Newspaper Page Text
Volume 128, No. 41
2 Sections •
18 Pages
Wednesday,
Oct. 13, 1999
50
Cents
Hone of U» if§
Georgia H
National PSOrm f
aod
tw -I WWHHSHHt*'
At 1 i
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Crassroai loL/
This
Week
Perry Shriners offer
barbecue Oct. 22
The Periy Shrine Club
will hold its annual fall
barbecue on Oct. 22 at
their facility located at
402 Hodges Blvd.
Plates will be able to
be picked up through
the drive-thru from
11:30 a.m. until 6:30
p.m. Plates will include
half pound of pit cooked
pork barbecue, cole
slaw, Little Debbie
Snack, chips, pickles,
and bread
Cost will be $5 per
plate and bulk barbecue
will be $6 per pound.
Fair continues
Despite weather which
has, on some days been
more appropriate for
ducks, the Georgia
National Fair continues
to draw fans.
While attendance has
been affected by rain.
Director Michael
Froehlich remains upbeat
about the 10th anniver
sary fair which continues
through Oct. 17.
On the menu the rest
of the week are major
performer concerts in
Reaves Arena Oct. 15-
16, and daily contests.
Mossy Creek is this
weekend
The annual Mossy
Creek Barnyard Festival
arts and crafts show is
Oct. 16-17 at the festival
site off Lake Joy Road.
See page IB for addi
tional details about this
annual event.
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.
Oct. 14- Breakfast-
Pigs in Blanket. Lunch
“ Jungle Book." Pizza
Pride, wild string beans,
swinging vine salad,
baboon banana, mon
goose muffins.
Oct. 15- Breakfast-
Manager’s Choice.
Lunch- “How the West
was Won." Trail Blazing
Tortilla Chips, Chuck
Wagon Cheese Sauce,
Cactus Quarters, Rootin
Tootin Carrot and Celery
sticks and Texas Toast.
Oct. 18- Breakfast-
Breakfast pizza. Lunch-
Hamburger or Manager’s
choice or baked potato
w/hot toppings. Juice
Bar.
Oct. 19- Breakfast-
Bacon, Egg and Cheese
croissant. Lunch- Chick
en sandwich or ravioli
w/cheese sticks and gar
lic bread or pizza.
Oct. 20- Breakfast-
Waffles w/syrup. Lunch
corn dog or grilled
cheese sandwich
w/soup or chili or baked
potato w/hot toppings.
Mississippi Cake.
Additional choices and
options are available at
many of the Houston
County public school
cafeterias.
| Perry Middle school
Seventh Graders play
tor county softball title
Game postponed by rain until
Oct. 14.
Eighth graders capture third
place in county tournament.
Details, page 9A
Housm Home Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
TB threat for Floyd workers not critical
By Torey Jolley
Home Journal Staff
A potential threat of
exposure to tuberculosis for
Hurricane Floyd volunteers
at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds is not as criti
cal as once determined.
Earlier in the week, state
health officials advised
Study recommends four new
schools in Houston by 2004
Study calls for three elementaries, one high school in five years
By Torey Jolley
Home Journal Staff
Even as Houston Countians pay a penny
sales tax on every dollar to pay for new school
construction, one study is calling for more.
More schools. Within five years. Three
elementaries and one high school will be
needed by 2004 according to the study
made public at the Houston County Board
of Education meeting Oct. 12.
The Middle Georgia Regional Develop
ment Center the demographic
analysis to assist the Houston County
Board of Education with its future plan
ning efforts.
The summary estimates the student
population growth for 1999-2004, and
also estimates the future staffing needs in
relation to the school board's desired
teacher-student ratio.
Currently. Houston County has 19 ele
mentary schools, seven middle schools,
and four high schools plus two auxiliary
high school campuses. The projected
increase from 1999 to 2004 represents an
18.29 percent increase growth rate over
the five-year period.
The summary indicates three new ele
mentary school facilities will needed by
2004 to meet the projected enrollment
demands. Two of the facilities will need to
be in place by 2002.
The written summaiy includes, “One of
these new elementary schools should be
within the Perry area as the elementary
schools in that area are already near
capacity. The other two elementary schools
should be located in the middle and north
ern portions of the county.”
While no new middle school is indicated
in the summaiy through 2004, the sum
mary suggests middle school enrollment
will exceed current non-portable capacity
in 2005. Houston County opened two new
middle schools two years ago, and replaced
Perry Middle School last year.
To meet projected high school enroll
ment demands, the school system will need
to construct one new high school by the
year 2004 with the ability to house at least
‘Gnat knockers’ and peach ice cream
How the Georgia National Fair came to Perry
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Kag.
The 1999 Georgia National Fair
is the 10th to be held since Joe
Frank Harris, then governor of
Georgia, presided over the opening
of the veiy first Georgia National
Fair on Oct. 5,1990,
Since that time, the fair and
the year-round activities at the site
have become so much a part of
Perry that the very young or new
comers to the area might find it
hard to imagine Perry without that
landmark clock tower.
Still, it could have been some
where else! There were some who
even thought that Perry wasn’t the
right location that it was too far
from Atlanta, and that a fair
grounds located here would wind
up being “a white elephant out in a
The Old Reliable, Serving Houston County Since Dec. 17 t 1870
relief workers for the Hurri
cane Floyd evacuation
effort at the Georgia Nation
al Fairgrounds be tested for
tuberculosis.
However, Kathleen E.
Toomey, Department of
Human Resources, Division
of Public Health director,
announced Oct. 12, “Some
1,800 students. The report determined the
position of the new high school for best
overall impact should be located in the
Bonaire area of Houston County.
The school system gained additional
high school student capacity this year
when a vocational-specific high school
opened at the former Middle Georgia Tech
campus in Warner Robins. Students must
apply to attend the Houston County Career
and Technology Center.
In addition, to meet the school board’s
desired teacher-student ratios, which are
23.32:1 for elementary schools and 28.6:1 for
middle schools, the school system will need
to hire an additional 23 elementary school
teachers and 10 middle school teachers. In
order to house the new teachers, additional
classrooms must be made available either
through portables or new facilities.
No action was taken on the report. Board
members will use the information for
future plans.
The Board of Education approved three
new curricula starting with the January
2000 semester for the Houston County
Career and Technology Center. The new
course offering will be professional foods
(culinary arts), cosmetology, and manufac
turing technology/certification.
Luann Purcell, assistant superintendent
of pupil services, asked the Board to
approve SI,OOO for fuel for Houston Coun
ty bus use in conjunction with the
HODAC/Volunteer Houston County Grant
for Perry Elementary School counselor and
after-school programs.
Purcell said through the efforts of the
members of Kids' Journey, HODAC and
Volunteer Houston County, the school sys
tem received a $50,000 grant to implement
the Student Assistance Program as a pilot
prevention program at Perry Elementary
School. The grant will utilize the services
for a student assistance support counselor
and volunteers from Volunteer Houston
County. The program would supplement
support currently provided at Perry Ele
mentary. The Board approved the SI,OOO
bus fuel expense.
farm field."
The Agricenter could have wound
up being built in Macon, in Tifton,
in Byron, in Unadilla, Cordele or
Fort Valley or any of dozen more
cities that were on the initial list for
consideration by a site study com
mittee.
So. how did it wind up in Perry?
Through a combination of vision,
hard work and unity on the part of
many local leaders, some good
humored competitiveness, a few
servings of homemade peach ice
cream and some political muscle.
That's not the beginning of the
story, however. The true beginning
was back in the summer of 1983
when some youths from Perry went
to the Macon fairgrounds to show
some hogs. Their names were Larry
and Wendy. Their dad wept with
proof, t o wt yoooC'FP DonTm
Georgia I tl no M qtw i tppopy
parade ir OTurwc no
Capture t e
6A
TB testing of the patient’s
close contacts has occurred
revealing no transmission.”
According to officials, a
Savannah man who stayed
at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter
during the evacuation has
tested positive for TB.
Last month, more than
Home Journal Photo by Jj Johnson
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Ga. Lt. Gov. Marie Taylor
addresses the crowd at the opening ceremony of the
Georgia National Fair Oct. 8.
Conditions near
perfect for ‘Perfect
10’ Fair opening
By Torey Jolley
Home Journal State
“lliis year’s fair will be a
perfect 10." Michael
Froehlich, executive direc
tor of the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricen
ter, declared Oct. 8.
With that remark, he
directed the crowd gath
ered for Georgia National
Fair opening ceremonies to
them to the show and he was
appalled by what he saw when they
got there.
“The facilities were abysmal," he
said, remembe 'ing that day. “There
were 300 to 400 head of hog there,
and it was dusty and dirty without
enough water. I thought it was a
shame that our Georgia young peo
ple didn't have a better place to
show livestock.”
That dad whose own dad had
brought him up placing a high
value on 4-H and FFA activities
was Rep. Larry Walker.
A few days later, he complained
about the problem to Rep. Henry
Reaves of Quitman, and shortly
after that an ad hoc committee was
formed to look into the possibility of
providing Georgia's young people
with a better place to show live
5,000 evacuees stayed at
the Perry site. More than
300 Red Cross workers,
police, and other volunteers
worked at the evacuation
site during the three-day
period.
Health Department offi
cials have determined from
shelter lists that only evac
s’*******
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V { . . •.
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Z9HHI
JR J
uees from the Savannah
area may have been
exposed. Officials are track
ing down anyone who may
have been exposed.
The tuberculosis threat
is classified at as a low
threat. The Agricenter
See TEST, Page 5A
look overhead to see a sur
prise a 818 bomber
doing a fly-by for the
delight of the fairgoers.
The nations longest
seated state legislator, Ga.
Sen. Hugh Gillis. D-Soper
ton. introduced state Lt.
Gov. Mark Taylor, keynote
speaker of the opening cer-
See OPENING, Page 5A
stock.
From that point on. ideas were
popping like popcorn.
Walker surprised
“The first meeting of the commit
tee, on Aug. 15, 1983. was at the
Farm Bureau building in Macon,“
Walker recalled in a recent inter
view. “I thought we'd try to get
$200,000 to $300,000 in the bud
get for improvements, and I almost
fell out of my chair when Henry
(Reaves) said, “We’H need sls mil
lion."
According to Johnny Webb, who
has had a key role at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds since the ear
liest days, “The ad hoc committee
then approached Gov. Joe Frank
See AGRICENTER, Page 5A