Newspaper Page Text
jvolume 128, No. 18
2 Sections
20 Pages
Wednesday,
May 19, 1999
50 Cents
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National Falb. II »
The
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This
Week
Perry man arrested on
assault charges
Duraunte M. Jackson
of 924 Gardner Drive,
was arrested by Perry
police May 14, and
charged with aggravated
assault with a gun.
According to Detective
Heath Dykes, Jackson
reportedly pulled a gun
while engaged in an argu
ment with Eric
McDermitt at
McDermitt's home at
1109 Gaines Drive.
Mother, daughter
charged with arson
A 24 year old woman
and her mother have
been arrested and
charged with arson in the
first degree in connection
with a mobile home fire
which took place in
February.
According to Detective
Heath Dykes of the Perry
Police Department.
Rhonda Hampton, who
lives at a Montezuma
address, and her mother.
Ella Mae Pope of
Stockbridge, were arrest
ed May 15 after an inves
tigation of several months
duration, conducted by
Detective Leyon Roberts.
Dykes said details
about how the fire was
started could not be
released at this time.
The blaze partially
destroyed the insured
mobile home, which was
located at 1998 U.S. 341
North.
State Farm Insurance
offices burglarized
Jake Goddard’s State
Farm Insurance office at
1214 Washington St., was
broken into and burglar
ized on May 14, according
to Perry police report.
An undisclosed amount
of money was taken. The
crime is currently under
investigation.
Chamber to study
future of downtown
The Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce
leadership has
announced plans for a
meeting at which mem
bers will discuss issues
concerning downtown
Perry, the new court
house and Wal-Mart.
Steve Rodgers, chair
man of the Chamber,
wrote in a letter to mem
bers, "We are interested
in determining what we
can do as a Chamber to
expand and improve our
Downtown business dis
trict. This issue affects all
downtown businesses
whether it is a retail
business, a professional
office, a service business
or a governmental office.”
The meeting will be
held June 3, at 6:30 p.m.
in the Fairview Room of
the Georgia National
Fairgrounds.
PHS bandsmen part of
honor jazz band
Five Perry High Band
students were selected to
attend the Houston
County Honor Jazz Band
May 13.
Joe Hutcheson, direc
tor of Perry High bands,
said the students. Allison
Alke, Lianne Heller, Brian
Bellinger, Jason Skelton
and Lee Wright, attend a
day long clinic with Scott
Turpin of Merger
University in Maco*..
Students were selected
after auditions in March.
" * ion Home Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Perry industrial district growing
A good site about to get better according to local government leaders
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Home Journal Staff
Sometimes you can
catch a glimpse of the
future in unlikely places.
Take the red clay road
that runs into Valley Drive
at the south end of the
Perry Industrial District,
sometimes known as the
Perry Allied Business Park.
It doesn’t look like much
now, but in due time it will
become part of a four-lane
divided highway which will
connect the industrial park
with U.S. 341, and then -
with further construction -
circle around to cross over
1-75 at the south end of
town. In other words, it will
become part of the Perry
Parkway.
And - if Houston County
Development Authority
Director Tim Martin and
Perry' City Manager Skip
Nalley see their hopes ful
filled - it will bring still
more industries to Perry.
The Perry Industrial
District is a 476-acre site,
jointly owned by the
Development Authority and
the City of Perry. About 80
acres are available for
development, in addition to
the vacant PPG site and the
Trendline buildings.
According to Martin,
“Prospects that would oth
erwise not be looking at
Perry are taking a closer
look,” because of the exten
sion of Perry Parkway, that
is under way.
This stage of the highway
construction project will
reduce traffic on Valley
Drive, a two-lane road with
bad curves, and will mean
that trucks and other vehi-
Kids’ Journey named
to federal partnership
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Houston Home Journal
A Houston County
agency dedicated to the
welfare of the county’s chil
dren has just received sig
nificant backing from
Washington.
The National Partnership
for Reinventing
Government, spearheaded
by Vice President A 1 Gore,
announced the Houston
County Kids’ Journey is
one of 13 organizations
chosen nationwide for par
ticipation in an initiative
known as “Boost For Kids.”
Kids’ Journey is a coun
ty-wide coalition of agen
cies, government and
church leaders working
together for the benefit of
Houston County’s children.
It is coordinated by Leila H.
Anderson. Robertiena
Fletcher is the chairman of
the Kids' Journey board of
trustees.
Anderson, who said that
this will be “a very exciting
venture for Houston
County," noted that she
received word of the Kids’
Journey selection from
Karin Abramson’ of the
National Partnership for
Reinventing Government.
“There is not any money
attached to this partner
ship," Anderson said.
Instead Kids’ Journey staff
and volunteers will have
access to professional help
with cutting through gov
ernment red tape and seek
ing out appropriate grant
sources.
“We will have two cham
pions who represent our
community at the federal
See JOURNEY. Page 8A
The Old Reliable, Serving Houston Connty Since Dec, 17, 1870
cles can travel four-lane
divided highways from 1-75
to the park.
In addition to the jobs
new industries bring,
Nalley points out, the City
of Perry has other financial
gains at stake. Included are
the revenues gained by pro
viding natural gas, water
and wastewater treatment
services to those industries
and increasing the ad val
orem tax base.
It’s Nalley’s job to work
with industries to see that
their needs are met.
“We offer a one*-stop
shop.” he said. “They can
come to city hall for their
building permits, licenses
and utility connections.”
Typically, Nalley is the
man Martin calls once an
industry has indicated an
interest in considering
Perry as a new location.
“Sometimes just a con
sultant will come,” Martin
said. “There used to be
more time spent on wining
and dining, but now some
one might just be here for a
short time. The closer they
are to coming, though, the
more people-will be here.”
What are today’s indus
tries looking for?
According to Martin,
transportation access is a
key factor, which is why the
new highway plans around
Perry are so important. So.
he says, is the Perry -
Houston County Airport,
the rail lines and the inter
state. The proximity to
Atlanta's airport is a selling
point as well.
Education makes a big
difference, too, and the
quality of the schools
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CANCER SURVIVORS TAKE FIRST LAP DURING 1999 RELAY FOR LIFE EVENT MAY 14
More Than 50 Cancer Survivors Took Lap To Recognize Their Survival From The Disease
Relay for Life raises $45,000 to fight cancer
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Hogg™* Home Joukiw.
It just keeps getting bigger and bet
ter.
Perry’s 1999 Relay for Life, held
May 14-15 at the Perry High School
football field, raised more than
$45,000 for the fight against cancer,
topping all previous years.
Volunteer walkers who kept a relay
going around the track throughout
the night, raised the money both
through pledges and. a variety of fund
raising projects.
Funds were also raised through the
selling of luminaries, which were
lighted and placed around the track in
memory of those lost to cancer and in
honor of survivors. All proceeds will go
to the American Cancer Society.
The Northrop Grumman team
raised $8,854.96, taking the top hon
ors for the second year. Bank of Perry
employees raised $6,813.66, and the
Perry United Methodist Church team
including Middle Georgia
Tech makes a real differ
ence to prospects.
Moreover. industrial
prospects are likely to put a
big emphasis on health
care.
The fact that the Perry
Hospital is part of the larg
er Houston Healthcare
Complex is a strong point
for Perry, Martin noted.
Even with the low unem
ployment rate in Houston
County. Martin feels posi
tive for more industries.
“Most of the people a new'
industry wall hire will be
v’-";
AT THE SITE Perry City Manager
Skip Nalley talks with Keith Dykes at the
Perry industrial park. In the background
brought in $3,012.
David Cyre of Perry United
Methodist Church won recognition for
being the most successful individual
fund raiser, with a total of $1,400.
Mitzi Sexton and Sheila Todd, both of
the Bank of Perry, came in second and
third respectively. Sexton raised
$1,353 and Todd raised $1,135.
Awards for the best campsite went to
the Perry Elementary School “cowboys”,
the Northrop Grumman “Cafe’ for
Cure”, and the Bank of Perry, which
had the theme, “Hunting for a Cure."
Winners of the costume competition
were Northrop Grumman, first prize;
Bank of Perry, second; Perry
Elementary School. third;
Morningside Elementary School,
fourth, and Kings Chapel Elementary
School . fifth.
The team spirit award went to
King’s Chapel Elementary School and
Morningside Elementary School in a
tie.
people who are already
working," Martin noted.
“They’re looking for under
employed people. People
with the skills and training
to do more. A large unem
ployment rate is a red flag
that something is wrong
with the labor force."
Another major plus with
prospects, Martin says, is
the county’s tax cap.
"Elected officials may not
like it,” he said, “but industry
leaders love it. It means that
their tax rate won't go up.”
The one improvement
Martin would like to see at
is the new $6.5 million Diversified
Machining Services building which is
nearing completion.
the Perry park is a ready
made facility to offer to
industries.
“Shell buildings are a
tool a community needs to
be successful," he says.
Even without one,
though, Martin is enthusi
astic when he discusses
Perry’s future. While he
does not disclose the
names of industries consid
ering Perry or Houston
County, he’s quick to say
there is a lot of interest in
the Perry industrial park.
“We’re cooking!" he said.
“Perry has it all."
Home Journal Photo by Charlotte Perkins
Home Journal Photo by Jj Johnson
In opening remarks. Perry Mayor
Jim Worrall recalled his battle with
cancer eight years ago. He said he
knew money from American Cancer
Society events paid for research which
enabled him to survive cancer.
Worrall said he hoped for additional
cures within the next 10 years and
perhaps a vaccine to prevent cancer.
The first walkers on the track
included about 50 survivors of cancer.
The group received constant applause
from the more than 500 spectators on
hand as they circled the track.
A second major attraction for spec
tators was the luminary service.
Hundreds of bags filled with sand and
a candle lined the high school track.
Luminaries were sold in memory of
persons who have died because of
cancer. The candles were lighted after
sunset.
Carol Hayes and Holly Sargent
served as co-chairs for the 1999
event.