Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY
June 15, 2005
Volume 135, Number 373
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
WfrM
I
Friendly Falcons
Steve Morningstar, 8,
busts through a pair of
tackling dummies as
Falcons fullback Justin
Griffith pursues.
Sports, page 8A
51
Bacon basics
The smell of sizzling
bacon is one of those
things that can wake you
up in the morning.
Hearth&Home, page 11A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Tina Lowe
Waylon O. Starley
Bill White
(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 returnsl)
Bert Bivins Jr.
Obit, page 2A
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 10A
COMICS 9A
CROSSWORD ... .9A
HEARTH&HOME .11A
OBITUARY 2A
OPINION 4A
SPORTS 6A
TV LISTINGS 9A
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
6*
Georgia Newspaper Piojea
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UN IV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 3J802-4X5G2
3-OIGIT 306
June 15, 2005
Serving Houston County Since 1870
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* LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
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School board considers raising fees
Organizations may soon see hike in fees charged for using public school facilities
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
Many churches and organizations
have used Houston County Board of
Education facilities for events for a
minimal cost, but this may soon
change.
In their work session on Monday
night, the board considered the revi
sion of a 23-year-old policy that sets
rates for the renting of school audi
toriums, gymnasiums, classrooms,
playing fields and stadiums.
Perry
denies
request
Planners side
with neighbors
of proposed car
wash property
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
The Perry Planning
Commission denied one
local partnership’s plans to
build a £ar wa-sh at the
intersection of Wespark
Drive and Houston Lake
Road during its regular
meeting Monday night, sid
ing with neighboring busi
ness owners who com
plained that the building
would cause problems for
the surrounding communi
ty
The commission voted
unanimously to deny devel
oper Art Hall’s request to
build a car wash in a C-2
(General Commercial) dis
trict, which requires a spe
cial exception from the plan
ning commission and the
Perry City Council.
Planning Commission
Chairman Martin Beeland
said that these businesses
require special exceptions
because a car wash some
times doesn’t fit in among
surrounding businesses.
Several neighboring busi
ness owners challenged the
partnership’s request.
Nicole Emmons, who owns
the Bright Beginnings Day
Care on Wespark Drive, said
the car wash would lower
property values, create traf
fic problems, bring loud
noises from stereos and
encourage loitering.
Emmons said she came to
the meeting because she
wanted to protect the 86
children under her care.
Emmons also said that a 24-
hour car wash could create
even more problems, bring
ing more crime to the area.
See PLANNING, page 12A
ARK plans Saturday event to raise funds
Animal rescue group to hold flea market; hopes to raise ‘several thousand dollars’
By TIM HOSKINS
HHJ Student Writer
Animal Rescue and
Kindness (ARK), a six-year
old Middle Georgia group
dedicated to finding good
homes for stray dogs and
cats, will be holding a bene
fit flea market sale from 8
a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at
115 Bonanza Drive in
www.hhjnews.com
Facihties Director Dave McMahan
said the attractive prices have
encouraged more people and organi
zations to request the use of board
facilities.
Among the groups requesting
have been seed churches with small
memberships who hold services in
cafeterias; Girl Scouts; the YMCA;
the city of Warner Robins; private
schools and many other organiza
tions. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University also uses school facilities.
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Firefighter Kelvin Ross takes measurements recently from a device that measures square footage at Farmer’s
Furniture on Main Street in Perry.
Planning for the fire
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Perry Firefighters Ephraim Wheeler and Billy Gordon talk about the layout of
Farmer’s Furniture on Main Street in Perry.
Bonaire. The sale will be of
donated items and the pro
ceeds will go to fund the
group’s animal rescue
efforts.
“We need to raise several
thousand dollars,” said ARK
founder and president
Virginia Waller, who says
that there has already been
a positive response.
Many times when brought before
the board the use of facilities is
approved, providing there is not
conflict with school activities and
the school’s principal approves the
use.
If the revised policy is approved
after being tabled for 30 days, some
rental fees may increase by as much
as $225.
Board member Jim Boswell said
the size of organizations should be
taken into account when deciding,
“We’ve received three
sofas, a dining room suite,
several microwaves and
other sizeable items,” said
Waller.
“The money will go to get
the animals spayed, get
their shots, house the ani
mals, feed them, the cats
need kitty litter, things like
that,” said Jacqui Rengstorf,
an ARK member.
“Anything a pet owner
needs, we need only a zillion
times more.”
ARK has facilitated over
2,500 pet adoption, helped
about 1,000 low-income
families pay for spaying or
neutering their pets, and
rescued almost 650 abused
and neglected animals. The
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ONE SECTION • 12 PAGES
because they could afford to rent
commercial property.
In January the board turned down
a request from Beulahland Bible
Church to use Northside High’s
gym. The church has over 3,000
members, and board members said
they would induce “wear and tear”
on the facility. The Macon-based
church wanted to hold weekly serv
ices for 400 of its members who live
in Houston County.
See BOARD, page 12A
Firefighters
visiting Perry
businesses to
plan - in case
of fires there
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
The Perry Fire
Department is working to
prevent the kind of unex
pected surprises that can
end up causing deadly con
sequences during a fire.
Since January, the depart
ment has been visiting local
businesses, drawing layouts,
checking for working fire
extinguishers, identifying
exits and spotting safety
hazards, and out of the way
closets and attic spaces.
“This really helps us iden
tify any hidden areas and
things like staircases,” said
See FIRE, page 12A
group has about 25 mem
bers and meets at 7:30 p.m.
on the fourth Tuesday of
every month at the Flint
Energies building on
Elberta Road in Warner
Robins.
ARK’s programs include
Seniors for Seniors, which
pair aging animals with
See ARK, page 12A