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Sherman In Chattooga
: - See Page 1-B
VOLUME CT'— NU! ® m KXVIII
HEAT SC.RCHES CHATTOOGA
Drought Worst Ever
By TOMMY TOLES
Editor
Despite a slight drop in
scorching temperatures at
midweek in Chattooga County
and a few continuing scattered
showers, this summer's heat
wave and drought are shaping
up as the worst in history for
local farmers, gardeners, cat
tlemen and water systems.
Three or four people have
been treated for mt-related
physical disorders at the
emergency room during the
last couple of weeks, said
TO SPEND $4.5-MILLION
City Approves Budget
By TOMMY TOLES
Editor
A record budget calling for
$4,751,100 in revenues and
$4,540,687 in- expenses :for
fiscal year 1986-87 was
adopted Monday night by
Summerville's Mayor and
Council.
But the panel delayed until
its Aug. 11 meeting a decision
on setting the city's property
tax rate, or substituting a ser
vice fee for part of the an
ticipated tax revenue, safiing
its members wanted to hear
OKAYED BY COUNCIL
Prison Utilities
The Mayor and City Coun
cil of Summerville Monday
night authorized approval of an
agreement between the city
and the Georgia Department of
Corrections to supply utilities
to a proposed new state prison
at Pennville.
Negotiations over the
utilities had been under way for
some time.
City Manager Grad
McCalmon said tfixe state wifi
pay the city $1,008,016 for the
utilities. The total involves
$59,616 for gas service,
$234,000 for water, $342,400
for sewer lines and $372,000 to
PROMPTED BY PETITION
City’s Gym Interest Ends
Summerville's City Council
Monday night formally
withdrew its interest in the old
Summerville Junior High
School gymnasium, pleasing a
number of residents of the im
mediate neighborhood.
A petition containing 44
names was given to Mayor
Sewell Cash just before the
meeting and he presented the
issue to the Council.
The mayor said he
understood the gym would be
sold at Eublic auction in early
September. Initially, the city
thought the Chattooga County
Board of Education might
Jease the facility for $1 a year
or so. He said he didn’t foresee
the city bidding on the
building.
“I don't see where we need
it right now for recreation,’
Mayor Cash said. The city is
spending almost $300,000 a
year for recreation but the
county is putting in only
$25,000, for which the city is
Che Summeruille News
Shirley McCrickard, assistant
administrator, Chattooga
County Hospital. All were
released after treatment.
Throughout Georgia, 58 heat
relatefi illnesses and five
deaths were reported from
June 1 to July 11, said the
Georgia Department of
Human Resources.
The City of Summerville
has officially imposed a volun
tary ban on the outdoor use of
water after informally asking
residents to conserve water a
week ago. The ban is expected
to become mandatory next Fri
day, Aug. 1, unless the area
receives unexpected rains. (See
from city residents on the
issue.
In other action, the Council
aEproved an agreement with
the Georgia Department of
Corrections to supply utilities
to a proposed new prison at
Pennville. ik B S
The city also decided to
be%in collecting some $200,000
in back taxes from all city pro
perty owners who have not
paid their bills by Aug. 22,
It adopted a water conser
vation plan, part of which will
become mandatory after next
Thursday, July 31, to meet
drought conditions and a re
quirement from the state.
upgrade the city's wastewater
treatment plant.
Road work off Highway 27
to the 191-acre prison site loca
tion is expected to begin dur
ing the first week in August.
Meanwhile, the Counci%-:lso
authorized paying Trion resi
dent Edward ‘‘Cotton”
Jackson $5,500 for his services
in obtaining rights-of-way from
Florida millionaire Ernest
Klatt for the utilities to the
grison. It had previously paid
im $2:000: - o
Jackson outlined the com-
Elicated negotiations between
imself and Klatt during the
grateful, he added.
Councilman Phil Cavin said
the issue was only ‘‘scratched”
on the surface when the city
thought it might obtain a free
gymnasium.
Councilman Guinn Hankins
moved that the city withdraw
its interest in the gym, a pro
gosal that was seconded by
ouncilman Ira Pollard Jr. and
approved by all the council
members present. Ronnie
Pilcher was absent.
U.S. 27
City Manager Grad
McCalmon said Cgar Harbucl‘;
Inc., Americus, ha! extended
the validity time of its bid on
clearirle the rights-of-way
along U. S. 27 from Summer
ville to Trion to Aug. 22. Poin
ting out that the Georgia
Deßartment of Transgortanon
(DOT) will receive bids Friday
for the Highway 27 five-lane
widening project, McCalmon
said if the apparent low bid ap-
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1986
related story this page). Lyer
ly is also exgected to be af
fected by the Summerville ban,
if only indirectly.
TRION BAN
The City of Trion last week
had imposed a voluntary con
servation program by asking
residents not to use water for
outdoor furposes, such as
watering lawns, gardens and
washing cars. Riegel Textile
Corp., which supplies the city
with its water, Ead issued the
request.
On Monday, the com(rany
told the city that residents
could water their gardens, but
This year's overall budget
shows a $210,413 sux;plus. com
¥ared to a surplus of $178,862
or the 1985-86 fiscal year.
Revenues for the new year
are estimated at $4,751,100,
compared to revenues of
$4;5662,750 - +for -~ 1985-86.-
Revenues for the coming 12
months are expected to be
$188,350 more than for the last
year.
General expenses for the
new year are expected to fall
from $1,276,990 in 1985-86 to
$1,177,697 — a drop of
$99,293.
Utility expenses are ex
pected to increase by $156,799
last year and four months. He
said he had made numerous
trips to Florida and North
Carolina and had run up more
than SI,OOO in telephone ex
penses in connection with his
efforts. g :
The agreement between the
city and Klatt calls for the ci
ty work to reach Highwag 27
at the prison road by Nov. 1
and Jackson said he needed to
begin discussions with Klatt
now if it aEpeared the deadline
wouldn’t be met. %
" The state mfiy advertise for
bids on the 750-inmate prison
later this year.
pears acccffiutable to the DOT,
the city will sit down with Har
buck representatives to
renegotiate in hopes of realiz
ing ‘“‘substantial savings’ to
the city.
Harbuck submitted a bid of
$1,032,949 for clearing the
right-of-way and relocating
water, gas and sewer lines. The
city has received pledges of
$200,000 from the DOT toward
that cost, as well as a 6 percent
loan of $453,460 from the DOT.
The state has also given the ci
ty a $99,540 grant. But the ci
ty is still $279,949 short of
enough cash to pay for its
share of the costs. Rengotia
tion may reduce that amount,
McCalmon indicated.
Councilman Hankins said
he wanted the city to adopt a
strong anti-littering law limt
Mayor Cash said the city
already had an ordinance on
the books. He instructed the
police department to enforce
see JR. HIGH, page 14-A
Hogue Lawsuit Settled
| -« See Page 3-B
© Copyright 1986 By Espy Publishing Co., Inc.
not their lawns or wash their
cars. However, water levels
dropped so quickly that Riegel
asked the city to impose a ban
on outside watering.
Mayor J. C. Woods said ci
ty residents are being asked to
cut out all outside water use.
Police will at first issue a war
nin% to residents disobeyinfi
the ban but will follow up wit.
tickets if the mandatory%an is
not obeyed thereafter, the
ma¥or indicated.
n Menlo, the city's wells
seem to be holding up,said ci
ty officials, but residents are
still being asked to conserve
water by eliminating watering
from $4,383,888 last year to
$4,540,687 this coming year.
However, utility revenues are
expected to show an overall in
crease of $140,100, from
$3,628,800 last year tg
$3,768,900 during the next 12
months. P i
General revenues - are” eg
pected to rise $84,250 from
$933,950 last year to $982,200
next year. !
Water and sewer revenues
are anticipated to drop from
$1,211,300 to $1,189,600, a fall
of $21,700. However, gas
revenues are expected to rise
by $161,800, from $2,417,500
to $2,579,300.
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Mercury Eases Higher, Higher
Wayne Parker and his son, Clay, 9, check the
tem&erature inside one of Parker’s two poultry houses
off Welcome Hill Road near Trion. The mercury on one
end of the house had reached 96 degrees but Parker said
it probably was around 92 degrees in the middle of the
house. Outside, it was almost 100 degrees. (Staff photo).
Media Protest Closed Meet
The Summerville News,
speaking on behalf of the
newspaper and two Chattooga
County radio stations, Monday
nifihth)rotested the Summer
ville Mayor and Council enter
ing into an executive or closed
session to discuss payment to
the city attorney for collecting
back city taxes.
The gouncil had just voted
unanimously to begin collec
ting some $200,000 in back
taxes owed the city for the cur
rent year as well as for seven
Bast years when city attorney
en Ballenger asked whether
of fiardens and lawns and
was ing cars.
And Chattooga Water
District 1 officials said water
continues to flow from the
S{st.em's wells without pro
blem as of Tuesday but conser
vation by the more than 1,000
customers is being urged.
Although Summerville was
contacted by the Georgia
Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) last week and
told to submit a conservation
filan by July 31, Menlo, Trion,
iegel and the Water District
hafiot received a similar re
quest by mid-week. Menlo and
see DROUGHT, page 9-A
Expenses for the water
filter plant, water and sewer
lines and the wastewater treat
ment plant are estimated at
-$1,007,575 for the cominfi year,
*con'pared to $909,634 during
“the art lgvmonths — an ;::lr
2 i .07 1’ SxXpen : f
! 'Mnge’figgs ex
pected to jump $158,151, from
$2,197,264 to $2,355,415.
The general fund this year
is likely to show a deficit of
$195,497, compared to a
similar deficit last year amoun
ting to $343,040, This year's
expected deficit is $147,543
less than the one last year.
see CITY, page 14-A
the panel wanted him to start
alphabetically or with the
largest account.
Councilman Guinn Hankins
said the panel might ought to
go into that matter in ex
ecutive session.
Mayor Sewell Cash in
dicatex that such a discussion
mifht violate the state’s so
called Sunshine Law or open
meetings act. However, the
mayor said he felt the Council
could discuss the percentage of
I)ayment to Ballenger for col
ecting the taxes.
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R an
> R On Page 9-A
L e S R
b LAI N R
MANDATORY BAN NEXT?
Council Orders
Water Cutbacks
Faced with possible action
from the Georgia Department
.of Natural Resources and like
{K continuation of the current
ought, Summerville's Mayor
and Council Monday night
decided to implement the city’s
water conservation plan.
St:fi; one of the plan went
officially into effect Tuesday
morning although city
residents had already been ask
ed informally to cut back
voluntarily on outside water
usage.
tep one seeks a 10 gercent
reduction in water use by urg
ing residents to voluntarily
curtail non-essential water use
for lawns and gardens, washing
cars - and fifiing swimming
pools.
When the Mayor and Coun
cil returned from the closed
meeting, The News issued
copies of the state's open
meetings law to each city of
ficial and formally protested
the closed session on behalf of
the newspaper, WGTA radio
newsman David Daniel and
WSAF radio newsman Tony
Wilkie.
The following exchange
ensued:
The News: Mr. Mayor, we'd
like to —the three of us in the
see MEDIA, page 8-A
It said city departments
would cease all non-essential
use of water such as washin
vehicles, street-cleaning ang
flushing hydrants.
However, some city cars
were still being washed outside
city hall Tuesday morning.
Stage 2 will likely
automatically go into effect
after next TKursday. July 31,
unless the area receives ade
quate rainfall, the Council
indicated.
The mandatory ban could
result in city water being turn
ed off if a customer violates ci
ty requirements for water use.
Summerville's stage 2
policy, which seeks a 25 per
cent reduction in water use,
says, ‘‘Designated city
employees will %)e assigned to
enforce the ban. The city of
ficials will determine specific
action to be taken for viola
tions. Typically, this would in
clude field monitoring and any
customer observed violating
the ban would be contacted on
site, informed of the ban, and
asked to comply. After this
contact, any further violation
would result in the customer’s
water being turned off at the
meter and reconnected only
after payment of a reconnec
tion fee.”’ ;i
The city also has two more
stages for water use reduction
but those were not discussed at
Monday night's meeting.
Those measures would involve
contacts with industrial users
of water and reduction of water
;Sn'essure by the city in Step 3.
tep 4 plans would include pro
hibition of any use of water for
PRICE 20¢
outside activities not essential
to health and safety. Industrial
users would be required to
reduce their water use and “‘as
a last resort, the city will tem
porarily terminate service to
portions of the system at alter
nate time intervals.”
Summerville’s action, in
gart. came about because of a
L:liy 14 letter from J. Leonard,
better, commissioner of the
Georgia Department of
Natural Resources, to Mayor
Cash.
Referring to the drought,
Ledbetter said the Depart
ment’s Environmental Protec
tion Division (EPD) was requir
ing “‘as a condition of the city’s
permit to operate (its water
system), that the city prepare
a water conservation plan.
Your plan should be submitted
to EP% by Jgéy 31 and should
include procedures to restrict
outdoor water use.”
Ledbetter went on to say,
“If the drought continues to
get worse, water use restric
tions may need to be increased
to a total outdoor water use
ban or the reduction of com
mercial or industrial water
use...”
City Manager Grady
McCalmon said, however, that
the city of Summerville cur
rently is not in trouble. The ci
ty's sources at Lowe’s spring
and Raccoon Creek are conti
nuing to have an adequate
flow, he said.
Step 2 will go in effect July
31, he said, unless rain falls,
although the city will likely
allow outdoor use on Saturday
see COUNCIL, page 9-A