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VOLUME CXIV — NUMBER VXI
Trion Completes Purchase
Of Aged Hospital Building
One Resident Says Facility Is ‘sßo,ooo Lemon’
Trion Town Council mem
bers have completed buying a
deteriorating hospital building
and set deaglines for when the
current occupants have to leave.
The Council agreed again
that the deteriorating 65-vear
Negotiations On Internet,
Cable Service Break Down
Charter Sa
A purported deadlock in ne
gotiations between the local
cable television provider and the
Town of Trion fias spurred the
Mayor and Council to seek data
on starting a municipal cable ser
vice.
Negotiations between the
town and Charter Communica
tion Inc., the county’s only cable
provider, broke down, the town's
attorney indicated. A Charter of
ficial disagreed with town offi
cials’ assessment of the situation.
The Council wants the cable
system rebuilt and placed under
a franchise-type agreement. The
same Charter official said
Wednesday that Charter is con
sidering Trion’s proposal.
UNWILLING
Trion Town Attorney Albert
McConnell Presents Disaster
Checks For Gov. Roy Barnes
Gary McConnell, Teloga, di
rector of the Georgia Emergency
Management Agency (GEMA),
this week presented three disas
ter assistance checks totaling
$74,538.03 to Chattooga
County, the City of Menlo and
the Town of Trion.
The checks reimbursed the
three governments for the cost of
debris removal and emergency
protective actions taken during
the Jan. 15-16 ice storm.
Acting on behalf of Gover
nor Roy E. Barnes, McConnell
pfresented checks in the amount
of:
* $61,392.01 to Chattooga
County Commissioner Jim
Parker.
* $6,034.23 to Menlo Mayor
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Gary McConnell, fifth from left, director of the Georaia
Emergency Management Agency, presents checks to the
heads of several local governments, reimbursing them for
the cost of emergency actions and debris removagl after the
Jan. 15-Jan. 16 ice storm. From left are Councilman J. P.
Thornberry of Menlo, Trion Mayor Don Hayes, Menlo Mayor
17 Lives Could Be Saved
- See Page 3-A
The Summeruille New
old hospital building was worth
SBO,OOO. However, at least one
Trion resident thought the pur
chase was a bad move.
“LEMON”
“They bought an SBO,OOO
s Trion All Wet Or
Palmour said Charter has been
unwilling to negotiate on that
proposal.
“The problem we are having
with Charter right now is simply
securing a promise to rebuild the
system,” Palmour said. “We had
(somecne at) Cates communica
tion to come up and look (at the
town’s existing system). The
(one) that exists in Trion is not a
state-of-the-art system. You
couldn’t put the Internet on it. It
would have to be completely re
done.”
AMPLIFIERS
Stanley Smith, technical su
pervisor for the Charter system
n Chattooga Counlg, disagreed
with Palmour. Smith said afil the
system lacks to handle the Inter
net are amplifiers and respacing
Theresa Canada; and
* $7,111.79 to Trion Mayor
Don Hayes.
Several other local officials
also attended the check presen
tation including Chattooga
County Sheriff Ralph Kellett, and
State Representative Barbara
Massey Reece, D-Menlo.
Tge firesentations were
made at the Chattooga County
Civic Center, Summerville.
“This year’s ice storms were
some of the worst severe winter
weather we have seen since the
1993 blizzard,” McConnell said.
A presidential disaster dec
laration was issued following the
first storm, which caused an es
timated $46-million in damages
in the affected counties.
Governments Get GEMA Funds
© Copyright 2000 By Espy Publishing Co., Inc. — All Rights Reserved
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2000
lemon,” charged Gaines Bowers,
a Trion resident. “There is so
much asbestos in that thing we
will have to spend three times
that much if we want to tear it
down or fix it.” Bowers made his
remarks after the meeting,.
Its Claims
of that equipment.
“The only thing is the am
plifiers we purchased . .. ” Smith
said. “The way the Internet
works is that it uses low frequen
cies to transfer information on a
return system. The amplifiers are
designed for return but it’s just a
matter of purchasing some gas
sive e?uipment to install these
amplifiers. Then it is Internet
ready.”
Smith also disputed the
claim that the Trion system is
“dilapidated.”
“It’s the number-one to
design as of right now,” Smitfi
said. “ ... We dgld do a complete
rebuild on the main system and
we are at this time bringing the
house drops (connections) up to
specs,” Smith said. “Within two
see NEGOTIATIONS, page 9-A
At one point, the ice storms
left an estimated 500,000 cus
tomers without power and
caused widespread traffic acci
dents, inclucflng a 47-vehicle
pileup on I-20 near downtown
Atlanta.
Fifty-one counties were in
cluded in the President’s disas
ter declaration. The emergency
declaration allows local govern
ments to be reimbursed for ac
tions taken to save lives, protect
Froperty, remove debris and
essen or avert the effects of the
disaster.
GEMA and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) continue to mana§e the
ice storm recovery effort,
McConnell said.
Theresa Canada, County Commissioner Jim Parker,
McConnell, Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, D-Menlo and Sher
iff Ralfih Kellett. A check was Fresented to the City of Sum
merville earlier by McConnell, Teloga, former Chattooga
County sheriff. (Staff Photo).
“What?” asked Albert
Palmour, town attorney.
“That doggoned hospital,”
Bowers replies.
“The land is worth more
than that,” Councilman Dwight
Arden responded.
“It’s in the flood plain,”
Bowers pointed out.
“So is what we are standing
on,” Arden said.
No official reacted to Bow
ers’ comment about alleged as
bestos in the building.
CLOSED
After emerging from a short
closed meeting, the Council
unanimously agreed to complete
the purchase. Stipulations were
added that Dr. Gary Smith, who
has some belongings in the
building, had 30 g’ays to vacate
the premises and former owner
dentist Dr. Kirk Krueger would
be charged a nominal leasing fee
for up to six months.
State law allows public
agencies to hold closed meetings
to discuss the purchase of prop
erty but any action has to ge
taken in public, as was done by
the Trion Council.
The motion to buy the hos
pital and the other stipulations
was made by John W. Drennan,
town recor(f,er and seconded by
Robert “Bobby” Ward. The vote
to buy the building was unani
mous. 7%
WHAT TO DO? '/
Trion Mayor Don Hayes
said he isn't exactly sure what the
town is going to c{o with the old
building. Ideas about using it for
extra storage space, placing an
Emergency Management Service
(EMS% facility on the first floor
or turning it into a kidney dialy
sis center have been discussed.
Mayor Hayes, who was born
in the hospital a little more than
60 years ago, said he thought the
hospital would make a good
non‘;\em satellite office for the
EMS.
EMS Director Herbert Dodd
previously said that a Trion EMS
station would improve response
times to accidents and patients
in need in the northern end of the
county.
Using the old hospital for a
new EMS station would mean
about five minutes in quicker re
sponse times since the current
EMS building at Summerville is
five miles away. More distant
parts of the county such as
Cloudland, Holland, Subligna
and Chattooiaville would not
benefit from the Trion station.
State Salutes 20th Century Women
-- See Pages 1-B, 2-B, 7-B
33 PERCENT
The rationale for the Trion
satellite office was that 33 per
cent of ambulance calls are dis
tched from the Trade Day area
Eouth of Pennville) northward,
odd has said. :
- That leaves 67 percent com
gg from other areas of the
unty.
Another idea for the old
building was to turn it into a
health care facility, Mayor Hayes
said. Trion could set up a dialy
sis center that could be run by
either Redmond Regional Medi
cal Center or Floyd Medical Cen
ter, both of Rome.
The mayor said he hoped
the Council can obtain a Com
munity Devek}pment Block
Grant (CDBG) from the state
Department of Community Af
fairs. The ho?ued-for-grant would
go toward refurbishing the inside
and outside of the hospital,
Mayor Hayes said.
SENTIMENT
He had previously acknowl
edged that Eurchase of the hos
ital might have been spurred by
gistorical sentiment. It is one of
the older buildings in the town.
“It’s the only building left in
the Town of Trion from the Ol:[i%i
nal buildings,” he had said. “The
old inn was torn down. The com
“limity center was torn down.
Thie old Ragland house and plaza
are gone. Other than the Tavern,
this is the only remaining build
ing. I think t{ne CounciFwould
like to keep it intact and try to
dress it up.
“My big concern is that we
try to preserve as much of the
history of the town of Trion as we
see TRION COMPLETES, page 8-A
New School Funding Is
Studied By School Board
Possible Pennville-North Summerville Consolidation
The Chattooga County
Board of Education looked at a
possible funding plan for the
consolidation of Pennville and
North Summerville Elementary
schools. The board has been
looking into the consolidation of
the two schools for some time.
Atlast month’s meeting, the
board discussed funding for the
consolidation and the board and
the committees formed at the
two schools asked Superinten
dent Tom McCullouih to present
some numbers for the fgrougs to
consider in making a final deci
sion on the matter.
According to information
supplied at Tuesday’s meeting by
Supt. McCullough, the bonds the
system would have to authorize
Taylor Will Speak
Here In April
Georgia Lieutenant Gover
nor Marl:%‘aylor will be the fiuest
speaker at the fourth annual Jef
ferson-Jackson Dag Dinner
sponsored by the Chattooga
County Democratic Association.
The event will be held at 7 C%.m.
Saturday, April 29 at the Chat
tooga County Civic Center in
Summerville.
Taylor, serving in his first
term as the state’s second high
est ranking office will address the
local Democratic orfanization
about the upcoming election and
what Georgia has accomplished
the last two years of his term.
In addition to Taylor’s ad
dress, the local organization will
give awards to various Demo
crats.
Honorary Chattooga
County Democrat Assn. awarss
will cFo to Lt. Gov. Ta(lor and
Mildred Williams-Flemister
see TAYLOR, page 9-A
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TRION COUNCIL VOTES TO PURCHASE TRION DOCTORS BUILDING FOR SBO,OOO
Use Of Facility Ranges From EMS Location, Storage Or Dialysis Center For Residents
to build the new school would be
paid for by savings from the con
solidation of the two schools.
SAVINGS
A savinis of $398,000 a
year would be gained by the
move.
The consolidation would
save SIO,OOO a year on adminis
tration; SIOO,OOO a year for a
total of two physical education
teachers; $50,000 a year for one
art teacher; SIOO,OOO a year for
two regular classroom teachers;
$50,000 a year for one librarian;
$36,000 a year total for three
cafeteria workers; $12,000 a
year for one computer lab para
professional; $30,000 total a
year for two custodians and
- p ‘ say
| bz A )
MARK TAYLOR
SIO,OOO in energy costs.
The state pays the cost of
art, music and physical educa
tion teachers t%r a base size
school of at least 450 students.
The new school would fit into
that category.
Sugt. McCullough told the
board that due to state funding
cutbacks the system would be
approximately sl-million short
in its projected Special Purpose
Turn Clock Forward Sunday
“Spring forward.”
That'’s the cliché used to describe how one should set
clocks and watches Saturday night, shortly before Daylight
Savings Time returns.
The change will mean darker mornings for a few weeks
but “longer” (faytime hours in the afternoon - just in time
for spring gardening, washing vehicles and lots of outside
“hon_lgfi-do" chores.
e time change will occur officially at 2 a.m. Sunday.
but before going to bed Saturday evening, Chattooga
Countians should set their timepieces forward one hour.
For examcf)le, if a person goes to bed at 10 p.m., his or
her clocks and watches should be set at 11 p.m.
Everyone will “lose” an hour of sleep in return for the
longer daylight hours. Eastern Standani Time will return
on Oct. 29 when everyone will regain the “lost” hour of sleep.
The weather forecast earlier this week called for scat
tered thunderstorms today and Friday with partly cloudy
skies Saturday. Highs should range from about 65 degrees
to 70 degrees while daily lows were expected to be 45 de
grees to 55 degrees through Friday and from 40 degrees to
50 degrees Saturday.
Spring arrived on Monday, March 20.
Spring occurs each _mr when the sun “crosses the
_T%uator" heading north. That is called the vernal equinox.
e length of daylight and nighttime hours is the same at
that time.
When the reverse haggens in the fall and the sun
“crosses the equator” headed south, it is called the autum
nal equinox. e : .
An im%):nnt reminder from fire protection officials:
change the ttexyorb;ttetlesinyourgre.moke and car
bon monoxide detectors Saturday. They need to be changed
twice yearly to make sure they work in case of an emer
gency.
ONLY
25¢
Staff Photo By Jason Espy
Local Option Sales Tax
(SPLOST) work.
He projected the new school
to cost $5.25-million. Of that to
tal, $2.25-million would be
funded b{ the state and the rest
— $3-million — would be funded
by the local sale of bonds.
Voters of Chattooga County
would vote on whether to fund
the new school with bonds,
see NEW SCHOOL, page 8-A