Newspaper Page Text
Second cable television firm
considers Perry
A firm based in Michigan has applied to the
city of Perry for a f 99/99/99
cable television ser gl:orc>ia nluspapek: pro
Volume 127,
No. 52
2 Sections,
14 Pages
Wednesday,
Dec. 30, 1998
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
This Week
New Perry Middle
School to open Jan. 4
When students return from
the Christmas holidays Jan. 4,
students at Perry Middle
School will report to the new
campus at 1098 Perry
Parkway.
According to Principal
Tom Gupton, a ribbon-cutting
ceremony will be held Jan. 6 at
9 a.m.
Also planned is an open
house Jan. 14. Festivities will
include a barbecue dinner,
available from 5-6:45 p.m.
and the open house program
at 7 p.m.
The barbecue will serve as
a fund-raising project, and
baked items will be available
for purchase at the same time.
Tickets are on sale through
teachers, booster club mem
bers, athletes and cheerleaders
for $5.
Only one restaurant
inspected last week
Houston County health
inspectors made one restaurant
visit during the week of Dec.
21-24.
Jin Jin Chinese Restaurant.
1309-D S. Main Street, Perry,
84, with storage of cleaning
products.
All major discrepancies are
corrected before the health
inspector leaves the premises.
Closings told
Most city, county, state and
federal offices will be closed
Jan. 1, 1999 to observe the
holiday.
There will be no mail ser
vice or trash collection that
day.
Some businesses will be
open and most franchise
restaurants will be open dur
ing the day.
The Houston Times-
Journal will be closed that
day.
Newspaper begins
subscription campaign
Houston Times-Joumal
General Manager Jj Johnson
announced plans this week for
a three-week telephone sales
subscription effort in southern
Houston County.
The campaign will begin
Jan. 4. Callers will identify
themselves as associated with
the Houston Times-Joumal,
and will offer new and renew
al subscriptions to the paper.
The S2O plus tax ($21.40)
in-county rate for one year of
home delivery will apply. A
portion of each subscription
sold will be given to the
Houston County Habitat for
Humanity organization to sup
port construction of new
homes in Perry.
■4* I
Houston 1
Contact
the Times-
Journal
Contact the Houston Times-
Joumal:
Voice (91 1,.-’’
Fax (912)988-1181
email timcsjm@hom.net
Mail P.O. Drawer M,
Perry, 31069
Street 807 Carroll St.,
Perry. 31069
Houston Times-Joumal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Walker: Environment, education, transportation top issues ahead
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times-JduKNAi. STrr
There’ll be some changes when the
Georgia General Assembly convenes in
Atlanta next month including anew
governor and, anew lieutenant governor.
What won’t change, however, is Houston
County’s delegation, and Rep. Larry
Walker’s leadership role in state govern
ment.
Walker, who won a decisive victory over
Republican challenger Gloria A. Alday in
the November genera! election, has already
been re-elected by the Democratic Caucus
to serve as House Majority Leader
With House Speaker Tom Murphy plan
Dream comes
true for Perryan
Fkom STArr woets
Everyman’s dream‘Christmas
present came true for one
Perryan. But the winner is being
very reclusive about his dream,
according to Florida lottery offi
cials.
Ed George of the Florida
Lottery office, said that Milton
Shepherd, 53, claimed his half of
the Nov. 28 Florida Lotto jackpot
on Dec. 24.-
He chose Florida’s new cash
option method of payment and
received a lump sum of $4.4 mil
lion.
Shepherd’s ticket, one of two
that matched all six winning
numbers for the drawing, was
sold in Jennings, Fla.
Shepherd chose not to release
any information to the media
when he claimed his prize, and
could not be reached for com
ment on his good fortune.
He did list Perry as his home
town although there is no tele
phone registered in that name.
Courthouse named top story two years running
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times-Jouknal Staft
Moving the Houston County
Courthouse from downtown Perry to a
location along Perry Parkway has been
named the lop story of the year for two
years running.
The story continued this year with selec
tion of design firms, passage of a special
option local sales tax to pay for the con
struction, and the purchase of the site.
Here arc the top 20 stories for 1998 as
selected by the Houston Times-Joumal
news staff:
1, The new courthouse site
On Sept. 1, after weeks of suspense, the
Houston County Commissioners
announced their intention to buy a 66-acre
site at the intersection of King's Chapel
Road and Perry Parkway as the location of
the county's new courthouse and jai*
Some $500,000 was paid for the land.
Prior to the long-awaited decision, some
officials had argued the new courthouse
should ly located in the center of the coun
ty at a site near the Houston Lake
Country Club, or along Ga. 96.
Some leaders suggested that Perry
the county seat could annex a site at
some distance from its city limits through a
state-law that allows annexing of non-con
tiguous land if the land is connected to a
municipality by a highway.
However, Perry’s mayor and city coun
cil showed no interest in annexing distant
sites, and County Commission Chairman J.
Sherrill Stafford said the law required
keeping the courthouse in the county seat.
The site that was purchased has been
annexed into the city limits.
The announcement was made in Perry
City Hall at a crowded 9 a.m. press con
ference. The architects for the two build
ings estimated that residents should see dirt
Bridesmaid again
The Perry Panthers fell to Warner Robins in
the finals of the Houston County Bear Brawl
w -7ktball tournament last week.
Details, page 5A
ning to retire after this year, Walker is also
generally considered one of the leading
contenders for that position.
"I have a chance at it,” the veteran legis
lator said during an interview at his Perry
law office Dec. 29, “but there’s many a slip
between the cup and the lip.”
Asked about top issues for the coming
session, Walker began with environmental
issues.
Air quality and water quality are going
to be big concerns as the urban sgrawl
pushes to the forefront,” he explained.
“Most of these problems are problems of
growth and progress."
Walker said that the legislature will also
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SPECIAL BLOOMS Long-time Perry resident
Wilma Gay shows off the specially-colored
start to turn in the third quarter of 1999, and
then it will be 20 months or so for ultimate
construction.
2. Election '9B
Following a season of lively —and
sometimes controversial campaigning,
Houston County voters returned Rep. Larry
Walker and County Commissioner J.
Sherrill Stafford, both Democrats, to office.
Walker defeated political newcomer,
Gloria Alday. Stafford prevailed over
Warner Robins’ frequent campaigner Ned
Sanders.
Republicans made strong gains, howev
er, indicating that the two party system is
here to stay. Republican Larry Thomson
won a four-year term on the Houston
County Board of Commissioners, and Rob
Tawse, another Republican newcomer, won
the post of Solicitor General of the State
Court.
3. From beer to chickens
Cagle, Inc., an Atlanta-based poultry
orocessing firm, purchased the long-empty
Stroh brewery plant in Hoston County on
Dec 4, with promises of 500 job openings
to start and a potential of 2,000 later. The
purchase was the successful culmination of
a six-month effort spearheaded by the
Houston Criunty Development Authority
and city and county officials.
The plant will require extensive
redesigning at an estimated cost of $10.5
million. Expansion to the water and waste
water facilities are expected to cost as
much as $5.5 million.
Some citizens voiced opposition to the
Cagle purchase, expressing concern about
environmental impact. Tim Martin, director
of the Development Authority, acknowl
edge that there were “mixed feelings in the
community,” but said he and others had
visited the Cagle processing plant at Pine
Valley Mountain and found “a very nice
Serving Houston Comity Since Dec. 17, 1870
be dealing with regional transportation and
with education, which was a major cam
paign issue for the incoming governor, Roy
Barnes, and others.
“We’ll be talking about alternative
schools as a partial solution to discipline
problems, “ Walker said. “I think that the
governor’s going to propose building more
alternative schools.We have to start think
ing about the common good as far as the
schools are concerned, and not let one or
two students dominate a classroom.”
“Crime will still be a hot button topic,”
he noted, “and there’ll be lot of rhetoric
about that in the ’99 session, but Georgia is
already tough on crime. We have crime
Times Journal Photo by Joan Dorset*
blooms on her poinsettia plant. For details, see
Just Visitin' on page 18.
plant, well-managed and clean also a big
employer for the area.”
4. A NEW SCHOOL
The new Perry Middle School is ready
for occupancy and students will begin the
new year by settling into brand new class
rooms.
The 159,(KK) square foot brick building
already a familiar landmark at the intersec
tion of Macon Road and Perry Parkway,
has been under construction for 18 months.
Students and teachers had their first
opportunity to tour the building just before
Christmas vacation.
The project is part of a five new school
and extensive renovation bond project
passed by voters three years ago.
5. The indefinite post office
After repeated slops and starts, construc
tion of the new 14,000 square-foot Perry
Post Office on Macon Road could be a pos
sibility for 1999.
Delays on the project have been a cause
of concern throughout 1998 following the
abandonment of the project by the first con
tractor, Bison Development.
At this point Postal Services LLC, a
Denver, Colo, company, has apparently
taken over the project, but to date, no con
struction has begun at the site.
6. One more penny
The sales tax in Houston County
climbed to seven cents on the dollar on July
1, as the voter-approved special option
sales tax for building the new courthouse
and jail went into effect. The sales tax is
expected to raise about sll million per
year.
The tax will expire after five years or
when the $44 million for the project is col
lected.
7. The Houston Lake Dam saga
A little over fou# years after the disas
trous flood of 1994 destroyed the old
Help for Georgia, too
Ducks Unlimited works to
benefit areas of Georgia as
well as the midwest and
Canada
Details, page 1B
laws as conservative as any state.”
Pointing out that abolishing parole was
turned into a major issue in the recent cam
paigns, he added, “That’s lost steam.
Millner tried to make it an issue in the
gubernatorial campaign, but we’ve already
got a burgeoning prison population, and it
would take a tremendous amount of tax
money (to abolish parole).’’
In regard to tax money. Walker doesn't
anticipate any increase in taxes
His main interests for Houston County,
he says, are continuing to enhance the
Agricenter and the Air Force Aviation
(See WALKER, Page 3A>
Chipper to
collect Christmas
trees Jan. 9
Fkom Staff Rirorrs
Christmas tree recycling will
take place Jan. 9 from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m., according to Bill Hafley,
coordinator of Keep Perry
Beautiful. The theme of the event
which is carried out across the state
is “Bring one for the Chipper.”
The trees may be brought to
the Perry recycling center near
the Lumpkin Shell Station at the
intersection of Houston Lake
Road with James Street. Trees
will be chipped for mulch.
Those who bring trees to be
recycled will receive dogwood
seedlings free.
\\ ivA^^|^DH|HpPr
Houston Lake Dam, anew dam was com
pleted and complaints began immediately
that the water level in some areas was 17 to
18 inches lower than it was prior to the
flood. This made the docks of some home
owners around the lake unusable.
According to at least one county official,
the water is at the right level for the newly
established public access areas.
The dam was rebuilt with a combination
of state (GEMA) and federal (FEMA)
emergency management funds. At year’s
end no decision had been made about what
corrective steps (if any) would be taken.
8. Super Wal-Mart on its way
Following weeks of rumor, the Houston
Times-Joumal got the story. A Super Wal-
Mart was definitely coming to Perry.
Officials at Landmark Realty confirmed
that a deal had been struck with Jacoby
Developers of Atlanta to purchase a large
commercial lot on the north side of Sam
Nunn Boulevard near 1-75, and that Jacoby
had secured an agreement from Wal-Mart
to build a 151 .OOOsquare foot “super store"
there - including a grocery store.
Additionally, plans were announced for
30,000 square f *et of shops, and 800 park
ing spaces.
The shopping center will be behind the
existing Grant City-Kmart-Sports Center
shopping center.
The new building is under construction,
with a target opening date of June I, 1999.
A strip of shops and businesses near the
front of the lot will be tom down as con
struction nears completion. However, at
least two businesses, W.D. Sullivans
and the Sports Center will become
of the new complex of buildings.
Reaction to the arrival of the Wal-Mart
superstore has been mixed, because of
(See REVIEW, Page 3A)
Home of the Georgia
National Fair and
Agricenter