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£ V •■aI** 1 ** (-* ■w fcJ tO c season in next few days. See Sports, page 6A Volume 127, No 33 2 Sections, 16 Pages Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1998 50 Cents At the Crossroads This Week Perry Library announces programs for childreti The Perry Library is begin ning a scries of programs for children. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m.. chil dren three and older are invit ed to hear stories, and take part in finger plays and songs. On Tuesday and Wednesdays at 11 a.m.. a2O minute program is held for toddlers. 18 months to three years old. Registration is required. Each session will last eight weeks, with the first ses sion beginning on Sept. 8. Movies are shown each Tuesday at 4 p.m. For more information, call 987-3050. 55 Alive driving course can lower insur ance rates The American Association of Retired Persons is present ing a “55 Alive" mature dri ving course at the Perry Hospital, under the sponsor ship of the Houston Health Care Complex. Successful completion of this two-session course means that senior citizens are eligible for a premium discount of their auto insurance. The cost is $8 per person. For pre-registration and class schedule information, please call Willie Kenrick , 825-1556, Walt Rembisz. 987- 1908, the Pavilion. 923-9771, or Frank Skye, 987-3246. School menus return This week's elementary school menus All meals are served with milk. Breakfast includes fresh fruit or fruit juice each day. Lunches include two hot veg etables and four to six cold fruit and vegetable choices daily. Aug. 21: Breakfast, Manager's choice or cereal and toast; Lunch: Pizza , Manager's Choice or PBJ sandwich, oatmeal cookie. Aug. 24: Breakfast, Sausage biscuit or cereal and toast; Lunch. Hamburger, manager’s choice or PBJ sand wich. or baked potato with hot toppings, peanut butter bar. Aug. 25: Breakfast. Cheese croissant or cereal and toast; Lunch, chicken sandwich, spaghetti with Texas toast, PBJ sandwich or sub sandwich, chocolate cake. Aug. 26: Breakfast: Lunch, Comdog. grilled cheese sand wich with fruit yogurt, or PBJ sandwich, or baked potato with hot toppings, pineapple upside-down cake. (See FOOD, Page SA) Houston n Contact the Times- Journal Contact the Houston Times- Joum.tl: Voice (912)987-1823 Fax (912)988-1181 email limesjrnte l horn, net Mail P.O. Drawer M. Pern 31069 Street 807 Carroll Si . Perry. M(H>9 Houston Times -Journal Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia HCHS student hurt in Aug. 12 Perry shooting incident From Staff Reroirrs A 16-year-old Houston County High student was seriously injured during a shooting incident in Perry Aug. 12. According to Perry Police Chief George Potter, the high school student was hurt when someone fired a shotgun at the truck in which the victim was sit ting. That incident happened along Creekwood Drive about 9:30 p.m., said Potter. Apparently, a dispute arose between passengers in the truck and four other males who were on foot in the area, he said. Disagreement exists about Post Office work By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Tiwes-Journal Staff Maybe Perry is one step clos er to seeing construction start on anew post office, but then again, maybe not. On Aug. 18, the Times- Journal received word from Rep. Larry Walker, D- Perry, that he had learned through U.S. Senator Max Cleland's office that the postal facility project was on the move again after months of delays. Walker received a copy of a memo dated Aug. 17, from Robert Warden, Government Relations Representative of the United States Postal Service, with the following information, reprinted here verbatim and in its entirety: “An assignment agreement reached on April 4, 1998 between the Bison Group, Inc. and Fauconniere Asset Management, LLC of Perry, Ga., was ratified by the Postal Service on Aug. 7. Pursuant to this Agreement. Fauconniere Asset Management, LLC has assumed the contractual obligation for construction and lease to the Postal Service of a new Main Office facility in Perry as provided in the original Lease Contract dated Aug. 9, 1996, between the Bison Group, Inc. and the Postal Service. Fauconniere has assumed the substantive terms and conditions of the original agreement. The target date for completion of the project is June 3, 1999.” Ronald Fauconniere, however, has denied that this information is correct. Both Warden, the writer of the memo, and Nancy Ross, a spokesperson for the regional Postal Service, are apparently under the impression that the deal is settled. Warden said that “Bison had some difficulty and has assigned the contract to Fauconniere," adding that “Fauconniere was given 10 days to provide a con struction schedule with a com pletion date no later than June, 1998.” Ross said, “It looks like the project has finally taken off. We have anew developer, Fauconniere, as of Aug. 7. They (Fauconniere) are working on the design and they arc in the process of acquiring the property.” The post office construction project, which is located at 1400 Macon Road, has been stalled for (See POST OFFICE, Page SA) gti§ Routes BUS mfyiwlPp % . • complete list of Perry area public school bus routes for 1998-98 Marshall Frederick of 1018 King Blvd. was arrested a short time after the shooting and charged with aggravated assault and discharging a firearm within 50 yards of a highway, said the chief. The driver of the pick-up, Herbert Streater, also faces charges stemming from an earlier BH 8k ijf <9P9H§ ; jjj LAST SHIPMENT This group of employees of the Perry PPG Plant, Works 18, gathered to watch the last sheets of Azure Blue glass produced at the facility THE ENII Final glass product shipped from PPG Perry plant By EMILY JOHNSTONE Times-Jocbsal Staff “I want to thank the employees who got us this far Since the announcement about the plant closing there have been struggling times, emotionally and other wise.” These words were spoken by Perry PPG plant Manager Henry Goode to a group of employees a short time after the last glass to be produced at the facility was packed and readied for shipment The plant will now go into its final shutdown mode, as soon the giant furnace that melted materials needed for production will be turned off. A large group of workers gathered to watch the last few plates boxed and ready for shipment about 7 p.m. the evening of Aug. 12. Mary Chapman has been with the plant since it opened nine years ago. “This is disappointing," said Chapman. “But. there are times when change comes about." Chapman said she will be looking for another local job. “I like Perry. It’s nice." “I wish it wasn’t closing,” said Keith Dutcher. who has been employed at the plant for the past three years. Dutcher said he plans to go back to school after the shutdown is finalized. Westfield Schools are set for big year From Si*rr Retorts When students return to the Westfield Schools Aug. 20, they’ll see a brand new pre-school build ing, ready for use and anew school entrance. For the school term ahead, that's just the begin ning. According to Marti Tolleson, Westfield’s Development Coordinator, site work will begin soon for anew administrative building, and plans are on the table for anew athletic field house. Serving Houston County Since Dec. 17, IK7O That incident hap pened along Creekwood Drive about 9:30 p.m., said Potter. incident, said Potter, after he allegedly showed a gun and made terrorist threats against an individ ual at Kroger located along Sam Nunn Boulevard. That occurred about 6:30 p.m. the same evening, he added. Strealer, of 103 Dowdy Lane. Kathleen, was charged with ter roristic threats and acts, said Potter Frederick All these projects arc being paid for with funds raised last year in the school’s $1.3 million capital campaign, Tolleson said. The schtxrl will also start an after-school care program for kindergarten through sixth grade this fall, with care provided from the close of classes until 6 p.m. each school day. Westfield will welcome anew music teacher, Deborah Walker, who already has the chorus lined up to sing at Carnegie hall in the Spatial Photo CIRCLE MARKS THE SPOT This is the point a bullet entered this late-model Ford pickup truck Aug. 12. Tim*s-Journal Photo by Emily Johnston* boxed and readied for shipment Aug. 12. The plant is scheduled to be completely shut down in a few weeks. Another employee. Mike Wynne, said he "hates the plant is closing." “They say it hasn't made any money.” said Wynne. Wynne said he will not be one ol the workers leav ing the area for employment elsewhere. “I’m a home grown tomato! I am not leaving Georgia." he said. Operator Chris Barnett spent four and one half years working in a place that has not been cool since the plant began operation-the furnace. "It gets pretty hot!" said Barnett. "The material gets to a temperature of 2.500 to 3.000 degrees." About the plant closing. Barnett echoed other senti ments-"! did not want it to close." “These are some of the best people anywhere" commented team production manager Stan Davis as he looked around at the group of employees. "Some of these people turned down other jobs just so they could stay here until the last day." Goode said the plant will probably be doing some work with a special type glass until about Aug. 31. September I will be the start of cool down' when the furnace is turned off. Goode was plant manager when the plant first (See GLASS. Page SA) spring. Additionally there will be several new faculty members. The nearly 6(H) students at Westfield arc from a large geo graphic area, Tolleson said. “Many people think we re mainly a Perry school." she said, "but only 50 percent of our stu dents come from Houston County. The other 50 percent come from surrounding counties and as lar away as Fit/gerald.” Busy volunteer 1 Perry teen-ager racks up 300 vol unteer hours during summer job See page 1B i Home of the Georgia National fair and Agritenter More than 20,600 expected for school opening Aug. 21 Bv CHARLOTTE PERKINS Times-Joubnai. Staff More than 20,600 students will he headed back to the class room Aug. 2! as the Houston County public schools open their doors for the ! uQK-qq school term That 's just a rough estimate at this point, though, since adminis trators never know exactly who'll be showing up until the first day of school. The one thing that’s certain is that there'll be more students than last year, when 20.180 student were on the rolls at the close of the term Of all those returning for the new term, the teachers and stu dents at Perry Middle School have the most to look forward to this year —a brand new building which will probably be ready in January. “The parents and kids arc excited about it." said Tom Gupton, principal of the school, “and I’m excited just going out there.” Gupton said he expects the move to be relatively easy because the new school will have new furniture and equipment, and most of the moving will involve paperwork and fntoks At Perry High School, sin dents will see some real sprucing up. since the school was repaint ed during the summer and new carpeting was pul down Principal Phil Smith says that he is expecting about I.KM) stu dents this year, with a larger senior class than last year. Students and their parents can expect a lightening up in the school’s absentee policy this year and in the grade reports. Smith added “The number of permissible absences per 18 weeks has been reduced from 15 to 10 by a deci sion of the Board of Education." Smith said. “We found last year that when we loosened up on absenteeism, some students just took advantage of it." He said this year parents can expect to see computer generated progress reports at 6 and 12 weeks, along with report cards after 18 weeks. Van Rogers, principal at Momingside Elementary School, says she and her stall are "ready to go" and that parents will be welcomed at an Open House and orientation from 3 to 5 on Aug 20. At King s Chapel Elementary School Principal Dave Crockett (See SCHOOLS, Page SA)