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Houston Times-Journal
Volume 124 No. 50
2 Sections,l6 Pages I
Inside I
Today |
Calendar -3A
Classifieds 4B
Death Notices 2A
Editorials 4A
Lifestyles ....IB
Sports 7A
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School board
approves bond
issue for schools
By VETO F. ROLEY
Staff Writer
The Houston County Board of
Education approved a $12.4 million
bond issue for constructing two
new middle schools north of High
way 96 in a called meeting Thurs
day night
The bonds, which will be paid
back over 20 years, will be issued
through the Houston County
School Buildings Authority, a body
specially created to handle the loan
agreement. The bond issue will not
have to be approved by voters since
it will take the form of a intergov
ernmental loan, and is not tied to a
specific millage rate for repayment
Although the loan will not be
repaid through designated tax
monies, the "full faith and credit" of
the school district will back the
bonds.
As reported previously, the board
will build two new middle schools,
one on Feagin Mill Road and an
other in Bonaire, off Highway 96.
The schools should house 800-850
students each.
Houston County School Super
intendent Tony Hinnant and board
chairman Zell Blackmon have said
in the past that the two locations
would enable the school system to
relieve all five middle schools in
the county, which are either at ca
pacity or over capacity.
The bonds, which are rated
AAA, will have an average interest
rate of 5.9 percent
Until 2008, the board will repay
the bonds at approximately
$850,000 a year, making the
board's total debt service payment
$1.89 million. The board will pay
off current debts in 2008.
When the board pays off current
debts in 2008, the debt service on
the two new middle schools will
increase to $1.89 million, with the
final payments Sept 1, 2014.
The bids for the two new
schools will be sent out in early
July, 1994, and opened in late July,
early August. Blackmon said that
construction on the two new
schools should be started within 30
days of the bids being awarded. The
schools are scheduled to open in the
1995-96 school year.
While Perry will not receive a
Please see BOE, page 6A
Incidents involving gunfire reported to local police dept.
Shots fired into motel room early Sunday
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Perry police are looking for a
gunman who fired three shots
through a window of a room at the
Red Gable Inn here early Sunday
morning.
According to police reports, the
incident occurred at approximately
5:15 a.m. and was reported by an
occupant of the room, Eugene Ge
orge of Fort Valley.
George nor the other occupant of
Page 6B
City Manager seeks early retirement
By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK
Editor
Perry Mayor James E. Worrall
announced Monday that City
Manager Marion Hay has requested
an early retirement.
Worrall continued by saying the
council was looking into an ar
rangement which would allow Hay
to retire, but the council must fol
low strict regulations set by the
state. He also said the city would
not be able to finalize such an
arrangement until December of this
year.
"He deserves it (the early retire
ment). During the 17 years he's
worked for the City of Perry he's
secured millions of dollars in
grants," Worrall stated.
Hay was hired as the city
clerk/treasurer in March 1977. He
began his position of city manager
in July 1985.
Hay has not commented as to why
he's seeking the early retirement,
but it could have something to do
' * „ ■*< pi jl
NfWP^P 4 i - i 1 HH
Fun at Vacation Bible School!
Throughout the county, churches are either holding or gearing up for their annual vacation
bible school programs. In the photo above, some youngsters enjoy a game of “London
Bridges” during playtime at Perry United Methodist Church’s annual school which kicked off
Monday and continues through this Friday.
No injuries occurred during any of the incidents.
the room saw the gunman and nei
ther was injured during the incident.
Damage to the motel, which is
located at 1006 St. Patrick’s Drive
in Perry, was limited to the plate
glass window through which the
perpetrator fired the weapon as well
as some interior walls of the
room.
Official Organ For Houston County, City of Perry & State of Georgia
By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK
Editor
At their regular meeting Tuesday,
June 21, Perry City Council ac
cepted a request from Marion Hay
that he be reassigned from city
manager to consultant for the city
effective immediately.
Councilman James Moore read the
motion which stated Hay's reas
signment "was in the best interest
of the city".
Moore also proposed that Finance
with the series of closed Perry City
Council meetings held over the past
two weeks.
According to Worrall the meetings
were closed since discussion cen
tered around personnel matters, but
he also said that the city department
heads were called in to one of the
-VST Xl-1* ' - 1
No firth motives have been
established in the incident and it is
believed that the gunman did not
know the occupants of the room
into which he fired.
The case is still under investiga
tion, according to Capt. Steve
Heaton of the Perry Police Depart
ment.
Sports
Page 7A
Hay to stay with city as a consultant
Director Janice Williams replace
Hay on an interim basis as city
manager.
Council passed both motions
unanimously.
Hay will continue to work on
several projects and grants currently
underway at Perry City Hall. While
working for the city, he will con
tinue to be paid at his current
salary.
Perry Mayor James E. Worrall
stated after the meeting that Hay
meetings to discuss the future of
city government in Perry.
Although he said it is "too early
to speculate to the form we'd like to
go to," Worrall did say "it's timd to
change the direction of
management” at City Hall.
The council has consulted with
Juveniles charged with firing shots
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Perry police have turned three
local teenagers over.to Houston
County’s juvenile authorities fol
lowing two separate incidents in
which someone in the group fired
shots first in a residential area and
later in the parking lot of a local
grocery store.
According to Capt. Steve Heaton
of the Perry Police Department, the
local department first received a re
Classified
Page 4B
will will work as a consultant
through December since that is ear
liest time the city will be able to
work out an acceptable early retire
ment package for Hay. For the six
months, Hay will make roughly
$29,000 as a consultant.
During the motion, Moore re
sponded to the many rumors that
have spread through town as to why
Hay was leaving City Hall:
"Let it be understood that this ac-
Pleasa see HAY, page 6A
the department heads and asked then
opinions on the subject.
"Some (of the suggestions) were
good, some were bad. But, no one
was in favor of going away from a
city manager form of government,"
Worrall stated. He also said that the
department heads and councilmen
County proposes
$20.5 million budget
for new fiscal year
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
From the looks of it, Houston
County Commissioners will be
proposing a budget of approxi
mately $20.5 million for the com
ing fiscal year which begins July 1.
“We are now in the final stages
of preparation of our 1994-1995
fiscal year budget and will be going
over it and fine tuning it over the
next week,” said Commission
Chairman Sherrill Stafford. “A pub
lic hearing will then be held at 10
a.m. Tuesday, June 28, for the pur
pose of hearing written and oral
comments from the public concern
ing what is proposed. Formal adop
tion is scheduled for our regular
meeting on Tuesday morning, July
5.”
If approved, the new budget
represents an increase of $2.6
million over the $17.9 million
utilized during the 1993-1994 fiscal
year which ends June 30.
Stafford added that there are sev
eral factors responsible for the in
crease, one of the largest being the
county’s agreement to underwrite
$1 million for the construction of
two new buildings for the Houston
County Health Department
According to Stafford, although
the Houston County Health De
partment is a state-operated facility
which is governed by the Houston
County Health Board, a separate and
independent board, the county is re
sponsible for providing space and
equipment from which they can op
erate. I
At present, two of the depart
ment’s major facilities—Child and
Adolescent Services and Pheonix
Industries, a service through which
port from a resident on Smoak Av
enue in Perry on Monday, June 13,
that a group of five black male ju
veniles had fired a gun in the area.
No one was injured, but the bullet
was said to have struck the side of a
house.
Upon receiving the report, police
began searching for the group of
youngsters. One officer wound up
driving through the Piggly Wiggly
Parking Lot on Main Street when a
lady flagged him down and said that
■ 1 -
Perry, Georgia - 90 Cents
(jft
Marlon Hay
will have more input into the orga
nization of Perry City Hall and city
government in the future.
Tuesday evening Hay stated that
he has enjoyed working with the
city and that he will stay on as a
consultant for several ongoing
projects.
mentally disadvantaged workers do
jobs under a federal government
contract-are renting buildings in
Warner Robins. The two new build
ings, which are to be constructed on
Highway 96 in Houston County,
will house these two services.
“It just makes good sense to take
that money and actually pay off a
building rather than to simply pay
rent month to month,” Stafford
said, adding that once the new
buildings are completed, the de
partment will pay the county what
they would normally pay their indi
vidual landlords in rent. The de
partment should have the county to
tally paid back for the buildings in
12 to 15 years.
Stafford also added that the new
buildings are currently on the draw
ing board and that actual work is
expected to begin in about 90 days.
Completion is expected to come be
fore die end of the year.
Other highlights or changes in
the upcoming fiscal year budget in
clude:
•SIOO,OOO for the boarding of
prisoners outside of Houston
County. Because of the growing
number of prisoners and lack of
space within Houston County, this
budget item is being increased by
$40,000 from last year’s budget.
•$198,941 for the Houston
County Board of Elections. This
represents a significant increase
from last year’s budget of $145,132
and is necessary, according to
Stafford, because not only is this an
election year, but the county now
has 24 voting precincts instead of
the 17 of past years.
Please see COUNTY, page 6A
she had been shot at and then
pointed to a group of boys on bicy
cle. The witness then left the scene
while officers began their pursuit of
the young perpetrators.
Although there were five youths
reportedly involved in the crimes,
only three were apprehended by
Perry police and later turned over to
the Houston County Sheriff’s
Department and its juvenile
authorities. Later that day, they
Please see JUVENILES, page 6A