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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Pillai named Outstanding Student
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A Warner Robins man was among twelve students at the University of West Georgia
who were named Outstanding Honors College Students at the university’s annual
Academic Honors Convocation. They represent the four undergraduate classes, and
selection is based on an overall grade point average of at least 3.2 (out of 4.0), par
ticipation in honors courses and service to the Honors College. Pictured are (seated,
from left) Ajay Pillai of Warner Robins, and Adnaan Velji of Stone Mountain, fresh
men; Logan Leslie of Carrollton and Elizabeth Nelson of Solon, Ohio, sophomores;
(standing) Idoreyin Esenyie of Lithia Springs, Stephanie Stennett of Lawrenceville,
and Dmitriy Plaks of Powder Springs, juniors; and Toma Omonuwa of Douglasville,
Patricia Onuegbu of Norcross, and Cathy Tran of Stockbridge, seniors. (Not pictured)
Reba Cox of Norman, Okla., and Jesse McAtee of Marietta, were also named
Outstanding Honors College Students.
PERRY
From page 1A
conflict with governing state
law,” Walker wrote.
“Accordingly, a municipal
corporation cannot prohibit
the possession, sale or distri
bution of fireworks in the
city where state law express
ly or by necessary implica
tion authorizes the sale of
fireworks.”
Council members had
pushed for an outright ban,
but were unwilling to leave
the city open to a potential
lawsuit.
“We can’t prevent fire
works in the community, but
we can regulate them
through the requirement of
a permit,” said Councilman
Billy Jerles. “It looks like
fireworks are here to stay.”
The council’s move follows
the lead of Peachtree City,
whose council rejected a
fireworks ban ordinance last
Thursday, citing concerns
that their ordinance would
pre-empt a state law passed
by the Georgia General
Assembly in May that loos
ened restrictions on the sale
of sparklers.
Peachtree City Attorney
Ted Meeker said he was con
cerned that the city’s pro
posed ordinance could not
survive a legal challenge.
The fireworks ban was sup
ported by local fire safety
officials and at least one
council member, Murray
Weed, said he will push for
changes at the state level,
adding a specific provision
in the state law that allows
local governments to make
their own restrictions.
But at least one Georgia
community, Covington, has
banned fireworks outright.
Covington City Attorney Ed
Crudup said he knew the
ban could leave the city open
to a successful lawsuit, but
could not find anything in
the law itself that expressly
MERC
From page 1A
60,000 square feet to its
campus as well as approxi
mately 60 new employees.
MERC officials cautioned
that any expansion will have
to be approved by the uni
versity’s trustees.
The Development
Authority first gave its
approval to a plan that will
allow MERC to “buy back”
the debt on its current facil
ity. MERC agreed to pay the
Development Authority
approximately $680,000 to
cover all outstanding debt
on the facility.
“They would like to buy
out their lease so that they
will be able to expand,” said
Economic Development
Chair Larry Snellgrove.
“They have been a good
community partner and
have done well here. They
have been a good industry
prohibits a ban.
Walker said he tried to
draft an ordinance that pro
tected the city from litiga
tion, but also protected the
public.
“I’m of the opinion, and
it’s in the letter, that you
can’t ban fireworks, but you
can regulate them,” Walker
said Wednesday.
The draft of the ordinance
follows the new state law
closely, but places restric
tions on when and where
sparklers can be sold and
used in the city, and requires
the businesses who sell
them to apply for a SSOO
license through the city,
which will be issued through
the fire department.
Businesses cannot sell
sparklers to anyone under
the age of 18, and buyers are
required to present identifi
cation that verify their age.
Children under the age of 12
must be supervised by an
adult when lighting and
playing with sparklers.
Sparklers also cannot be
sold, stored or used within
50 feet of a gasoline pump or
filling station and within
1,000 ft. of a hospital, nurs
ing home or daycare. The
city law also bans the use of
sparklers on public property
and between 12 a.m. and 8
a.m. The state’s law does
allow for public displays
such as the Big Bang Boom
at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter.
The city code allows for
fines and more stern penal
ties if the new law is not fol
lowed.
The ordinance, however,
does not restrict the use of
model rockets and model
rocket engines, noisemakers
which include paper stream
ers, party poppers, or toy
pistol paper caps.
Perry Fire Chief Freddy
Howell, who came to the
for this area. They are put
ting in 60,000 square feet of
new construction.”
The authority agreed to
give their attorney and
Executive Director Morgan
Law the authority to work
on a final buy-out number.
“We will make sure that
there is no leftover debt,”
said Snellgrove.
The development group
then agreed to let MERC do
some land trading within
the park. There is currently
a detention pond on the land
MERC wants to build on.
The development authority
agreed to let them have that
land as long as MERC
agrees to build a new deten
tion pond on an adjacent
piece of land. That land was
being held for future expan
sion of the Fort Valley State
University Warner Robins
campus, but is now available
council late last month ask
ing for an outright ban, will
be responsible for issuing
licenses and regulating the
new law. Howell has said,
however, that anything less
than an outright ban will be
hard to regulate.
Howell refused to com
ment on the new ordinance
Wednesday. The council
asked Howell to keep track
of sparkler-related fires and
injuries to re-evaluate the
law in the future.
Councilwoman Phyllis
Bynum-Grace, who said a
close friend was burned in a
fireworks-related accident,
warned the council that the
new ordinance might not
protect the public.
“Trust me, there will be
injuries,” she said.
The ordinance passed
unanimously, although one
council member was absent.
Councilman Joe Kusar did
not attend Tuesday’s meet
ing.
The Houston County
Board of Commissioners
passed an outright ban on
the sale and use of all fire
works during its meeting
Tuesday night, but Perry
City Manager Lee Gilmour
said the county ordinance
would not apply within
Perry’s city limits; rather,
the county ban only applies
to unincorporated parts of
the county. He said that
when the city was incorpo
rated, jurisdiction over the
city passed from the county
commission to the city coun
cil.
Also during Tuesday’s
meeting, the council adopt
ed a final version of its 2006
budget. This year’s budget
calls for no property tax
increases, but does call for a
2.7 percent increase in
water and sewer, gas and
solid waste removal service
fees.
since FVSU has closed the
campus.
“MERC is working around
the pond and would like to
acquire all of the remaining
land around Byrd Lane
including the pond,” said
Snellgrove. “It will make the
land where the pond is now
usable land for them to
expand.”
MERC would pay $35,000
an acre for the additional
land, as well as paying to fill
up the old pond and build
the new detention pond.
“Any community in
Georgia would be proud to
have this new addition to
their industrial base,” said
Snellgrove. “We are excited
to have such good employers
like them.”
“We will forever be grate
ful to MERC and how they
have helped in the develop
ment of the Advanced
LOCAL
»
WR Moose Lodge installs officers
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submitted
During a recent installation banquet, officers of the Warner Robins Moose Lodge #I6BB
were installed by Joe D’Onofrio. Those installed were (front, from left) Mike Day, Junior
Governor; Chris Conley, Junior Past Governor; Gary Riley, Governor; Walter Zurowski,
Administrator; (back row) Mark Rusinski, Three Year Trustee; Tony Self, One Year
Trustee; and Oscar Parsons, Prelate. Missing from picture are James Gordon, 2 Year
Trustee, and Dan Pettis, Treasurer.
The council’s budget
restores the $12,000 budget
request to the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce,
whose funding was cut in
half last year. The council
found a surplus in the city’s
hotel/motel tax fund that
allowed them to restore the
chamber’s full request. The
chamber will use the extra
money to support its con
gressional luncheon and
business of the month/year
programs.
The budget also sets aside
$5,000 for the city’s portion
of the cost of a project to
install new runway and taxi
way lights at the Perry-
Houston County Airport.
Also during the council’s
work session, council mem
bers agreed to allow the
American Legion Post in
Perry to meet at the Rozar
Park Community Center on
the first Monday in July.
The American Legion is
looking for a new location
for its meetings.
Also during Tuesday’s
regular meeting, the coun
cil:
• Passed a resolution
establishing care and main
tenance policies at the city’s
two public cemeteries,
Woodlawn and Evergreen
Cemetery. The new policies
set certain restrictions on
burial. Monuments cannot
exceed three feet in height
and can be no more than 12
feet in width. Plot owners
cannot plant trees, set up
fences, or add ornamental
decorations except for the
monument or foot slab. The
new policies also allow the
city to remove any flowers
or ornaments left of the plot
at their discretion. Under
the new policy, the city is
responsible for grading, pre
burial preparation of the
plot and replacing and cut
ting grass on the site.
Technology Park,” said Tom
McMichael. “When you
agreed to build there it was
one of my happiest days on
this board.”
The Mercer Engineering
Research Center (MERC) is
an operating unit of Mercer
University that provides
services to commercial and
government clients. As part
of Mercer’s School of
Engineering, MERC offers
students an opportunity to
get hands-on experience in
engineering fields including
management consulting,
logistics consulting and
analysis, systems engineer
ing, structural and mechani
cal engineering, information
technology consulting, soft
ware engineering and vari
ous areas of industrial
process and equipment
design.
• Appointed Charles
Sanders to the Perry
Planning Commission.
Sanders will replace Robert
Brown, who resigned.
• Agreed to pay Warner
Robins-based New
Technology Services Inc.
SB,OOO for level monitors for
two return sludge pumps at
the Perry wastewater treat
ment plant. Jerles suggested
that the council use money
set aside for the upgrade
and expansion of the plant
instead of using money from
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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2005 <
the city’s general fund.
• Awarded alcohol licenses
to two local businesses. The
Super Food Mart, formerly
known as the Happy Store,
on Perry Parkway, was
awarded a beer packaged-to
go license. Card Carousel,
which is relocating to 807
Carroll St. downtown, was
awarded a wine packaged
to-go license.
HHJ Student Writer Tim
Hoskins and HHJ Staff
Writer Timothy Graham
contributed to this report.
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5A