Newspaper Page Text
Volume 128, No. 34
2 Sections
18 Pages
Wednesday,
Aug. 25. 1999
50
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Home of the oS
Georgia
National Pair
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Masons set annual
chicken barbecue
Like barbecued chick
en? Here's a chance to
get some for a good
price and help some
good causes as well.
Members of the Hous
ton Lodge #35 F&AM
will host their ninth
annual chicken barbe
cue Aug. 27. Plates will
be available from 11:30
a.m.-6:30 p.m. at the
Shriner's Barbecue Pit.
General Courtney
Hodges Boulevard in
Perry.
The $5 plates include
a half chicken, cole
slaw, chips, baked
beans, bread and a Lit
tle Debbie Cake.
Tickets are available
from Houston Lodge
members and at the
door.
Lunches for Houston
County Schools
Milk is served with
every meal. Breakfast
features fresh fruit or
fruit juice; cereal and
toast are a daily break
fast choice. Lunches
offer a variety of fruits
and vegetables daily.
Peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches are always
on the menu.
Aug. 26 Breakfast:
sausage biscuit. Lunch:
nachos w/ beef and
cheese or sub sandwic h
or pizza. Chocolate chip
cookie.
Aug. 27 Breakfast:
manager's choice.
Lunch: steak nuggets
w/roll or barbecue on
bun or pizza. Jell-O
cookie.
Aug. 30 Breakfast:
manager’s choice.
Lunch: chicken nuggets
w/roll or hot ham and
cheese sandwich or
baked potato w/hot top
pings. Rice Krispy
treats.
Aug. 31 Breakfast:
saiisage biscuit. Lunch:
Taco or fish nuggets or
sandwich or pizza. Cin
namon rolls.
Band members selling
cards to raise funds
Members of the Perry
High School marching
band are selling special
cards which enable buy
ers to get discounts at
various restaurants and
stores. Cost is $5 per
card and the cards will
be good until Sept. 15.
20d0.
Part of the cost will go
to the band to help stu
dents pay for their
spring trip to Orlando.
Fla., where the band
has been invited to per
form at Universal Stu
dios' Island Adventures
Theme Park.
For more information,
call 987-6712.
Press box ‘accident
waiting to happen
Dave McMahan told
Houston County School
Board officials during
their Aug. 10 meeting.
“The press box at Perry
High is an accident
waiting to
With football begin
ning in a couple of
weeks. McMahan doubts
See BOX, Page 5A
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Houston Home Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
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TOWN MEETING Perry Area Cham
ber of Commerce Chairman Steve
Rodgers, (from left) Perry Hospital Direc
tor Lora Davis, and citizen Dennis Hoop
Project stalled again
Chambliss hit with questions
about stalled post office project
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Home Journal Staff
Congressman Saxby Chambliss met
with constituents here Aug. 24. promoting
the Republican majority's proposal for use
of a $3 trillion budget surplus, pledging his
continued support for Medicare and Social
Security, and answering a barrage of ques
tions from constituents.
One of the first questions he faced was
f rom Perry Mayor Jim Worrall. He asked for
Chambliss' help with Perry's stalled post
office project. Worrall pointed out the pro
ject has gotten its start nearly eight years*
ago when he and others in Perry met with
the late Rep. Richard Ray and postal offi
cials.
He pointed out that three contracts have
fallen through, and most recently, he said.
“A tractor was there for two days and we
haven't seen them since."
“Where can we go get something done
with that hole in the ground?" Worrall
asked. “Is the Postal Service responsible to
anyone?"
City officials arc continuing in their
effort to obtain help with the project.
Meanwhile. Chambliss said the Republi
can budget plan would mean spending 75
percent of the surplus on debt relief . Social
Home Journal Photo by Torcy Jolley
SAYING BYE Jimmy Faircloth says good-bye to his
son, Mitchell, during opening day activities at The West
field Schools Aug. 19. Mitchell is a student at Westfield.
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Home Journal Photo by Charlotte Perkins
er (far right) talk with U.S. Rep. Saxby
Chambliss following his town hall meet
ing in Perry.
security and Medicare, education and
national defense, while also putting $770
billion into tax relief over the next 10 years.
However, in response to a question
about a potential veto of the plan from
President Clinton. Chambliss said he
doubted there would be sufficient votes to
override a presidential veto.
Chambliss also pushed for better pay
and health care provisions for military per
sonnel, with fewer deployments to take
them away from their families. He spoke of
shrinking military equipment and forces in
the face of increasing deployments around
the world.
A number of citizens present at the
meeting asked questions about Social
Security, veterans benefits and gun con
trol.
"We need law enforcement, not more
laws," Chambliss said.
He also said he disagreed strongly with
Rep. Boh Barr, another Georgia Republi
can, regarding a recently passed bill to
eliminate the forfeiture of assets by crimi
nals which Barr sponsored.
“Bob Barr’s my friend, but we had a
strong disagreement." Chambliss fold
Perry Police Chief George Potter who asked
about the issue.
Agricenter continues to evolve as
10th Georgia National Fair nears
By Torey Jolley
Home Journal Staff
With tne final weeks
counting down to the open
ing of the 10th anniversary
of the Georgia National Fair
Oct. 8, many changes are in
store for the Georgia
National Fairgrounds and
Agricenter.
Some important changes
are not necessarily just for
the fair and are future goals
of the Fairgrounds and
Agricenter.
“We have 644 acres of
land. We have room for
growth,” said Michael
Froehlich, Executive Direc
tor of the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter.
A change which will be in
place for the 10th anniversary
fair is a new three-lane road.
It will be on the east side.
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School board
ponders financing
future needs
By Torey Jolley
Home Journal Staff
With enrollment on the
rise, members of the Hous
ton County Board of Edu
cation discussed future
needs during their Aug. 23
meeting.
Armed with projections
about the county's current
student demographics and
proposed enrollment in the
future, George Eubanks,
Assistant Superintendent
for Eiusiness and Opera
tions, said, “We need to
start planning early on
where vve need to go with
facilities."
The current student pop
ulation is 21.492. Based on
Regional Development
Commission studies and
system growth percent
ages. the student popula
tion is expected to reach
25,526‘by4heyear 2004.
Eubanks said, “We are
going to conduct a study to
determine what we need to
do. Then we can determine
if we have enough money to
do what we want.”
Suggestions included
combining the adjacent
campuses of Northside
High School and Tabor
Middle School, then build
ing a new middle school.
Eubanks said by com
bining the two school cam
puses, the number of stu
dents would fit easily into
the facilities with no float
ing teachers or classroom
trailers which is a major
problem with Northside
High now.
Houston County Super
intendent Charles Holloway
asked. “How are we going
to do this?"
Among the ideas floated
was to use the special local
option sales tax approved
bv voters in 1997 for pay
ing off the bonds issued in
1993 nd 1996.
Because the two bond
sets have a “call" feature,
the board can pay them off
early without penalty.
“This is to ease the traffic
congestion during the fair,
especially during concert
evenings," said Froehlich.
In addition to the new
lanes, the Fairgrounds and
Agricenter has developed an
additional 2.500 parking
spaces with lights.
Scheduled to be in place
for this year's fair is a new
fountain for the main pond.
It will spray high into the
air and colored lights will
display it prominently.
Plans lor the facility are
not all scheduled around
the fair. The new Exhibit
and Conference Building,
scheduled for opening in
the year 2001. will be a con
vention growth area for the
Agricenter.
The new structure will be
situated on land to the left
If the Board continues to
collect the extra penny of
sales tax through June
2001. there will be suffi
cient money to pay back
the 1993 and 1996 bonds.
The 1997 referendum
called for the collection of
the special sales tax for a
period of five years or until
the collection of almost $54
million occurred.
According to the law, all
monies go into an account
for series bonds payments,
including principal and
interest. Interest on sales
tax monies which accumu
lates can only be used to
pay debt or reduce the mill
age rate.
If the tax is collected
through June 2001, the
Board will collect an esti
mated $49.5 millidh and
with interest, the total
would come to almost $54
million.
By paying off the bond
series 1993 and 1996, the
Board could renew or
request a new referendum
for another special tax. If
passed, this would enable
the Board to build the
schools needed.
However, no decision
was made in this area. The
Board requested more
information. According :o
Vice-Chairman Shirley
Lowery. "We need to have
public hearings one in
Perry and one in Warner
Robins after the studies
are completed. We need to
show people what we need,
why we need it, and how
much it will cost."
The Board also noted the
state has proposed to
change the teacher-student
ratio for grades K-5. The
proposed change would
lower the ratio 1 to 15 in
grades K through third and
lower the ratios 1-20 in
grades four and five.
Holloway said, if passed,
that would necessitate
additional classrooms and
teachers.
of the West Gate and due
west (or in front of, looking
from 1-75) of Heritage Hall.
"The building will allow
more exhibits to be shown
during the fair. Businesses,
groups, and conferences
can be held there. It will
have 65.000 square feet. It
will offer 40,000 square feet
of open exhibit space and
25,000 square feet in
gallery, conference, and
entrance area," said
Froehlich.
Architects for the project
are Tribble and Richardson,
Inc., a division of DS
ATLANTIC Co. Froehlich
noted bidding on the project
is scheduled for after the
fair and a possible ground
breaking after the first of
See PAIR, Page 5A