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Volume 126, No. IST
2 Sections, 16 Pages
Wednesday
April 10, 1996
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
this week
Dogs lead Agricenter
activities this week
Several thousand dogs
are in Perry this week to par
ticipate in the Peach
Blossom Cluster Dog Show,
considered one of the top
five shows in the United
States. The show continues
at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter
through April 14.
Also this week at the
Agricenter, the Georgia
Cutting Horse Show will be
held April 13-14. Those
same days, there will be a
sale of steers for showing
through a show named Steer
Power VI.
The Agricenter will be
the location for the Georgia
Electrification Council
meeting April 16-20.
Restaurants pass
inspections
All of the restaurants and
public kitchens inspected
last week by the Houston
County Environmental
Health division passed
inspection. Restaurants and
their scores included:
Club 33, 532 N. Davis
Drive, Warner Robins', 54.
Elberta Health Care, 419
Elberta Road, Warner
Robins, 91.
Hardee’s, 113 Russell
Parkway, Warner Robins,
91.
Kings Chapel Elementary
School, 460 Arena Road,
Perry, 96.
Little Sandwich Factory,
202 Sheridan Way, Warner
Robins, 100.
Miller Elementary
School, 101 t Pine Valley
Drive, Warner Robins, 100.
Parkwood Elementary
School, 503 Parkwood
Drive, Warner Robins, 98.
Quail Run Elementary
School, 250 Smithville
Church Road, Warner
Robins, 100,
Teasers, 2070 Watson
Blvd., Warner Robins, 97.
Westside Elementary
School, 201 N. Pleasant Hill
Road, Warner Robins, 87.
Recreation future to
be discussed
Houston County
Commissioner Larry
Sneßgrove has announced
plans for a meeting to dis
cuss recreational services in
Houston County and what
role the county will play.
This open to the public
meeting will be held April
11 at 7 p.m. in the board
room of the County Annex
Building at 200 Carl Vinson
Parkway in Warner Robins.
Revival begins
The Rev. Howard Alford
(See BRIEFS, Page SA)
| Tell Us 1
The Houston Times-
Journal wants to hear from
you. Call (912) 987-1823
during business hours, 8:30
a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday. Fax us any
time at (912) 988-1181.
Visit our office at 807
Carroll Street in historic
downtown Perry. Reach us
on the internet or through E
mail services at
timesjrl@hom.net
Volunteers building in Perry
New chapel
Church Home getting room, 3A
Houston Times-Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
New city manager coming from Cartersville
Hiring of former Cartersville city manager Skip Nalley ends 8-month search for Phil Clark's replacement
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
After an exhaustive search Perry city
council members have Finally filled the sec
ond of two high level positions that were
left open after the resignation of a couple of
top gun leaders within the city last year.
The first was filled with the hiring of
George Potter as police chief last month.
Skip Nalley, a former city manager in
both Thomaston and Cartersville, has now
been hired as the new city manager for the
city of Perry.
- 1 ' 1 ~
Cutting the paperboard ribbon
v''fill
Times-Journal Photo by Eric Zellars
NEW NEIGHBOR Hundreds of Houston Countians were on hand April 9to welcome the Riverwood International plant
to the neighborhood. Participating in ribbon cutting ceremonies are (from left) Plant Manager Doug Leland, Octavio Orta,
senior vice president of Riverwood; Bill Hendrix, leader of Clayton, Dublier and Rice Inc., new owners of Riverwood; Tom
Johnson, president of Riverwood; Gov. Zell Miller, U.S. Rep. Saxby Chambliss, R-Moultrie, Ga. Rep. Larry Walker, D-Perry,
Ga. Sen. Sonny Perdue, D-Bonaire, and Perry Mayor Jim Worrall.
Riverwood International gets
welcome to the neighborhood
Community leaders greet newest industrial neighbor
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
The hum of the machinery began a few
weeks ago, but the ribbon cutting ceremony
held April 9 officially opened the new
Riverwood International plant in Perry.
A number of visiting dignitaries were on
hand for the occasion held at the facility locat
ed in the Perry Allied Industrial Park.
Ground breaking for the S3O million plant
took place less than one year ago. Now the spot
houses a 125,000-square-foot building that will
turning out some one million cardboard car
tons every 24 hours. These cartons will be used
to package different types of beverages.
It is the hopes of company president and
chief executive officer Thomas H. Johnson that
the approximately 106 employees already on
the job at Riverwood in Perry will be joined by
more workers in the near future.
“We expect this site to be the principal site
for our United States assets in paperboard pro
duction,” Johnson told the crowd gathered for
the ceremony.
Being able to meet production demands and
expanding the plant are high on his list of
expectations.
Future expansion is “very possible”, accord
ing to Johnson, who added that a decision on
that is expected to be made in late summer.
The Perry plant is the “first option” in
expansion plans, he said, noting the new state
Apartment project attracts SRO crowd to Zoning Commission
By RICK JOHNSTONE
Timcs-Journal Staff
A standing room only crowd of
about 40 persons gathered for the
Perry Planning Commission meet
ing April X.
A request from a Macon devel
oper, Jeff Jones, to have some land
near the Perry Country Club
rezoned brought the residents from
that area to the session.
After hearing comments from
Serving Houston County for more than 125 years
Driving Charlie, not Miss E
That fills the vacancy left when former
Perry manager Phil Clark resigned from that
position last August.
Nalley was okayed for the job April 4
during a special meeting of the city council.
“We are real excited about having him on
board," Mayor Jim Worrall said April 8. “He
has strong managerial skills and a strong
economic background.”
Worrall put no credence into recent com
ments that suggest Nalley was fired from his
job as city manager last month in
Cartersville because of mismanagement.
of the art equipment and highly skilled work
ers, along with a desirable location is highly
conducive to placing the plant in that category.
Also on hand for the ceremony was Georgia
Gov. Zell Miller who commented that “This
(the plant) is one of a kind in the entire world
and I am pleased it is in Houston County."
Miller extended his thanks to company offi
cials for deciding to locate the plant in Perry
and added that, “We are grateful for the new
jobs you are creating in middle Georgia and are
proud to be your partner in training employees
with the Quick Start program.”
Middle Georgia Technical Institute entered
into an agreement with the plant to train work
ers.
Perry Mayor Jim Worrall assured the com
pany that the “city of Perry pledges to you our
continued support as we grow together."
U.S. Rep. Saxby Chambliss, R-Moultrie,
told the group the Eighth District he represents
is the second largest timber producing district
in the United States. That helps provide plants
such as Riverwood with the wood they need
for operation.
“We also have a supply of well-trained
workers in this area,” he added.
Ga. Sen. Sonny Perdue, D-Bonaire. praised
company executives for their choice of loca
tion for the plant. “They made a good decision.
And, we hope to be a good host community,”
he commented.
Fake rider
‘Man’ accompanies her, page 8A
Jones, Don Carter of a Macon
architectural firm, and residents,
the planning group voted unani
mously to make the changes from
C-2 to R-3 and R-l to R-3.
Plans call for establishing some
“It was a matter of choice. They have a
new mayor in Cartersville who announced
early he had a team he wanted to put in
place." said Worrall.
Nalley served in that capacity for a little
over six months.
“It reminds me of seven years ago when
I was elected mayor. I had a segment of the
population who asked me to change the city
manager who was then Marion Hay,” com
mented Worrall. “I just chose not to because
I did want to work with him as best as I
could."
“I want to thank the Riverwood executives
for believing in us,” added House of
Representative Leader Larry Walker. D-Perry.
Walker said Atlanta lawyer Jim Groome was
instrumental in landing the plant in Perry.
Recent years have shown the combination
of Riverwood packaging with Pepsi products
to be known as ‘innovative’ in the business
world, according to senior vice president
Octavio Orta. He pointed out that the Perry
plant will be working closely with its sister
plant in Macon which produces the paper that
is now printed here.
Plant manager Doug Leland told the gather
ing his group is “very pleased to be in Perry.
We recognize the individuals who helped make
this possible.”
A tour of the plant was made available after
the ceremony.
Participants saw the wonder of state-of-the
art equipment printing beverage cartons with
intricate designs, then how two high-speed cut
ting machines separate the cartons, how they
are glued and finished and how employees
package the cartons to be shipped to various
locations.
The company’s provider of ink, Flint, Inc.,
has an on-site storage area inside the plant.
Officials are hopeful Flint will decide to
construct their own facility adjacent to the
Riverwood plant in the near future.
residential lots as well as construc
tion of an apartment complex.
Carter explained that the area
fronting the golf course would be
(See ZONING, Page SA)
Classified 6B
Church 6B
Editorials A 4
Legal Ads 3B
Home of the Georgia National
Fair and Agricenter
Worrall said recent conversations with
Cartersville residents drew comments like.
"You are the luckiest people alive to have
this guy.”
What does Nalley think about his stint in
Cartersville? “It was not a good fit," he said
during an April 8 interview. “Cartersville is
undergoing some tremendous changes with
accelerated growth spilling over from
Atlanta. I primarily wanted to focus on get
ting the community prepared for that
(See MANAGER, page SA)
Council OKs
effort to get more
traffic lights
By RICK JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Members of Perry City Council
have given the green light to
Mayor Jim Worrall to write a let
ter to the Georgia Department of
Transportation dealing with traffic
lights in town.
At the April 2 meeting of coun
cil discussion on the need for
additional red lights came up
when local resident James Wilson
requested that such a light be
placed by the Flint Electric build
ing on Commerce Street.
Some council members then
brought up other spots they would
like examined for possible traffic
lights. The intersections of
Commerce and Macon and
North side and Macon were among
those cited.
“I will write a letter to the DOT
and see if we can get the traffic
engineer to study the entire sys
tem,” said Worrall.
Speaking of letters, the Perry
Area Chamber of Commerce has
now sent correspondence to city
council.
Council member James Moore
said among concerns of the busi
ness group is having more rental
cars available for pilots who land
at the Perry-Houston County
Airport.
Chamber head Hayley Godbce
told council “there is a problem
with pilots being stranded at the
airport.”
Another area of concern
expressed by the chamber deait
with coming up with a system to
rate hotels and motels.
Godbee said, “It’s a serious
problem(cleanliness at some of
the motels in Perry). It is a shame
you can rate restaurants but not
(See CITY, Page SA)
Study: Perry is
best place for
tri-county jail
From Staff Reports
The Central Georgia Regional
Jail Authority OK’d a recommen
dation from a consulting firm that
Perry would be the best location
for a tri-county jail facility even
though one of the group did not
agree.
The Authority is made up of
representatives from the three
counties involved, Houston,
Dooly and Pulaski and includes
the sheriff from each of those
counties.
Houston County Commission
Chairman Sherrill Stafford said he
has received a letter from Dooly
County Sheriff Van Peavy indicat
ing he does not want to serve on
that board any longer because he
thinks the jail should be built in
Dooly County.
Consultants with Diversified
Facility Services told members it
(See JAIL, page SA)
Obituaries A 2
Potpourri B 1
School Menus. . . . 2B
Sports A 6
ft
