Newspaper Page Text
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Midget racers
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Volume 126, No. 22
2 Sections, 16 Pages
Wednesday
June 4,1997
50 Cents
■MS
Perry seniors to
graduate June 6
One hundred seventy one
young men and women of
Perry High School will
graduate June 6.
The ceremony will be
held at the Geoigia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter
at die Reaves Arena.
Beginning time is set for
8 p.m.
Valedictorian Molly
Tripp and salutatorian Keri
Eckhardt will' speak to their
fellow classmates during the
program.
Those attending will
enter through the west gate
and Agricenter personnel
will be on hand to help
direct parking.
Graduations top
Agricenter activity
Graduations for four
county public schools high
light activities at the
Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter
this week.
In addition to the Perry
High graduation June 6 at 8
p.m., Reeves Arena will be
the location for ceremonies
for ' Houston County,
Northside and Warner
Robins June 7.
Scheduled for June 7-8 is
the Houston County 4-H
Club Horse Show.
Several restaurants
have discrepancies
during inspection
Several Houston County
restaurants were found to
have discrepancies with one
or more of the five areas of
cleanliness during recent
inspections by members of
die Houston County
Environmental Health
Department.
The five areas of discrep
ancy, employee hygiene
matters, food handling tech
niques, temperature control
of foods, equipment prob
lems and storage of cleaning
products, must be addressed
while the inspector is pre
sent.
At Chen’s Wok-Galleria
Mall, 2922 Watson Blvd.,
Centerville, there was a
problem with temperature
control of foods. The score
was 72.
At Cox Concession Ga.
National Restaurant, 401
Larry Walker Parkway,
Perry, there was a problem
with temperature control of
foods. The score was 83.
At Domino’s Pizza, 100-
H North Houston Lake
Blvd., Centerville, there was
a problem with temperature
control of foods. The score
was 81.
■ " '
(See FOOD, Page SA)
g u ■■
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
jjedit@hom.net.
Houston Times- Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
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Houser: Local
airport has
improved
By RICK JOHNSTONE
For the Times-Journal
It started out as a facility to
train pilots for World War 11. It
now has fixed assets of $4.9 mil
lion and spans more than 372
acres of land.
What started out as Myrtle
Field, a satellite facility of
Cochran Field has evolved into
the Perry-Houston County
Airport.
Airport manager John Houser
told the “Good Morning Perry”
breakfast sponsored by the Perry
Area Chamber of Commerce
May 28 that there have been
‘many low points and high points
over the years.
“We are very proud of where
we now stand,” said Houser,
adding that he could not have
made that statement a couple of
years earlier.
“Three things had to happen
City budget
could have
funds for
pound repairs
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
It was a warm, muggy day in
Perry May 27 and Perry canine
officer Troy Fluellen had made his
usual early trip to the city dog
pound to care for the incarcerated
animals eight large dogs and
eight puppies that day.
He was back a few hours later
to accommodate a photographer
who wanted to take photos of
the structure that houses the
dogs.
Fluellen is looking forward to
the repairs that are scheduled to be
made on the structure, including
repair of the roof area and the
addition of outside run pens.
These are additions that will
probably make his job a lot easier.
Some SIO,OOO is budgeted into
the Perry law enforcement depart
ment budget for this upcoming fis
cal year to correct some of the
problems at the city facility that
has been in use “over a decade,”
according to police Capt. Bill
Phelps.
At present, the small block
building houses 14 pens that allow
air flow through small ventilation
areas in the wall. There are no
windows.
“We want to build a running
area outside for the dogs,” said
Phelps.
“Also we will be replacing
some of the steel that the cages are
made of,” he said.
Rain damage is apparent when
the eye is turned upward. In one
Health leaders hear report about indigent care
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Members of the Houston County
Commission and the Hospital Authority of
Houston County for the most part sat quietly
through a May 28 presentation by Linde
Howell, consultant with Janus Healthcare, as
she told the group the results of a study con
ducted about indigent healthcare needs and
possible solutions.
Howell has spent the past several months
working with area business people and inter
viewing Houston County citizens. She helped
form the Indigent Care Task force, a group that
consists of several community business repre
sentatives who are concerned with how they
can help with the problems that stem from'pro
vision of indigent healthcare, such as a loss in
dollars to healthcare providers and how that
ic notices
icneck the Houston County public notices for
| information you may need.
| See pages 3-7 B
M m iBT
JOHN HOUSER
Discusses Airport plans
before we could improver’s aid
the airport manager. “We were
annexed into the city of Perry,
there was legislation giving all
taxes collected to Houston
County and a professional was
brought in to run day-to-day
(See HOUSER, Page SA)
(* I ’ s y
jm 111 . -d '
ill 99
i n
Times-Journal Photo by Emily Johnstone
ENTER THE POUND The front door is opened to the city dog
pound to allow a fan at the back to pull air through in an attempt to
Iceep the small block building cool.
comer of the building, a large part
of the ceiling is missing with insu
lation hanging over a pen.
Meanwhile, repairs of these
problems is scheduled to be taken
can affect their employees and business.
The development of a community clinic
would be one way to handle the needs of the
indigent population, Howell said.
Indigent persons are classified as those
without insurance and can be in any age or
socio-economic group.
Howell stressed to the group that if the com
munity does not find a way to provide health
care to indigents, outside agencies will eventu
ally come in and begin practices that will not
necessarily be beneficial to the local business
community.
That will include more competition in the
medical field where, instead, ways need to be
found to avoid duplication of services, she said.
Howell said she advised the development of
an Authority to operate a clinic. Those mem
bers would be chosen by county commission
Large group of youths to
visit Perry Airport June 14
By RICK JOHNSTONE
For the Times-Journal
A heavier than normal flight pattern is expected
around the Perry-Houston County Airport June 14.
Airport manager John Houser told members of
the Airport Authority at the June 2 meeting that the
Young Eagles, a group of children ages 7-14, will be
flying into the airport that day.
“There will be around 25 planes and 75 people
coming from around a 100-mile radius that day,”
said Houser.
The group, sponsored by thd Experimental
Aircraft Association, will leave the airport to visit
the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base.
The authority will look into providing bus trans
portation to the museum.
“I want them to be treated the best we can since
they will spread the word about our airport,” com
mented Perry mayor Jim Worrall.
That group will notice anew terminal at the air
port, but will also see the old terminal building.
Worrall said he had checked with Rep. Larry
Walker, who had helped secure a SIOO,OOO grant to
build the new terminal on whether there had been a
care of at the facility located
behind the city bam along Tucker
Road —as long as that SIO,OOO is
not cut from the law enforcement
department’s budget for FY 98.
Yard Sale Time
It’s that time of year and yard sales are set all
over town this weekend. Get the schedule.
see page 7B
Perry’s share of 911
service may go down
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
The City of Perry will not have
to pull as much money from its
coffers to pay the city’s share for
911 service now that the building
that houses 911 has been paid for,
according to Perry Mayor Jim
Worrall.
Figures provided by Houston
County Director of Management
Services Steve Engle show that
Perry’s monetary share for FY97
came in at $63,502, while estimat
ed FY9B numbers stand at
$42,582.
Those numbers do not include
the $1.50 surcharge telephone
customers pay to help fund 911,
said Worrall.
“This reflects the agreement we
had with the county when 911 was
implemented,” said the mayor.
An agreement that determined
how to provide monies for 911 ser
vice was signed between the coun
ty and three municipalities Feb. 5,
1991. The 911 service went online
Dec. 30 of that same year.
Now that the building and ini
tial equipment, for which a loan of
E-9H Revenue Report
Source FY97 FY9B
Houston County $220,461 $401,582
Centerville 21,567 14,412
Perry 63,502 42,582
Warner Robins 293,549 196,533
Total 599,079 655,109
911 Service Charge. SBOO,OOO $820,000
911 Fund Balance 63,185 72,507
Total Revenue $1,462,264 $1,547,616
ers, she added.
A .25 percent increase in sales tax would
help assure funding of care, Howell pointed
out.
In response to a. question by county com
missioner Larry Snellgrove, Howell said start
up expenses for such a facility could be size
able and the county government would need to
help contribute to that. Another way to look for
funds is through grant programs, she said.
Speaking four days .later to members of the
Perry Rotary Club, Houston Healthcare
Complex Skip McDannald said such a com
plex could be built at the Houston Medical
Center in Warner Robins and be profitable
within three years.
(See HEALTH, Page SA)
requirement to tear down the old terminal once the
new was completed.
Although there were no strings attached to the
grant, the mayor said, “I think he (Walker) would be
extremely disappointed if it were not moved.”
Worrall suggested that a check be made on get
ting the original terminal moved to another part of
the airport.
Authority chairman Gary Peavy favored that
idea. “I would rather it be moved than done away
with,” he added.
Worrall said the state representative had been
embarrassed when the governor flew in to the
Perry-Houston County Airport a couple of years ago
and saw the old terminal.
A decision on what to do with that facility was
turned over to a planning commission that Peavy
appointed at the meeting.
Leroy Claxton will chair that group, with Ralph
Dorsett, ex officio member David Morgan, and
Houser to be other members.
The committee, which will have its first meeting
June 9, will look at long range planning and set
goals for the year ahead.
$869,000 was obtained from what
was then Trust Cos. Bank, has been
paid, county officials have been
working to update that agreement.
The last installment of
SIOO,OOO was paid last July, Engle
said.
That means a reduction in cost
for the budgets of Perry,
Centerville and Warner Robins,
but means a hike in the cost for the
service by the county, said Engle.
Some $220,461 is listed as
monies paid by the county for FY
97, however, FY9B numbers show
Houston County will provide
$4lO, 582 for 911 service.
Houston County Sheriff Cullen
Talton said during a recent inter
view that he is pleased with the
operation of the 911 center since
undertaking the position of direc
tor last year.
“I have had no complaints from
the public and I have talked to
police chiefs, fire chiefs and oth
ers. Everything seems pretty much
on schedule,” said the sheriff.
Capt. Ricky Harlowe, overseer
of those operations / for Talton,
gave much the same report.
wSfft JK
Home of the Georgia National
Fair and Agricenter
SKIP McDANNAJLD
Hospital CEO