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Legal Organ For Houston County, City of Perry and the State of Georgia 500
Volume 121) Number 17
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INSIDE THIS WEEK
Perdue seeks
re-election
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Incumbent
Sen. Sonny Perdue
Sen. Sonny Perdue (R-
Bonaire) has announced that
he will seek his sixth term in
the Georgia Senate, and will
face a challenge from a politi
cal newcomer who has entered
the race as a Democrat.
Warner Robins realtor and
contractor, Miller J. Heath,
Jr., qualified on Monday in At
lanta to run for the senate
post ....See Page 3A
Perryan to
attend
nationwide
conference
“Fm going to listen in the
spirit of oneness and Chris
tian love and dialogue, but
there are core doctrines or
principles of our faith that I
will not compromise.”
David Mills is a Boft-spoken
man, a good listener and a
professional administrator,
experienced in helping people
work together. He’s also a
man who knows where he
stands, and next week in
Cleveland, Ohio, he’ll have his
work cut out for
him • •MM«****(*»*« See Page 10A
qualify for
state
The Georgia Independent
School Association tennis
championships will be de
cided this week at Abraham
Baldwin College in Tifton as
Tiftarea Academy welcomes
qualifiers from the four GISA
regions See Page 2B
The Best
We’ve all heard the expres
sion, “Laughter is the Best
Medicine.” Simply stated,
laughter makes us feel good
and is good for us. Research
has shown that after a good
laugh, your blood pressure
and heart rate drop, the im
mune system function is im
proved and endorphins, your
body’s own natural tranquil
izers, See Page 7B
Index
OPINION PAGE 4A
CLASSIFIED.... PAGE 6C
Lifestyles PAGE 6A
SPORTS PAGEIB
LEGALS PAGE 1C
NEWS BRIEFS..PAGE 2A
Honored
See Page 9A
11 |g JM A
Photo by Charlotte Perkin*
Ready to run - Rep. Larry Walker (center) has announced that he will seek another term in the state
legislature. With him are Foster Rhodes (left) and Chuck Byrd (right) who co-chaired a fund-raiser
and show of support for Walker which was held last week at the Houston Lake Country Club.
Houston Board of Education
announces funding plan
By Lanorris Fleming
Staff Writer
The Houston County Board of
Education lias announced that
in hopes of dispelling myths
about the scheduled raising of
the property and sales taxes they
are presenting a financing plan
that will support the proposed
$l6O million project.
The facilities need study found
that 615 new classrooms are re
quired to meet the growing popu
lation needs over the next 10
years.
The facilities plan is still in the
development stage, but many
have asked how the expansion
plan would be financed. The plan
calls for new schools, classroom
additions, renovations, land,
technology and construction ad
ministration.
The total cost would be offset
by state funds of $14.2 million,
resulting in a net cost to local
citizens of $146.3 million, accord
ing to the proposed financial
plan.
These funds could be gener
ated by a 10-year extension of
the special purpose local option
sales taxi SPLOST) of one per
cent, according to school officials.
The benefit of extending the
SPLOST is three-fold, according
to the plan. First, property taxes
would not increase; second,
there would be no increase of the
sales taxlit would be an exten
sion of the current one percent
sales tax citizens already pay);
and third, everyone who shops
in Houston County would help
pay for the facilities.
Once the plan is finalized and
the costs are adjusted accord
ingly, taxpayers would be asked
to approve an extension of the
SPLOST and the issuance of
bonds.
Based on the current plan
which calls for $146.3 million,
Relay 2000 to be biggest ever
By Charlotte Perkins
Staff Writer
Over 20 local churches,
schools, clubs and businesses
will participate in the 2000 Re
lay for Life, which will be held
at Rozar Park on April 28 and
29. According to event’s plan
ners, this is the largest number
ever to participate.
Those participating in the
round-the-clock walkathon will
be Houston Lake Baptist
WUMt ■
Thursday, April 27, 2000
citizens would be asked to ex
tend the SPLOST for five addi
tional years and to approve $74
million in bonds. The bonds
would pay for initial projects.
The SPLOST funds would gen
erate approximately SB3 mil
lion, with sl3 million ear
marked to pay bonds interest
and the remainder used to pay
for projects as revenue is re
ceived.
Around September 2006. tax
payers would again be asked to
extend the one percent sales tax
for another five years. This rev
enue would be used to pay off
the $74 million in bonds. If the
SPLOST extension were not ap
proved in 2006, a property tax
increase would be inevitable.
The Facilities Needs debate,
which began in September 1999
as a study in how to facilitate
long-term growth in the Hous
ton County School System, is
still going on very strong. In the
April 24 work session of the
Board of Education the mem
bers discussed the problems
brought out in the first forum
which was held at Northside
High School on April 13.
“I was very disappointed at
the participation,” said Board
member Fred Wilson.
One of the problems that was
expressed by those who did at
tend the forum was with the last
referendum passed and the re
sults.
“Why should we trust you
with this money if you aren’t ac
countable for the $34 million we
gave last time,” said Perry resi
dent Robbin Jackson.
According to Charles
Holloway, superintendent of
schools, and other board mem
bers, there will be a published,
listing of the last referendums
projects and their costs on the
HCBOE web site for those indi
Church, Perry United Method
ist Church, Rehoboth Baptist
Church, Andrew United Method
ist Church, Perry Primary
School, Perry Middle School,
Kings Chapel Elementary
School, Momingside Elementary
School, Perry High School, the
Bank of Perry, CB&T Bank,
Perry Hospital, the City of Perry,
the Perry Kiwanis Club, the Bo
som Buddies Cancer Support
Group, the Creekwood Neighbor
This is fun
See Page 10A
viduals who want to know where
this money was used.
Holloway said that the people
are not realty listening to what
the board is trying to do now,
they are still thinking about
what was done in the past.
According to a consensus of
board members this publishing
of the past referendums accom-
See BOE
On Page 3A
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Photo by Emily John»ton«*
Authorities from the Houston County Sheriff’s Office begin their
investigation of an accident that seriously injured a 10-year-old
child April 21. According to Sgt. M.J. Stokes, Eric York drove
into the path of a 1979 Bonneville traveling on Country Drive.
York was operating a Honda Zl5O. He was not wearing a helmet,
said Stokes. The driver of the car, 38-year-old Jimmy Hickey,
attempted to avoid hitting the child, added the sergeant. “There
were six feet of skid marks made prior to impact,” said Stokes.
While Hickey was charged with driving with a suspended license,
he was not charged in connection with the accident.
hood Watch, Kroger, Northrop
Grumman, Fairfield Inn-Perry,
and the Posey/Sandefur family.
Rachel English and Ben Jones,
WMAZ television personalities
will return to emcee the event
and to judge the campsite and
costume competitions.
The Relay will begin at 7 p.m.,
Friday night, with cancer sur
vivors taking the first walk. A
three-year old cancer survivor
will be among those in the spot
I
No funding for
downtown
Courthouse
By Charlotte Perkins and
Emily Johnstone
HHJ Staff
An anticipated shortfall in
funding for Houston County’s
new courthouse and jail con
struction project will more than
likely mean that no special local
option sales tax (5.P.L.0.5.T.)
money is available for renova
tion of the old courthouse in
downtown Perry.
The renovation of the old
courthouse building at an esti
mated $2 million - while a ma
jor selling point during the cam
paign for the S.P.L.O.S.T. - was
not written specifically into the
wording of the referendum ques
tion.
County Commission Chair
man J. Sherrill Stafford said in
an interview on Tuesday that the
Commissioners will be talking
with Perry leaders and will prob
ably need “to reevaluate the best
use of the building in downtown
Perry.”
The expected shortfall will also
probably force the Commission
ers to borrow money or dip into
the county’s reserve fund of $8.9
million to come up with as much
as $3 million to fund the comple
tion of the new facilities.
According to Stafford, the ar
chitects for the project have re
cently estimated the combined
cost for the new courthouse and
jail at $47,100,000, or $3.100,000
more than the fixed amount of
$44,000,000 to be raised by the
S.P.L.O.S.T. voters approved two
years ago.
light. Luminaries will be lighted
at 9 p.m. in memory of those
who have died of cancer and in
honor of cancer survivors. Lu
minaries may be paid for at the
Relay.
Carol Hayes is this year’s
chair, with Holly Sargent serv
ing as co-chair. Sponsors are
Northrop Grumman, Houston
Healthcare Complex,Kroger,
the City of Perry and the Geor
gia National Fairgrounds.
Throe Sections 30 Pages
Stafford said that although the
exact cost of the construction
projects would not be known un
til bids come in (probably late
this year), “it’s a safe assumption
that the cost will be more than
$44 million.”
Stafford attributed the in
crease in the anticipated cost of
the project to increased construc
tion costs, and said that the
Board of Commissioners had
sought professional guidance in
establishing the original esti
mate and had even added a 10
percent contingency fund, but
costs were still likely to exceed
the amount voters approved for
the S.P.L.O.S.T.
Stafford also noted that jail
construction costs had been
trimmed by reducing the num
ber of “beds” - or spaces for in
mates - from 600 to 508.
“When they got to costing out
the 600 bed jail, we found we
couldn’t afford it,” Stafford said,
“but the support functions will
be built so that modules can be
added in the future if we need
more room.”
Meanwhile, Perry officials re
acted to the news that there mav
be no funding for renovation of
the existing courthouse.
See Courthouse
Page 5A
Police hot
on trail
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
Perry police tracked down an
Atlanta man April 20 who, dur
ing visits to four stores and res
taurants on Sam Nunn Boule
vard, left a succession of bath
room fires.
Nineteen-year-old Christo
pher L. Stephens has been
charged with four counts of first,
degree arson, according to Perry
Police Lt. Heath Dykes.
Stephens, who Dykes de
scribed as a transient, made his
first stop of the morning at the
Conoco station at 1501 Sam
Nunn Blvd.
He allegedly entered the
store, asked the clerk for a
couple of dollars, then pro
ceeded to the bathroom where
he supposedly set a trash can on
fire by igniting paper towels in
the container, said Dykes.
After Stephens left the store,
the clerk noticed a burning
smell and found the blazing
trash can, said the investigator.
From that location, Stephens
allegedly made his way to the
BP Station, Burger King and
Captain D’s, where similar in
cidents occurred, said Dykes.
A lookout was placed on the
subject.
“At Captain D’s it was pretty
much the same method of opera
tion,” he said. “People eating in
the restaurant saw the smoke
and alerted others.”
That restaurant was to be
Stephens’ last stop before the
Perry jail, however.
Dykes said he spotted
Stephens heading in the direc
tion of the Amoco station soon
after.
Detective Ken Ezell was
called to place the suspect into
custody.
“I’m glad we caught up with
him when we did, before he
could do any more damage,”
commented Fire Chief Gary
Hamlin.
The fire department re
sponded to several of the calls,
he said.