only a $5,000 fine.
* James Douglas Westbrooks,
322 McCollum St., Trion, sur
rendered to the U. S. Marshall in
Rome Friday facing charges of
aiding and abetting interstate
transportation of motor vehicles
in interstate commerce, aiding
and abetting interstate transpor
tation of stolen motor vehicles,
and aiding and abetting and
receiving of stolen motor vehicles
interstate. He faces, upon convic
tion, up to 10 years in jail and/or a
SIO,OOO fine.
The latter two suspects are
brothers. No ages or additional in
formation was available on the
suspects.
The three men were released
under surety bonds after being ar
raigned before a U. S. District
Court judge in Rome.
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Hearing Draws Residents
Residents (above) talk with a DOT
engineer (in glasses, beard) prior to last
week’s public hearing on the proposed
widening of U.S. Highway 27. A large
aerial map (at right) was used to answer
specific questions of persons who live
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5 Draw Prison Terms
After Pleading Guilty
Five guilty pleas to felony
charges were entered during the
first week of the August term of
criminal court in Chattooga Coun
ty, according to court records.
Those pleading guilty and the
sentences they received were:
♦ Travis Joe Little, 18, of Cen
tral Avenue, Trion, charged with
theft by taking and two counts of
armed robbery in connection with
the robbery of the Dixie Oil Ser
vice Station. He was sentenced to
serve five years in a state peniten
tiary. He received two five-year
sentences to run concurrently.
* Vinson Edward Hughes, 18,
of Route 1, Trion, charged with
theft by taking and two counts of
armed robbery in connection with
the robbery of the Dixie Oil Ser
vice Station in Trion. He also was
Man Charged After Melee With
Deputies Found Not Guilty Here
By PAM PURCELL
After almost five hours of
deliberation Wednesday, a Chat
tooga County jury returned a not
guilty verdict on all three felony
charges against Robert Holland
Strawn, a young Holland resident
involved in a fracas with two
county deputies last year.
Strawn was charged with ag
gravated assault, robbery by
force and armed robbery.
The charges against Strawn
stemmed from a fracas with two
deputies that occurred July 16
last year at a convenience
package store in Holland owned
by Strawn’s father. The two
deputies had been dispatched to
the store in response to a report
that “trouble” was brewing at the
store. The incident left one depu
ty hospitalized for several days.
The prosecution began its case
shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday,
calling to the stand a neighbor
who lives near the store.
The neighbor, Hill Clark,
and work along the route. Below,
photograph shows part of the commer
cial area that merchants say will be
severely affected by a loss of off-street
parking if the widening project is ap
proved as proposed.
sentenced to serve five years in a
state penitentiary, receiving two
five-year sentences to run concur
rently. Little and Hughes both
faced possible sentences of two
life imprisonment terms.
♦ John Hamilton Bailey, 35, of
W. Seventh Street in Summer
ville, charged with burglary. He
was sentenced to serve five years
in a state penitentiary.
♦ Douglas Hines, 24, of Sit
tons Apartments in Summerville
charged with burglary. He was
sentenced to serve three years in
a state penitentiary.
♦ Billy Wayne Rogers, 21, 7
Wilson Road, Summerville,
charged with burglary. He was
sentenced to serve three years in
a state prison.
testified that his residence is ap
proximately 160 to 200 yards
from the store, and that on the
morning of the incident he was
asleep in bed but was awakened
by a gunshot. He said he then
went to the window and could see
people scuffling in front of the
store. He said he woke up his
wife, who shortly telephoned and
reported the incident to a law en
forcement agency. During this
time, he said, he heard another
gunshot, but was unable to iden
tify any of the people in front of
the store. His wife, the next
witness, supported his testimony.
Deputy Terry Adams then
took the stand and told the court
of his account of the early morn
ing melee at the package store.
Adams testified that he and
Deputy Bill Holliday were on
routine patrol when they received
a radio call from a Summerville
Police Department officer telling
them of unspecified trouble at the
store in Holland. When the two
deputies arrived at the store
Accountant Says:
New Withholding Tables
Could Do Away With Tax
Refund For Many People
Many Chattooga taxpayers
used to getting an income tax re
fund from the federal government
each year may be in for a shock
this year, according to local tax
accountant Cliff Fowler.
"Because of an increase in the
Social Security base," the accoun
tant said, “taxpayers in higher
brackets could have even less
take-home pay in 1979 than they
around 4 a.m., Adams said, they
could see no one around the
building. Shortly after getting
out of the patrol car, however, he
said they saw a black male dart
from behind the store. After ad
vising the man to stop, he halted
in the middle of the Holland-
Chattoogaville Road, Adams
said, and identified himself to the
officers as Christopher Johnson.
In the meantime, the officers
heard a noise from a building
behind the store and proceeded to
investigate.
The three (Adams, Holliday
and Johnson) went to the building
and went in a door that was usual
ly closed, Adams said. Once in
side, Adams said, he saw Holland
Strawn in the building. Adams
testified that he knew the
sheriff's department was holding
a capias (a bench warrant) from
Floyd County on Strawn concern
ing a poaching violation and that
he asked Strawn to step out to
the patrol car to "get it
straightened out.”
Pennville said her firm "can’t do
without the business during con
struction. If you make a passing
lane, we can't stand the loss.”
Mrs. Jim Woodard said a fami
ly cemetery might have to be
unearthed on the route if the plan
is approved.
NOISE PROBLEMS
Mrs. Olan Hix of North Com
merce Street said that the propos
ed project would lop 24 feet off
her front yard (and others in the
First Street-Cleghorn Street
block). The noise from traffic cur
rently is “unbearable,” she said,
and would get worse under the
proposed plan. "How would you
feel if you felt like a semi-truck
was coming through your living
room?” she asked.
Herbie Skelton of Herb’s
Quick Print said his business
“would not have any parking
whatsoever” if the plan is approv
ed and that —the proposed plan's
temporary easements would cut
his father's pottery business in
half. “I believe that if you take
the existing facilities and make
some readjustments you would
have the facility we need,” he con
cluded.
State Farm Insurance
representative Bill McClellan,
whose business is on North Com
merce, repeated some of the
earlier objections to the plan and
emphasized that with additional
lanes that speeding would in
crease, which in turn would
translate into more auto ac
cidents. Speeders on a five-lane
road would "make any otl.
street look like soap box derby,'
he predicted, adding that more
fatal accidents would certainly
result.
“Are we going to have deaths
because we are giving these peo
ple a lane to fly (in)?” he asked
rhetorically.
Mrs. Nathan Daniel, represen
ting Pennville Hardware, also
cited potential parking problems
for her business and said the
widened road would be dangerous
being so close to Pennville
Elementary School.
ONE IN FAVOR
Charles Elder, a resident of
Highland Avenue, was the only
person to speak in favor of the
project. Traffic problems will only
continue to get worse if nothing is
done to widen the road, he said, "I
do not believe we can stop pro
gress,” he said. “If we don’t
(widen the road), more deaths will
result.”
J.D. Armstrong, owner of
did in 1978. But one thing is for
sure: the withholding tables that
employers use to withhold federal
taxes is way off base when it ap
plies to taxpayers in the higher
brackets."
Fowler said the problem is
that employees who are used to
getting refunds at the end of the
tax year may find they in fact owe
the government money this year
Strawn refused to go and slap
ped Adams, initiating a struggle,
testified Adams. At this time
Johnson “jumped” Holliday, and
another black subject, later iden
tified as Wendell Hutchins, ap
peared and joined in the melee.
The fight spilled outside,
Adams said, and he remembered
“someone” trying to get his gun,
a .357 magnum handgun. He
testified he pulled his gun and
fired one time into the ground in
hopes of scaring the assailants
and stopping the fracas. At this
time someone pulled his hair, said
Adams, and Strawn got his gun.
Strawn cocked the gun, pointed it
at Adams' head and told Holliday
to give up his gun, Adams said.
Holliday, following police train
ing. refused to give up his gun
(also a .357 magnum pistol) and
placed it back in his holster, ac
cording to Adams. Hutchins then
pulled a knife on Adams and
Strawn went to Holliday, said
Adams, striking Holliday on the
see MAN CHARGED, page 3-A
PRICE 20c
Armstrong’s restaurant, said the
five-lane proposal "would put me
out of business. With four lanes, I
could get by. That's all I have to
say.”
Several other residents and
merchants spoke out against the
plan, including Claude Bagley,
local distributor for Standard Oil
Co., who said "two or three gas
stations would be put out of
business if the plan is adopted as
proposed. He said a bypass is the
answer to the problem.
Gene Swanson of Holt's Auto
Supply said a five-lane road
“would more than likely put me
out of business. We need to use
the existing lanes more effective
ly”
Asked to comment on his reac
tion to the protests raised at the
hearing, District engineer Wade
said, “By and large it was a
negative response, but that's not
unusual at a public hearing.
That’s one reason we have
them—to find out what the public
thinks and to see if we can
alleviate some of the problems
and make some recommendations
to correct them."
In response to a reporter s
questions, he said that the DOT is
“not proposing to take any of
their (merchants' and residents’)
parking—we’re eliminating some
parking that some of them have
been using on the state’s right of
way.”
Regarding possible problems
businessmen would feel during
construction, he said, "No
businesses are going to suffer. It
will be an inconvenience, you
can’t build a highway without
some inconvenience, but we try
our best,” adding that road con
tractors are required to make sure
access is available to all
businesses and residences during
construction.
Written comments on the pro
posal are being accepted through
Sept. 6. Following the end of the
comment period, Wade and the
state location engineer and the
state road design engineer will
make written reports to DOT
chief TnaaJlKnx 'and.
“At that point Mr. Moreland
will make a determination as to
whether modifications to the con
cept and proposed design are
needed, or whether we should pro
ceed of drop it.”
The DOT estimates some 200
parcels of property adjoin the
highway being eyed for widening.
The price tag of the project is
roughly estimated in excess of $3
million.
because the amont being withheld
for federal taxes in insufficient to
cover their tax bill in many cases.
Fowler, as an example, said
that a working couple with no
dependents who each claim one
exemption and earn a total of
$26,000 would— according to the
federal withholding
schedules—have had $3,322
deducted in federal taxes. But the
kicker is that their tax bill would
total some $4,330 meaning that
they would still owe SI,OOB.
"Even if this couple had zero ex
emptions, they would still owe
$591,” Fowler noted.
In order to avoid that situa
tion, he said, employees need to
ask their employers to withhold
more than tax tables indicate
should be withheld, based on the
W-4 form the employee presented
to his employer. If the employer
won't cooperate, Fowler said, the
employee can obtain Form
1040-ES and send in additional
payments to supplement
withholding requirements.
"Taxpayers with smaller in
comes and larger families will
reap the most out of the so-called
tax cut for 1979, and their
withholding will not be a crucial
issue with them as it is with small
families with larger incomes,” he
said.
The example given above, he
stressed, is based on a couple that
do not itemize their deductions.
Fowler believes the govern
ment is deliberately setting forth
conservation withholding tables
“in order to give the taxpayer
more money in his pocket to
spend in the market place each
week.” Government officials, he
said, believe if the taxpayer has
the money available he will spend
it. which in turn will help the sag
ging economy.
see TAX REFUND, page 3-A