Newspaper Page Text
ran Into major problems wlt^^llllllllllllil
produces pa
time Sept i
were unsuc
pressed Into
to produce
removed frot
pictures In yc... „ ww, na,. -
Volume 127,
No. 35
2 Sections,
16 Pages
Wednesday,
Sept 2, 1998
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
This Week
Labor Day is Sept. 7
Monday will be observed as
Labor Day. a federal holiday.
Throughout Houston County,
schools will be closed, banks will
be closed, city and county offices
will be closed, many Robins Air
Force Base workers will be off,
and the post ofTice will be closed.
Trash collection in most com
munities will be postponed one day.
The Houston Times-Journai
will be open. Attorneys are
reminded the closing date for Oct.
6 foreclosure sales is noon Sept.
7.
School menus set
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 vegeta
bles and four to six cold fruit and
vegetable choices daily. Menus
may be different at schools under
going renovation.
Sept. 3: Breakfast, Manager's
choice or cereal and toast; Lunch,
cheeseburger or soother chicken
with roll or PBJ sandwich or sub
sandwich, Manager’s choice
dessert.
Sept. 4: Breakfast, French
toast or cereal and toast; Lunch,
pizza or Manager’s choice or PBJ
sandwich or Manager’s choice,
applesauce cake
Sept. 8: Breakfast, Manager’s
choice or cereal and toast; Lunch,
chicken sandwich or beef-a-roni
or PBJ sandwich or sub sandwich.
Rice Krispy Treats.
Sept. 9: Breakfast, ham biscuit
or cereal and toast; Lunch. Lunch,
com dog or grilled cheese with
fruit yogurt or PBJ sandwich or
baked potato with hot toppings,
Mississippi mud cake.
Sept. 10: Manager’s choice or
cereal and toast; Lunch, nachos
with beef and cheese or pizza or
PBJ sandwich or sub sandwich,
chocolate chip cookie.
Inspectors find some
problems in restaurants
Inspectors with die Houston
County Environmental Health
Department found some restau
rants with discrepancies from the
inspection list during the week of
Aug. 31-Sept. 4.
Locations with discrepancies
included:
El Jalisiense, 115-A Russell
Parkway, Warner Robins, prob
lems with storage of cleaning
products
New Perry Hotel Restaurant,
500 Main St., Perry, 85, problems
with temperature control of foods
Publix Super Markets Deli,
215 Russell Parkway, Warner
Robins, 89, problems with stor
age of cleaning products
No discrepancies were found
at these locations:
Centerville Headstart, 1009
Carl Vinson Pari, way,
Centerville. 98
China Moon, 1448 Sam Nunn
Blvd., 94
Dave’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice,
110 Pioneer Trail, Warner Robins,
100
Krystal, 747 Russell Parkway,
Warner Robins, 97 •
Morrison’s Fresh Cooking,
2745 Watson Blvd., Warner
Robins, 92
New Perry Nursing Home,
Stanley St., Perry, 85
j Perry Country Club, 1000
North Davis Drive, Perry, 99
Perry Head Start 601 Hillcrest
Ave., Perry, 97
Shoney’s, 1224 Russell
Parkway, Warner Robins, 94
Subway, 1365 Sam Nunn
Houston Times-Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Courthouse moving to Kings Chapel Road site
County selects 63-acre spot at intersection of Kings Chapel Roady Perry Parkway
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
TiMia-Joi.'mfiAj,
When asked if he was pleased with the
County Commissioner's long-awaited deci
sion on the location of the new Houston
County courthouse and jail. Perry Mayor
Jim Worrall grinned and summed it up in
three words “Shoot, I reckon!”
“It’s very accessible for all the citizens,"
Worrall said of the 63-acre site, which is
located at the intersection of King’s Chapel
Road and the Perry Parkway.
He noted that the city will “have to get on
the stick" with annexing the site and other
land in the vicinity in order to be sure that
zoning regulations encourage appropriate
development of the area around the new
City leaders informed of county
choice before announcement made
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
TIME-S-joUKHAL
“We have worked damned hard to get where we
are today.”
That statement was made by Houston County
Commissioner Jim Carter during an Aug. 26 meeting
during which county commissioners informed Perry
ci'y council members of the chosen site location for
the new courthouse and jail.
Carter was responding to comments made by
Perry councilman Ralph Gentry regarding the site
location.
After a presentation by architects Mike Slater and
Jim Mehserle. Gentry said he is afraid commission
ers are picking the “worst spot for people of Houston
County to get to.”
Gentry was speaking of a 63-acre parcel of land
located at the intersection of the Perry Parkway and
Kings Chapel Road. Public announcement of the
choice was made Sept. 1.
Gentry had been in favor of an approximate 40-
acre site near the intersection of U.S. 41 and the
Perry Parkway.
“I thought you were supposed to be looking 50
years into the future,” he said to commissioners.
City may push for membership changes
on Convention and Visitors Bureau
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
TiMss-MmLgurr
During the next Georgia General Assembly, legis
lation may be passed that could cause a major change
in the Perry Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
Authority, according to Perry Mayor Jim Worrall.
Worrall told that group during their Aug. 27 meet
ing that he and several city councilmen have dis
cussed the possibility of “a change in the makeup of
this board.”
“We need to broaden this base," he added.
The Mayor cited concerns such as poor atten
dance by some members of the PACVB to regular
meetings and not having a more diverse group of
members serving as two reasons the matter is being
looked at.
The group, which has a $418,703 budget for this
fiscal year, could be made up of local people who are
involved in businesses that deal with tourism besides
restaurant, hotel and motels, said Worrall.
“Some feel like tourism is more than hotel, motel
and restaurants,” he said.
Council member Charles Lewis agrees. “We need
to appoint people with interest in the tourism busi
ness.”
Lewis said new board member and chairman
Scott Mosley is a good example. Manager of a local
grocery store, Mosley can help other such business
es in the area keep up-to-date on times they can
expect a large influx of visitors to the city who will
patronize those businesses.
Poor attendance is a worry of his, also. “We have
got some inactive people.”
The PACVB is a very important part of the com
munity, said Lewis, and needs to be made up of a
group of people who represent the area well.
That could mean people who are in businesses
that see a lot of trade with tourists, said Worrall, such
as Perry’s scenic downtown area.
“I think our downtown merchants should be rep
resented on this board, also,” he added.
That suggestion is one that seems to make past
■ v 1 . .
_ . .■ . _ . j •__ Kb t * a V'• 'ac.‘'4CF r £'/ I
ml Hjp \/iOVA/C fhjA 'I f '
BI 111 j VIV Vf v vt 9 (xi IV*? I g ' XT >• ■
county facilities.
The decision on the location of the cour
thouse and jail was announced at a crowded
9 a.m. press conference on Sept. 1, just
before the Commissioners’ meeting at Perry
City Hall. Both of Houston County’s
Superior Court Judges, George Nunn and
Ed Lukemire, were present to hear the deci
sion, as was the District Attorney, Kelley
Burke.
Commission Chairman J. Sherrill
Stafford announced the decision, and said
the county will pay $7,500 per acre for the
land. He did not announce the owner of the.
land. The sale is being handled by*
Coldwell-Free Realty in Perry.
Stafford called on the architectural team
Gentry added that he is worried how the choice of
the Kings Chapel/Perry Parkway site may effect
growth in the area.
Houston County Commission Chairman J.
Sherrill Stafford said the cost of the U.S. 41/Perry
Parkway property was substantially higher than the
choice site.
“1 hope people will understand that,' he said,
adding that he did not think citizens would want the
county to pay a price that went a good deal over
appraisal value.
Councilman Bobby Glover told commissioners he
thinks they have “done a good job” in site selection.
Councilman Billy Jerles said “this is not an easy
issue. I am not going to fuss.”
Meanwhile, Perry Mayor Jim Worrall said the
City is awaiting a request from the county regarding
annexation of the property into the city limits of
Perry.
“We are also looking at annexing the remaining
parcels on the other side of the Parkway,” added
Worrall. This action will help the city zoning board
have some control over the type development that
probably will occur in the area, he said.
president of the Downtown Merchants Association,
Connie Potter, happy.
“1 think it is a great idea,” she said Sept. 1.
“Obviously, the downtown merchants make up for a
good bit of shopping.”
“We do work together, we are in the same group,”
said Potter. “The downtown merchants take a lot of
pride and care” in that area, she said.
Many visitors to Perry comment on the appeal of
downtown Perry, said Potter, and having a member
on the board of a group that promotes tourism in the
area would be beneficial.
The creation of the PACVB was approved by the
governor’s office in Atlanta Feb. 27,1990.
Legislation decrees that the board consist of 13
members; nine are considered regular members and
four are ex officio members.
The nine members are made up of people who are
owners or employees of businesses within the city.
Four of the nine must be owner, operators or man
agers of hotel, motel or restaurant businesses,
according to legislation.
Members are appointed by city council. The serve
period runs concurrent with their appointees term in
office.
Presently, the group is made up of D.K. Roughton,
appointed by the Mayor, Hervia Ingram, appointed
by Phyllis Bowers; John Slezak, appointed by Ralph
Gentry; Bipin Vashi, appointed by Billy Jerles; Jodi
Hinz, appointed by Bobby Glover, Nellwin Moore,
appointed by James Moore; Scott Mosley, appointed
by Charles Lewis; A1 Pearson, appointed by Mayor
and Council and Jimmy Faircloth, appointed by
Mayor and Council.
Ex-Officio members are Skip Nalley, Perry city
manager, Chris Kinnas, Chamber of Commerce
President; Jenny Andrew, director of Convention and
Visitors Bureau; and Michael Froehlich, director of
the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter.
During the meeting, Worrall and members of the
PACVB agreed to hold a joint meeting in the near
future to further discuss the matter.
Serving Houston County Since pec. 17. IK7O
to provide details about the site selection
rationale.
Jim Mehserle of JMA spoke first,
explaining that the sites under consideration
were evaluated on a matrix which included
many factors such as traffic access, proxim
ity to residential areas and the potential for
enhancing adjoining property values.
Michael Slater of Hayes, Michael &
Slater pointed out that the site is bounded by
three roads: Perry Parkway, Kings Chapel
Road, and Gray Road; and that it is at a dis
tance of half a mile from the nearest school.
It is also already served by all required util
ities and has good visibility for the court
house site.
Also present for the presentation was
Forever Plaid opens at
Perry Players this week
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
lIMP-IWIU<ALSTArr
“They are so good, it will give
you goose bumps."
That is the observation of one
of the crew that is putting togeth
er the next Perry Players musical,
Forever Plaid.
According to Director Carol
Strandburg, the musical centers
around the life and death of four
members of a group which sounds
very much like their idols, The
Four Seasons and other groups
that were popular in the late
19505.
The aspiring singers and close
friends are killed in a vehicle acci
dent without having realized their
Spotlight on fall sports activities
Football and softball seasons at
Perry High and Westfield have
begun. Check out the players and
the coaches reports for the fall.
See pages 5-6A
Concerned citizens
react to possible
Cagle s plant
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
TlHIBilMHIHjlfirT
A local group of citizens,
the Committee for a Better
South Houston County, is hop
ing a public forum will be held
soon that would give residents
an opportunity to ask questions
and learn more about a pro
posed chicken processing facil
ity.
This follows the announce
ment by Cagle, a company in
the chicken processing busi
ness, of their interest in acquir
ing the former Heileman
Brewery located on the 247
Spur in Kathleen and having
the building retrofitted to
accommodate processing.
Colton Sexton, a member of
the group, said he and others
throughout die county are
“very concerned about the type
labor force” such an industry
might bring into the area.
Sexton said the announce
ment by the company that they
could eventually employ up to
2,000 people at the proposed
facility has the Committee
worried.
“Now you can ride up and
down Sam Nunn Boulevard
and see there are jobs in the
same labor pool that are avail
able,” said Sexton, referring to
signs at fast-food restaurants
seeking employees.
Also, the estimated 360
chicken houses that would be
needed to support the facility is
Michael Brenchley, Project Manager for
Henningson, Durham & Richardson, the
nationwide architectural firm that has
teamed up with the two local firms for the
building projects. Brenchley pointed out
that one advantage of the site was that there
would be room for future expansion if need
ed.
Brenchley also said that there would be
several public meetings for feedback on the
design of the courthouse.
Regarding a timetable for the building to
begin, Brenchley said that he anticipated
that “we should see dirt start to turn in the
third quarter of ’99, and then it will be 20
months or so for ultimate construction.”
a concern, he said.
“People need to think about
where they are going to be,"
said Sexton.
This is more of a concern
than die plant itself, he added.
Meanwhile, some local
business leaders will not com
ment on their opinion of the
proposed facility. Chris
Kinnas, president of the Perry
Area Chamber of Commerce
and Paul Hicks, chairman for
the chamber, said they would
not comment as they feel they
need more information about
the subject.
That goes ditto for Perry
City Council member Billy
Jerles. “I know there are con
cerns based on the communi
ty’s perception of the plant and
the effect employees would
have that move into the city.”
Jerles said he has heard of
concerns that the labor force
would overwhelm the schools,
health system and court sys
tems in Houston County.
Georgia State Senator
Sonny Perdue, R.-Bonaire,
said he believes that if anyone
has interest in taking a look at
such a facility that Cagle
would be happy to oblige.
From the perspective of the
poultry processing plant the
senator said he has visited such
facilities and “come away
pleasantly surprised.”
See CAGLE, Page 3A)
dream of “making it big.”
But, now they are back in the
present time of 1998, given anoth
er chance to perform.
The result is a touching friend
ship and lots of humor, said
Strandburg.
The talent of the four cast
members, Cliff Carroll, David
Galloway, Martin Roberts and
Mark Strandburg shine with their
emotional, professional render
ings, she added.
“This show has some extreme
ly difficult music,” said
Strandburg.
Musical director for the four,
(See PLAID, Page 3A)
-j*
Home of the Georgia
National Fair and
Agricenter