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Houston Ttmes-Joumat
Volume 124 No. 37
1 Section, 10 Pages
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Blackmon, BOE
'communicating'
on school issue
By PAULINE LEWIS
Staff writer
Chairman Zell Blackmon and
members of County
Board of Education continue to try
to soothe the ruffled feathers of a
group of concerned citizens who
feel that a new school should be
built in the Perry area.
At a meeting held at Perry City
Hall at 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening,
May 3, Blackmon and several BOE
members used a map of Houston
County as well as figures pertain
ing to students per school in trying
to persuade local educators, chamber
members and other interested per
sons that building two middle
schools in the upper part of Hous
ton County is the proper thing to
do.
He also said that the school board
has plans to eliminate the metal
buildings at Perry Middle School
by adding 14-16 permanent class
rooms and increasing kitchen and
cafeteria space. These changes are
similar to others planned at all
Houston County middle schools
over the next five years.
Perry's improvements, however,
are expected to be in place sooner,
Please see BOE, page 10A
Pentagon says
no to pay center
in the mid-state
When the Pentagon released the
winners of its revised plan to con
solidate about 300 far-flung
accounting offices into 25 larger
regional centers this week, there
was no mention of Houston
County, Bibb County, Warner
Robins or Macon, even though all
were once considered top contenders
in the race for the multi-million
facilities.
Officials for Houston and Bibb
counties had been working hard on
two proposals to attract one of the
new “pay centers” for several years
and were both considered front-run
ners when the Bush administration
was controlling the competition.
Neither local site made the final
cut, however.
According to Paul Nagle, presi
dent of the Macon Economic De
velopment Commission, who
helped on both proposals, the pri
mary reason for the local sites
falling from their earlier top-con
tender statuses was that the Pen
tagon changed their approach for se
lecting the centers in March of
1993-the original rules calling for
the centers to go to cities that of
fered the best financial deals.
Macon and Warner Robins had
been prepared to give the Pentagon
a rent-free, 1.3 million square foot
building, partially paid for by a
special regional tax, on either of
two available sites.
Following President Clinton’s
election, however, the Pentagon
said their choices would be based
partly on using existing military
buildings, “quality labor supply”
Please see CENTER, page 10A
4k _ _
Page 3A
Nunn speaks on possible BRAC delay
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Sen. Sam Nunn said this week
in a formal statement that the pos
sible delay of the 1995 Base Clo
sure round raises many serious
questions and problems.
Nunn’s statement came just
hours after published reports that
the Clinton administration is con
sidering delaying some military
base closure decisions until after the
1996 election.
“It (the possible delay) should be
carefully evaluated before changing
t _____ ___
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Hey, Perry, It’s peach time! Many of the area peach producers are gearing up to harvest their
early variety of peaches In the coming week.
Weather essential to peach crop's success
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Local growers of Georgia’s fa
vorite fuzzy fruit seem to be in
some pretty peachy moods here
lately.
And, for good reason. They’ve
had a near perfect growing season
and are almost two weeks ahead of
schedule in harvesting their earlier
varieties.
“Everything I’m hearing about
the local peach crops is good,”
Worrall proclaims May 10
’Perry AARP Chapter Day'
By PAULINE LEWIS
Staff Writer
The month of May has been des
ignated nationally as Older
Americans Month. This is a time
to be mindful of the persons of our
population who have given much
of their lives to the services of our
society and who continue to serve
in productive roles, whether in paid
or volunteer status.
There are 700,000 members of the
American Association of Retired
Persons (AARP) in Georgia. The
3,000 in the Perry area emphasize
that they are devoted to "bringing
life-times of experience and leader
ship to serve all generations."
Those over 50 years of age in our
municipality arc a major source of
insight and direction for our nation,
Official Organ For Houston County, City of Perry & State of Georgia
Everything's Peachy!
Saturday, May 7, 1994
"The longer we delay...the longer it will take
to achieve real savings and the more the
other parts of the budget...will suffer"
Sen. Sam Nunn
the current law. The longer we
delay closing unneeded bases, the
longer it will take to achieve real
savings and the more the other parts
of the budget—readiness, pay, pro
curement, and research and devel
opment-will suffer,” Nunn’s
Houston County Extension Agent
Duren Bell said this week. “We’ve
had a great spring-it got warm
early and stayed warm.”
Echoing Bell’s positive senti
ments, Steve Lane of Lane Packing
in Fort Valley says that he is very
happy with his early peach crops.
As one of the area’s largest peach
producers, he heralded the 1994 crop
as decidedly better in both quality
and quantity over those harvested
state and local community, with
their community services and activ
ities enhanced by their affiliation
through AARP, especially the
"local AARP chapter".
Perry Mayor James E. Worrall
said, "It is fitting that a day be pro
claimed for us to express apprecia
tion for the outstanding local ser
vices and activities of all AARP
membership, especially for those
who serve in the Perry AARP
Chapter 1744, providing services to
our people by trained volunteers for
tax aide, 55 Aiive Mature Driving,
legislative forums, widowed per
sons service, health care advice, se
nior issues of the work place, mi
nority affairs and women's con
cerns."
For News And Subscriptions Call 912-987-1823
Sports
Page 6A
Wednesday, May 4, statement said.
“Wo also must consider whether it
is beneficial or harmful for clouds
of uncertainty to hang over base
communities until 1997.”
Locally, Peggie Williams, presi
dent of the Perry Area Chamber of
last year.
According to Lane, his company
should begin picking in the coming
week, with the*first batches of
peaches expected to make it to the
stores next weekend.
Although there are several differ
ent early varieties of peaches avail
able in the area, Lane said his first
harvests will be of the Spring Gold
and Empress varieties. He also
Please see PEACHES, page 10A
mm y
* Him Si iJH
Those present for the signing of the proclamation designating May 10 at Perry AARP
Chapter Day were Don Norris, left, Mayor Jim Worrall, Ray Bethune and Walter Remblsz.
Bethune and Remblsz are Instructors for AARP's 55 Alive Mature Driving course, and Norris
Is a past chapter president.
Classified
Page 8A
Commerce and a representative on
the 21st Century Partnership
Committee, the Middle Georgia
coalition battling to keep Robins
Air Force open, said that she, her
self, has mixed emotions about the
possible delay.
“All this is very expensive for
the communities involved,”
Williams said this week. “We’ve al
ready been through one round and
were looking toward a final review
in 1995. Now, we might be look
ing at having to wait another two
years.”
New Hope area may
benefit from grant
By PAULINE LEWIS
Staff Writer
If a proposal from Perry City
Council is approved, part of the
New Hope community could re
ceive a face-lift from the state.
During the council's regular meet
ing Tuesday, May 3, Councilman
Hervia Ingram, with the aid of a
marked map showing the exact lo
cation of property involved, rec
ommended that the designated area
be the location for a proposed FY
1995 Community Development
Block Grant Application.
The property involved is part of
the New Hope community, extend
ing almost the entire length of
W.F. Ragin Drive from General
Courtney Hodges Boulevard to
Perry Marketplace, and from one to
two blocks west, and to Fanny
Gresham Branch to the east.
It is expected that the cost of
$900,000-51 million, will be
spread over a two-year period, with
DOT bearing a portion of the cost.
Ingram's recommendation was ap
proved unanimously.
Councilman James Moore an
nounced that council would review
the city budget May 9 and a Budget
County says 'no' to name
proposed for local airport
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
While members of the Houston
County Commission said yes to
four ex-officio members of the
Perry/Houston County Airport Au
thority, they issued a definite ‘no’
to at least one suggested name
change for the Perry-based air park.
In briefing his fellow commis
sioners during a regularly-scheduled
meeting Tuesday morning at Perry
City Hall, Commissioner Archie
Thompson told the county board
that the newly-organized Airport
Authority had met on Monday
night and had requested their ap
Perry, Georgia « 50 Cents
According to reports from a se
nior Pentagon official who wished
to remain anonymous, the Clinton
administration is considering adding
a 1997 round of base closures to
soften the impact of next year’s
scheduled round. Additionally,
many say such a delay might ease
some political and election
tensions.
After all, if President Clinton,
who is up for re-election in 1996,
decides to seek an additional round
in 1997 he will need congressional
Please see BRAC, page 3A
Hearing is scheduled for May 20.
Councilman Charles Lewis' rec
ommendation that the City of Perry
assume the responsibility for man
agement functions of the Perry-
Houston County Airport, was ap
proved. It will be a hands-off type
of management involving some
book work, with no additional per
sonnel required. Staff support per
sonnel will attend the Airport
Authority meetings.
In other business:
•Councilman Charles Lewis ap
pointed Joyce Carlton to the City
of Perry Beautification
Commission.
John Sundquist approached the
council before the regular meeting
requesting the City of Perry "look
at the possibility of expanding the
city limits."
The discussion leading up to his
remarks concerned factors involved
in Perry’s continued growth. City
officials stated that plans in that di
rection are already under study.
•Following the second reading,
approval was given to the applica
tion for Intoxicating Liquor By-the-
Please see CITY, page 3A
proval of four ex-officio members
to act in an advisory capacity to the
Authority.
Three of the proposed members-
Leon Huffman of Perry, Dennis
Herbert of Fort Valley and Tony
Sellier of Fort Valley—were all
members of the Perry-Fort Valley
Airport Authority, the authority
which was in place before the Peach
County and Fort Valley govern
ments decided to discontinue their
interest in the facility and before the
1994 Georgia Legislature officially
created the new Perry/Houston
Please see COUNTY, page 3A
