Newspaper Page Text
Volume 128, Na 16
At the
Crossroads
This Week
Students visit
Fairgrounds
Members of the Georgia
Technology Student
Association will host competi
tion April 22-24 at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds and
Agricenter.
Also on the schedule at the
Fairgrounds is the Georgia
Electrification Council and
Linesmen Rodeo. The meetings
will take place April 28-30
while the Rodeo is May 1 •
State seeks comments
from hunters
Blackpowder hunting fans
are being urged to speak long
and loud on a coming vote to
create a Georgia Primitive
Weapons season.
It approved, this season
would allow a short time during
hunting season for blackpowder
hunters to hunt without having
to compete with modern
firearms hunters.
Archer)’ hunters would be
able to hunt during this season.
Georgia already has a extended
season for archers.
To comment on this propos
al, please call Dan Forster at the
Department of Natural
Resources at 770-918-6404.
Emails and faxes are pre
ferred to vocal comments. Fax
to 770-557-3030 or email to
dan_forster@mail. dnr. state.ga.u
$
The vote is scheduled for
April 29.
Newspaper continues
subscription drive
The Houston Times-Journal
telephone subscription drive
continues this week, general
manager Jj Johnson announced
April 20.
The drive, which began
April 22, has resulted in
numerous new subscriptions
and renewals, he said.
For each subscription, either
new or renewal, the Times-
Journal makes a donation to the
Houston County Habitat orga
nization.
“The drive is important to
us. Not only do we offer the
newspaper to many potential
new readers, but we also get to
listen to some of our current
subscribers about what they
would like to see changed about
the paper,” Johnson said.
“I’m also glad we can sup
port Houston County Habitat
for Humanity. That organiza
tion, with volunteers from
throughout the county, has
done so much to help improve
living conditions for many fam
ilies,” Johnson added.
The subscription price for
the newspaper, delivered in
Houston County, is S2O per
year plus local and state sales
tax.
Geisman completes
Haiti duty
Marine Lance Cpl. David
M. Geisman, a 1996 graduate
pf Perry High School recently
returned from conducting secu
rity operations in support of
operation Uphold Democracy
in Haiti.
During the deployment,
Geisman’s unit provided 24-
hour security while providing
humanitarian assistance to the
Haitians.
Geisman joined the Marine
Corps in October, 1996.
Contact
the Times- /
Journal
Contact the Houston Times-
Journal:
Voice (912' <>B7-1823
Fax (912) 98«>-i:c:
email timcsjrn@hom.net
Mail. P.O. Drawer M,
Perry, 31069
Street 807 Carroll St.,
Perry, 31069
rnmmm mi ■■ mi ' ■ ■ ■■in ■■ i ■■»
Houston Times-Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
School Board OKs school attendance map
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times-lournal Staff
The Houston County Board of
Education did some final tinkering
with its much-discussed school
zoning map on the morning of
April 20, before voting unanimous
ly for the final version at their regu
lar board meeting in the afternoon.
After voting for the map, board
members suggested that Director of
Facilities Bill Loudermilk take the
map and easel outside of the meet
ing and answer parents’ questions
about the last stage changes that
Tolleson, City
officials to seek new
road for loggers
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times-lournai. Staff
Perry’s mayor and council met
with officials of Tolleson Lumber
Co. on April 20 to discuss the pos
sibility of opening a new road
between Jernigan Street and Larry
Walker Parkway for use by loggers.
Rusty Tolleson, president of the
70-year-old local lumber opera
tion, told the elected officials the
company is planning a $6 million
expan siOHpwdClrtßll be completed
before the end of this year.
He pointed out that the new road
would be a help to the truck drivers
who haul Tolleson’s logs to the
Weyerhaeuser plant in Oglethorpe,
as well as other locations.
The road has been discussed in
the past. Some surveying work has
been done to determine rights-of
way most of which apparently
belong to Tolleson's, the Beckham
Co. and the City of Perry.
Mayor Jim Worrall said city
leaders were in support of the road
construction, which would also
include a bridge.
“There’s no doubt it would help
the entire community," he said,
noting that the challenge ahead
would be to secure state grant
funds for the project, as well as
local funds. Rusty Tolleson, in
turn, said that he and other
Tolleson officials would take their
lead from the city officials in seek
ing support for the project.
Perryans rush
to help Dooly
Couritians hit
by tornado
Kt->. Blk .
BUILDING OF THE FUTURE - This is the architects
rendering of the exterior of the new multi -purpose exhib
it hall and convention center to be built at the Georgia
What a turkey!
Columnist John Trussed
teds about using cads to
: ind big turkeys.
See page 7A
had been made.
According to Beth Burris, a
spokesperson for the Board, the
final modifications were made a*
the beginning of a budget work ses
sion, and a printer is preparing
copies of the final map - including
the latest revisions - which will be
available to the press on April 23.
Changes which effect Perry resi
dents include the addition of a
neighborhood (approximately
behind Pe'rrv Pawn Shop) on
Courtney lodges Blvd., and
another neighborhood in the vicin-
Young Parents
V f 'S-.. .K
I w*
Up- ' : , %f\ ;,J,
rimes loum,il Photo by Charlotte Perkins
HOMEWORK IN A LAP Amy Shelton, a Perry Middle
School Home Economics student, gets acquainted with her
homework, a very realistic baby doll. Find out how some Perry
Middle students handled parenthood on page 6B
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times-lournal Staff
By the time word reached most
people about the disastrous tornado
in Vienna, the Perry Fire
Department was already on the way
to help.
And they’re still helping.
Fire Chief Gary Hamlin said
that the Perry firefighters helped
with cutting off the gas lines, and
Svi'vij-j/:. I 1 Uiuijny Sioiti l>ec. 17, 11 i 7(
ity of the Perry Airport which were
rezoned for students to attend Perry
Elementary School rather than
Tucker School. Also students from
area previously zoned to attend the
new Matt Arthur School were reas
signed to attend Morningside
School.
Elizabeth Jones, President of the
Tucker Elementary School PTO
expressed a mixed reaction to the
final map, saying that she was
pleased with the reductions in the
school population at Tucker, but
that it still had the highest popula-
participated in a house to house
search after the tornado.
They also assisted with clearing
the streets of debris.
Hamlin explained that street
clearing is one of the first things
that needs to be done following a
tornado, because people can’t be
reached until emergency vehicles
can get through.
“There were 25 to 30 people
National Fainzrounds. The interior will include meeting
rooms, a gallery and a large auditorium and exhibit
space.
sBH
IlfHk
tion of any of the Perry Schools.
Michael Goliber, also a Tucker
parent said that he and others were
hoping for more “socio-economic
balance in the south end.”
According to Loudermilk, the
approximate school populations
with the new zoning will be 350 at
Tucker, 300 at Perry Elementary,
225 at Morningside and 300 at
King’s Chapel. Loudermilk said
that some of the last stage changes
were made to keep the population
at the new Matt Arthur school
down, because that area is growing
Potter follows 3 Cs rule
Courtesy, communication and community count
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times-lournal Staff
After three years, Perry Police
Chief George Potter clearly feels
good about his decision to move his
family from Columbus to Perry
and about changing gears profes
sionally from a big city detective
unit to small town “community
policing.”
Potter, a veteran law enforce
ment officer who is just a few
courses short of earning his second
is a man of action
but also a man of ideas.
Coming to Perry as police chief
gave him the opportunity to see
some ideas put into action, to take
a proactive approach to crime pre
vention, and to build a police force
that specializes in community trust.
Community. Trust. Those are
the two words that seem to come
up most often as he discusses his
views on law enforcement and his
experience so far in Perry.
“We re working on trust everyday,”
he said, “and we’re getting the public
involved, getting close to the commu
nity . They’re our eyes and ears.”
A good example of this is the
growth of neighborhood watch
groups in Perry, from six in 1996 to
ten in 1999. In these groups, neigh
bors are looking out for neighbors
and keeping an eye out for possible
criminal activity as well. Each
group has block captains and an
assigned police officer who meets
with them on a monthly basis to
discuss problems and concerns and
injured,” he said, “and they were
having to move them on pieces of
plyboard on the back of a four
wheeler.”
Hamlin added that he was sur
prised that nobody was electrocut
ed, because many power lines were
on the ground.
The Perry Fire Department is
now serving as the collection center
for donations for the hundreds of
New at Henderson
Village
New manager brings ideas
about community relations,
more local business.
See page 5B
so fast.
One parent from the northern
part of the county expressed real
anger at the final decisions made.
Noting that her child would be
reassigned to Shirley Hills
Elementary rather than Quail Run
Elementary under the plan, Susan
Martin said, “22 children in the
Westwood Subdivision are effected
by this, and 22 could be going to
private schools.
The Board held four public
(See SCHOOLS, Page SA)
hear complaints.
A continuing emphasis on sen
sitivity in dealing with the public
has resulted in some praise -in
writing - from the community.
Potter points out that each time
an officer answers a call, he pro
vides the complainant with infor
mation on the law and with a short
questionnaire to fill out, regarding
the timeliness of the response and
the courtesy shown by the police.
Typical comments from citizens
have been positive and detailed:
“Officer Bill Hathcock was very
kind and concerned about my acci
dent and how I physically felt,”
wrote one woman who was in a
traffic accident. “
Another wrote, “Thank you so
much. My child’s bicycle was found
and returned in eight hours. We
appreciate you very much.”
Some kinds of crime - notably
burglar)' and robbery - have gone
down in the last three years, one
police calls to settle family disputes
have gone up.
“Our fastest growing area of
crime in Perry is domestic vio
lence,” Potter said, “That’s violence
between husbands and wives,
boyfriends and girlfriends, children
and parents - both ways.”
Potter blames this on a combi
nation of stress, unrealistic expecta
tions and - in some cases imma
turity.
“We’re living in a fast paced
(See POTTER, Page SA)
homeless people in Vienna.
“We’ve already taken one load of
donations down there,” Hamlin
said. “With the help of the Perry
Rotary Club, we purchased S9OO
worth of diapers, baby wipes and
baby food - and while we were in
the line at the grocery store, people
were coming up and giving us
(See HELP, Page SAO
Fairgrounds to get
true convention
center by 2001
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
TjMPjgWNALte
Convention planners, take note! By 2001, it will
be possible to have meetings, exhibits and banquets
all in the same building at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter, and the parking will
be convenient, too.
According to Fairgrounds Director Michael A.
Froehlich, the new multi-purpose building will be
located on the west side of the exhibit complex
which includes the Georgia Living Center and the
Heritage, Roauemore ana McGill buildings. It will
be clearly visible from 1-75.
The building will provide more exhibit space
during fair time, but is also being designed to serve
as a convention center, something Rep. Larry
Walker urged following his successful effort to
secure funds for the building during the 1988
General Assembly session. The $8.6 million
(See FAIRGROUNDS, Page SA)