Archive for Wednesday June 16, 1999

Wednesday, June 16, 1999

News

Fayette County commissioners will have to cut $376,000 from a proposed $49 million fiscal year 2000 budget, or else reduce the county's reserve fund, after granting Sheriff Randall Johnson part of his budget request that had earlier been cut.

`1 set of taxpayers, 2 major tax needs'

Fayette County's need for a new jail and judicial complex and the Fayette County Board of Education's need for local money for two new schools plus other necessities topped the list of concerns discussed jointly by the two bodies Monday afternoon.

Too many garage sales in F'ville?

Fayetteville planners will give the matter some more thought before deciding whether to regulate garage sales.

`No micromanagement' from GRTA, Cowan says

Local governments shouldn't worry about losing local control to Gov. Roy Barnes' new transportation super agency, Fayette icon Joel Cowan told The Citizen Friday.

Firemen rescue boy, 7, from burning house

Firefighters responding to a call Friday morning in Peachtree City rescued a 7-year-old boy from an upstairs room in a burning house.

Schools seeking long-term plan to improve system

The positives and negatives of Fayette County schools were addressed Saturday morning by about 50 educators, community leaders and parents invited by Dr. John DeCotis, school superintendent.


Car wash/repair proposal withdrawn after chilly response in Fayetteville: Developers have withdrawn a request for a special exception to allow a combination car wash, convenience store, oil change and auto repair shop across Ga. Highway 85 from the north entrance to Home Depot.

Resident takes fence gripe to council: It just made sense to residents of Stonebriar subdivision on Old Norton Road to fence in their back yards.

New zoning category considered for hospital area: Requests for annexation into Fayetteville from potential office developments near Fayette Community Hospital continue to roll in, but city planners are taking it slow.

Prepare children for life's hardships, judge's panel says: Parents, after being their children's primary role models early in life, need to prepare for when that changes and provide the proper amount of discipline while allowing children to make choices early when the consequences are not as great.


Peachtree City bus service underway, says owner: Business is “building slowly” for a new bus service from Peachtree City to Hartsfield International Airport, owner Stuart Hoff said this week.

County merit pay system to get more discussion: Department heads evaluating the performance of Fayette County workers have a new tool, but what the new evaluation system means in terms of salary increases is still up in the air.

Kroger to close cooking school end of June: The popular Kroger Cooking School in Peachtree City will close its doors the end of this month, store sources said this week.

After 100 years, farm family faces ban on its barn: Fayette County commissioners are still trying to decide what to do about Paul Rivers' pole barn.


Special Needs pre-K class scheduled: A 4-year old preschool class composed of special needs students and their “typical peers” will open its doors in August at Fayetteville Elementary-Primary and Peeples Elementary School.

State Court

Police Blotter


Business

Tech firm opens facility in PTC

Transportation pricing, data and technology provider SMC3 recently dedicated its new corporate headquarters in Peachtree City.

Summer heat can cause danger in car interiors, says AAA Club South

AAA Auto Club South is reminding motorists that summer weather can cause temperatures inside a parked car to reach dangerous levels.

EMC awards more than $17,000 in scholarships

As the school year drew to close, several area students were beneficiaries of a unique program sponsored by Coweta-Fayette EMC.

Gold's Gym owner will lead this year's Heart Walk

J.D. Holmes, owner of Gold's Gym in Fayette County and Peachtree City has been named the new teams vice-chair of the 1999 metro Atlanta American Heart Walk.

Southern Regional set to honor its auxiliary

Southern Regional Medical Center is hosting the 28th annual celebration and installation banquet for its auxiliary tomorrow at the Atlanta Airport Marriott.

Sports

Silverbacks host major leaguers this week: Georgia is nationally known for its level of play in soccer. Our high school teams are ranked in national polls, and our club teams produce players that play in the collegiate and professional levels. It makes you wonder why we don't have a major league soccer team.

Poison is deadly in Tennessee: Pretty Poison is a 14 and under fast pitch softball team from Fayetteville.

AMS' Thursday Thunder series brings explosive racing action: Thursday nights used to be the nights you sat down and watched NBC's Must See TV lineup.

Calendar of events

Weekend

There is reason to hope: The past year of schoolhouse bloodshed has loosed a torrent of ink in the debate about what has gone wrong with America.

Season's finale for Stars features stories, folk duo and jazz quartet: The final Stars on the Southern Crescent coffee house of the season is upon us, and as they say, they saved the best for last. The acts scheduled to perform this Saturday evening include a storyteller, a folk duo, and a jazz quintet.

Callaway Gardens full of recreational opportunities: Now that the kids are out of school and you've piled up lots of vacation hours at work, it's time to start thinking about where to go on your recreational jaunts. If you're interested in a trip that doesn't take you too far away from home, you might choose Callaway Gardens.

Library programs keeping all readers cool: Summer is the only season that gets attached to the word reading. Nobody says, “Ooh, I can't wait to get to my fall reading.”

1936 Fayette County High School Reunion: The 1936 Fayette County High School class had a reunion recently.

Fayette Portraits: “Fayette Portraits” is a publication of the Fayette County High School and is in its 11th year of publication. Each year a copy of Fayette Portraits is made to each one interviewed in a special Reception.

MOVIES

Dining Guide

Don Pablo's: Residents who want a quick trip south of the border should not worry about contacting their travel agents for weekend rates to Cancun.

Bush's Barbeque Survey: Bush's Baked beans recently surveyed a cross-section of Americans about their burning passion for open-flame cooking. Whether it is hostong or attending summer barbecues, an overwhelming 78 percent of Americans plan to participate this summer.

Meat and the grill: a match made in heaven: The official arrival of summer and Father's Day celebrations just cry out for a slab of beef cooked outdoors on the grill. Try to ignore the cows' directive to “eat more chicken” and head to the market for some red meat.

Layered Barbeque Bean Dip

Religion

Saturday evening worship celebration can sometimes offer break from traditional Sunday service

The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher

Religion Columnist

Can I tell you about a new thing at River's Edge Community Church? I usually don't brag or inform what's happening at my church in this column, but permit me this opportunity.

Christian rock concert 'The Coming Rain' set for Monday at F'ville's Grace Evangelical Church

A rousing Christian rock concert, “The Coming Rain,” will be presented at Grace Evangelical Church on Monday, June 21 beginning at 7 p.m. With musicians from all over the world, as well as local talent, the concert is expected to attract a wide audience in the Southern Crescent area. “We hope to attract many teens,” says Cathy Hicks, publicist for Grace Evangelical, “but we want adults to come too.”

Prophetic evangelist Johnson will hold services in Fairburn

The newly established Prince of Peace Charismatic Episcopal Church (CEC) in Fairburn (formerly St. Matthews) will offer prophetic services conducted by the Rev. Dr. James A. Johnson, D. Min., D.D., Thursday and Friday, June 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. Rev. Johnson, pastor of Messiah CEC in Nashville, Tenn., is a “well known prophet and evangelist,” according to a spokesperson.

PTC First Baptist 5-session marriage seminar starts today

Married couples who want to enrich their relationships are invited to attend a five-session class at the First Baptist Church of Peachtree City beginning Wednesday, June 16 from 9:30-11 a.m. The course is based on Dennis Rainey's book, “Staying Close.”

Providence UMC will sponsor refugee family from Kosovo

The Missions Committee at Providence United Methodist Church in Fayetteville is sponsoring a refugee family from Kosovo, in conjunction with the Christian-based World Relief Organization. Approximately 25 families will be relocated to the Atlanta area over the next 2-3 months.

Vacation Bible School Schedule

Summer Music Camp set at Fayetteville First Baptist

Children and adults alike are invited to participate in a new feature this summer at Fayetteville First Baptist Church. Music Camp will be offered on Wednesday evenings from 6-7:30 p.m. beginning June 23 with classes offered for those age three years through adult.

Religion Briefs

Bethany ladies will visit Andersonville

The Circle of Love at Bethany United Methodist Church has scheduled at trip to the Andersonville National Cemetery Thursday, June 24. The group also will have lunch at a Mennonite restaurant in Montezuma. To reserve a spot on the bus, call Ruby Thompson at 770-964-2498.

Weddings & Engagements
Births

Obituraries

Opinion

Education study: Solutions, or Pablum?
DAVE HAMRICK
Editor-at-large

On first glance, it looks as if our new governor, Roy Barnes, is going to try and solve all of Georgia's problems by studying them to death.

PTC sewer spill: the rest of the story?
DENNIS CHASE
Environmental Columnist

We have been receiving more than our usual share of nonsense from some of the local government officials.

Peachtree City and, like, hot fries BILLY MURPHY Laugh Lines: Peachtree City. If you are not familiar with us, we are just a humble little community. We are truly a throwback to simpler times. Where the rest of the city of Atlanta is caught in traffic driving at a snail's pace, 15 miles per hour, we in Peachtree City won't put up with such metropolitan rubbish; we are traveling along the beautiful scenery in our golf carts, at... uh... 15 miles per hour. We have, like, 15,000 golf carts in Peachtree City and, like, 200 golfers.

Letters From Our Readers

With voter approval needed, school board can now redeem itself

Fayette County Schools are big business and require careful and prudent management. They are not only big business, they are public business and as such need the active and knowledgeable attention of citizens.

Voters sent message: slow down growth

Re: Article on school board needing to revisit SPLOST/bond issue.

The message send by the voters when they turned down the school board's SPLOST is to slow down development. The development of Fayette County has become a big opportunity for developers at the expense of the citizens.

Leadership needed: 'In total, the school system is a mess'

Education is one of the most significant undertakings of our society. Everyone, either directly or indirectly, benefits from the education that we choose to provide for our young people. The quality of that education is returned to us via inventions, new businesses and jobs, and improved processes that make goods and services more affordable for us all.

PTC police 'protect' citizens from Boy Scout's archery, BBs

I guess that all the citizens of Peachtree City can rest easy, now that their police chief has threatened the arrest of Cub Scouts and their leaders at this year's day camp.

After-school program needs your help

Two days before school was out for the summer, I was informed that the Fayette Middle School's After-School Program (ASP) was in jeopardy and may not be offered next year. Upset, I spoke with Ms. Julie Simpson, Fayette County's ASP coordinator and was told that only three parents preregistered their kids and the program needed 15 in order to fund it.

You can help women make work transistion

I wanted to take a moment to let you know of an organization that helps economically challenged women make the transition from welfare to work. It's called the Women's Success Network and is located in Fayetteville. I think it's a great idea and there are a number of ways you can become involved.