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VOLUME XCIV NUMBER XLI 1
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Santa Comes To Town
Larry Tapp, age 11, and Shawn Shelton,
age 2, talk with Santa Claus Sunday
when he made his annual pre-Christmas
stop to the Chattooga County Memorial
Home. Santa walked through the large
Hearing Draws Requests For
Slices Os Federal Money Pie
By PAM PURCELL
Representatives from
several groups and organiza
tions were present at the cour
thouse Friday afternoon to
voice their opinions as to how
the county's anticipated
federal revenue-sharing funds
should be used.
Approximately 25 people
gathered in the courtroom for
the public hearing at 2 p.m.
Thirteen formal requests,
both oral and written, were
presented at or before the
hearing to County Commis
sioner Wayne Denson. Com
missioner Denson will an
nounce his revenue-sharing
budget in approximately 10
days, said County Attorney
Arch Farrar Jr.
This year's federal funding
is estimated to be $231,201 for
the entitlement period which
began Oct. 1 and will continue
through Sept. 30, 1980. This
figure compares to $170,976
the county received for a nine
month period last year, accor
ding to Farrar.
The largest request of the
hearing came from Summer
ville Councilman Dennis Cox.
He requested $25,000 for the
Summerville Recreation
Department. Cox said that the
department is doing “a fine
job,” adding that since city
residents pay county taxes
there is 100 percent county
participation in the city's
recreation programs. Coun-
Telephone Company Unveils Big Plans For 1980
Tentative plans to update
the local phone system with
improvements totalling over
$900,000 during 1980 were an
nounced Friday by General
Telephone officials here.
District Manager Ken
McPeak said the plan will in
clude 37.5 miles of new cable
to be installed, two-thirds of
which will be buried.
‘‘This plan may change
tomorrow, he emphasized,
“but right now we feel confi
dent the company will go
ahead with it.”
"As with all budget pro
grams, it is subject to change,
especially in this time of high
interest and talk of a severe
recession.”
The breakdown of the
$992,000 budget calls for
$607,000 being spent on four
major projects (mostly north
of Trion), $200,000 for routine
repairs (defined as jobs runn
ing less than SIO,OOO each)
and $85,000 for the replace
ment of cable on Dry Creek
Road, set to be completed
when projected road work
there is completed.
The four major work
orders outlined by McPeak in
clude:
We Wish Our Readers A Very Merry Christmas
i ahe BummeruilU News
cilmen James Crouch and
Hubert Palmer said they
agreed with the request.
Clyde Davis, director of
the recreation center, also
spoke before the crowd on
behalf of the Summerville
Recreation Board. He said
any further consideration of
funds for the department
would be appreciated.
Councilman Crouch also
noted the Summerville Fire
Department is a countywide
service and that is served
largely by volunteers.
Other requests presented
to Denson were:
* Joe Cannon, director of
the Chattooga Improvement
Association's Day Care
Center in Holland, requested
$18,030 of the revenue funds.
He said the center serves 60
children from 50 families in
the county. He added that 14
percent of the children are pro
tective service cases who
would probably be in foster
homes if it wasn't for the
center.
‘‘Combining the federal
dollars of $144,265 and
$211,994 earning power of our
working parents," Cannon ex
plained, "the totals amount to
$426,259 that will circulate in
the community as a result of
our program. We feel that this
is a community program that
cannot be economically denied
and it shows local government
planning.”
* Conduit being installed
from the central office in Trion
to Allgood Street, to be ex
tended east along Allgood to
U.S. Highway 27 and west to
the alley where the cables
leave Allgood Street. A
2,700-pair cable will be placed
in the conduit to eliminate all
the overhead cable from the
central office to Allgood
Street.
♦ Cable facilities for the
northwest portion of the coun
ty will be installed, including
northwest Trion, and the
Teloga, Lookout Hall Church
and Welcome Hill com
munities.
* Cable facilities for the
northeast portion of the coun
ty will be installed—including
northeast Trion, the
Welmeyer, New Bethel
Church communities and
areas along old U.S. Highway
27.
♦ Cable facilities will be in
stalled for the portion of the
county north of Menlo along
Georgia 337, including the
Chelsea Community.
“Our customers may be
asking why all this money is
being spent,” said McPeak.
"The telephone company
crowd that gathered there, throwing out
candy as he went. He later sat near a
large Christmas tree and handed out
presents to the youngsters.
* Herman Smith, presi
dent of the Menlo Recreation
Department, requested
SIO,OOO for the Menlo depart
ment. He said the Menlo
recreation program works
mostly through volunteer
money and funds raised
through sales. He also added
that recreation department
does not have a paid
employee.
*John O’Connell,
representing the Cloudland
Property Owners Association,
asked the commissioner to set
aside some of the funds for
Cloudland’s playground and
fire department. Last year
Cloudland requested $9,350
for the maintenance of their
recreation center. O’Connell
asked that they receive more
than last year, if possible.
♦ Kay Farrar, representing
the Chattooga County Library
Board, requested $5,000 for
the library. She said the funds
were needed to maintain cur
rent services provided by the
library.
* Mrs. Mary Meadows of
Berryton asked that several
fire hydrants be purchased
with some of the funds and be
placed throughout Berryton
as there are none except at the
mill. She also requested that
the clock on the courthouse be
fixed with a portion of the
funds. Denson advised Mrs.
Meadows that the clock is in
the process of being repaired.
wants to be able to provide
service to our customers as
soon as possible after they
come in and apply for service.
We like to provide service in
three days wherever
possible.”
This year, he said, the local
district "has not been able tb
meet this time frame in quite a
few number of cases."
Because of having no cable
pairs or facilities in the
customer's area, the
customers had to wait until
the company could provide
engineering, he said, along
with ordering time for
material and construction
Holiday Schedules Set
Local city and county offices will be closed most of next
week in observance of the Christmas holiday.
The Chattooga County Tax office will be closed Saturday,
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the holiday. Offices in
the Courthouse will be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednes
day.
The City of Summerville office will be closed Monday and
Tuesday in observance of the holiday. Garbage will be picked up
as usual on Monday. Garbage usually picked up on Tuesday will
be picked up Wednesday.
(Continued On Page 8)
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA 30747, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1979
City Council OKs $3.6 Million
Revenue Bond For Project
By TOM KIRWAN
The Summerville City
Council Monday night ap
proved the issuance of a i
Widening Plan For
U.S. 27 Surfaces
The Department ot
Transportation has reversed
its earlier decision not to
widen U.S. Highway 27 from
Summerville to Trion, The
News confirmed late yester
day afternoon.
The project has been
“resurrected,” according to
DOT Director of Public Infor
mation Harry Murphy.
“The DOT is going ahead
with that project,” he said.
“It’s going to be a customed
designed highway similar to
the one (similarly conterver
sial project) in Walker Coun
ty.” It will be four lane in
some places and five lane in
some places. We plan to work
with businesses (along the
route) to affect them as little
as possible.”
* James Sims, secretary
and treasurer of the Chat
tooga Development Authori
ty, requested a funding for the
authority. Sims said “any
amount” made available
would be appreciated.
* Winifred Stephens of the
Chattooga County Parent-
Child Center in Summerville
requested $4,000 for the
center. She said the center
serves approximately 100
children and parents from
40-45 low-income families in
the county. She said the staff
hopes to have the center’s
driveway and parking area
paved, along with doing need
ed renovation to the buildings.
* In a written request the
Lyerly Fire Department asked
for SI,OOO to help with the
department’s operation.
* The Town of Lyerly, also
in a written request, asked for
SIO,OOO for a matching grant
for Angus McLeod Park.
* The Summerville Fire
Department requested
$15,000 in a written letter.
* The Lyerly Recreation
Department, in a written re
3uest, asked for $5,000 for the
epartment to update equip
ment.
♦The Pennville Youth
Club asked for $2,000 in a
written request.
The hearing lasted approx
imately 25 minutes.
time, sometimes causing
lengthy delays.
“By looking at our cable
facilities in all the district, we
have developed a program to
provide cable in the areas
needing it most," he said.
“Also, for customers in the
areas in which we have con
struction, there may be some
inconveniences caused by the
construction. The Company is
committed to working with
our customers to try to do as
little to cause them concern as
possible,” he continued.
"In looking into the future
in the outside plant area, we
can see new equipment that
$3,660,000 revenue bond in
connection with the city’s
soon-to-be-started water and
sewage modernization pro-
Murphy said it was uncer
tain as to when work on the
project will begin. “We don’t
have a time frame on that," he
said.
A public hearing on the
proposed five-laning of the
road held earlier this year
drew strong opposition from
several residents and mer
chants who live and work
along the route.
Asked why the DOT had a
change of heart on the project,
Murphy said that several local
residents had contacted the
DOT to object to the DOT’s
announcement after the hear
ing that the project was being
dropped because of a lack of
public support.
“After reports came in, the
commissioner (Tom Moreland)
decided to go ahead with the
project."
The first indication that
the plan was being recon
sidered came Monday when
the Summerville City Council
(Continued On Page 8)
Christmons: Heritage Os Christ
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Tree Is Churchwide Project
The Rev. Thrasher admires his church congregation’s
Christmon Tree along with WMU members Sara
Jackson (L-R), Gussie Brewer, Madelin Whisenant
and Gladys Weems.
will be saving the company
and it’s customers money.
There is a new digital switch
called a DMSI that can be in
stalled in an area, for example
Welcome Hill, that can serve
256 customers on only eight
cable pairs to the Central Of
fice. This eliminates the costly
construction of a large cable
all the way to the office. Three
of these switches are planned
for 1982.”
McPeak unveiled the plan
at a luncheon Friday to which
local news media represen
tatives and area mayors were
invited. Trion Mayor Jake
Woods was the only invited
elected official able to attend.
McPeak added that many
local customers living in the
areas of the planned im-
E rovemen ts can expect to
ave fewer phone-related pro
blems. Specifically, the work
should clear up static pro
blems sometimes reported by
customers, he said. Areas
where underground cable is
scheduled to be installed can
also expect fewer problems
because aerial cables are
susceptible to ice and wind
storms, vandalism and other
hazards.
gram.
The Farmers Home Ad
ministration will hold the
40-year, 5 percent interest (per
annum) bond which will be
paid off by the city in increas- j
ing annual installments from
the revenue generated by the
system.
According to the bond or
dinance approved Monday,
approximately $2.4 million is
earmarked for the actual up
dating program; the balance
will pay off existing obliga
tions related to the system (a
FmHA requirement) to the
tune of roughly $1.2 million.
Those obligations include
the acquisition of waler and
sewer certificates issued by
the city in 1956 and bonds
issued for the system in 1967.
BUSINESS FEES
ARE INCREASED
In other action, the council
voted to scrap an earlier pro
posal to raise business license
fees by various amounts,
depending on the business. In
its place, the council adopted
an across-the-board license fee
schedule increase of 25 per
cent, effective for 1980. The
only exception was that
granted taxi cab operators,
whose annual fee will remain
$75 per car.
Mayor Sewell Cash, noting
that some of the earlier pro
posed fees would have
represented “as much as a 200
percent increase,” said the 25
percent increase in business
y X
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1980 Plan Is Reviewed
Ken McPeak and G. C. Pickle (L-R) of
GTE talk with Trion Mayor Jake Woods
about the company’s planned
fees was considered more
equitable by the council. He
said that the taxi fee, the
council agreed, “was enough
at this time."
For the third month in a
row, the council voted to table
a proposed cost-of-living raise
for city employees. But the
council did decide to make
whatever raise is granted in
the future retroactive to Jan.
1, 1980.
Councilman James Crouch
said he was reluctant to make
a decision on the raised ques
tion until it was clearer how
much new revenue will be
available to the City to pay for
the proposed raises. He asked
City Clerk Bert Self for an
estimate, but she said it was
uncertain how much a 17 per
cent state-ordered increase on
property valuations in the
county will generate in new
revenues for the city. She ex
plained that a final, corrected
tax digest was still in the pro
cess of being prepared for the
city’s use by the county.
The proposed wage in
crease topic evolved into a
general discussion of the
City’s fiscal condition and
related areas. Councilman
Boyd Williams asked the
council “if there is any way to
reduce taxes” for 1979
because elderly residents, par
ticularly, will have trouble
shouldering what will
translate into a 17 percent tax
increase, despite the fact that
Christmas is a time of traditions—gift-giving, tree
trimming, kissing under the mistletoe, to name a few—but
these and most other traditions were brought us from foreign
lands.
One uniquely American tradition originated in the
Methodist Church in 1957 in the United States—the Christmon
Tree. Several Methodist churches locally put up the beautiful
trees, although many other Christian denominations have
adopted the tradition too.
"The Chrismon Tree was started in Virginia," explains the
Rev. Doug Thrasher, pastor of the Lyerly Methodist Church.
"Its name comes from the combination of ‘Christ and
‘monogram.' For us as a church, it is something that every Sun
day reminds us of the season of Advent.”
You won’t find miniature Santa Clauses, reindeer and other
non-secular ornaments on a Christmon Tree. As the Rev.
Thrasher explains, all Christmons, as the typically-handmade
ornaments are called, are "symbols of faith." They include
many well-known symbols—the cross, star, fish and God's hand
descending from heaven, for example—and many not so well
known symbols.
The Rev. Thrasher said his church has had a Christmon Tree
in the past, but this is the first year a wide cross section of the
church congregation became involved in making its ornaments.
In the past, he explained, only a few church members took
responsibility for the project.
"The United Methodist Women sponsored this project,” he
explained. "During the month of November, those involved met
in the fellowship hall and made them (Christmons). Over 100
were cut and sewn, then stuffed and decorated with beads. Men
and women participated in working on it; that’s what makes it
special for us—it being a churchwide project. All the
Christmons were made by us and are owned by the church, and
it has played a special part of the Advent season for us.”
The white-felt ornaments with pearl-like beads highlight the
church's tree, a giant cedar cut from Thomas Brewer s farm. As
is traditional, the only colors found on the tree are
white—representing Christ’s innocence and purity—and
gold—symbolizing the majesty of Christ.
“it’s an interdenominational tree,” the Rev. Thrasher ex
plains, "and the Christmons are the heritage of all Christians."
maintenance work for 1980. Much of the
nearly million dollar plan is scheduled for
the Trion area and surrounding com
munities.
jPRICE 20c
the city’s millage rate is the
same as last year. "It (the tax
increase) is just a little too
much at one whack," said
Williams, who suggested a 10
percent increase would be
fairer.
But Mrs. Self and City At
torney Ben Ballenger in
dicated that it’s too late for a
millage cut now because the
tax notices have already been
printed and mailed. Ballenger
did say. however, that
perhaps "some sort of direct
refund" could be made to city
residents.
Although the council did
not discuss a possible refund,
such a refund would be costly
and unprecedented in the city.
Mayor Cash noted that the
increases being felt by city
residents in their taxes are not
the result of the city going up
on its millage rate. Rather, he
noted, the state-ordered factor
of 17 percent—which in effect
increases the value of every
Eiece of property on the tax
ooks by that amount—is to
blame. In recent years, he
said, the city millage rate has
been reduced a total of 2.6 per
cent overall. “Evaluations
have grown and offset the
reductions in millage, he
said. "In reality you are pay
ing more tax dollars than you
were eight years ago."
The new income is needed,
Cash said, because “the
(Continued On Page 8)