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Volume 127,
No. 43
2 Sections,
22 Pages
Wednesday,
Oct. 28, 1998
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
This Week *
Trick or Treat is Saturday
night in Perry
The official lime for trick or
treat activities in the city of Perry
is 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
During that time, members of
the Perry High School Junior
Civitan Club will collect canned
goods in the greater Perry area.
PHS instructor Susan Pierce
said the canned goods will be
given to Loaves and Fishes to
help local persons in need.
Democrats host forum
The Houston County
Democratic Committee will meet
at 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at the County
Ag Building, 733 Carroll St., in
Perry.
All local candidates for office
have been invited to speak and to
answer questions. The meeting is
open to the public.
For information, contact
Donnie Vance at 987-2479.
Hot dogs, sloppy Joe's on
school menu
Here a re menus for Houston
County public schools for the
coming week.
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. Schools
under renovation may have dif
ferent menus.
Oct. 28 Breakfast:
Breakfast pizza or cereal and
toast, Lunch: hot dog or sloppy
joes or PBJ sandwich or baked
potato with hot toppings, brown
ie.
Oct. 29 Breakfast: Sausage
biscuit or cereal and toast;
Lunch: Cheeseburger or southern
chicken with roll or PBJ sand
wich or sub sandwich, manager’s
choice dessert.
Oct. 30 Breakfast:
Manager's choice or cereal and
toast: pizza or manager’s choice
or PBJ sandwich or manager’s
choice applesauce cake.
Bake sale ahead
Members of the Perry High
Softball Booster Club will host a
bake sale Oct. 31 at the Kroger
grocery store in Perry. Baked
goods will be on sale from 9 a.m.
until 5 p.m.
Booster club members and
softball players will sell soft
drinks and hot dogs as well. All
proceeds will be used to help pur
chase equipment and jackets and
to cover expenses for the team.
Golf scramble planned by
Band Boosters
Members of the Pride of the
Crossroads Band Boosters will
host a four-man scramble golf
tournament Nov. 7 at Waterford
Golf Course, 620 Ga. 96 in
Bonaire.
Spokesman Dee Bellinger said
the event begins at I p.m.
Included in the $55 per person or
$220 per team fee is cart, range
balls and lunch.
Prizes planned include S4OO
for first, S3OO for second and
S2OO for third. Other prizes
include a set of golf clubs for a
hole in one, a $25 gift certificate
for closest tc *he pin and a club
fitting for the longer Jri.c,
Proceeds from the event will
purchase new band uniforms.
For additional information and
to register, call Waterford at 328-
7533 or Bellinger at 987-1031.
Houston Times-Journol
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Voters to select new leaders Nov. 3
County, General Assembly and state officers on the ballot along with five amendments, five questions
Bv CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times-Joirnal Staff
With candidate's signs in every color lin
ing Houston County’s highways and televi
sion campaign commercials back-to-back,
few local citizens need to be reminded that
tb? November General Election is just a
few days away.
Georgia voters will go to the polls on
Nov. 3. to choose anew governor and It.
governor, a U.S. Senator, members of the
U.S. House of Representatives, and a num
ber of other officials.
At the state level, top contenders are Roy
Barnes, Democrat, and Guy Mftlner.
Republican, who are ninning for governor.
Mitch J. Skandalakis. Republican, and Mark
Taylor, Democrat, are the major party can
didates for It. governor. Republican incum
bent U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell is facing a
challenge from Democrat Michael Coles.
Of special interest on the Perry ballot are
the contests for the District 141 seat in the
Georgia House of Representatives, and two
positions on the Houston County
Commission the chairmanship and the
Post 2 seat.
Perry’s Rep. Larry Walker, longtime
Democratic House Majority Leader, faces a
challenge from Warner Robins business-
Sanders offer
voters distinct choices
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times-Joiiknal Srwr
The two candidates for Houston County
Commission Chairman have very different
positions on two projects with a substantial
impact on Perry the location of the
Houston County Courthouse and the fund
ing for the new headquarters for the
Georgia State Patrol.
While the courthouse and jail location
have already been announced and the land
purchased, Republican candidate Ned
Sanders says he would like to see the deci
sion on the location reconsidered, and see
the courthouse located near Ga. 96 in the
population center of the county.
“The courthouse and jail site does not
meaningfully address the needs of 75 per
cent of the population." Sanders said at a
forum held by the NAACP at Rozar Park in
Perry. “We need to revisit that, take anoth
er look at it."
Sanders has also said he would take a
special interest in the restoration and con
tinued use of the old courthouse building in
downtown Perry when the new courthouse
is completed, in order to boost the down
town area.
Stafford has pointed out that under
Georgia law the courthouse must be built in
Perry because it is the county seat. The site
for the courthouse and jail at the intersection
Alday challenges legality of tax cap law changes
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times- Journal Staff
Gloria Alday, candidate for State
Representative from District 141, has charged
Houston County’s tax cap was undermined by
the 1996 Constitutional Amendment allowing
voters to approve special local option sales
(SPLOST) taxes. r
She says she is elected she will seek another
state constitutional amendment to restore the tax
cap to its original intent.
Alday is referring to provisions added to the
1996 SPLOST amendment through the efforts
of former Rep. Sonny Watson, and with the
backing of State Sen. Sonny Perdue and Rep.
Larry Walker, among others. The added lan
guage made it possible for Houston County vot
ers to approve a SPLOST for special projects
without meeting the tax cap provision for rolling
back ad valorem taxes in the amount raised by
the sales tax.
The Houston County tax cap, which was
established by a state wide vote on a constitu
tional amendment in 1982, states that if a sales
tax is adopted that increase in taxation must be
offset by a corresponding decrease in property
taxes.
Perry beats Macon twice
Westfield and Perry High claim
Details, pages 10-12 8
woman Gloria Alday on the Republican
ticket. Both have run highly visible cam
paigns in recent weeks with increasing tele
vision commercials. In the last week
Walker’s ads have focused on endorse
ments by Gov. Zell Miller, former U.S.
Senator Sam Nunn and former Gov. Joe
Frank Harris.
Alday. a political newcomer, is running
on the strength of her experience in busi
ness and a conservative financial platform.
Houston County Commission Chairman
J. Sherrill Stafford of Centerville is another
incumbent Democrat facing opposition in
this election. His Republican opponent is
Ned Sanders of Warner Robins, a civil engi
neer from Warner Robins.
Stafford has emphasized his experience
and leadership abilities, while Sanders has
campaigned on issues of infrastructure,
road improvement and the location of the
county courthouse, which he feels should
be located in the center of the county rather
than in Perry.
In a Commission race being voted on
county-wide. Republican Larry Thomson
and Democrat George Williams are vying
for County Commission Post 2. which is
being vacated at the end of this year. Jim
Carter decided not to seek another term.
pr ** *
Stafford
of Perry Parkway and Kings Chapel Road has
been purchased and the Perry City Council is
in the process of annexing that land.
Sanders also has questioned the use of
county funds to build anew $860,000 head
quarters for the Georgia State Patrol on land
donated by the Georgia Agricenter, he has
said he wants to sec state funds used for that
project rather than county funds.
Stafford says all State Patrol headquar
ters in Georgia are built by the host counties
except for one at Jekyll Island that was
funded by the state. The State Patrol brings
revenues from as many as 60.000 traffic
cases a year into the county.
“It’s a good example of partnership with
the state, and many counties would fight to
have a State Patrol office in their county,”
Stafford said. “Not funding it would be cut
ting off your nose to spite your face."
He said further that the land that will be
vacated —a 3 1 /; site adjacent to 1-75 and the
Marshallviile Road is prime real estate
and will be sold once the move is complete.”
Consequently. Houston County did not have
the option other counties in the state had of ask
ing voters to approve SPLOSTS for such specif
ic construction project as the new Houston
County courthouse and jail, or school buildings.
According to Sonny Watson, who sponsored
the provisions to the 1996 Amendment, his
efforts followed discussions with members of
the Houston County Commission as well as
members of the Houston County Board of
Education.
“I felt like people in Houston County were
discriminated against," Watson said. “We were
the only county out of 159 that couldn't use the
special use sales tax. All the provision does is
give people the opportunity to decide whether or
not to have a SPLOST.”
Alday sees it differently.
“The people of Houston County went to
great lengths to vole in a tax cap," she said, “and
it was taken away with the stroke of a pen. I am
promising to look into restoring the tax cap to its
original wording.”
A change in the amendment as it applies to
Houston County would require a statewide vote
(See ALDAY, Page 8A)
Srr\m* Houston ( oiinlv Sinit* Dec, 17, I<l7o
■f / *"
Sanders
c nt. a. ■ .
Timai-Joumal Photo by Charlotte Perkins
MEET THE PUBLIC Facing the public during a recent candidate
forum are (from left) County Commission candidates Ned Sanders,
Larry Thompson, George Williams and Sherrill Stafford.
Williams has emphasized a strong
crime-fighting position, while Thomson
has brought up a variety of issues and has
pushed for county funding for the emer
gency needs of foster children.
Another lively race has been between
two attorneys, Fred Graham. Democrat.
Couftcfl OKs sale of city
land for new industry
By ROB MEAD and
STACIE M. VU
Times-Journal Staff
Perry Council members have approved
the sale of a city-owned 50 acre lot to the
Douglas Asphalt Cos. Douglas intends to
build storage tanks on the property for the
containment of liquid asphalt.
The 50 acres located in the Perry Allied
Business Park off Valley Drive Extension,
consist of 30 acres of land suitable for
development and 20 acres of wetlands.
The wet lands will not be developed.
In other business at the October 20
meeting of council. Skip Nalley. city man
ager, offered first reading of an annexation
ordinance.
The Ingrid Reiter property, slightly
more than 66 acres, is located along Kings
Chapel Road at the intersection with Perry
Parkway, and Gray Road.
The site is the proposed location of the
new Houston County courthouse and jail
project.
Council members reviewed the city’s
contract with The Older Americans
Council of Middle Georgia, for 1999.
The OAC leases part of the Perry
Community Center at J. Frank Rozar Park
for a senior citizen center.
An amendment stating joint responsi
bility for maintenance and replacement of
jointly used appliances between the
Chamber seeks rent relief from CVB
By ROB MEAD
Times-Jocknal Staff
The Perry Area Chamber of Commerce,
a tenant at the Perry Welcome Center for
the past 15 months, is seeking rent relief
from the landlord.
During the Oct. 22 meeting of the Perry
Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
directors, Chamber President Chris Kinnas
requested a rent adjustment from the CVB.
The CVB made space for three offices
available to the chamber almost two years
ago, and after renovation, the chamber
moved in the nine-year-old building at 101
Gen. Courtney Hodges Blvd. The rent for the
Chamber of Commerce expires July 1, 1999.
The members of the Chamber of
Commerce believe the Welcome Center
best suits their,, purpose, Kinnas said.
Jenny Andrew, executive director of the
CVB said many visitors request informa
tion from both organizations, and having
both the CVB and the Chamber of
Commerce together is a distinct advantage
''" • ■ ; I
and Rob Tawse. Republican, for the posi
tion of Stale Court Solicitor.
In addition to the positions being filled,
the ballot includes five proposed amend
ments to the Georgia Constitution and five
referendum questions
Polls will open at 7 a.m. and dose at 7 p.m
O.A.C. and the City will be included in the
proposal to the Council by the end ot the
month.
City Recreation Department Director.
Tommy Morris, presented a fee structure
which was turned down by City Council
except for a proposed increase in basket
ball fees, which was approved.
City residents will now pay $25 to par
ticipate in the basketball program and non
city residents will pay $37.50. These
prices will go into effect immediately
An ordinance regarding the terms of
franchise for cable and other telecommu
nications received first reading.
Council members approved the motion
to observe Trick or Treat in Perry. Oct 31
from the hours of 6-8 p.m
Council awarded the concession stand
construction project at Creekwood Park to
local contractor Pete Stokes. The stand is a
S4O.(XX) project which will he paid for
with a $20,0(8) grant from Sam Nunn.
SIO.(XX) from the Department of Natural
Resources and the remaining $9.894 00
coming out of the City’s contingency fund.
Council member James Moore recom
mended the city adopt an ordinance which
would prohibit teen-agers 18-years-old
and younger from patronizing pool halls
which serve alcohol. This will he studied
by the city attorney, the city manager and
the police chief before any action is taken.
for the visitors and
the city of Perry.
Also mentioned
was the upcoming
Dogwood festival in
Perry, April 4, 1999.
Massee Lane,
located along Ga. 49
between
Marshallviile and
Fort Valley, and home
of American
Camellia Society,
will exhibit camellias, which begin bloom
ing in November.
The Georgia National Fairgrounds will
host the “Southeastern Showdown”, the
second largest high school rodeo in the
country, with entries from six stales during
the dates of Nov. 13-15.
A retreat, sponsored by the Chamber of
Commerce, to plan for the upcoming year
plan of action will take place at St.
Simon’s Island Nov. 7.
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Home of the Georgia
National f air and
Agricenter
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KINNAS