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VOLUME XCIV - NUMBER XXX
Denson Issi I 3 Statement
On Dry Creek Rd. Letter
The following statement was released
yesterday by Commissioner Wayne Den
son:
In response to a letter to the editor of
The Summerville News, published Oct.
11, 1979, I would like to issue the follow
ing statement regarding the Dry Creek
Road; Chattooga County, Ga. has entered
into a contract with the State Department
of Transportation for the re-surfacing of
the Dry Creek Road. Part of the condition
for this resurfacing is that the County
widen, straighten and repair certain parts
of this road which are presently unpaved.
I have been working quite hard in secur
ing the necessary right of ways from th^
property owners along this section and we '
have finally succeeded in getting these
right of ways completed.
The contract with the State requires
that the County prepare this dirt portion
prior to being paved so that we would
have no interruptions in paving and a bet
ter road upon completion. As most of the
residents are aware, two new bridges have
been constructed in this area, and we were
required to wait in proceeding on the dirt
portion until these bridges were com
pleted. The County crews have been in
volved in paving the Dirtseller and
Winters roads for some several months,
and this work has to be completed before
we can begin on the Dry Creek Road. As
most everyone is aware, this has been
quite a wet summer, and we were unable
to pave most of the summer due to the
rains. We have still not completed all pav
ing in this area but expect to finish short
ly. As soon as we finish in this area we will
begin certain preparation on the Dry
Creek Road, but this road will not be com
pleted until next summer. We have
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Thirty-seven county residents (top
photo) who attended the Sunbelt
Agriculture Exposition last week in Tif
ton prepare to load the bus from their
hotel to go to the exhibit center. Several
members of the group (bottom photo)
Chattooga Group Travels To
South Georgia Farm Show
A group of Chattooga
County residents boarded a
chartered bus around 3:50
a.m. last Tuesday at the
Farmers and Merchants Bank
parking lot bound for the se
cond annual Sunbelt
Agricultural Exposition in
south Georgia.
The group arrived in Tif
ton shortly before noon and
was soon able to make their
way to the exhibit area at
Spence Field in Moultrie.
The exposition was held
Oct. 9-11 with an estimated
500 different farm exhibits on
hand for visitors to inspect.
The 60-acre “tent city,” where
most of the exhibits were
located, included the newest
tractor and equipment on the
market, along with the
Band Boosters To
Meet At 7 P.M.
The Chattooga County
Band Boosters Club will have
a called meeting tonight at 7
in the CHS band room.
Group Attends ‘Sunbelt’
farmers being able to see how
to use the machinery. There
was also an area set aside for
special demonstrations of
harvesting and tillage using
the new farm equipment for
such major crops as: peanuts,
cotton, hay, corn and soy
beans.
The Expo, was held to
show farmers new equipment
and techniques to improve
their farming, according to a
spokesman who attended the
event.
The local group, consisting
of farmers, their wives and
members of the Young
Farmers Program: attended
the exposition exhibit for two
days. The bus ride and dinner
Tuesday night were com
pliments of the Farmers and
Merchants Bank.
Those attending the ex
position were: Mike Hutchins,
Everett Lunsford, Henry
Watson, Clentis Pool, Ted
Clark, Ralph Henton, Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas Brewer, Kennith
Moseley, Steve Ayers, Ron
Hill, Paul Hosmer, Eddie
^ummerutUe News
scraped this road numerous times in the
past and will continue to do so this winter,
however, this work on the unpaved por
tion must be completed before we can
begin the paving. As most everyone is
aware the Haywood Valley Road was pav
ed first in this area because there were no
repairs necessary, and this was only re
surfacing.
It will take approximately one month
to complete the repairs and widening of
the Dry Creek Road and prepare it for
paving, and I do not expect weather will
hold out long enough to complete this
before winter. I wish to prepare a good
base for paving so that once this is com
pleted this road will last quite a while. I
would like to assure the residents of the
Dry Creek area that the money has been
appropriated and will be used for that pur
pose only, however, I see no way we will
be able to complete this work before next
summer. The County crews will continue
to work on this road and we will do
everything necessary to get this road pav
ed as soon as possible.
I hope the citizens of this community
will be assured by this that their road will
be paved, and that we will continue to
work this road during the coming winter
months. I am well aware that the road is
in bad shape and would like to have com
pleted this paving prior to the cold
temperatures, but our crews must com
plete the work on the roads that they have
already begun in order to prevent winter
from destroying this work. I hope the
citizens can understand my situation and
that we will be able to get their road pav
ed at the beginning of next summer.
Wayne Denson
Commissioner of
Chattooga County
take time out from sightseeing for a
quick lunch. Grabbing a bite to eat are
(L-R) Ron Hill, Wayne Hurley, Steve
Ayers, Clentis Pool, Henry Watson and
David Matteson.
Massey, Douglas Mosley,
Tommy Vernon, Wayne
Hurley, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis
McCary, Larry Simpson and
David Matteson.
Also, Mr. and Mrs. Steve
Scoggins, Quinn Simpson,
Mike Wright, Mr. and Mrs.
Randall Selman, John Robert
Kendrick, Rusty Dooley,
Rickey Van Pelt, Jeff Owings,
Eric Reynolds, Daryl Ivey,
Rickey Green, Jim Ed Cavin,
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Mitchell,
and David Tallent.
New Rule Would Allow Parking In Trion Residential Areas
A public hearing will be
held a week from tonight in
Trion to give residents a
chance to air their opinions on
a proposed ordinance change
which would allow parking
lots—under certain guide
lines—in areas zoned R-l
(residential).
According to the zoning or
dinance, areas of the town in
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA 30747, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1979
Duration To Be Short?
Heavy Economic Impact Seen
Locally As Credit Crunch Hits
By TOM KIRWAN
A reduction in the number
of new homes built.
Commercial expansion
plans shelved.
High interest rates on
home mortgages, if they can
be negotiated at all.
Layoffs.
Short term notes at
reasonable interest rates vir
tually impossible to find.
These gloomy predictions
are some of the possible ef
fects the local area may feel as
a result of recent actions by
the Federal Reserve Bank to
curb raging inflation, accor
ding to Chattooga financial
authorites interviewed earlier
this week. It is not a unique
predicament: such somber
problems are expected nation
wide in the wake of the Fed’s
decisions. One bright note in
the dark sky is that the credit
crunch period may be relative
ly short, according to one of
ficial.
Last Saturday night the
Federal Reserve Bank
boosted to a record 12 percent
from 11 percent its discount
rate on money it lends to
banks. Banks quickly follow
ed the move by raising the
prime interest rate they
charge on loans to their best
commercial customers to a
record 14‘/2 percent.
The surge in the discount
rate, national and local finan
cial experts agree, will have a
profound influence in a
number of areas. In a nutshell,
the word is that borrowed
money will cost more and will
be tougher to find.
“I think it’s going to dry
up the cost of money that can
be lent to the small borrower,”
said Farmers & Merchants
Bank President Henry Wat
son in an interview two days
ago. “What it’s going to ac
complish is putting the small
borrower out of reach for or
dinary home mortgages, and
for financing cars and for
general home improvement
use, too. It will cause a severe
restraint on economic activi
ty. Yes, it’s going to hurt.”
The increase in the cost of
money is expected to not only
hurt the small borrower, but
the small businessman too.
For the small businessman,
who typically borrows heavily
about this time of year to
finance his Christmas inven
tory, the sudden leap in in
terest rates is bad news.
In a credit crunch, small
businesses typically suffer
hardest because they lack the
Stolen Vehicles
Are Recovered
Two vehicles stolen from a
local residence over the
weekend have been recovered
and returned to the owner.
William T. Simpson of 510
N. Congress St. in Summer
ville reported to officers
Saturday that sometime dur
ing the night someone had
stolen his 1965 Plymouth and
1966 half-ton Dodge truck
from his yard while he was
away.
Sunday officers found the
Plymouth abandoned on the
Trion-Teloga Highway un
damaged. The truck was
recovered Tuesday evening on
the Halls Valley Road. The
battery was missing from the
truck and it appeared that so
meone had beaten it with a
hammer, according to a
report.
As of Wednesday no ar
rests had been made in con
nection with the thefts.
R-l districts are allowed to be
used for single family dwell
ings, churches and similar
places of worship (and their
customary related uses),
public and private schools,
and for governmental uses in
cluding parks and play
grounds.
The Trion City Council and
Mayor are proposing to
avenues to borrow open to
larger companies. Few small
companies can issue stock to
attract funds,
nor do they have longrange
lines of credit with their
banks.
If they must borrow to
weather a sales slowdown and
maintain inventories, they
will pay the prevailing in
terest rates, said economist
Herman Landry, director of
the National Small Business
Ass .iation.
‘ The first reaction of store
owner,,” Landry said, “will be
to hold sales to obtain needed
cash But if everybody holds
sales at the same time, it
won t work and then the
retailers will be forced to lay
off workers. Part-time jobs
will disappear because they
are found heavily in this
area.
Many economists are
predicting that the Federal
Reserve Board’s tight-money
thrust will deepen the ex
pected recession, and
unemployment—currently 5.8
percent—could reach the 8 or
9 percent mark nationwide by
next year. Chattooga
County’s unemployment rate
in August was 6.3 percent.
Also sure to be hard hit. by
the recent fiscal measures are
home developers and home
buyers.
“The availability of money
for (home loans) is drastically
low,” John Salley, executive
vice president of First Federal
Savings & Loan in Summer
ville, said Tuesday. “It looks
like this area is hard hit.”
According to the Wall
Journal, savings and
loan associations are finding it
harder to attract lendable
funds “because customers like
the more attractive rates on
on-savings investments... so
home buyers probably will
Cemetery Corporation To Appeal
To City Council For More Funds
By TOM KIRWAN
The trustees of Summer
ville Cemetery Corporation
voted at its annual meeting
last week to appeal to the
Summerville City Council for
more operating funds and
took steps to repair dozens of
tombstones recently damaged
by vandals.
Local attorney Ed Surles, a
trustee and second vice presi
dent of the corporation which
oversees the city cemetery,
was appointed by the other
four trustee-officers attending
to seek a larger stipend, cur
rently set at $2,000 annually,
from the City.
The trustees present noted
that current expenses are
outstripping income so far
this year by just over S4OO, a
financial situation Treasurer
Margaret Fulton called
"desperate.”
Tne non-profit corporation,
its financial statement show
ed, has been able to stay in the
black by dipping into its sink
ing fund set aside for the plan
ned expansion of the
cemetery—a situation the
trustees said should not be
allowed to continue.
“Our expenses have been
going up like everybody
else’s,” said Surles, who said
it has been many years since
the City's contribution has
been raised and that rising
labor costs have multiplied
many times in the same
period. The only other source
of revenue, aside from the Ci
ty, is the sale of lots, which
have amounted to over $4,000
this year, the financial state
ment showed. But labor costs
so far this year have run
broaden that list of conform
ing uses for R-l areas by
allowing, in certain cir
cumstances, for parking areas
to be established there.
The proposal would add
Section 71-7 under Article 7 of
the zoning ordinance to read
that in the R-l district the
following would be permissi
ble: “Parking of vehicles
find mortgages harder to ar
range, even if they’re willing
to pay the higher rates.’’
Nationwide, experts say
they expect new housing
starts to be off by as much as
25 percent, according to the
newspaper, because of the
drying up of funds available
for mortgages. That in turn is
likely to mean slower sales
and rising inventories for
makers of appliances and
home furnishings as their ma
jor market shrinks.
I 49
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Miles Bohning (R), deputy state director
of the Department of the Treasury U.S.
Savings Bond Division, presents Mrs.
Edythe McGinnis with a certificate on
behalf of the 35 years of service her hus-
$6,320 through Sept. 22.
In other action, the
trustees moved to make
repairs at the vandalism
plagued cemetery. Contrac
tors will be sought to
straighten and pour fresh ce
ment for toppled tombstones,
as well as repairing a brick col
umn that was apparently
damaged by a four-wheel vehi
cle.
The trustees also voted to
try to have security tightened
up at the cemetery with the
hopes that incidents of van
dalism can be reduced.
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Ware house Construction Begins
The foundation for the new Best
Manufacturing warehouse is shown be
ing poured this week. The warehouse
will be located on the Menlo Highway
which are owned or used by
the property owner, members,
agents, employees, guests and
invitees of the property owner
provided that said parking is
not for the use of the general
public nor any charge is made
by the property owner for
such parking.”
Currently at least two
pieces of property would be as-,
economists explain.
On the brighter side, Paul
Voloker, Federal Reserve
Board chairman, said this
week he hopes that his tight
credit policy can produce
quick dividends for the U.S.
economy.
In his first congressional
appearance since the Fed
moved Oct. 6 to curb inflation
and bolster the dollar, Volcker
said Monday that the central
bank’s policy could lead to
easier credit conditions and
Harry McGinnis Honored
Specifically, the trustees said
the number of gates open will
be reduced and the city police
will be asked to close ana open
front gate in the evenings and
mornings, respectively. Cor
poration president J. D. Hill :
said the City had already been
provided the keys to the front
gate, but that for some
unknown reason the gate was
being left open at night.
First Vice President
Sidney Cooper said at the
meeting that he hoped govern
mental monies will be used to
pave roads in the cemetery.
fected if the proposal is pass
ed. The First Baptist Church
of Trion is hoping to demolish
an old nouse it owns on pro
perty not adjacent to the
church (but near it) and, to use
the property for church park
ing. Also, Riegel Textile Corp,
currently is allowing
employees to park in a lot in
the R-l district across from
lower interest rates relatively
soon.
“We could see this thing
turn around quite quickly,” he
said. He saia he isn’t “at all
discouraged about how quick
ly market conditions could
turn around and interest rate
conditions could turn around,
if we are successful in curbing
the speculative and infla
tionary influences that have
been predominant recently. It
needn’t in that sense be a long
period of time.”
band, the late Harry McGinnis, con
tributed as volunteer county savings
bond chairman. Looking on is McGin
nis’ son, Eugene.
He is working to develop a
cost-sharing plan involving
the county, city and state, he
said.
The board of trustees, in
other action, made appoint
ments for the upcoming year.
All of the current officers were
renamed to their current posi
tions. Aside from the
previously-mentioned officers,
they include Mabel Crouch,
third vice-president.
In addition to the officers,
trustees named for the coming
year include Charles Vaughn,
Nona Cleghorn and Homer
Johnson.
just east of Menlo across from Cox’s
Country Store. The warehouse will free
space at the Menlo plant for expansion.
the plant on old U.S.
Highway 27.
If the ordinance is passed,
the church and Riegel would
presumably conform to the
zoning ordinance restricting
uses of property in the town.
The hearing will be held at
6:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Trion
Town Hall.
PRICE 20c