Sunday, December 31, 2006
Headlines Sports SouthView Opinion Obituaries Weekend News Weddings & Engagements Birth Announcements Search Archives	Local & State Headlines Archives Group: Save ‘Hand’ A massive building that covers a city block in Pelham has been included in a statewide list of endangered places. Carlton Fletcher PELHAM — The Hand Trading Co. building has dominated the downtown district of this small, 4,100-resident community since 1914, when J.L. Hand, inspired by a visit to Chicago’s Marshall Field department store, began excavation for the four-story, 98,000-square-foot structure. Almost a century later, the once-thriving south Georgia shopping mecca is in a dangerous state of disrepair. Window casings are crumbling; some of the stained-glass windows in the building’s domed ceiling have fallen to the atrium below, and various chinks have begun to show in the architectural armor of the grand old building. But a group in the region has taken on the task of reversing the demise of the historic structure. Purchased by the Joint Development Authority of Mitchell, Colquitt, Thomas and Grady counties in 2003 for $750,000, a move is under way to renovate the Hand building and bring it back to at least a semblance of its former glory. “You can’t ‘restore’ this building where it represents what it once did to Pelham and this region,” said Tommy Hilliard, chairman of the Mitchell County Development Authority and senior vice president of Planters & Citizens Bank of Camilla. “If we can restore the architecture — which is what we’re trying to do — well, that’s the best we can do. “Because you can’t even imagine what this place was years ago. From the time I was a boy all the way to the time I went to college, if you went shopping here, you didn’t have to go anywhere else. There was a hardware store, a grocery store, a furniture store, a department store, a drug store ... everything you could possibly need.” Efforts to save the Hand Trading Co. building got a boost recently when the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation listed the structure among its 2007 list of Places in Peril in the state. “The Hand building is a marvel,” said Greg Paxton, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust. “It’s the kind of structure our Places in Peril list was created to bring attention to. This particular building has been prominent in the history of Pelham and the region around it, and it’s a structure that the community cares about. “The Trust does not try to take the lead in preserving the buildings on our list, but by bringing attention to them, we hope to assist communities in their efforts to save them.” Marilyn Royal, executive director of the Mitchell Development Authority, said the Hand building’s inclusion on the list, which was begun by the Georgia Trust last year, has already generated interest from outside the region. “We have some (business) prospects who have contacted us because they saw the building on the Trust list,” Royal said. “I think the exposure this gives us will only increase interest. It really helps get the word out.” There are currently three tenants in the Hand building: the Grandmother’s Table restaurant, optometrist Dr. E.D. Crew Jr. and the state’s Regional Education Service Agency. Increasing the number of businesses in the building is a priority for the Joint Development Authority. “It’s the old chicken-and-egg thing,” Hilliard said. “The windows are deteriorating and there is some infrastructure work we need to do, but you can’t get the funds for that kind of work without tenants. And you can’t get tenants until the work is done.” The Authority is three years into a five-year One Georgia loan that it used in purchasing the Hand building, and payments on that loan are ongoing. Grant money is slow to trickle in, so an infusion of cash is becoming even more of a necessity. Pelham Mayor Steven Turner says “divine intervention” in the form of involvement by Atlanta’s 4 PM development company should give renovation efforts a boost in 2007. “We’ve got some money to begin work on the building,” he said. “I think once that happens, it’s going to boost the morale of everyone involved in the project. We’re looking for tenants, and we have possibilities. The work by 4 PM — which has been involved in a lot of similar projects throughout the state — should increase interest. “The building is actually not in awful shape. Once work begins, I think people will notice the changes right away.” The concrete-reinforced Hand building contains 100 massive columns that run from the foundation to the roof of the structure. The second- and third-floor windows open on a center vertical hinge, allowing for cooling cross-ventilation. There are 409 windows in the structure. Among the shopping possibilities in the building were, at various times, dry goods, notions, ladies’ shoes, hardware, grocery, automobile accessories, men’s clothing, drugs, buggies and an undertaker business, complete with coffins. Adjacent to the historic structure, Hand also had a grand home constructed. The home was torn down in the ’80s to make room for a bank, and the cupola of the building now is part of the butterfly exhibit at Callaway Gardens. “Everyone around here regrets that we let that house get torn down,” Hilliard said. “It was just a wonderful structure. We cannot let that happen to the Hand building; we’ve got to save that building. “It’s important that we hang on to some of the ties we have to our past.” Royal, too, says the historical value of the Hand Trading Company building is as important as the economic value. “You talk with people around here, and everyone has a story about shopping at the Hand building,” she said. “Everyone talks about how people would come into town on the train to shop here, and there are rumors that Mr. Hand had a tunnel dug from his house to the building. Of course, no one can find that tunnel, but it’s part of the history of the place. “It’s important to our children and our grandchildren that they know about the part that this building played in the history and the culture of Pelham and Mitchell County. You listen to the stories, and they tug at your heartstrings. We have to do what we can to save this building.” Other sites listed on the 2007 Georgia Trust Places in Peril list are Cherokee structures in north Georgia; the City Auditorium in Waycross; the Gilmer County Courthouse; the Wren’s Nest and Herndon Home, both in Atlanta; the Elanor Roosevelt School in Warm Springs; raised Tybee Island cottages; the Aluminum Mill Hill workers’ houses in Eatonton, and the Virginia-Highland neighborhood in Atlanta. Back to top Georgia storms back to victory The Georgia Bulldogs finish the season with three straight victories over ranked teams, a first for the program David Hale ATLANTA – So much for those underachieving Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia officially put to rest the lingering memories of losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky and a stretch of four losses in five games by capping its season with a 31-24 win over Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Bulldogs' third straight win over a ranked opponent. Georgia trailed 21-3 at the half, but scored 28 straight points, spurred by a 51-yard field goal, a recovered onside kick and three second-half interceptions to complete the biggest comeback in Chick-fil-A Bowl history. "It's the best feeling in the world," tailback Danny Ware said. "I know everybody in the world was doubting us, saying they aren't going to come back from 21-3, but coach (Mark) Richt just said we've got 30 minutes left to play. Just play one play at a time and come back, and we did that. We played great ball." Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed just nine passes, but his two-point conversion to Martrez Milner following a Kregg Lumpkin touchdown run pulled the Bulldogs even with the Hokies at 21, and Georgia never looked back. "This is an awesome feeling, to go out in the fashion we did," senior safety Tra Battle said. "And to go out with the win, I just have to thank the rest of my team. We never let up when we went through that draught." Back to top Crashes, disputes define ’06 A fatal airplane crash in Dawson on New Year’s Day opened 2006. Jim Hendricks ALBANY — Two deadly aviation crashes, a national hit movie, an abrupt end to government consolidation, a busy election season, disgruntled public employees and an end to a legal action against an Albany hospital were the top headlines of 2006. The year started out with a deadly New Year’s Day crash at Dawson Municipal Airport when a small, twin-engine Beech Baron airplane crashed, killing Joseph and Barbara Krier of Indiana and injuring their two sons. The propeller-driven plane, en route to Florida, was critically low on fuel when the accident happened after Joseph Krier made unsuccessful attempts to land at airports in Moultrie and Albany. On June 1, four soldiers were killed and a fifth injured when an Army Chinook MH-47 helicopter crashed into a television transmission tower owned by Albany TV station WFXL. Killed in the crash were Sgts. Christopher Erberich, Rhonald E. Meeks and Michael Hall and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Wright, who were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The group was on a routine training mission from Hunter Army Airfield to Fort Rucker when the helicopter hit the tower. The later demolition of the tower also toppled the one next to it that broadcast WALB-TV’s signal. GOVERNOR’S RACE Politically, statewide offices were up for grabs, and two Southwest Georgia Democrats made unsuccessful runs at the state’s highest elected office. Secretary of State Cathy Cox, a former state representative from Bainbridge, and Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, a former state senator from Albany, faced off in a divisive primary election for the Democratic Party nomination for governor. Taylor had to regroup and raise campaign funds after winning the acrimonious Democratic primary battle, giving incumbent Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue a chance to build what proved to be an insurmountable lead in the November general election. THE BIG PICTURE Albany received some national recognition when “Facing the Giants,” a faith-based film about a high school football team’s struggles that was filmed by Sherwood Baptist Church’s Sherwood Pictures, made national headlines and packed theaters to the tune of $10 million. Initially opening in January on a small scale, “Facing the Giants,” a film featuring Albany area talent that cost $100,000 to make, went into national distribution in late September and broke into the national top 12 its opening week. The Flint River Habitat for Humanity organization also garnered national recognition when it was selected as one of 10 national award winners in USA Weekend magazine’s Make a Difference Day recognitions for 2005. The Albany Habitat chapter received the award in April. It included a $10,000 prize from actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, a longtime Make a Difference day supporter. MERGER WORK HALTS Meanwhile, a three-year study on whether the Dougherty County and Albany city governments should consolidate may not be dead, but it’s barely on life support. The two governments have spent more than $150,000 studying and developing a charter for a consolidated government, but a tie vote in early December by the Dougherty County Commission may have doomed the proposal before it could get to city and county voters. The County Commission, acting on a motion to move the study forward, deadlocked 3-3, rejecting the motion. Since the issue had to be approved by the city and county commissions before it could be forwarded to the state Legislature for approval and then to voters to decide, the process was effectively halted. The City Commission has not considered the consolidation issue and is expected to this month, but any action that board takes is meaningless unless the county takes the matter up again and passes it. FACTOIDS FINISHED A more than two-year battle between officials with Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and its parent company, Phoebe Putney Health System, and the authors of the “Phoebe Factoids,” comments critical of the hospital administration that were distributed by facsimile machines, came to a close in December. On Dec. 1, Charles Rehberg, administrator with Albany Surgical PC, settled with the hospital and company to end his countersuit against them. That countersuit was filed after Health System sued Rehberg for $60 million in August 2004, contending the faxes he and Albany Surgical Dr. John Bagnato distributed had fraudulently accused the hospital, its administration and its board of directors of illegal acts. The hospital and Health System withdrew the initial suit in September 2004, but Rehberg’s countersuit continued. CITY PERSONNEL Albany City Manager Alfred Lott had his hands full most of the year dealing with high-profile personnel issues, including the abrupt dismissal of Assistant City Manager Kevin Hogencamp in March. Hogencamp turned in his 30-day resignation notice on March 21, but Lott terminated him two days later. Hogencamp has said he plans to sue the city over what he considered to be a retaliatory discharge. He also said the city pay-for-performance policy was in shambles, that the city had violated Georgia’s Open Records Law, that Lott had created a hostile work environment and that the retaliation against Hogencamp was the result of his exposing illegal activity committed in 2005 by some elected Albany officials. After Hogencamp’s departure, The Albany Herald obtained in late March 129 pages of documents that the newspaper had asked for under an Open Records request regarding the city’s performance incentive program. City officials had initially told the newspaper that the documents did not exist, but The Herald asked for them again when Hogencamp provided the newspaper with copies of some of the requested documents. Two other city employees also took action against the city. Mattie Goddard, who was fired in February after she filed a complaint against Lott in December 2005 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is suing the city. In October, Albany’s former finance director, Shirley Smith, filed an EEOC complaint against Lott. The Albany Police Department inducted 26 new officers in Dec. 11, cutting the number of vacancies of sworn officers to five. With retirements coming at the end of December — including that of APD’s only downtown foot patrolman, the popular Cecil Whittington, on Thursday — Police Chief James Younger said the number of sworn officer vacancies at the end of 2006 would be 10. That’s about a fourth of the number of sworn officer vacancies that Younger inherited when he became Albany’s police chief in February. SLAYINGS Dougherty County Sheriff’s Department detention officer Tasha George, 25, was gunned down June 16 outside her residence on Temple Avenue. That evening, Travis B. Smith, 28, of Albany was arrested in Worth County. In June, Smith was indicted by a Dougherty County Grand Jury on 12 counts, including malice murder and felony murder. He was also charged with kidnapping and hijacking a motor vehicle for allegedly taking a car at gunpoint after the shooting. An arrest also was made quickly in the slaying of an Albany Realtor who was found dead in his Lee County home. The body of Pat Murphy was found Dec. 6 by Murphy’s housekeeper when she came to his home to clean it. The woman said she found Murphy lying on his living room floor with a bloody shirt on, but ran out of the home quickly to have a neighbor call 911. Corrie Thomas Denby, 29, was arrested Dec. 7 in Albany. Law enforcement officials said the arrest was based on information that led to the recovery of Murphy’s car. In October, a Dougherty Grand Jury indicted four people in connection with a home invasion in April in which an Albany State University football player was shot to death. Luther Newton, Michael Pleas, Brittney Renee Swilley and Lindsey Angelean Swilley were indicted on charges stemming from an April 28 incident on West Broad Avenue. Antonio Atkins, who played on ASU’s team, and another man entered the home and attempted to burglarize two men, but one grabbed a gun and fatally wounded Atkins. BANK ROBBERIES A robbery Thursday at SunTrust Bank on Mock Road was the third bank heist in a little more than a month in East Albany. On Nov. 22, a bandit with a semiautomatic pistol got away with an undisclosed amount of money from the Regions Bank branch on Sylvester Road. On Dec. 4, Albany police arrested a homeless man in connection with a bank robbery that morning at Security Bank on East Oglethorpe Avenue. Arrested was Kelvin Leroy, 26. Police said they recovered some evidence, including a mask, during that arrest. While they did say Leroy was a suspect in the Regions Bank robbery, an Albany Police spokesman said the November robbery fit “the M.O.” COMMISSIONER PLEADS A criminal case against former Dougherty County Commissioner Brenda Robinson-Cutler ended Thursday in Dougherty Superior Court when she pleaded guilty to a count of theft by taking. Robinson-Cutler, who was indicted on 14 counts in June 2005, was sentenced to 10 years on probation, with 12 months of that to be served under house arrest. She was ordered to repay more than $19,000 in restitution to Albany Resource Center. She resigned her position as commissioner in November, citing health issues. Robinson-Cutler, who says she is battling cancer, was accused of stealing money from the accounts of eight people while working for ARC, a nonprofit organization that works with disabled people. DOWNTOWN CHANGES Downtown saw some changes in 2006, including the closing of two restaurants — entrepreneur Peter Studl’s Hubbles on Washington Street and Georgia Fries on Broad Avenue. In addition, his Popcorn in the Park on Front Street closed shop. But the biggest change came Dec. 19 when Thomas C. Chatmon Jr., president/CEO of Albany Tomorrow Inc., resigned effective in February to accept a downtown development job in Orlando, Fla. Chatmon has been at the helm of ATI since 1998, guiding the organization charged with revitalizing Albany’s downtown area through the development of the Flint RiverQuarium, the downtown theater, the creation of Turtle Park and the construction of a number of public buildings and parking decks, including the new federal courthouse and the law enforcement center. On Friday, ATI announced that former Bobs Candies CEO and co-owner Greg McCormack had agreed to take on the position on an interim basis while the organization seeks a new chief executive officer. The change comes at a critical time for ATI. The city of Albany is considering cutting its annual support of the organization and using that money to fund its own downtown manager position. METHODIST HOME Ten days after Beth McKenzie announced she was leaving as executive director of Open Arms, a child advocacy center in Albany that operates two children’s homes and a foster care program, Methodist Home for Children and Youth in Macon announced on Dec. 22 that it had agreed to acquire Open Arms and its assets. Methodist Home officials say they hope to complete the deal by Feb. 1 and expect it to happen by Feb. 15 at the latest. Open Arms officials, who voted to make the offer to Methodist Home earlier in December, were elated with the news, including McKenzie, who broached the idea with the Open Arms board in October. In her resignation, which is effective Jan. 12, McKenzie cited “attacks” by the Albany Journal, District Attorney Ken Hodges and former Open Arms board members Lorie Farkas and Kirk Rouse as the reason she’s leaving the job she held for more than 10 years. Associate Executive Director Rita Ellis also has resigned. LEE FUNDING Lee County faced a $547,000 shortfall that forced the Lee County Commission to look at cuts, including hiring freezes, cutting nonmandatory county travel and cuts recommended by department heads. Alan Ours, who took over the job of county administrator in May, said the trimmed expenditures would be closely scrutinized if they resurface during the next budget process. Commissioners also began a hard look at Grand Island Golf Course, which has been a money loser since the county accepted it as a gift in October 2002. A panel has recommended that the county sell the facility, but the commission has taken no action on it. Commission Chairman Jackie Sizemore was defeated in his re-election bid in the July Republican Primary, then opted to leave the board in November when he moved out of the district he represented. Meanwhile, Commissioner Jo Ealum, who is suing two former Lee County sheriff’s deputies who raided a party at her mobile home, became the target of a recall campaign called “Jo’s Gotta Go.” The first step of the recall petition is completed, but the process has been halted because Ealum is asking a Superior Court judge to determine whether the accusations against her are in line with Georgia’s recall laws. If the judge rules against the petitioners, the process ends. If he rules against Ealum, the petitioners will have to gather more signatures of Lee County voters for a recall election to be called. Back to top Officials: Mild winter to bring more mosquito, wildlife activity Experts in Georgia say the warmer weather in Southwest Georgia lately should not be harmful to area plants or wildlife. Joshua Brown ALBANY — While a recent wave of warmer temperatures should not affect most of the plant and wildlife in Southwest Georgia, mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus might be more active, experts in the state say. But while the chance of being infected with the virus remains low even with the higher temperatures, State Entomologist Rosmarie Kelly of the Georgia Division of Public Health recommends that Southwest Georgia residents still use repellent if they notice mosquitoes in their area. “You know, you might want to wear a repellent, but it’s not a real big deal,” Kelly said. “The chances of getting an arboviral disease (such as West Nile Virus) is low. It’s not zero, but it’s low.” Albany had the only confirmed West Nile Virus death in the state in 2006, with a total of nine reported cases confirmed throughout the state, Kelly said. But mosquitoes aren’t the only critters that higher-than-normal temperatures will impact. Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Brandon Rutledge said Friday that Southwest Georgia residents could see increased activity among some of the region’s wildlife because of the higher temperatures. Rutledge said that the region doesn’t have many animals that go into true hibernation, but said it does have some that go into a hibernation-like state called “torpor” that residents might see more of in higher wintertime temperatures. “It’s like hibernation, but (it’s) not true hibernation,” Rutledge said. “(The animals’) metabolism goes down,” which means that Southwest Georgians might see more activity in animals, such as bats, which go into the torpor state, although contact with the animals would be unlikely. Rutledge said that some reptiles might also be more active during increased temperatures. Horticultural experts in Albany say that extreme changes in temperatures can damage some plants if residents are not careful. “What hurts the plants is the curves in the weather,” said Mark Gavin, owner of Mark’s Greenhouses, Nursery & Landscaping. “You know, in typical south Georgia, you’ll have a week in the 70s or 80s, then it’ll go down to the 20s. That’ll bust the bark and kill the plant. (But) most plants are used to the curves in the weather.” Gavin said that people can buy cloth to cover their outdoor plants if temperatures get too low. Plants that bloom in the spring should be OK if temperatures get high enough to where plants that go dormant during the wintertime begin to bloom, because the buds will die off once temperatures drop again, the plant will go back into dormancy and it will rebloom in the spring. “They’ll bloom again in the spring, they’ll recycle themselves,” Gavin said. “Extended periods of time in the 60s and 70s is when the plants start budding.” Gavin did warn that using fertilizer too late in the fall could cause plants that go dormant during the wintertime to stay active too late into the season, causing damage to the plants. “You’re more likely to have problems if you fertilize too late,” he said. “If a plant is hungry in September or October, you need to use a short term fertilizer ... (like) a 30- or 45-day fertilizer so the plant will use it before you start having this colder weather.” Agricultural spokesperson Brad Haire of the University of Georgia’s Cooperative Extension Service, said that the recent higher temperatures should not harm wintertime crops. “The damage would come from a long period of warmer weather,” Haire said. “That would come from two weeks of daily temperatures getting to 75-80 degrees. If (temperatures) go back up and it stays 75-80 degrees, that tends to make (crops) flower, putting energy into the flower instead of developing the edible leaves.” High temperatures in Albany from Dec. 10-23 ranged between 69 and 80 degrees, while the average temperature hovered between 59 and 63 degrees during the period, according to the National Weather Service. Tim Burch, a farmer from Newton who harvests summertime crops, said temperatures have been pretty steady for the last few decades. Back to top
	© 2006 The Albany Herald/Triple Crown Media