Newspaper Page Text
Letter writer questions
taxation
He wonders if county benefits
from proposed tax changes.
See letter, page 4A
Volume 127,
No. 5
2 Sections,
1b Pages
Wednesday,
leb. 4, 1998
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
This Week
lags on birthday
Houston Counts Tax
Commissioner luanita Mason
reminds residents that new
vehicle decals must he pur
chased by the birthday ot the
owner ot the vehicle
I his is contrary to popular
opinion which holds the
decals must bought by the
end ol the birth month
"The decals can be bought
beginning 10 das s prior to the
birthday." Mason s.mJ
Her office processes and
sends tax bills for vehicle
decals by the month
Residents who have March
birthdass are receiving their
notices this week
Breakout at Agricenter
The Heart of Georgia
Student Breakout, an
overnight program with reli
gious connections, will take
place Feb. 6-7 at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds and
Agricenter
The Houston Counts Hog
Show is Feb 7 and the Kruse
international Auto Auction is
Feb 7-K Also set for Feb 7-8
is the l.snn Mcken/ie Barrell
Racing Clinic
Managers get choices
Here are menus for
Houston Counts public
schools for the next week
Feb 4 Breakfast
Cheese croissant or cereal
and toast, fresh fruit or truit
juice. I.unch Corn dog or
chili or soup with sandwich,
macaroni and cheese, one
segetable. two fruits. Jel 1-0
xxith whipped topping
Feb S Breakfast
Chicken biscun or cereal and
toast, fresh fruit or fruit juice.
Lunch Nachos ssith cheese
and bc\'t or barbecue with
Texas toast or bun. two \eg
etables. one fruit. Iruit cob
bler
Feb 6 Breakfast
Pancake with syrup or cereal
and toast, fresh truit or fruit
luicc. Lunch Steak nuggets
with roll or manager's choice,
two vegetables, two fruits,
manager's choice dessert
Feb. 9 Breakfast
Manager 's choice or cereal
and toast, fresh fruit or fruit
luicc. Lunch: Manager's
choice or chicken nuggets
with mashed potatoes, green
beans, cornbread. chilled
cherries
Feb 10 Breakfast
Steak biscuit or cereal and
toast, fresh fruit or fruit juice.
Lunch Manager's choice or
chili with beans, rice, mixed
vegetables, cornbread.
orange-pineapple gelatin with
w hipped topping
Feb 11 Breakfast
Breakfast pi//a or cereal and
(See FOOD. Page SA)
Houston 1
Contact
the 1 imes-
Journal
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Houston rimes-Journal
Official l egal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Carjacking trial continues
I-nii\i Sim Kmsikis
Testimony is continuing in Houston County Superior Court
this week in a case involving two men accused of canackmg a
72-ycar old Houston County woman Sept 4 11>97l 1 >97
Roderick Hope and John Walker were charged ssith kidnap
ping and armed robbery following that incident
The victim was taken at gunpoint as she sat in her cat at a likul
convenience store
The vehicle was spotted by lass enforcement in north Houston
County some time later
A third person. Charles Brossn Jr has received a 10 sear
prison sentence after entering a guilty plea in the case
Crossroads
Bank to
merge with
Macon bank
Bv KM ILA JOHNSTONK
Tisos-Joi hs\i Mm
Customers of Crossroads
Bank of Georgia should see no
major changes in the way their
hanking service is pro.;d-d as a
result of a pending merger,
according to Crossroads Bank
J’residcnt Derry Watson of Perry
Watson said a merger with
Security National Bank a com
munity bank located in Macon
and mostly owned by Bibb
County stockholders, is pending
with Crossroads.
"We are just simply meshing
the two hanks into one big bank
said Watson.
Total assets after the merger
will he about $220 million, he
added Crossroads now has more
than S7O million in assets while
SNB has about $l4O million
Present Crossroads Bank
stockholders will receive 2.9
shares of Security Bank shares
for every share of Crossroads
Bank they currently own. said
Watson
Both the Houston and Bibb
county banks will retain their
present hoards of directors, with
a mixture of the two hoards man
aging operations
"Crossroads Bank will contin
ue to exist as a separately char
tered subsidiary of Security
National." said Watson
The merger will he beneficial
u»Crossroads Bank because u will
provide more capital with "which
we are able to make larger loans.
We will have a broader ability to
serve customers at more locations,
also." according to Watson
Crossroads Bank of Georgia
opened in Perry in September of
19H7. The firm has one office in
Perry and two in Warner Robins
Watson said customers wish
ing to obtain more information
about the pending merger can
call 9K7-0011.
Just like nation, state of Georgia Agricenter is good
Bv Jj JOHNSON
TIMtS-Jot K\U K.oitor
During his recent State of the Union
speech. President Bill Clinton told
Americans the state ol the nation is good
Georgia National Fairgrounds and
Agricenter Director Mike Froehlich had a
similar report about the Agricenter Feb 2
Speaking to members of the Perry
Rotary Club. Froehlich said attendance and
participation in events at the Agricenter
continue to climb
"We have now had participation in a
National Fair event Irom all ol Georgia s
159 counties." Froehlich said Additionally,
participants in some activities have come
from all 5(1 stales
ime nears
middle
schuui ieams prepare for
runs at titles
See sports, pages 6-8
A
Sorting Houston County sim •' . 17, 1:170
J Hr T LJti | _VH
limn fournil Photo bv John*tone
DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY - Seeing Perry High School
senior Becky Thompson always makes these porkers happy.
Thompson raises pigs for show. She has been giving daily care
to this group for several months in anticipation for the upcom
ing Houston County Hog Show.
Joker, Jack and Pig ready
for local market hog show
Bv EMILY'JOHNSTONK
Timis-Joi hsxi si mi
Joker. Jack and Pig will he
among contestants in the
Houston County Hog Show at
the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter
Feb 7.
Their owner. Perry High
School Future Farmers ol
America member Becky
Thompson, daughter ol Robert
and Mary Thompson, said she
hope’s the trio will do well m
competition.
Thompson is no rookie at
raising prize winning pigs I
have been doing this for nine
years." she said during a recent
interview at her family 's larm
With that experience, she
said she is able to spot signs
that indicate whether or not a
pig will do well in show
"I learned w hat to look for.
like looking at their shoulder
width and stuff like like." said
Thompson.
She must attend to the needs
The center continues to serve as a model
lot other states and countries A delegation
Irom Sydney. Australia recently visited
while continuing plans lor the Olympics
20(H) at Sydney
Froehlich reported attendance at the Ga
National Fan reached 351.(MH) this year, up
Irom 270.H(K) when the lair opened eight
years ago
The number ol livestock entries has con
tinued to climb, especially with the com
pletion ol the new multi-purpose exhibit
center and an addition to the sheep barn.
Froehlich said
Next on the expansion wish list is a new
exhibit building to compliment the Georgia
laving Center Froehlich said the number
*
' b
City study confirms drainage
problems at Cheshire subdivision
Bv KMILA JOHNSTONE
lisi»s.Jm nsu Simi
Residents who base experienced problems ssith
flooding in parts ol Cheshire Subdivision have been
identified in a recently completed city study
Being identified with drainage problems is noth
ing new to residents ol the area bounded by I S 41
North, the North Perry J’arkway and Perry Country
Club. Some Cheshire residents have become sery
familiar with water rising in their driveways and
ol the hogs daily, ram or shine,
hot or cold
I like to come out and play
with and pet them." she said
Fach pig has his or her own
personality, said Thompson
And. they know the sound
of my truck.' she said with a
laugh "When I pull up. they
are ready to eat "
Now weighing about 190
pounds, the pigs she is raising
are eating a great deal
Keeping them warm in cold
weather means making sure
they have plenty of hay on the
ground, said Thompson
"On warm days, they just
like being in the mud." she
said
Argene Claxton. an FFA
instructor at Perry High, has
been helpful, said Thompson
So has her older brother. Andy,
who also raised pigs for show
while in school, she added
Some of the pigs kept on the
(See SHOW, Page SA)
of entries in the home and fine arts compe
tition has risen from slightly less than 3.000
during 1990 to about 7.7(H) during 1997.
' We want to show every entry To do so.
we need more exhibit space." he said
So far. the growth of the fairgrounds has
followed the original plan drawn 10 years
ago Those plans called lor additional
exhibit space as activities warranted it
In addition to the Fair, the Agricenter
plays host to a number of shows and activ
ities
Froehlich said interest in recreational
vehicle rallies continues to climb The
Family Motor Coach Association, which
brought more than 6.<KK) coaches to Perry
during March 1996. will return during
HUS Eyes
Firemen spend day
training with new fire
safety and rescue
equipment.
See Page 1B
yards following heavy rains
Perry City Manager Skip Nallcy said the studs by
engineer Tom Chapman ssill move along a plan to
bring the water problems to an end
Several Cheshire area residents fuse appeared
before both the Perry City Council and the Houston
County Board ol Fducation to express concerns
about the flooding problems
(See WATER. Page 5Af
Stalnaker questions
ability to maintain
Houston Lake
He doesn't think drainage gates are large
enough for proper maintenance of the lake
Bv CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Timks-Joi «s u Si so
Mid way through construc
tion. there's a big question
regarding the Houston Lake dam
Will the plans already
approved by both FLMA and the
Georgia Safe Dams Program
really work when the time arrives
each year tor draining the lake '
Tommy Stalnaker doesn't
think so In fact, he’s wondering
it the lake which will be re
created when the dam is complet
ed sometime next summer can
be drained at all through the pro
posed 4 foot-by 4- foot gate and
the three )2-inch dram pipes on
the architect’s plans
"It s too small a gate, he told
the Houston County
Commissioners Feb i "The pool
level may not drop
Stalnaker. who is Houston
County’s public works director,
said the drain problem is not
related to the question ot flood
ing. since flood waters will sim
ply go over the top of the dam
The drainage system is actual
ly for maintenance purposes to
lower the wafer level in the man
made lake for annual cleaning ot
docks and piers around the lake
County Commission Chairman
J Sherrill Stafford, who intro
duced the subject of the dam
drainage sy stem, said that the size
of the gate was in question and
that two alternatives were possi
ble
One possibility is to increase
the size of the gate to 72 inches
by 72 inches
The second is to have two
gales. Stafford said the change
would prohahlv cost an additional
$12,000 to $1 1.000.
Commissioners have promised
that local tax .money will not be
used on the $2 4 million project to
build the new dam and re-create
Houston Lake, which was
destroyed during the July. IW4
flood
The project is being paid for by
the Federal Emergency
Management Agency and indica
tions at the Commissioners meet
ing were that HEM A funds will be
sought lor the additional cost of
upgrading the drainage system
Commissioner James B Carter
recommended a cautious
approach, suggesting that it we
stick with the four-by-four gate,
then we should bet some type of
certification that it meets our
requirements "
Commissioner l.arry
Snellgrove wanted to know
"Who's going to pay for n ’ and
reminded the other
Commissioners that taxpayers
have been told that the cost would
not come front local lax revenues
He also wanted to be sure that the
engineering firm is in full agree
ment with any changes in the
plan
Jeff Powers, an engineer with
Walden. Ashworth and Associates
of Marietta, is heading the pro
ject In a telephone interview on
Tuesday morning. Powers said
that both FEMA and the Safe-
Dams Program (a branch of the
Georgia Environmental
Protection Division i had
approved the plans with the four
by tour gate
He said local officials might
have some new data lor consider
ation He appeared to be unaware
of the plans to seek additional
funding for changes to the plan
and said that he would be calling
Stalnaker to find out more about
the issues
According to Stafford, the sub
ject will be voted on at a called
meeting once more information is
(See COUNTY. Page 5A>
1999 Other major RV rallies arc slated tor
this year and next year, he said
Additionally, the Fairground#has helped
drive the Georgia economy Froehlich esti
mates the 4.7 million visitors to the
Agricenter since June 1990 have pumped
millions of dollars into the Georgia econo
my.
"That new. fresh money coming from
elsewhere. Without the Agricenter. that
money would not be coming to Georgia,
he told the Rotanans
Planning has begun tor a millennium
celebration Dec 31. 1999 Fie expects a
major event that day
The 199 H Georgia National Fair will
take place Oct 9-IK. Froehlich said
jL
Home of the Georgia
National lair and
Agritenter