Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

WEDNESDAY May 18, 2005 Volume 135, Number 353 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest Inside TODAY v I -■ I \ -£ | IffelMP WW®m : B Relay for Life photos page 11A 1 --*^ayg|| Happy BIRTHDAY! Buddy Achord Marvin Gilbert Sharon Wallace (Surprise your friends! Let us know when their birthday or anniversary is, and we'll put their names in the paper that day. Just send the name and date at least a week in advance, and we’ll do the rest. E-mail to hhj@evansnewspapers.com, or mail them to us at the address inside. No phone calls, please. Many happy returns!) Area DEATH Leslie Joe Spires Obits, page 12A INDEX CLASSIFIED 10A COMICS 9A CROSSWORD .. . .9A HEARTH&HOME .12A OBITUARY 12A OPINION 4A POLICE BEAT . . .14A SPORTS 6A TV LISTINGS 9A WEATHER 2A PERIODICAL j« ’ j Georgia Newspaper Proved , Man Library UN IV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30502-0002 3-DfGfT 306 Serving Houston County Since 1870 Development for south end of county By RAY LIGHTNER HHJ Staff Writer WARNER ROBINS - Last week’s BRAC announcement, is bringing the developers back out. “Once the list is out, people are coming back out,” said Houston County Building Official Tim Andrews. “Applications are starting to pick up.” Andrews told the Planning and Zoning Board it will see a lot of Local volunteers reflect on experience at Habitat J ,,x , / ■*y. <U if ijWJW f I^BL, ' IJS rl ■■ ■•** ■ '■* >, j>; ■;» •>?’ m Ufl | >fcr»Sj j'-. V'V . i J itlEafr W ## idl , , submitted (From left) Lisa Wenschlag and Jim Wenschlag pose with Ilka Shumway and Chris Shumway at Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village and Discovery Center. Military discount program expands into Perry By MIKE GEORGE HHJ Staff Writer PERRY - A program that offers military families dis counts on everything from haircuts to hotel rooms is expanding into Perry. The Perry Area Chamber of Commerce announced earlier this month that a military discount program already popular in Warner Robins is coming to Perry. The program is designed to encourage local business es to offer discounts to uni formed military personnel and their families. “Our list is growing fast,” said Christine Parker at the Family Support Center on Robins Air Force Base. Parker has been compiling a list of businesses willing to hand out discounts since late last year. The list, which Russell Parkway zoning overlay passes 4-2 Altered front-parking restriction opposed by Councilman Matt Stone and Steve Smith By TIMOTHY GRAHAM HHJ Staff Writer WARNER ROBINS - The City Council voted 4-2 on Monday to approve overlay zoning restrictions on the Russell Parkway extension from its intersection with Houston Lake Road to Interstate 75. The purpose of the overlay zoning is to improve and enhance the aesthetic quali ties of development within the arterial road corridor. A public hearing was held last Tuesday on the pro posed overlay zoning and (7!p( \ Mximclf Ql he JJmtrrotl * LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY , cm of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville www.hhjnews.com development in the south end of the county. “We’ll get more rural suburban use,” he said. Andrews said he expected to see more acre-lot subdivisions and rezoning from R-Ag (residential agricultural) to R-l (single family residential), “to maintain a certain use.” The lots would have to be larger to accommodate septic tanks and pos can be found on the family support center’s Web site, already includes businesses in Byron, Macon, Warner Robins, Hawkinsville, and on base. The Warner Robins Military Affairs Committee printed special decals for businesses that decide to offer discounts. They are available at the Perry Chamber, located at 101 Courtney Hodges Blvd., for no additional cost. “It’s something that busi nesses across the county have already been doing for a long time,” said Perry Chamber President Megan Smith. “It’s not something we came up with.” Mike Jackson, Perry Chamber chairman, said that he would lIKE to see See DISCOUNT, page 3A the only opposition that came up concerned a provi sion that did not allow park ing in front of businesses. That provision was added to the ordinance by council but the Board of Planning and Zoning took it out of the ordinance and replaced it with a provision that any front parking would have to be screened from the road way. Councilman Matt Stone, who was a member of the committee that drafted the ordinance, voted against accepting it. sibly wells. There are some water lines in the area, Andrews said, and there are plans for extending lines in the south end. Andrews said the county and the school board are also looking that way, with schools and road projects proposed. “There has been some discussion of extending Thompson Mill Road to Klondike (Road) and Ga. 247.” . “You can’t develop a plan without Construction ongoing at Robins Federal EhHS sjj§ Wgffi \H| SB ■' ?v •J^, HHJ/Res Gambill Work continues on the new training facility Robins Federal Credit Union is building behind its office building on Watson Boulevard. According to Robins Federal’s Dee Dee Cote, the bottom floor will be dedicated to training rooms and training staff offices. The second floor will be used for future office expansion. “Our purpose with this building is to provide top-notch training to our staff to ensure that we have the best trained workforce in Middle Georgia, ” she said. “We are out growing our main building and some offices may relocate after the facility is opened. ” The facility is scheduled to be complete in mid-September. “We strayed from our orig inal intentions in order to get a consensus and I am forced to vote against it,” he said. Councilman Steve Smith also cast an opposing vote. “I feel that this is too restrictive in some areas, and not restrictive enough in others, so I feel I cannot vote for it,” he said. Councilman Terry Horton, who also helped draft the ordinance, said: “We have massaged this very well and I think we have a very good docu WR couple helps Global Village and Discovery Center visitors learn about Habitat Special to the HHJ AMERICUS - As volun teers at Habitat’s Global Village and Discovery Center in Americus, Warner Robins residents James and Lisa Wenschlag help visitors learn about Habitat for Humanity’s work around the world. “Those four walls are just the beginning of improving a family’s quality of life. I try to give people the big pic ture,” said Lisa Wenschlag, who said she realizes the impact a simple, decent home can have includes more than walls and win dows. After her husband, James, received a command posi tion with the 53rd Combat Communicatiqna jSauadron. the couplererocated from California to Warner Robins. It was during their Thanksgiving vacation when they made a trip to Habitat’s Global Village and ment.” In other action, the coun cil unanimously voted to approve rezoning land for two new upscale housing developments, one off Gunn Road and the other off Lake Joy Road. It also approved rezoning a plot of land off Russell Parkway for a pro posed mini-storage building, but Stone and Smith again opposed the action. “I do not want any mini storage facilities on Richard Russell Parkway,” Stone said, and Smith added: “I would like to see a site plan an Evans Family Newspaper 50c I Willi ONE SECTION • 14 PAGES a road down there,” Andrews said, “but the developer wants to build it.” Andrews noted, “the county prefers that road to be a four-lane arterial road as it would connect Ga. 96 to Ga. 247” in the south end. The board also denied a prelimi nary site plan in the south end, between Perry and Henderson, “for lack of information,” explained See P&Z, page 14A Discovery Center. “We had heard about Habitat before, but didn’t realize the scope of its work,” she said. “We were really impressed with the educational aspect of the Village.” Lisa Wenschlag, a para medic with 20 years of expe rience, had been looking for an opportunity to volunteer and the Village presented her with that opportunity. Since Thanksgiving, she has driven to Americus once a week to give tours, work the cash registers and fill in wherever needed to help provide visitors with a great experience. “James and Lisa sire car ing and committed individu als,” said Michelle Dalva, director of Habitat’s Global Village and Discovery Center. “They clearly demonstrate our mission - love through action. During See HABITAT, page 34 for the project before approving it.” The vote was 4-2 to approve the rezoning. The council approved the appropriation of $37,000 to buy a used van for the Senior Citizens Council. The seniors will be receiving a $15,000 state grant, which will be turned over to the city to help defray the cost of the van. In other business: • An increase in the fees for using roll-off garbage pans was approved. See COUNCIL, page 3A