Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME CI — NUMB &
Questions About Board-Manager Answered
(Editor’s Note: Following is a series og questions and
answers regarding the proposal to change Chattooga Coun
ty's government from a sofi commissioner to a five-member
board of commissioners with a professional county
manager. The county's voters will decide the issue on Nov.
4) * * *
Q. Will voters have to change their place of voting if
the board of commissioners concept is approved?
A. No. Voters would cast ballots in their current poll
ing places. They would vote for a commissioner to repre
sent their commission district but they would not have to
travel to another polling place. In other words, a person
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TURNOUT AT U.S. HIGHWAY 27 HEARING ENCOURAGES DOT
Frank Penson, Sewell Cash, Ron Hess, J. C. Woods
ON U.S. 27
85 At Hearing
Chattoo%a Countians turn
ed out in sufficient numbers to
urge completion of the widen
ing of U. S. Highway 27 last
week that the Georgia Depart
ment of Transportation (DOT)
will likely s;l))eed up the pro
ject's timetable.
That was the word from a
DOT official following the
Monthly Donation
Of Food Required
The continuing problem of
supplying enough food on a
regular basis for the Chattooga
County Inter-Agency Councif: S
pantry came up again at the
group's monthly meeting Mon
ay afternoon.
Publicity about the pan
try’s needs featured in The
News and on both Summerville
radio stations usually results in
food being donated, Council
members indicated. However,
the pantry needs steady, mon
thly donations of food or cash
with which to buy groceries,
they said.
i]ndividuals and churches
make sporadic donations,
depending on the publicized
need, they said, but one or two
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‘*&z‘s—- i P
Change Clocks Sunday
Don't forget that Eastern Standard Time will replace
Eastern Daylight Time at 2 a.m. Sunday, as out?ined
by the adage, “ssring forward, fall back.” So before you
o to bed Saturday night, set your clocks and watches
Eack one hour . . . and you'll get an extra hour of sleep
Sunday morning.
Tax Digest Okay
--See Page 3-A
The Summerville News
three-hour hearing at Trion’s
Community Center last
Thursday.
Eighty-five people attended
the hearing and 36 presented
written statements or gave
comments to a court reporter
in favor of the project while
eight people expressed opposi
tion to the project, or parts of
distributions usually deplete
the accumulated supply. The
gantry supplies emergency
ood onlty. and then for a max
imum of three times.
Discussions are still plann
ed with Chattooga g)chool
Supt. Don Hayes to seek per
mission to ask Erincipals of
various county schools to allow
student campaigns for food for
the pantry, they indicated.
The group again discussed
a proposal that the Council
sponsor a summer program for
needy youngsters. A represen
tative of the Summerville
Recreation Department will be
invited to the next Council
meeting in November.
see MONTHLY, page 6-A
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1986
residing in Berryton, which would be in District 4, wouldn't
have to travel to Menlo to vote, which is also in District
4. He would still vote in his regular box — Summerville,
Each voter would vote*at his own polling place.
Q. Is this plan the same thing the county had before
it went back to a one-man commissioner form of govern
ment in September, 19567
A. No. ’l’i)e previous board of commissioners form didn't
provide for a professional county manager who would han
dle the day-to-day affairs of the county. The new legisla
tion, whicfi, will be voted on Nov. 4, would require that the
board hire a manager who has “‘at least three years ex
the roadway plan.
Frank Penson of the DOT’s
Cartersville office said 41 more
people who attended the hear
ing to look over maps and
plans for the project didn’t sub
mit a written or verbal state
ment on the project. But bas
ed on informal conversations
with those in attendance, the
DOT feels there was a clear
concensus that the highway
project should be completed as
quickly as possible, Penson
indicated.
SPEED UP
“Oh yes, it'll speed it up a
lot,"”” Penson replied when ask
ed if the majority support
demonstrated at the hearing
would sFeed up the widening
timetable.
The DOT received slightly
more public input in Chattooga
Count}){' than it did during a re
cent Highway 27 hearing in
Cedartown, Penson said. In
that hearing, 82 people attend
ed and 22 indicated support for
the project in that area while
two cited their opposition to
widening the highway, he said.
Penson also praised Sum
merville Mayor Sewell Cash for
his attendance at the hearing,
saying the mayor had explain
ed the highway issues to
several people who were either
initially opposed to the project
or wavering on the matter.
After Cash explained the pro
ject, Penson added, the in
dividuals gave their support to
the highway widening plan.
Trion Mz:{or J. C. Woods
also attended the hearing, as
did a number of Chattooga
business and civic leaders
State Sen. Waymon ‘‘Sonny’
Huggins and Rep. Johnny
Crawford also were at the hear
ing. DOT official Ron Hess of
Rome and other DOT person
nel were present to discuss the
project.
AERIAL MAP
An aerial map of U. S. 27
from Highway 156 in Chat
tooga County to Summerville
and from Trion to LaFayette
was available for viewing at the
hearing. The proposed roadway
width and rights-of-way were¢
outlined in yellow on the blue
maps. The existing rights-of
way range from 60 feet to 380
see 86 HEARING, page 6-A
Fire Prevention
«-See Page 1-B
REFERENDUM SET NOV. 4
Oak View Nursing Home
Expansion Route Clear
Williams Fails
To Appeal Ruling
Expansion of Oak View Nursing Home will be the main
item on the a%enda when the Ch- Ltooga County Hospital
Authority holds its October rieeting néext Monday night.
The way was cleared for ex
?anding the nursinf home
rom its current 90 beds to 153
beds Monday afternoon when
Rome developer Charles
Williams failed to appeal a
Sept. 19 ruling in favor of the
expansion by the State Health
Planning Agency.
Michael Clark of the Agen
cy told The News Tuesday
morning that no appeal had
been filed by Williams and the
way was cleared for the
Authority to go forward with
its oft-delayed plans.
PLEASURE
Katherine Camp, chairman
of the Authority, expressed
pleasure that no appeal of the
state's decision had been filed
by the Oct. 20 deadline and
said the prime topic for the
Authority’'s 7 p.m. meeting
Monday will be t%e expansion.
Betty Wollstein, executive
director of the hospital and
nursing home, said Tuesda
she would proceed wit]);
preliminary work this week,
such as obtaining soil samples
on property where the new pro
posed wing is to be located.
The Authority’s architect also
Mayor Of Menlo
Heads New Panel
Chattooga County has been
designated as one of the first
200 communities in the nation
to set up a local Bicentennial
Commission on the United
States Constitution.
Menlo Mayor Theresa
Canada will serve as chairman
of the 11-member panel, which
was recommended by Chat
tooga Commissioner Harry
e
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MRS. CANADA
gerience in government or business administration or a
achelor’s degree in business or public administration.” The
new legislation provides that tl?e board set policy, not run
the daily activities of the county as did the boards prior
to September, 1956.
* * *
Q. Isn't this legislation designed to force the current
sole commissioner out of office?
A. No. A board of commissioners — if voters approve
the plan Nov. 4 — wouldn’t take office until Jan. 1, 1989,
after the current commissioner’s term ends. The current
commissioner or any other qualified person, who has been
a resident of a particular district for one year and 21 years
will be contacted this week, she
said. '
The 63-bed expansion is
estimated to cost $1,378,700.
The State Health Planning
Agency's decision Sept. 19 in
favor of the Oak View proposal
said the hospital hag a con
tingency letter of commitment
from the Farmers and Mer
chants Bank, Summerville, in
dicating the bank's interest in
financing the project. An amor
tization sched;l)xle was provided
the state showing an interest
rate of 7.125 percent over 25
years, the state document said.
ADDITION
The addition would contain
20,650 square feet and be
located near the west and front
of the current nursing home,
according to preliminary plans.
More than 33 new staff
members would be hired by the
nursing home, according to
original plans submitted to the
state.
Although the state issued a
certificate of need for the addi
tion last Sept. 19, officials
see OAK VIEW, page 10-A
Powell last August. Most
members had not been notified
of their appointment as of the
first part of this week, The
News learned.
Other members of the Com
mission include Will Hair,
D. P. Henley, David Jones, Jim
Simmons, Larry Schlachter,
Howard Baker, Lee White,
Greg Esgg, JoAnn Mitchell
and Billy Gilbert. Jones is also
chairman of the Chattooga Ses
quicentennial Commission.
Helen Dougherty, ex
ecutive director of the Georgia
Bicentennial Commission, said
her office wrote each mayor
and chairman of each county’s
commission last August ask
ing for recommendedg:ppoint
ments to a local panel.
11 NAMES
Powell responded with the
11 names, she said, and they
were forwarded to the national
commission in Washington,
D. C. No response was receiv
ed at that time from Summer
ville Mayor Sewell Cash or
‘Trion Mayor J. C. Woods, she
said.
The Georgia office then con
tacted Cash and Woods by
telephone to determine if they
had additional recommenda
see MAYOR, page 9-A
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BRI
OAK VIEW NURSING HOME TO BE EXPANDED TO 153 BEDS
Proposal Passes Final Hurdle Enroute To Completion
CORRECTED TUESDAY
Ballot Error Spotted
The News may have
revented a significant pro-
Elem and saved Chattooga
County money this week by
spotting a general election
ballot error on the five-member
board of commissioners
referendum.
The error was noted on
absentee ballots printed for the
Nov. 4 election. Those ballots
were delivered to the Chat
tooga Board of Registrars at
mid-week last week. However,
paper ballots for the Nov. 4
general election — 9,421 — had
not yet been printed when the
error was found Monday mor
ning by The News.
42 VOTES
Forty-two absentee ballots
Newsmen Draw Officers
Summerville police were called to the of
fice of Chattooga Coun?' Commissioner
Harry Powell last Thursday morning just
before newsmen arrived for a scheduled bid
opening.
Police Cflzfl)t. Fred Lawson said he
received a call asking officers to be at the
office because of the newsmen. Lawson and
Chief Arlen Thomas both were at the north
entrance to the courthouse before 10 a.m.
Although Lawson declined to identify
the caller, The News has learned from
reliable sources that it was Mrs. Elizabeth
Powell, the commissioner’s wife who works
in his office. Why she called the officers has
not been determined.
BID OPENING
Powell had advertised for bids on tires,
gasoline, piping, asphalt and limestone,
saying the proposals would be received un
til 10 a.m. last Thursday ‘‘at which time
and place same will be opened.”
Pfi)wever. when newsmen from radio
Wild Chase
--See Page 7-A
of age, may seek one of the positions in the 1988 general
election.
* * *
Q. Why are terms of the commissioners staggered?
A. To ensure that there will always be a continuity of
service after each election and reduce the possibility of
financial, budget or per*sonnel proPlems every four years.
*
Q. What does the legislation provide in the way of
terms?
A. Districts 1 (Trion), 3 (Summerville) and 5 (Subligna
south to Lyerly and the Alabama line) would elect commis
see QUESTIONS, page 7-A
had been cast when the error
was found but Jon Payne,
Chattooga probate judge and
elections supervisor, doesn't
feel that they will be disallow
ed because of the error. He
gicked up corrected absentee
allots Tuesday morning at the
ballot printing company's of
fices in Dalton. The first 42 of
the new ballots will be voided,
Payne indicated, to compen
sate for the votes already cast.
The error was found in wor
ding of the referendum on the
five-member board of commis
sioners issue. The question is
supposed to be: **Shall the Act
creating a five-member board
of commissioners of Chattooga
County who are elected from
AT POWELL'’S OFFICE
single-member commissioner
districts and providing for the
owers and duties of said
goard of commissioners be ap
proved?”’
However, the ciuestion as
printed incorrectly on the
absentee ballots asked whether
the act relating to the board
*...and providing for the
gowers and duties of said
oard of commissioners be ap
pointed?”’
Payne said the wording was
the result of a clerical error in
his office.
Legislation providing for
wording of the referendum
question shows that the correct
word is ‘‘approved,’” not ‘‘ap
see BALLOT, page 10-A
stations WGTA and WSAF and The News
arrived at the courthouse shortly before 10
a.m., they learned that Powell was not in
his office.
WSAF's Tony Wilkie said he went to
Powell's office about 9:40 a.m. and the com
missioner was not present. Mrs. Powell
told him that two bids on tires had been
received but no bids had arrived for the
other items advertised by the county, the
radio newsman said.
Wilkie said he told Mrs. Powell that
“the other two"’ would be interested in the
bids, went to the sheriff’s office and later
returned to the courthouse's north en
trance where he met The News and WGTA
newsman David Daniel. Apparently, Mrs.
Powell called the officers at{er Wiliie left
the commissioner's office.
UNKNOWN
When The News arrived, Wilkie and
Daniel were already present, talking with
see NEWSMEN, page 20-A
PRICE 20c¢