Newspaper Page Text
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Volume 127, No. 3
2 Sections, 14 Pages
Wednesday
Jan. 22,1997
50 Cents
N At the
ossroads
lis week
Bridge reopens
The Georgia 26 bridge
crossing at Elko reopened
for traffic Jan. 27 after sev
eral months of construction.
A detour through Elko
moved traffic around the
bridge which was removed
and replaced with anew,
wider structure.
Horse show set
Members of the
Horsemen’s Quarter Horse
Association plan a show at
the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter
Jan. 24-26. Planned for Jan.
28 is a Prentiss Hall work
shop and the annual Perry
Area Chamber of
Commerce banquet.
Back to school
Students in the Houston
County public school sys
tem return to classes Jan.
23after a long weekend.
Menus, this week include:
Jan 23 Nachos with
beef and cheese or barbecue
sandwich, one hot veg
etable, one cold vegetable,
two fruits, cookie.
Jan. 24 Steak nuggets
with roll or manager’s
choice, one hot vegetable,
one cold vegetable, two
fruits, manager’s choice
dessert.
Jan.. 27 Chicken
nuggets with roll or hot
ham and cheese sandwich,
one hot vegetable, one cold
vegetable, two fruits..
Jan. 28 Hot dog or
hamburger steak with gravy
and roll, french fries, rice,
one hot vegetable, two
fruits.
Jan. 29 Tacos or
sliced turkey with roll or
bun, two hot vegetables,
two fruits, gelatin with
whipped topping.
Paintfest reception is
Jan. 30
Persons who helped
paint wall decorations and
ceiling tiles at Perry
Hospital just before
Christmas have received
invitations to a Paint Fest
Reception.
According to Perry
Hospital officials, tours will
be given to view artwork
from 4-6 p.m. Jan. 30.
Visitors can assemble in the
hospital lobby.
The painting decorations
are part of a hospital deco
ration program made possi
ble through a grant.
Westfield testing set
Marti M. Tolleson, alum
ni and development director
at Westfield Schools,
announced that testing for
all applicants grades 1-12
for the 1997-98 school year
at Westfield Schools should
assemble Feb. 1 at 9 a.m. at
the Westfield middle school
library.
Additional information
about new student applica
tions can be obtained from
the school headmaster,
Michael Drake, by calling
987-0547.
Houston Times-Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Northrop employees get conditional notice
Plant building up for sale , 450 jobs may move to Macon area ,
By Jj JOHNSON
Times-Journal Editor
Even as the 450 employees of the
Northrop Grumman Georgia Production
Center at Perry were placed in a 90-day
holding pattern late Jan. 15, local, state and
national leaders began working to ensure
those jobs are salvaged.
• The company announced Jan. 15 that the
seven-year-old plant in Perry would be
closed and listed for sale. The workers at the
plant will know by the second week of April
whether their jobs will be moved to a loca
tion in Macon, or whether the jobs will be
phased out within the next 23 months.
Elected and civic leaders responded
quickly. A meeting chaired by U.S. Rep.
Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga„ was held Jan. 17
to formulate a strategy for the community.
According to Chambliss, “the short term,
immediate goal is to ensure that all 450
employees at the Perry facility to not miss a
Trendline plant is closing, too
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
and RICK JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
In spite of the Jan. 21 announcement that
a large-scale employer in Perry is expected
to close its doors March 22. local leaders
are taking an upbeat approach to the situa
tion.
Trendline Home Fashions, Inc., a textile
company that employs 235 workers, has
announced that as a result of unfavorable
economic factors the manufacturing and
distribution center in Perry will be ceasing
all operations by March 22.
In a letter to employees, the company
said each worker will be advised and given
as much advance notice as possible prior to
their termination from the company.
Mark Schlag, chief financial officer for
the Perry plant, said the decision to close is
“disappointing.”
But, the company is “looking at several
options that might allow the plant to remain
open, either under current or new owner
ship,” he added.
“We are proud of the workforce. It’s been
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Deborah Roberts to speak at Chamber banquet
By Jj JOHNSON
Times-Journal Editor
Perry native Deborah Roberts
will be the keynote speaker for the
42nd annual Perry Area Chamber
of Commerce banquet Jan. 28.
The festivities begin at 7 p.m.
at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agriccntcr.
Other activities will include
paycheck.”
He said the second goal is more long
term, to focus efforts on attracting anew
buyer for the plant.
One of the people attending the meeting,
Tee Tolleson, chairman of the Houston
County Development Authority, said it is
much too early to know how successful the
efforts will be.
“We hope to find a buyer for the building,
but our most important goal is to preserve
those jobs,” Tolleson said Jan. 21.
Houston County Commission Chairman
J. Sherrill Stafford said the atmosphere at
the meeting was upbeat and positive.
“We hope to find a buyer. Wc know that
the Department of Defense is still consider
ing a missile contract to be let later this
year,” Stafford said.
“We hope to contact those firms still in
the running for the contract to make them
aware of the availability of a state-of-the-art
presentation of the Seabie
Hickson award to the community
person of the year, and other
awards. New officers will be rec
ognized and Rob Tuggle will
receive the presidential gavel from
Andy Flowers.
Tickets to the banquet are avail
able at the Perry Area Chamber of
Commerce office, 105 Gen.
Serving Housluu ( ouhly iHt 17, 1870
a trying time for them lately,” he said.
City officials have already started meet
ing to see what might be done.
“I still believe in miracles,” Perry Mayor
Jim Worrall said the day of the announce
ment.
The mayor said the announcement is not
totally unexpected and that Trendline has
kept them informed of their actions.
Chief Executive Officer of the Perry
Areal Chamber of Commerce Hayley
Godbee said that an active effort would be
launched on the local and state level to
attract anew tenant for the building.
“We have in place the infrastructure and
have the labor force that is skilled so we
hope to be able to get someone in the facil
ity,” said Godbee.
“We will be talking to the Trendline peo
ple to see if there is anything the city or
county can do to help them with this prob
lem,” added the mayor.
The announcement from Trendline fol
lows closely on the heels of word that
another large-scale employer, Northrop
Grumman, will be ceasing its operations at
missile plant for sale in Perry,” Stafford
said.
Another Houston County leader, who
asked not to be identified, said, “Houston
County has been given a giant lemon. Now
we hope to make a big batch of lemonade.”
The changes at Northrop are part of a
major corporate restructuring announced by
Kent Kresa, Northrop Grumman chairman.
Also involved are three other plants
which will be closed, and a net reduction of
755 jobs, Kresa said in a news release.
Jim Taft, a spokesman for the company in
Perry Jan. 15, said the company has taken a
month-to-month option on a property in
Bibb County. Sources close to the matter
have told the Times-Journal the now-vacant
building is located at 899 Joe Tamplin
Industrial Blvd. in the Ocmulgee East
Industrial Park off 1-16.
(See NORTHROP, Page SA)
its Perry plant within the next two years.
The Chamber leader does not think this
is an indication that Perry may be losing
some of its appeal to prospective industries.
“In the economic game, you win some
investments and lose some,” Godbee said.
“We have an infrastructure to market.”
“Perry is not stagnant by any means,”
commented the mayor.
“Houston County “does Tfor have a
defeatist attitude,” added Godbee. “We’ve
taken some hits this year..but the BRAC
hearings have taught our leaders how to
work together for the good of our commu
nities.”
Foreign competition in the textile indus
try market has made it difficult for such
companies in this country to compete,
according to Worrall.
City officials hope to meet with compa
ny representatives Jan. 22, he said.
Trendline purchased the building that is
located on Kell wood Drive from the
Kellwood Cos., another textile company,
about three years ago Linens are a special
ity at the company.
Special delivery
Strickland delivers baby for mother
he delivered 21 years earlier
By PAULINE LEWIS
Lifestyle Editor
Dr. Edward Strickland may have thought “deja
vu” as he delivered baby Justin Cole Mass.at
9:09 p.m. on J-.i. 13, at Perry Hospital.
Twenty-one years earlier, he delivered Justin Cole
Mass’s mother, then Elaine Yoder, on Jan. 13, 1976, at
the Perry Hospital.
Baby Justin Cole Mass is the first child of Elaine
Yoder Mass and her husband, Matthew Mass, of
Montezuma, and came into this world weighing 6
pounds, 7 ounces.
Grandparents are Levi and Ann Mass and Crist and
Edna Yoder, all of Montezuma.
Times-Journal Photo by PauNne Lewis
SPECIAL BABY - Matthew Mass and
Elaine Yoder Mass gather around new
arrival Justin Cole Mass. Perry Dr. Edward
Strickland delivered the mother of the new
born 21 years earlier, to the day.
Hodges Blvd., for S2O per person.
Roberts joined the ABC televi
sion news program “20/20” about
18 months ago after working for
NBC television news for several
years. She began her journalism
career with WTVM-TV in
Columbus and later worked in
Knoxville, Tenn., before joining
NBC.
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Roberts
414.
Home of the Georgia National
Fair and Agricenter
leaders respond
Reaction: Sadness even
if closing was inevitable
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Reaction around town about the Perry
Northrop Grumman plant closing has been
Sf one accord —a sadness that, even though
/many felt like the announcement was
inevitable, the announcement reflects how
the human spirit most always reaches
toward optimism.
“Even though it had been rumored for
some time that the shutdown was forthcom
ing, a community is never ready for such a
thing,” commented Perry City Manager
Skip Nalley.
However, Nalley thinks the city will be
OK because “Perry is such a vital, resilient
community.”
Over the years, city officials have tried to
keep the plant in Perry and have put a great
deal of time and effort, along with money, in
doing so.
Mayor Jim Worrall remembers flying to
the company headquarters in California sev
eral years ago to show execs how much the
city values Northrop Grumman’s presence
in Perry.
He is worried that if employees end up
having to leave this area, it will have a neg
ative impact on other counties than
Houston.
“The employees cover a wide base,” said
the mayor. “It’s not just Houston, but coun
ties like Peach and Dooly also.”
Houston County Development Authority
Director Tim Martin said, “We are not sur
prised Northrop Grumman is cutting back
but we don’t like the fact they are cutting
back here.”
, Martin added he is hopeful that “we can
make lemonade out of lemons.”
That upbeat attitude is echoed by Perry
Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Hayley
Godbee.
“We never look forward to announce
ments like this, but it brings us together as a
team in Team Houston,” she said.
“Team Houston is doing everything we
can to keep those 450 jobs in Houston
County,” Godbee added.
“We are certainly saddened to hear that
kind of news,” commented county commis
sion chairman J. Sherrill Stafford. “We will
try to help with the transition and will be
staying in close relationship with
Northrop.”
Westbrook no
longer employed
by Perry area CVB
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
“He is no longer associated with the CVB
as its director,” Walter Lewis, chairman of
the Perry Area
Convention and Visitors
Bureau, said of Bill
Westbrook.
“I am no longer asso
ciated with the CVB as
director,” said Bill
Westbrook Jan. 15.
That is the result of a
Jan. 14 meeting held at
the Welcome Center.
Minutes of the meet
ing reflect a motion
made by Bureau member Tim Coleman “to
make changes in the executive director’s
position and pay him for four additional pay
periods.” That motion was seconded by
Bipin Vashi, and it carried unanimously,
according to the report.
Another motion was made by Scott James
to appoint Jenny Andrew as acting director.
That was seconded by Davis Cosey and car
ried unanimously.
“The committee who were to inform the
director of the board’s decision were: Tim
Coleman, Scott James and Walter Lewis,”
the minutes state. “Having met with the
committee, Mr. Westbrook agreed with the
board and resigned his position as director.”
Member Tim Coleman, who heads up the
personnel committee, declined to comment
on the matter Jan. 21. Westbrook offered no
additional comments.
Westbrook