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Volume 128, No. 34 2 Sections 18 Pages Wednesday, Aug. 25. 1999 50 Cents ik Home of the oS Georgia National Pair At 7 ! The j - Crossroai JCjjLx This jjßeL Week / f aß, \ ENTfp^' f 1 i* — 1 1 ..l 1 1 an M*i 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 Asking a tough question •lust how old do m\ you think you are? j flfip| 'O&W X Try this test from j ' ■. editor Jj Johnson \ ? and see if you’re a \ ?|C r , J senior citizen. W / See page 4A\*<j£> / Houston Home Journal Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia < . - - f ■ / ' 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. Tht Old Reliable, Serving Houston County Since Dec. 17, 1870 V Panthers If \ !■ —lff =- s- WHHf qq/qcj/qa N nmpr.To dphtfct T I! RQ. K|ATN ( TPPOC’V oTtirwc, no |AW//i in Jamboree yjUKUgkA see ***** 6A 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. Whales happen- /^Lx Joan Dorsett j m *\ knows. See j what’s happen- 1 WmMm M ing in the Just \ / Visitin’ columm. \ See page Is\ / 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