Newspaper Page Text
Volume 128, No. 48
2 Sections
16 Pages
Wednesday,
Dec. 1. 1999
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The
Crossroad#
This J
Week /
Calendar dominated
by Christmas at the
Crossroads events
Activities relating to the
29th observance of Christ
mas at the Crossroads domi
nate the calendar in Perry
this week.
Dec. 1
Dec. 2 Westfield
Schools chorus in Christmas
concert at the school library.
Perry High School football
team members will be hon
ored at the annual football
banquet at 6:30 p.m. at
Perry Hiah School cafeteria
Dec. 3 Perry Players
present “A Star at the Cross
roads" at the theater, 909
Main St. Cost is $5 per per
son. Performance at 7:30
p.m. Call 987 -5354.
Dec. 4 Start the day
from 7-10 a.m. at the Perry
Kiwanis Club annual Christ
mas at the Crossroads pan
cake breakfast. At the Coun
ty Extension Service build
ing, 733 Carroll St., Perry.
The cost is $3 per person.
More information at 987-
3251.
The ATA Taekwondo
regional finals will be held at
the Georgia National Fair
grounds and Agricenter. Call
987-8874 for information.
The annual Perry Christ
mas Parade will pass
through downtown beginning
at 2 p.m. For information, call
987-1234.
Perry Players present “A
Star at the Crossroads” at
the theater. 909 Main St.
Cost is $5 per person. Per
formances at 3 and 7:30
p.m. Call 987-5354 for
details.
Dec. 5 The second
Sunday of Advent.
Christmas open houses,
sponsored by Perry mer
chants, will be 2-5 p.m.
Gilbert Photography and
the Town Crier will offer free
pictures with Santa from 2-5
p.m. with a donation of
canned goods or toys for
PAL. At 913 Carroll St.
The annual Community
Candlelight Celebration will
be on the Houston County
Courthouse lawn at 7 p.m.
The event is sponsored by
the Perry Ministerial Associ
ation. Call 987-4803
Dec. 6 Perry-Houston
County Airport Authority, 7
p.m.
Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor
Day.
Houston County Commis
sion at 10 a.m.. Perry City
Hall.
Perry City Council meet
ing, Perry City Hall, 6 p.m.
Dec. 8
Dec. 9
Dec. 10 Edward Jones
Open House, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.,
1023 Ball St„ Call 987-0801.
Dec. 1 1 “King of Love"
at Perry Presbyterian
Church, 6:30 p.m., 111 Sec
ond St. Call 987-1403.
Dec. 12 Third Sunday
in Advent.
(See EVENTS, Page 2A)
Contact:
the
Home
Journal
Contact the Houston Home journal:
Voice (‘>l2) 987-1823
Fax (91/, 1181
email homejrn^hom.net
Mail TO. Drawer M,
Perry, 31069
Street 807 Carroll St.,
Perry, 31069
Pttrode 2 pjn, Saturday; CladleP 7 - ■ Jdoy
»IJ V
/n\ ci**
Christmas at the Crossroads
activity list continues to grow
Home Journal to sponsor home decorations contest
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HojttjtouwiAL^SWF^ ___
It’s time to hang those wreaths and turn
on the holiday lights and for a few home
owners, there will be a chance to win a lit
tle Christmas shopping cash.
The Houston Home Journal will sponsor
a home decorating contest for Christmas as
part of the Christmas at the Crossroads
festivities. Open to all Houston homes
located south of Mossy Creek, the contest
will be judged on the night of Dec. 16.
Prizes will be SSO lor first place, $25 for
second place and sls for third place.
To be part of the contest, home owners
must submit an entry form. Entry forms
are available at the Houston Home Journal
(or on page 8A of this paper) and must be
filled in and submitted by noon Dec. 16.
For more information, call 987-1823.
“There are always many beautifully dec
orated homes in the Perry area and we'd
like to show those hard working homeown
ers a little appreciation," said Home Jour
nal General Manager Jj Johnson. “In addi
tion to announcing the winners in our Dec.
22 issue, we plan to print all the addresses
submitted so that our readers will have a
guide to riding around and enjoying the
decorations."
Also new on the Christmas at the Cross
roads calendar is a special family photo
Panel begins developing plans
for future county public schools
By Torey Jolley
Home Journal Staff
Problems with narrow T3T enough
acreage for operations and enough parking
spaces are among the items on a check list
for those planning future Houston County
schools.
The first of several reports concerning
future school buildings in the county was
submitted to the Houston County Board of
Education Nov. 29.
Bill Loudermilk, Director of Facilities
and Capital Outlay Projects for Houston
County public schools, said part of the
study is to look at present schools for the
feasibility of enlarging these locations.
Loudermilk said a team went into each
school and viewed it in regards to several
items. He said questions asked of each
school would include things like “is more
classroom space possible or is the current
school large enough?"
“The intention is to have a study sheet
completed for each school in Houston
County," said Loudermilk.
The study is broken into the three ser
vice types of schools in the county, elemen
tary, middle and high schools, Loudermilk
told Board members.
“We want our children to be in the right
learning environment, ’ said Loudermilk. To
accomplish that goal may require building
new schools, enlarging others, and determin
ing whether or not it is possible to discontin
ue the use of portable classrooms, he said.
According to state requirements, an ele
mentary school must be located on at least
12 acres. Loudermilk said 20 acres would
be optimum.
“Twelve acres is tight. Northside Elemen
Concerns about Y2K top chamber agenda
By Torey Jolley
Hour JouKjtAi. Staff
Worried about Y2k? Have
questions, like will there be
banking problems? Will
gas, electric, and water be
available? What about ser
vices such as medical, fire
and public safety?
Members of the Perry
Area Chamber of Com
merce took steps to allevi
ate their worries during the
Good Morning, Perry
Breakfast Nov. 24.
Presenting sessions on
Y2K preparedness were Joe
Lima, Y2K Program Manag
Houston Home Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
The Old Reliable, Serving Houston County Since Dec* 17, 1870
opportunity sponsored by The Town Crier
and Gilbert Photography. Photo sessions
will be at Gilbert Photography, 913 Carroll
St. in Downtown Perry from 2 p.m. to 5
p.m. on Dec. 5.
Each family will receive a complimentary
5X7 picture for donating either canned
goods or an unwrapped tow to Project
Agape Love. For more information, call
987-8620 or 988-1595.
A number of merchants in the downtown
shopping area are planning Christmas
Open Houses Dec. 5. According to Chris
Kinnas, president of the Perry Area Cham
ber of Commerce, these include Ace Hard
ware, Andrew Pierce Travel Agency, Card
Carousel Hallmark, Hargrove Interiors,
Gilbert Photography, H&K Security,
Impressions, Jones Jewelers, Rainbow's
End, Sugarplum Tree, Swift Street Inn, the
Mitered Corner and the Perry Bookstore.
Other events, already announced for this
weekend include the Perry Kiwanis Club's
benefit pancake breakfast, from 7 a.m. to
10 a.m., Dec. 4; the Christmas parade at 2
p.m., Dec. 4, and the Perry Players’ pro
duction of “A Star at the Crossroads", at 3
p.m., Dec. 4, and at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 and
5.
(A complete list of Christmas at the Cross
roads events is included in the calendar, left
column.)
tary is on 12 acres," said Loudermilk.
State requirements call for middle
schools to be on no less than 20 acres. The
report noted 30 acres are optimum.
Loudermilk said the three new middle
schools are fine. Middle schools construct
ed during the past five years include Feagin
Mill, Bonaire and Perry.
“New middle schools have perfect interi
or traffic flow, classrooms, lockers, and
they have wide halls," said Loudermilk.
He said Warner Robins Middle School
has 16 portable classrooms in use now
because of lack of space for students.
High schools are required to have at
least 45 acres, Loudermilk said 75 acres
would be better since practice fields make
up a portion of those schools.
“A middle school needs 350 parking
spaces, and a high school needs at least
1,000 parking spaces,” said Loudermilk.
But parking is not the only problem fac
ing the Houston County schools. According
to Loudermilk, “All schools face a problem
with school lunches. There are three lunch
periods. There is not enough space in the
school lunchrooms to accommodate all the
students, and no school can get two full
classes in any of the media centers."
Loudermilk said the traffic in the Perry
High School halls is heavy now and
stressed concern if more students enrolled
at Perry High, as is expected in the future.
“ the hall traffic would be a disaster."
Loudermilk told the Board the Facilities
Study Group expects to have its elementary
recommendations ready Jan. 1, 2000; sec
ondary recommendations ready by Feb. 1.
2000; and the final study completed by
March 1, 2000.
er for CompuNet Inc.; Lee
Gilmour. Perry City Manag
er: Hay ley Greene, Public
Relations Manager for Flint
Energies: Mitchell King.
Assistant to Region Manag
er for Georgia Power; and
Beth Causey of Houston
Healthcare Medical Com
plex.
“Most people are worried
about Y2K. Polls say banks
aren't ready. That is far
from the truth," said Lima.
“As of June 30. 1999, banks
throughout the South are
99.9 percent Y2K compli
ant. That means 10,350
banks have been checked
and. of those banks, only
seven remain unsatisfacto
ry. Rest easy. Not one of
those banks is within 1,000
miles of Perry."
Lima noted NCUA and
FICA covers Y2K problems.
“ That ensures all deposits
of up to SIOO,OOO are cov
ered," said Lima. Lima said
it is not Y2K that concerns
bankers, but having their
customers believing media
hysteria does cause con
cern.
See Y2K, Page 3A
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Home Journal Photo bv Torey Jolley
NEAR THE END Perry High Principal Phil Smith
will vacate this chair soon after students leave for
the annual Christmas holiday break Dec. 17.
PHS Principal
Phil Smith retiring
He will leave school system Dec. 17
By Torey Jolley
ntOMEjmmag-STAFr
Tne familiar face of t’hil
Smith will no longer be
seen at Perry High School.
After the final bell rings
Dec. 17 for Christmas vaca
tion, his quiet presence will
be absent.
Smith's life is taking a
new direction one with
out regular school bells and
student reports to com
plete. He wall become an
agent for a schtxil employee
retirement fund.
“I started in 1968 at
Dougherty High in Albany. I
came to Houston County in
1975 as an assistant prin
cipal at Perry Junior High. I
transferred to Shirley Hills
Elementary in Warner
Robins about a year and a
half later," Smith recalled
the employment path
which led him to Perry High
during 1985.
“And I have been here
since. It is now time to
retire," he said recently.
Smith is not planning to
retire from the world. “I’m
too young to go home and
sit. I’m too much of a
workaholic. My daddy
taught me work was fun,"
said Smith.
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Home Journal Photo by Jj Johnson
ONE OF MANY DUTIES Perry High School Prin
cipal Phil Smith (right) prepares to crown a new
homecoming queen Oct. 22. This is one of many
duties Smith has as school principal.
“I was raised on a small
farm in Albanv Mv mother
always had her laying hens
and my daddy worked away
from home, but he had veg
etables growing too,” Smith
recalled.
He said the farm sup
plied the family with addi
tional income from the peas
and butter beans raised
there.
“I put myself through
college raising hogs," said
Smith,
After 31 years of working
in education, he’s retiring
from the school system, but
he’s not ready to lounge
around yet.
His new direction will be
working with VALIC. VALIC
is a tax shelter annuity
company specializing in
working with educators.
"It is completely away
from what I’ve done. How
ever, 1 feel I can help people
to better help themselves
prepare for retirement,"
said Smith.
The decision to retire
from the school system and
go into a different direction
was not an easy decision
for Smith and his wife.
See SMITH, page 5A