Newspaper Page Text
House
Homes
Two historic homes
go to new address
es.
See page 2A
Volume 127,
No. 32
2 Sections,
16 Pages
Wednesday,
Aug. 12, 1998
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
This Week
Rifle raffle set
Members ol the Perry Fire
Department Ladies Auxiliary
are selling raffle tickets for tt
.30/.30 Mariin brand rifle.
Tickets are $ 1.50 each dr 6 for
$7.
Proceeds benefit the Perry
Fire Department to help pur
chase equipment.
The drawing will be held
Oct. 3.
For information, contact
any member of the Auxiliary
or call 988-2850.
Food preparers get
inspection
Members of the Houston
County Environmental Health
Department inspected several
local food preparers during the
week of Aug. 3-7.
Locations where discrepan
cies were found were required
to make immediate changes.
Cove Lounge. 937 Cordcr
Road. Warner Robins. 91,
problems with temperature
control of foods
El Sombrero. 2105 Watson
Blvd.. Suite I. Warner Robins,
82. problems with employee
hygiene matters, problems
with temperature control of
foods
Montana’s Steakhousc,
2212 Watson Blvd.. Warner
Robins. 91. problems with
employee hygiene matters
No discrepancies were
found at these locations:
Applchee's Grill and Bar.
314 Russell Parkway. Warner
Robins. 92
Judec's Coffee Shop. 270
Ga. 26 East. Elko. 97
Kmart Eatery Express.
1355 Sam Nunn Blvd.. Pcrrv,
97
Kentucky Fried Chicken,
1996 W'aison Blvd. Warner
Robins. 94
Parkway Cinemas. 821
Russell Parkway. Warner
Robins. 100
Po Folks. 2030 Watson
Blvd.. Warner Robins. 93
Popeve’s Famous Chicken
and Biscuits. 750 Russell
Parkway. W'arncr Robins. 86
Shilla. 604 Russell
Parkway. Warner Robins. 100
Hospice needs trained
volunteers
Hospice of Houston
County is seeking caring vol
unteers to offer their time and
support to help with the termi
nally ill.
Required training classes
are to be held Aug. 15 and 22
from 8:30 a m.-5 p.m.
These classes will be held
at the Church of Christ. 100
Cordcr Road. W'arncr Robins.
Call 922-1777 to register.
Houston
Contact
the Times-
Journal
Contact the Houston Times-
Journal
Voice (912)9X7-1823
Pa.\ (912)9X8-1181
email timesjmte hum net
Mail PO. Drawer M,
Perry. 31069
Street KO7 Carrol! St..
Perr\. 11069
i i
tpfgm * * It' ZtfduL
Houston Times-Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
OSHA fines Tolleson following Lopez death
Bv CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Timks-Rmorbf.r Stafp
The government investigators have
come and gone, and the company has bit
the bullet and paid a big fine, but Salvador
Rodrigue/ Lopez* tragic death on March 16
of this year remains a mystery especial
ly to Rusty Wood, president of Tolleson
Lumber Cos.
"He was an excellent worker.” Wood
said, “and he had worked for us for a year
and nine months in that same area Nobody
saw the accident. We don’t understand
what happened. He was found in a restrict
ed area.
“We had guard rails and danger signs
around that area, and we had had them
HIGH AM) 1)11Y ...
Houston Lake residents complain water is leaving docks dry
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
T i mcs-Jol rn alSta f
“We are looking at what
our options are."
Those words came from
Houston County Commission
member James Carter He was
describing the situation the
county faces at Houston Lakv
Homeowners there arc
concerned their boat docks
may be left high and dry when
the lake finishes filling behind
anew dam.
According to Carter, the
water level of the lake may
not be as high as before the
dam burst during the Flood of
1994.
Anew dam has been con
structed at the site, and the
lake is refilling.
Carter said because the
county will be responsible for
maintenance of the dam. he is
concerned about the situation.
“The county is going to end
up owning the dam.” said
Carter. “The county is respon
sible for the dam.
“I am concerned about
this," he added. “This will
have to be looked at strongly
and clearly.”
The engineers and design
ers of the dam, Walden.
Ashworth and Associates of
Marietta, said the lake’s pool
level should be within six
inches of the previous level,
according to Carter.
However, some homeown
ers arc telling commissioners
the level seems to be one to
one and a half feet below the
previous level, he said.
Last week, the gates were
shut to a point that brought the
level near what it will be
when the project is complete.
What homeowners saw then
were several boat docks that
would not be usable, said
Carter.
Carter said an evaluation
City reaches new agreement with Peachstate Cable
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Tt mes- Jot * val Starr
After lengthy discussions, the City of Perry
and Peachstate Cable TV have reached an
agreement that will allow Peachstate to contin
ue providing cable service to Perryans for the
next ten to 15 years.
A franchise agreement was approved by
city council during an Aug. 4 meeting held at
city hall.
The agreement for franchise renewal
includes the cable company paying SIO,OOO
toward reimbursement to the City for expense
of the preparation of the agreement that City
Manager Skip Nallcy said has been worked on
for the past two years.
Charlotte Perkins
Offers Advice
"Thank a teacher today"
See page 4A
there for 20 years because of the danger."
Wood said Aug. 11.
For reasons nobody will ever under
stand. however. Lope/ was in that danger
ous area and was killed there when a drag
chain conveyor hit him on the head.
Following the accident, as required by
law. Tolleson officials called The
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration. OSHA sent a team to
investigate safety conditions at the compa
ny. OSHA must be called whenever there
is an accidental death in a work environ
ment. or when there is a catastrophe,
involving injuries to five or more employ
ees.
OSHA subsequently fined the company
'’jft
Time* joiinul Photo bv Charlotte Perk ms
NEW BUT NOT RIGHT Residents along the before. Asa result, their docks are not in the
shore of Houston Lake are complaining this new water,
dam is not bringing the water level to the same as
will probably take place during
this month after the gates arc
“totally shut."
That may cause the level to
fluctuate some, but it will proba
bly not be a big difference from
what homeowners saw last week,
added Carter.
Lake Joy is for sale for $175,000
From Staki Reports
Not far upstream from Houston Lake is another
body of water that has attracted homeowners who
look to live near the water.
That is Lake Joy and. according to a Macon real
tor, it is for sale not just a couple of acres of
waterfront, but more than 45 acres of water.
Dan Rock said the lake, owned by a Fort Valley
couple can be boughr for 5175.000. That includes
two mobile homes and a boat dock situated on the
two acres of land, he said
Nalley said the City’s original request for
$25,000 reimbursement was reduced to the
SIO,OOO figure after the cable company nego
tiated for a lower amount.
“Council agreed to do this in a spirit of
cooperation." said Nalley. “The City has high
expectations of the company and its future ser
vice to customers."
The reduction was also OK'd by the
Georgia Municipal Association, an organiza
tion that provides assistance and advice for
municipalities, said Nalley. “GMA helped us
prepare the agreement.” he said.
The agreement also specifies a five percent
franchise lax Ice to be paid by the cable com
pany to the City.
Serving Houston imumty Since Dec. 17, 1870
more than $15,000 for safety violations, an
amount which has since been reduced to
about $14,000
Tolleson has paid the fine and is correct
ing the problems noted, said OSHA investi
gator Ray Finney.
Finney said the largest single fine in the
total was for $5,000. and had to do with the
area in which Lope/ died.
According to the citation, "conveyors
arc installed overhead (in that area) and dip
down at work stations, suitable guards or
hand rails were not provided to prevent
accidental injury to personnel: and on or
about March 16. 1998. under (the)
Unscramblcr machine at Edgei Machine,
employee was exposed to being caught in
In the meantime. Carter said
the county will move ahead with
plans for paving and other pro
jects around the area that can be
used for public access
This will take place as soon as
a lew other county road projects
can be taken care of. he said
The public is allowed to fish on the lake by pay .
mg a small fee. said Rock. Fees arc placed in a drop
box using an honor system.
Of course, homeowners around the lake have
fishing privileges, he added
Lake Joy has been around lor a long time, he
said "I have heard it dales to Civil War days."
The lake is fed mainly by water that Hows along
Mossy Creek and until about 50 years ago was
known as Tharpc Mill Pond
It is located along Lake Joy Road
F —i 'x>g.j
Alter the former structure was
destroyed during the Flood ol
1994. federal and state monies of
more than $1 million were made
available for rebuilding of the dam
Most of that money has now
been paid, according to county
officials.
Peachstate President Bill Mitchell said he is
"delighted city council chose to renew the
agreement."
“We love doing business in Perry. It is a
great place to live in." said Mitchell.
Mitchell said the cable industry is changing
rapidly and the new agreement will bring
many issues up to date
The previous agreement was about thirty
years old.
“We have been here about thirty years."
said Mitchell
Currently. Peachstate offers 62 Supcrbastc
channels for $28.75 per month and 12 basic
(See CABLE, Page SA)
Perryan in national Air
Force rodeo
See how they keep them
flying
Page 1B
an inadequately guarded drag chain con
veyor at area where the drag chain convey
or ran toward a horizontal I-beam support
while the head clearance was approximate
ly 5 feet 2 inches to the ground.”
Other safety problems were also noted,
including exposure of employees to Hying
wood chips and pieces of bark due to
unguarded rotary barking devices, an
unguarded chute opening, and a stairway
with no mid-rail
However. Tolleson said that Finney, as
head investigator, had said in his on site
report that it was clear that Tolleson pro
moted safety through a monthly safely
emphasis program, and that there were no
willful violations.
Robinson
leads vote
Bv Charlotte Perkins
TIMES-J(H k SU, STAFF
Ai press lime. Gail Robinson,
an atlorney from Kathleen,
seemed certain to become the
second woman County
Commissioner in Houston
County ’s history.
With 26 of 29 precincts report
ing on the run-ofl election.
Robinson had 54 percent of the
vote, with 2.475 to F.d Hawkins'
2.091
Robinson will take office at
the next meeting of the County
Commission, to fill the unexpired
term of former Commissioner
Larry Sncllgrove. The lasi female
County Commissioner. Betty
Perdue Gocken. served in the
early 1980’s.
In other races. Roy E Barnes
won 80 percent of the vote from
Houston County Democrats, and
Mark Taylor took a commanding
local lead over Mars Margaret
Oliver for Lt. Governor
In the Republican race for Lt
Governor. Houston County vot
ers gave Clint Day a landslide ol
1.426 to Mitch Skandalakis' 479
Back to school
prayers set for
Saturday
From Si vff Reports
Parents, students.teachers and
concerned citizens have been
invited to meet at the Houston
Mull in Warner Robins at 9:30
am. Aug. 15. for a back-to
school prayer drive
Margaret Selph. a teachei at
Quail Run Elementary School
will give a program of devotion
and encouragement . and those in
attendance will divide into teams
to drive around the county to
each school and pray for the chil
dren. teachers and staff, accord
ing to Emily Dennis an organiz
er of the event.
“We will not go into the
schools." Dennis said, but will
drive around them and onto the
campus to pray. We will also be
praying for the Board of
Education and all support stall.
“Our goal." she continued, is
to bless.our children and schools
with prayers for a safe and suc
cessful school year. Anyone with
a heart to pray for our county
schools and private schools is
encouraged to come. We need
you and would love to have both
parents and teachers of each
school represented at the event
so that we can have teams of two
to four to drive to assigned
schooTs."
Err further information, call
Hmilv Dennis at 929-57 l >s.
A
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