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Volume 126, No. 16
2 Sections, 20 Pages
Wednesday
April 17, 1996
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
this week
Electrical Council\
Good Sams visit
Perry this week
Members of the Georgia
Electrification Council Inc.
are in Perry for a meeting at
the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter.
This meeting continues
through April 20.
Members of the Georgia
Good Sams camping organi
zation arri.o April 18 for a
four-day spring rally which
ends April 21.
According to Glen Heck
with Flint Electric
Membership Corp., 40 line
men teams from Georgia
will attend the 1996 Georgia
Lineman Rodeo April 20 at
the Fairgrounds.
Groups, representing the
three kinds of electrical util
ities they work for, city
owned, EMCs and Georgia
Power, will complete in
events such as hurt man res
cue, rope splice and insula
tor change. Three mystery
events will also be assigned
the day of competition,
Heck said.
Representing Flint are
four teams. Members of
team 1 include Gene Hinton,
David Kirksey and Toby
Clark. Members of team 2
include Greg Rigsby,
Dwayne Hopkins and
Bobby Busbee. Team 3
includes Scott Graham,
Larry Ogan and Wayne
Chapman. Members of team
4 are Steve Kiener, Kyle
Templeton and Tracy Mays.
Heck said families of the
power company employees
will be attending to cheer on
their teams.
Farm bill help offered
According to Larry
Willingham of the Houston
County Extension Service
office, the University of
Georgia will offer four sem
inars concerning the 1996
farm bill.
These courses will be
offered April 30 at at the
Southern Center for
Education at Georgia
Southern University,
Statesboro; May 1 at the
Rural Development Center
at Tifton; May 7 at the Farm
Bureau Building at Macon
and May 8 at the Northwest
Georgia Experiment Station
at Calhoun. Each seminar
will last from 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Willingham said
University of Georgia econ
omists Bill Givan, George
Shumaker, Don Shurley,
Forrest Stegelin and Bill
Thomas will participate.
Road closed at Elko
The Georgia Department
of Transportation has closed
(See BRIEFS, Page SA)
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New man on the farm
Help for farmers
Extension adds worker, page 3A
Houston Tims-Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Parents challenge safety of Perry Middle School
By RICK JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
On a day when the Houston County
school system made public a letter of com
mendation from the state school superinten
dent, one parent of a Perry Middle School
student painted a rather dismal picture of
conditions at that facility.
Danny Hamsley told Board of Education
members at their April 16 meeting in Perry
that he did not come to request a new mid
dle school be built, but rather to talk about
the future of the current structure.
“Age doesn’t have anything to do with
how a school is operated,’’said Hamsley.
“The school is unsafe.”
Times-Journal Photo by Jj Johnson
AGRICENTER EXPANSION Officials gathered at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter April 10 to break
ground for the new 87,000 square foot multi-purpose building. The building is part of an expansion project at the facility. It
should be ready for use by fair time in October.
Ground broken for major Agricenter
multipurpose building expansion
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Officials from the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter gathered with
area leaders April 10 to break ground for the
new 87,000 square foot multi-purpose build
ing now under construction at the facility.
This is the first part of a three-part project
which includes some renovation and the
construction of a storage area.
James E. Sutherland, chairman of the
Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority,
said he is very proud of the facility and
noted that, in his opinion, “this facility does
n’t take a back seat to anyone.”
Sutherland added he believes the success
of the Agricenter proves wrong those who
thought it could turn into a “white elephant.”
Rep. Larry Walker, D. Perry, told the
group he remembered those who put a lot of
time and effort in the initial phase of getting
the facility up and running.
Nalley begins work as Perry City Manager
From Staff Reports
Skip Nalley officially begin his stint as Perry city
manager April 16.
Mayor Jim Worrall said he is happy to have Nalley
on board.
Nalley was picked as the new city manager April
4 during a special meeting of council members.
He replaces Phil Clark who resigned from that
position last August.
County Commissioners face zoning issue May 7
From Staff Reports
WARNER ROBINS The
members of the Houston County
Planning and Zoning Commission
approved a zoning request for
Peach County resident Bobby
Evridgc to change some 50 acres
of land located near Elko and Hay
Road from Residential
Agricultural to R-l during their
regular meeting April 15.
Evridgc had originally requested
R-MH some months ago for land
use to be geared toward construction
of a subdivision for mobile homes.
That drew criticism from area
residents and Agricenler officials,
who did not want such develop
ment going on nearby.
Evridgc appeared for the sec
ond time before county commis
sioners April ' with his request
changed to R-1.
He once again me; with opposi
Serving Houston County for more than 125 years
He showed board members of pho
tographs of PMS taken March 19. The pic
tures depicted grounds littered with trash,
broken glass, and exposed electrical wiring,
according to Hamsley.
He said, “The standards of maintenance
and operation are not acceptable. We want
to know where the school fits into your
overall plan.”
Board member Dave Davidson thought
Hamsley “hit the nail on the head” with his
comments.
“That middle school is inadequate. It
(upgrading the facility) is my number one
priority,” he added.
The addition of more portable classrooms
“I especially want to say thanks to Gov.
Joe Frank Harris who backed our efforts,”
said Walker.
The Agricenter contributes much to the
community, added Rep. Sonny Watson. D.-
Bonaire.
“I am looking forward to supporting the
facility and watching the continued growth
of it,” he said.
James H. Mehserle, of the architectural
firm of Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback &
Associates, told Exposition Authority mem
bers during their regular meeting later that
day that “we are 30 days into the construc
tion process of the multi-purpose building.
Everything is right on schedule.”
Officials hope to have the building ready
for use during the Georgia National Fair in
October.
Big name entertainment provided by
Georgian entertainers is on tap for the Fair
this year.
Nalley is a native of Carrollton. He is a graduate
of the University of Southern Mississippi.
He was city-county programs coordinator for the
City of Carrollton from 1982 through 1987; city
manager for the City of Thomaston from 1987
through 1994 and city manager for the City of
Cartersville from 1994 to 1996.
He is married and has a daughter who presently
attends Cartersville High School.
This weekend in Perry
Festival time
Mossy Creek opens, Page 4B
tion. The commission decided to
send the matter back to P&Z for
further consideration.
Building official Tim Andrews
said R-l regulations set the
strictest standards for develop
ment of residential subdivisions.
The matter will again be before
county commissioners for their
approval during their regular
meeting to be held May 7 at 1():(X)
at Perry City Hall.
for the school to deal with the large number
of students attending PMS brought com
ment from Hamsley. “It seems like we are at
the bottom of the barrel," he said.
Davidson said the newest additions are a
step above the other portable classrooms.
He said the reason an additional wing was
not built at PMS is because bids to do such
work came in $3 million over budget.
“We balked at throwing good money
after bad.” he said. Earlier, the school board
had planned a 14-room and office addition
to what is now the rear of the building, and
a new entrance from Main Street.
Hamsley asked the Board to address four
areas of concern by the time the educators
Froehlich told Authority members that so
far three Georgia singers, Rhet Akins,
Daryle Singletary and John Berry have
agreed to be in concert at the Reaves Arena
on the first Fair Saturday, Oct. 5.
“We wanted to get Georgia acts to coin
cide with our theme this year of ‘Pride of
Georgia,” Executive Director Mich
Froehlich said.
Also during the meeting, Froehlich
extended thanks to Jerry Horton for the job
done by the facility maintenance department
during the Family Motor Coach Association
Convention held last month.
“I do appreciate it and want to pass the
recognition on down to the ones who
deserve it. The employees do a lot of hard
work in the rain, sun, sleet or snow. That’s
what makes us successful,” said Horton.
Preliminary numbers for the FMCA
Convention show the Agricenter with a net
revenue gain of $120,600.
Classified 118
Church 7B
Editorials A 4
Legal Ads 8B
Cities, county to study
future of recreation
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
WARNER ROBINS An
offer by Houston County com
missioners to provide land for
recreation purposes has been
the subject of much discussion
this past week.
Commissioner jyirry
Snellgrove who is a member of
a county recreation committee
met with representatives of
Warner Robins and Perry pri
vate recreation organizers April
11 and told the group the coun
ty could possibly provide land
it owns near the intersection of
Ga. 96 and Houston Lake Road
to various organizations for
recreational purposes.
This could be done through
a lease agreement with interest
Obituaries A 2
Potpourri B 1
School Menus. . . . 6B
Sports A 6
A
A
Home of the Georgia National
Fair and Agricenter
meet next month. Included is a list of oper
ating standards, a list of safety standards, an
immediate reassessment of priorities, and a
written plan detailing actions and a time
frame for taking those actions.
Board chairman Skip Talbert assured the
parent that such information will be supplied
at next month’s meeting.
As for the letter. Linda Schrenko, state
school superintendent, congratulated
Houston County for being selected by the
School Match service as one of the top sys
tems in the nation.
The superintendent's letter states, “Your
(See LETTER, Page SA)
McConnell
to retire from
judgeship
From Staff Reports
Houston County Superior
Court Judge L.A. “Buster”
McConnell Jr. has announced he
will not be seeking another term
in office.
McConnell said April 16 that
he will be retiring due to health
problems.
“I am looking forward to stay
ing active in the community and
hope that I may still be of some
service to the courts, the lawyers,
and the citizens as a senior
judge,” he said in a press release.
McConnell has held that office
since 1985.
Probate Judge Francis Annis
announced her retirement plans
last month.
Other office terms that expire
this year are: Houston County
District Attorney Ed Lukemire,
Sheriff Cullen Talton, county
commissioners Larry Snellgrove,
Calvin Maye and Jay Walker,
Board of Education members
Skip Dawkins, Tiena Fletcher and
Dave Davidson, county coroner
Danny Galpin, Clerk of Superior
Court Carolyn Sullivan, and Tax
Commissioner Juanita Mason.
Qualifying for those seeking
office will open April 22 at 9 a.m.
and run until noon April 26.
Those who wish to qualify for state
offices will have to do so in Atlanta.
Still undecided are the districts
for General Assembly members.
A three-judge federal panel in
Augusta was scheduled to hear
arguments concerning which set
of district lines to use during an
April 23 hearing.
Following a lawsuit last sum
mer, members of the General
Assembly changed several dis
tricts including two in Houston
County, during a special session.
Those changes are being chal
lenged by the U.S. Justice
Department.
ed parties where they would
pay the county $1 a year to
lease the property for their use.
They would be responsible
for all maintenance and
upkeep.
Snellgrove asked the group
to submit written proposals of
what they would need to
accomplish such a project with
in ten days to be studied by a
representative of Oglethorpe
Power for planning purposes.
Eddie Wilson, of the
Ochlahatchee League, said his
group probably would not be
interested in participating.
Another study could soon be
under way as a result of a sec
ond meeting April 15, this time
(See STUDY, )age SA)