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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Williams named top firefighter
Fire chief didn’t know assistant had nominated him for state award
EDITOR 'S NOTE: Due to
a copy editing error, a por
tion of this article was omit
ted from Wednesday’s edi
tion of The HHJ. Here is the
entire article. The HHJ apol
ogizes for any inconvenience
the omission caused.
By Emily Johnstone
HHJ Associate Editor
Houston County Fire
Chief Jimmy Williams has
been named top fire official
of the state by the office of
John Oxendine, state insur
ance and safety fire commis
sioner.
Williams’ administrative
assistant Renee Wright
nominated him for the year
ly award.
He learned the news while
in Atlanta Friday to attend
the swearing-in of Houston
County Sheriff Cullen
Talton to a state appoint
ment.
“I was shocked!” said
m M
-> A
Illl*J Jon Suggs
Perry Mayor James Worrall presents Gene Williams of
The Phoenix Center with a copy of a proclamation the
Perry City Council approved Tuesday night, declaring
Oct. 5-11 Mental Health Awareness Week.
Perry council denies
resident's request
By Jon Suggs
HHJ Staff Writer
PERRY - During its regu
lar meeting Tuesday night,
the Perry City Council fol
lowed the recommendation of
the Perry Planning
Commission in limiting the
expansion of a business in one
of the city’s historic homes.
At a public hearing, the
council heard the special
exception request of Michael
A. Kellen, of 1310 Swift St., to
operate a home business in an
accessory building on the
property.
Kellen spoke before the
council, saying he and his
wife have spent a lot of money
restoring the house, and they
hope to continue to do so, but
the business is one of the
ways they intended to sup
port this effort. They bought
the house with a home busi
ness in mind, Kellen said.
The Kellens currently
make soap and other bath
items in their kitchen and sell
them wholesale to such dis
tributors as the Peach Outlet
Mall and Lane Packing. This
home occupation is allowed
under the city’s zoning ordi
nance.
What the Kellens hope to
do - run a retail operation out
of an accessory building -
requires the city’s approval.
Kellen said he does not
think the business will be the
disturbance it has been por
trayed to be.
“We’d be impressed if we
got five customers a week,”
Kellen said. “It’s not a con
venience store.”
In opposition, Elizabeth
Baker, of 1306 Swift St.,
spoke on behalf of a group of
concerned neighbors.
She began by praising the
Kellens as good neighbors
and said the couple has done
some lovely work to the
home. The neighbors’ prob
lem, she insisted, is not with
the Kellens, but with a move
she thinks could signal the
beginning of business expan
sion into the historic homes
area.
The Perry Planning
Commission heard this issue
at its Sept. 8 meeting. By a 3-
2 vote, the commission rec
ommended the council deny
the request.
Tuesday night, Councilman
Billy Jerles spoke in support
of Baker’s position.
“I’m not ready to open the
door to this,” he said of possi
Williams, who said he was
not aware Wright had sub
mitted his name.
Williams started in the
fire service as a volunteer
while working at a local gro
cery store.
In 1986, he became chief
for the Elberta fire station.
He was later appointed
deputy director for Houston
County Emergency
Management Agency in
1989.
In 1994, he was hired as
the first full-time chief of
the county fire department
and director of county EMA.
In the nomination form,
Wright wrote about her
boss’s extensive work with
the county fire department,
including his efforts during
the 1994 flood.
“Shortly after his job
began, Chief Williams had
the opportunity to show
that giving him the job as
EMA director was the best
ble business expansion.
He moved the council deny
the request. Councilman
James Moore seconded the
motion, and in the vote Jerles
and Moore were joined by fel
low councilmen Bobby Glover
and Charles Lewis, resulting
in a 4-0 vote with two council
members absent,
In other business, the coun
cil:
• Approved an ordinance
regulating block parties in the
city. The ordinance requires
block parties “anticipating
attendees 20 persons or
more” to apply to the Perry
Police Department for a per
mit.
• Approved the rezoning
(from R-AG to R-l) and
annexation of 6.5 acres locat
ed on Bear Branch Road.
• Approved four “house
keeping” rezoning applica
tions, transferring Magnolia
Park, Johnny Noble Dixon
Park, Willie Teontae Williams
Park and A. I). Redmond Park
from their current zoning
designations to the govern
ment use (GU) designation.
• Heard from Frank Aaron,
CEO of Houston Healthcare
Complex, on the status of
Perry Hospital. Aaron
explained the recently
announced closing of the
obstetrics ward as a financial
necessity for a hospital that
has struggled to turn around
from a $1.6 million operating
loss in fiscal year 2000 to
expect to be in the red this
year. Aaron said several
options are being considered
for the ward space, including
use as a hospice ward - a pos
sibility he said could “really
match the local community’s
needs.”
• Approved entering an
agreement with the Houston
County Board of Education to
provide a police officer in each
Perry Middle School and
Perry High School, picking up
benefits and providing train
ing and equipment, if the
board will pick up salaries.
• Approved a lease of the
Gen. Courtney Hodges
Armory to the Uptown Perry
Partnership.
#1 Noon
Buffet
green derby
175 Exit 136 • 987^0877
decision the Houston
County Board of
Commissioners has ever
made by overseeing the
flood of ’94,” Wright wrote.
“During this time, Chief
Williams was able to bring
the cities of Centerville,
Warner Robins, Perry, and
the county together to work
as one team during this
time.”
Today, he oversees eight
fire stations throughout the
county, three of which have
full-time personnel working
weekdays from 8 a.m. until
midnight. The other five
have personnel on duty dur
ing the week from 8 a.m.
until 5 p.m.
Some of the committees
he serves on include: GEMA
Area 4 All Hazard Council,
Middle Georgia Homeland
Security Task Force,
Safe Kids of Houston
County, GEMA/EMAG
Advisory Council,
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09/03
LOCAL
Emergency Management
Association of Georgia,
Georgia State Firefighter’s
Association, Georgia
Association of Fire Chiefs,
Middle Georgia Pre-Disaster
Mitigation Committee,
Multi-Jurisdictional
Response Team - Hazmat,
Central Georgia Technical
College Curriculum
Advisory Committee,
Houston County School
Safety Advisory, Rural Fire
Defense Council, Ex
Advisory member Central
GSAR, Houston County
Safety Committee, former
Area 4 chairperson for
EMAG, Matt Arthur
Elementary PTO executive
board, coach for Upward
Bound and Little League.
Wright said she is thrilled
her chief was chosen as top
official.
“We are so excited!” she
said. “And so proud of him.”
f www.roliiiisfcii.org ]
jffr *
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2003
JIMMY WILLIAMS
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