Newspaper Page Text
Volume 128. No. 3 i
2 Sections
16 Pages
Wednesday,
Aug. 11, 199
50
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Georgia
National FaiJl
The
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Major catfish operation
headedfar Dooly County
Georgia Global Aquacul
ture (GGA) has announced
plans to open corporate
offices in Unadilla, with the
goal of starting a catfish
farming cooperative which
will provide catfish for two
processing plants in Dooly
County.
Based on the response
of ag-lenders, farmers and
the surrounding communi
ties. GGA, a privately held
corporation, is anticipating
the construction an equip
ment manufacturing facili
ty, a feed mill and two pro
cessing plants.
According to a news
release issued by the com
pany, the first of process
ing plants would be located
near Pinehurst, with con
struction beginning this fall
and completion by the
summer of 2000.
The plant would be
capable of processing
125,000 pounds of catfish
per day. The company
needs the backing of Geor
gia farmers interested in
maintaining commercial
catfish ponds. The initial
release of grower contracts
will be for a minimum of
40 water acres.
Council meetings move
The City of Perry has
amended the City Ordi
nance 2-26 to change the
regular meeting time.
Future city council meet
ings will be held on the
first and third Tuesdays of
each month at 6 p.m. in
the municipal building
and at such other times
and places as the council
may designate.
Lunch menus far
public schools
Milk is served with
every meal. Breakfast fea
tures fresh fruit or fruit
juice; cereal and toast are
a daily breakfast choice.
Lunches offer a variety of
fruits and vegetables daily.
PBJ sandwiches are
always on the menu.
sausage biscuit. Lunch:
nachos w/ cheese and
beef or sausage dog or
pizza. Chocolate cake w/
white icing.
Aug. 13 Breakfast:
manager's choice. Lunch:
steak nuggets w/roll or
barbecue on bun or pizza.
Banana pudding.
Aug. 16 Breakfast:
french toast sticks w/
syrup. Lunch: chicken
nuggets w/roll or manag
er’s choice or baked potato
w/hot toppings. Million
Dollar cookie.
Aug. 17 Breakfast:
sausage biscuit. Lunch:
taco or fish nuggets or
sandwich or pizza. Pineap-
(See POOD, Page SA)
Houston
Contact:
the
Home
Journal
Contact the Houston Home Journal:
Voice (912) 987-1823
Fax (9>'n 988-1181
:mail homejrnt'’ lOidillwt
Viail PO. Drawer M,
Perry, 31069
Street 807 Carroll St.,
Perry, 31069
" s ton Home Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Just what is House Bill 489?
Two-year-old law changing Georgia government
Pkom Statt Reports
Under the terms of
House Bill 489, the city
and county governments
of every county in Geor
gia must prepare and
submit a “service delivery
strategy" to the Depart
ment of Community
Affairs in order to be eli
gible for state grant fund
ing and state permits.
The first deadline for this
plan to be submitted,
reviewed and approved
was July 1, 1999. An
extension, taken by 80 or
more Georgia counties,
including Houston Coun
ty, sets a new deadline at
On the job again ...
I - ■■
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BACK TO WORK Teachers in the Houston
County public school system returned to work
Aug. 9. Most, like these teachers at Perry High
School board increases out-of-county tuition
By Torey Jolley
Houston Home Journal
Members of the Houston
County School Board voted
Aug. 10 to increase the out of
county tuition rate for the com
ing year.
The new tuition rate for
teachers and other employees
who bring their children to
attend school in Houston
County will be $1,399. This is
an increase of $245 from the
fee last year of $1,154.
The Board received news the
teacher multi-media worksta
tions are to be delivered by mid
August and will be installed
into the classrooms according
to a weekly schedule.
It is expected approximately
120 teacher work stations will
be delivered each week and the
entire delivery to be completed
by mid-December.
The Board began the process
of forming a foundation for the
City wrangles with cost of health insurance for employees
By Torey Jolley
Hoy. JouwtAL Staff
Insurance was the name of
the game during the Aug. 9
called meeting of the Perry City
Council. With a Sept. 1 dead
line fast approaching, the City
Council had to make a decision
of resigning with the current
company or looking at other
alternatives to the rising costs
of insurance.
According to Brenda King,
financial officer for the city of
Perry, the city's high insurance
claims have increased. From
September of 1998 to Aug. 5,
1999, the claims have totaled
$445,000. King noted the city
is $82,000 over the limit and
"still have three months to go."
Councilman James Moore
said, “For the last two years,
the self-insuring company has
lost money on us."
Interim City Clerk George
The Old Reliable. Serving Houston County Since Dts. 17» ISTO
October 31. The plan
needs to be submitted
ahead of that date so that
DCA officials will have
time to review and
approve it.
In April Houston
County’s written strategy
was in draft form, ready
for approval by the City
Councils of Perry .Cen
terville and Warner
Robins and the Houston
County Commission,
when Mayor Donald
Walker of Warner Robins
said that he would not
sign the plan until it
See LAW, Page 5A
purpose of supporting public
education in Houston County.
This board will serve as a vehi
cle to accept endowments and
contributions from individuals,
families, corporations, and
other organizations.
To begin the process of filing
as a foundation, a name was
needed. The Board approved
the name The Heritage Foun
dation.
Some leaders have
expressed a hope this type of
foundation can reduce or elim
inate school sales projects.
Other School Board busi
ness included changes to the
policy EBH which deals with
use of school facilities.
The changes involve the
School Board’s "... rights to
provide all concessions at any
event or function on Houston
County School District proper
ty. The superintendent shall
implement procedures to
‘Part of the problem is
the cost of health care in
Perry.’ George Potter,
interim city elerfe.
Potter said, “Part of the prob
lem is the cost of health care in
Perry."
He continued, “Administra
tive Solutions, Inc. claims it is
cheapef to go to Macon’s Coli
seum Hospital than Perry Hos
pital for surgery."
Moore agreed with Potter
saying. "Some of our doctors
are higher than the usual and
custftmary charges of other
doctors."
The Council approved
resigning with Administrative
Solutions, Inc. Administrative
Solutions. Inc. is a third party
administrator, and Baltimore
Progress made during 489 talks
Three cities, county agree on four points to discuss again
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Horn Journal Staff
Despite argumentation and sidetrack
ing, County and city elected officials took a
few small steps toward a resolution of the
ongoing H 8489 controversy on Tuesday
night.
At a county-wide meeting they agreed,
under the guidance of a professional facili
tator, on four main points:
1) to have county and city attorneys to
work on researching some key issues, such
as whether special tax districts can be set
up within the county, and what impact an
H 8489 agreement would have on the
county’s tax cap;
2) to determine how much "wiggle room"
the county has between current expendi
tures and the tax cap;
3) to name committees which will meet
School, gathered in large groups to watch a
school opening program through the system
television equipment. See story, page 3A
arrange for scheduling of a
school or school organization
to provide all food and drink
concessions at any event or
function on school grounds,
unless the lessee has obtained
prior approval from the Hous
ton County Board of Educa
tion."
Other Houston County
School actions were:
• establish safety policy on
playground equipment,
• establish McConnell-Tal
bert Stadium Authority,
• approval of change orders for
Matthew Arthur Elementary
involving floor preparation, water
main and kitchen equipment,
• approval of a new kinder
garten report card which meets
the Georgia Kindergarten
Assessment Program.
• and approval of elementary
soccer fields for practice by the
Central Georgia Soccer Associ
ation.
Life is the re-insurance compa
ny. The city of Perry is a partial
self-funded plan.
The full premium for a fami
ly is $610.99 per month and
for an individual the cost
monthly is $220.11.
The employee would pay
only 25 percent of the cost.
That means an employee with a
family would only pay $152.74
per month and an individual
employee would only pay
$55.02 per month.
“I think the changes will be a
good deal." said King, noting
the usual S2O office co-pay will
be deleted.
Other changes will be in the
deductible: SSOO for individual
and $750 for a family. Out of
pocket expenses will be $2,000
maximum for an individual
and $4,000 maximum for a
family. There will be no change
in the dental program.
Houston Home Journal Photo by Torey Jolley
right away to begin trying to hammer out
compromises on library funding and E-911
funding.
4) to meet again on August 25, with the
continuing help of facilitator Alan Reddish,
Associate Director of the Carl Vinson Insti
tute of Government.
With a looming state deadline and Warn
er Robins leaders still presenting lists of
demands, however, it remains to be seen if
those steps will be too little too late.
Mike Gleaton, representing the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs, told the
group of elected officials that the sanctions
to be imposed on counties not meeting the
H 8489 deadline are “very real" and will
effect cities and counties immediately in
terms of loss of grant funding and permits.
See PROGRESS. Pale 5A
Water woes
strike south
Houston area
Homeowners claim irrigation
ca using wells to go dry
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
There isn't a good time for a well to run dry,
but for Fran Sinyard the timing couldn’t be
worse. A busy mom with two children about to
titaiaubaek to school, her only source of water
right now is a hose hooked up to the water sup
ply at the nearby home of a family member, and
she doesn’t know how long she can depend on
that.
Dorothy Jones, who lives near the Sinyards in
south Houston County is still getting water from
her 220-foot deep well, but she is worried about
senior citizens in the area who may be dealing
with dry wells or low water pressure.
Nancy St. John still has water, but said, “Its
muddy and the pressure is low. We re trying to
conserve every way we can."
Glen Duckworth just wanted enough water to
take a shower Tuesday morning when he got
home from working a long night shift. The water
wasn’t there.
Mike Burkett heard in the middle of the day
from his wife, who called him at work to tell him
that his neighbor’s well had gone dry.
In the meantime, the center pivot irrigation
system at nearby ABS Farms is spraying out
water over acres of cotton, and the Sinyards and
their neighbors say they’re convinced that the
steady drain from ABS' deep wells is the main
cause for the loss of their only water supply.
“We’ve lived here 13 years and we never had a
problem with our well until ABS started the irri
gation five years ago." Fran Sinyard said.
Mike Burkett says that the pivot is running
nonstop.
Despite several calls on Aug. 10, no
spokesman for ABS was available for comment,
but an official from the Water Resource Man
agement Program at the Georgia Environmental
Protection Division said he had received a num
ber of calls from the area, and began later in the
day to refer the callers to the Home Journal.
Bill Frechette of EPD said he could not be
sure whether or not the problem faced by the
south Houston Countians was caused by ABS’
irrigation.
He singled out the dry weather as the biggest
problem, but conceded that large amounts of
water drawn through a deep well could lower
the water level so that shallower wells would dry
up.
“It’s potentially possible," he said.
Frechette said that ABS has 10 well permits
for 12-inch wells up to 380 feet in depth, which
allow them to pump more than 1,200 gallons of
water a minute through each well 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
He pointed out that EPD does not govern
domestic wells such as those used by the fami
lies in the area, and can not take any action to
limit any permit-holder’s water use.
Frechette said that similar problems regard
ing use of ground water have come up across
the state specifically in Worth, Tift, Baker.
Mitchell and Miller counties.
Meanwhile, weather forecasters offer little
hope of solid relief for dry fields and yards in
Houston County.
The NOAA official forecast calls for widely
scattered afternoon showers Aug. 11 with a high
of 95-100 degrees. The chance of rain is 20 per
cent. 1
Thursday will b# mostly sunny and hot with
highs in the upper 90s to 100 degrees.
See PROGRESS, Page 5A