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Viewpoints
Bite the bullet
During a speech to members of the Perry
Rotary Club April 14, Rep. Larry Walker, D-
Perry, addressed two issues which are rapid
ly coming to the forefront in Houston
County, issues we believe must be addressed
if Houston County is to continue to progress
at its current pace.
The first is the four-laning of Houston
Lake Road from Russell Parkway south to
Perry. This road has been in the talking
stages for several years, and even if complet
ed today, would be years behind schedule.
Now, however, the widening of that
important artery which will make access
between the north and south halves of the
county so much better, is but a dream.
Standing in the way of the project is a
major natural gas transmission line, hun
dreds of property rights-of-way to be
acquired, and other utilities which must be
relocated.
It’s easy to say, “let the government take
care of this.” Except in this situation, we are
the government and well as the governed.
The responsibility of moving utilities and
acquiring rights-of-way falls upon local gov
ernment. The cost will exceed $5 million,
money which must be raised locally.
To puf that $5 million in greater perspec
tive, the Houston County Commission main
tenance and operation budget for 1997 is
$20.8 million. That means the equivalent of
one-fourth of the funds required to provide
all county services for one year is needed to
complete the local government share of
widening Houston Lake Road.
The second issue is another one which has
been batted around for several years pro
viding additional space for county govern
ment offices. The present, late 1940s court
house in downtown Perry is inadequate, and
has been for many years.
Built when the county population did not
exceed 25,000, the courthouse now serves a
population base of more than 100,000, and in
an fifsf iflWhicfr paper trails are required for
everything, there simply isn’t sufficient stor
age or working space in the building for
today’s government.
Last June, then Houston Superior Court
Judge L.A. McConnell Jr. issued a court
order requiring the county government to
address the issues of an overcrowded court
house and county jail by the summer of
1998.
Talks about financing that issue remain
on-going. At present, no firm commitment
has been made by the commissioners on
whether or not to remodel the current facili
ty, build additional buildings in downtown
Perry, or move the government offices to a
new location.
Almost a year ago, this newspaper went
on record as favoring steps to keep county
government in downtown Perry. It is an eco
nomic engine which helps drive the down
town area. Jobs are created in Perry because
of the presence of the courthouse at the his
toric location which it has occupied for 175
years. It would be, in our opinion, a shame to
change that location.
Beyond that, however, the county govern
ment, again the 100,000-plus residents of the
county, must address not only the location
issue but also the financing issue.
Walker told Rotarians that county govern
ment must soon bite the bullet and come up
with ways to finance these issues. He, like
many leaders in the community, leans toward
asking voters to approve a one-cent special
local option sales tax to pay for these
improvements. This tax, like the one just
approved for the Board of Education, would
generate about sll million per year, and
would enable the county to proceed with
Houston Lake Road, with the county court
house and jail, and perhaps some other need
ed projects, and pay for them within a five
year period.
We encourage government leaders to do
their homework and develop the plan neces
sary to take care of local needs. Then get to
work selling the idea to the community.
Time’s wasting.
Houston runes-Journal
P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry, Ga. 31069
(912) 987-1823 • (912) 988-1181 (fax)
e mail jjedit@hom.net
Bob Dribble President
Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager
John Smalley. . ■ <i-m • ••••>*■ •■'fc ■#* • * Advertising Sales
News: Emily Johnstone, Pauline Lewis, Rick Johnstone; Sports: Phil Clark; Classified
Page 4A
Teamwork becoming majority rule in community
During a wide-ranging speech to
Perry Rotarians Monday, Rep. Larry
Walker touched on a subject about
which much has been written in recent
years.
That topic was continued county
cooperation between residents of the
land north of and south of Georgia 96.
When I came to Houston County
several years ago, that highway was
almost a barbed wire fence. Rarely did
one cross from one side of the line to the
other without some wounds. People,
especially elected officials, from one
side, were reluctant to be caught talking
to leaders from the other side.
Fortunately, those days are behind
Houston County. For several years, a
new set of elected and volunteer com
munity leaders has worked to establish
anew team concept. Probably the
defining moment for that team came
during the spring of 1993 when the
Base Realignment and Closure
Commission placed Robins Air Force
Base on the list of bases to be reviewed
for closure.
Within 30 days, area residents and
businesses had chipped in more than
$400,000 to be used for lobbying pur
poses to maintain Robins in the com
munity. Anew organization, the 21st
Century Partnership, grew out of that
episode.
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Listening to Eighth District voters
The House’s recent district work
period gave me an opportunity to trav
el throughout the Eighth District and
listen to the thoughts and concerns of
Eighth District residents.
Education is a topic that has
already received a lot attention in both
the State Assembly and in Congress,
so it was natural that the issue was on
a lot of people’s minds. And there is
no better place to learn about our
country’s educational system than at
our local schools.
During my recent time in the dis
trict, I had the opportunity to visit
schools in both Waycross and Macon,
and these visits were enjoyable and
informative.
It should not come as a surprise to
anyone that the best investment soci
ety can make for its future is through
properly educating its children.
Having both a wife and a daughter
who are teachers, I personally appre
ciate and understand the vital role
played by education in making our
children responsible and successful
adults.
The issue of educating our children
will receive great debate during the
105th Congress, and rightful so, it is
an issue of critical importance.
You will hear folks saying all we
need to do is throw more money into
the system or increase federal control
over our public schools to better edu
cate our children.
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Bookkeeping: Paula L. Zimmerman.
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Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page under the label of Our Views
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Wed., April 16,1997
Jj
Johnson
Editor
By the time the community was
challenged by BRAC again during
1995, anew, loosely configured group
known as “Team Houston” was in
place.
These elected and volunteer offi
cials were dedicated to helping all of
Houston County, whether the situation
involved people who lived in Elberta
or Henderson.
Asa result of that, the Houston
County Development Authority
became a leader in economic develop
ment of the community with support
from all communities. One of the clas
sic examples of that cooperation was
the landing of Riverwood International
for the Perry Allied Business Park.
Without cooperation from officials
and leaders throughout Houston
County, Riverwood likely would have
chosen Bibb County, and those jobs
would have been less accessibly to
Houston Countians.
During the past few months, mem
bers of Team Houston have again been
Saxby
Chambliss
Bth District U.S. House
of Representatives
Unfortunately, those folks don’t
realize their solution is precisely the
problem. Teachers in Waycross, or
Douglas, or anywhere in the state
don’t need federal bureaucrats wast
ing our tax dollars dreaming up
unproven initiatives.
Instead, our education tax dollars
need to go directly to those who need
it most: our local schools. And when it
comes to education programs, the
choice for me is simple I would
rather have local educators teaching
my children and grandchildren than
Washington bureaucrats.
I suggest we need to look at efforts
that spend at least 90 percent of edu
cation dollars in the classroom, and
not in the federal bureaucracy.
While in the district I also was
privileged to visit one of Georgia’s
most cherished treasures, the
Okefenokee National Wildlife
Refuge. During my tour of the refuge,
I gained a greater appreciation for the
swamp and what it means for south
east Georgia.
The Okefenokee is not only impor-
Houston Times-Journal
at work. As Rep. Larry Walker said
Monday, without the efforts of so many
people in the county, the retention of
the more than 400 jobs at Northrop
Grumman would not be a reality.
That project came in two steps.
First, local leaders worked with
Northrop officials to encourage them
to remain in the community if a solu
tion could be found. They agreed.
Then local leaders went to work to
find developers who would purchase
the massive, 700,000-square-foot
building from Northrop and lease
space back to Northrop at a price
which would make manufacturing
commercial aircraft doors and frames
economically feasible.
That part of the agreement was
delivered last week when the Industrial
Authority approved a letter of induce
ment and a firm from Eatonton agreed
to purchase the property.
As I think back to the faces of men
and women I have seen working on
this project during recent months, I
recall a number of leaders who live
north of Ga. 96 who have given so
much time and effort to this effort.
Walker spoke the truth when he said
that without this approach, Northrop
Grumman would have left the county.
Meanwhile, Team Houston contin
ues to function because these leaders
M ’ rr *
tant to the region in terms of its natur
al splendor, but also in what it pro
vides to the area in terms of jobs,
tourism, and economic impact.
Recently, there has been much talk
regarding the potential project to
mine titanium on private property
adjacent to the Okefenokee. While I
firmly support private property rights,
I also recognized the sensitivity of
possible negative impacts this project
could have on the Okefenokee.
Because of this sensitivity, both
sides on the issue cannot come to
agreement. At this point, there is dire
need for scientific data that will deter
mine whether the project will or will
not damage the swamp.
After sitting down with representa
tives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources, the Georgia Sierra
Club, and the Dupont Corporation
and discussing the issue. I have
explained to all parties that we must
receive answers to all our questions
before any conclusions can be
reached. I remain hopeful this will
soon occur.
As always, if you have any opin
ions or concerns on the above or any
other matter facing Georgia or
Congress, please do not hesitate to call
my office toll-free at 1-800-234-4208.
(Saxby Chambliss, a resident of
Moultrie, represents Houston County
in the U.S. House.)
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have reached the concept that it is
amazing what can be accomplished
when people forget who gets the credit
and simply work for the common
good.
This concept has been a long-time
coming to Houston County, and cer
tainly not everyone believes in the con
cept. There are those on either side of
the line who still have contempt for
their counterparts on the other side.
Those who see only their small turf
area are losing their spheres of influ
ence and are less and less vocal.
Now, there is teamwork, there is an
effort to make whatever happens for
Houston County, no matter where it is,
important to everyone who lives here.
Whenever there are improvements
in the value of land, in the lifestyle or
in the education program, all of us ben
efit, from Dunbar to Grovania. That’s a
proven fact.
Asa resident taxpayer in Houston
County, and as manager of Houston
County’s oldest business, I am delight
ed to see this era of good feeling which
exists in the community. It’s much eas
ier to support a cooperative spirit than
a divisive one.
Walker is right. Working together,
we’ll see lots of good things happen in
Houston County.
And who cares who gets the credit?
From
Where I Sit
Bob Tribble
President
Memories of Herb
St. John remain
We ran a story in a recent edition
about a surprise party a group of men
had for Coach Herb St. John. The
group were former football players for
Coach St. John and his Perry
Panthers.
The popular coach went .frorn
Manchester to Perry in the summer of
1954, and while serving there as head
football coach for 15 years, had an
impressive 92-51-7 record.
The men in Perry remember Coach
St. John as having a profound impact
on them during their high school years
of playing for him. “He had the play
ers welfare at heart,” one of his former
players said at the party. Others
remembered him as a “man of few
words.”
Although Coach St. John coached
several players at Perry High School
who went on to fame of some sort,
probably the best known of his play
ers is former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn.
Coach St. John came to
Manchester in 1950 and was the head
coach at Manchester High School for
four years before moving on to Perry.
His overall record at M.H.S. was not
quite as impressive as the one at Perry
(17-20-3), but by the time he left he
had built a winning team. If my mem
ory serves me correctly the 1950 team
was 1-9,1951 was 4-5-1, 1952 was 5-
4-1 and 1953 was 7-2-1.
St. John was a four time all
Southeastern. Conference player for
the University of Georgia where he
was a guard. I believe he made the All
America Team his senior year as well.
When I came to Manchester in
1951 from Lavonia to enter my junior
year of high school, I had the pleasure
of playing for the “man of few words”
for two years. No doubt that Coach St.
John left his players with a good influ
ence on their lives, because he most
certainly did mine and I will be forev
er grateful for the good values he
taught us young boys.
There were only two coaches on
the staff at M.H.S. during those years;
Coach St. John, who was around five
foot ten inches weighing around 250
pounds, and the head basketball
coach, Bob Schols, nearly seven feet.
Behind their backs of course we used
to call them Mutt and Jeff.
Also, during those years it was not
common for football players to work
out with weights. I remember asking
(See COACH, Page SA)