POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: International manufacturer eyeing Houston County
If an industrial prospect considering Houston County’s speculative building decides to locate elsewhere, it won’t be because the company didn’t give the county a thorough look.
Houston County is a finalist with one other community for the company that has been described only as an international manufacturer looking to establish its first location in North America. It would bring about 150 jobs.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Houston County Development Authority, executive director Angie Gheesling said company representatives recently spent a week in the county. She said that’s a record for a visit by an industrial prospect. She even took them to a local high school football game, and they took a close look at the school system.
CHAIRMAN NAMED TO I-75 CORRIDOR COMMITTEE
Peach County Commission Chairman Melvin Walker has been named chairman of a committee looking to boost development along Interstate 75.
The corridor being targeted is mostly in Peach County. It extends from the Watson Boulevard exit in Warner Robins, which is in Peach County, to the Thompson Road exit in Perry, which is in Houston County.
Warner Robins Councilwoman Carolyn Robbins will serve as vice chairwoman.
The committee is planning a retreat in November to iron out a strategy for developing the corridor, said Jay Flesher, who is coordinating the effort for Flint Energies.
BLACKMON APPOINTED TO COMMITTEES
The state House lawmaker for much of Houston County received his committee assignments earlier this month.
Republican Shaw Blackmon will sit on the Special Rules, Insurance, and Economic Development and Tourism committees. Of the three, the Insurance Committee handles the most bills and is closely watched by industry.
On the other hand, Special Rules might be more interesting. It takes bills that aren’t easily slotted elsewhere. Earlier this year, the committee was presented with House Bill 70, which would have named the gray fox as Georgia’s official state mammal. The committee changed the bill to award the title to the white-tailed deer.
The deer designation became official July 1.
WARNER ROBINS WOMAN UPSET BY CIGARETTE BUTTS
Warner Robins City Council got an earful of public comments in Tuesday’s meeting as residents brought up concerns ranging from the lack of a recycling program for the city, kids riding four-wheelers on public roads and litter.
“Oh honey, on these corners we have a million and one cigarette butts,” resident Rita Simmons said. “Oh my God!”
Mayor Randy Toms told Simmons he had discussed the same issue earlier that day.
“But what are we going to do about it, though?” Simmons asked.
“I would encourage people to stop throwing them out their windows,” Toms replied.
“Well, we need to start writing some tickets,” Simmons said. “Can we get tag numbers and turn them in or do something? I mean, because this is ridiculous.”
The intersection of Pleasant Hill Road and Watson Boulevard is particularly littered with cigarette butts, Simmons said.
Toms said the responsibility for picking up litter is, “yours, it’s ours, it’s all of us. But our biggest problem is not throwing it out in the first place.”
COMMITTEE SELECTS BLIGHT PROJECT MANAGER
The Macon-Bibb County ad hoc blight committee has recommended Georgia Behavioral Systems as a blight project manager.
The recommendation will have to be approved by another committee before it goes before the full county commission. The blight manager will oversee various improvements as commissioners spend $10 million in blight bond funds.
Cass Hatcher, director of housing development and facilities for Georgia Behavioral Systems, would be the lead contact.
“We were talking about the concept of redevelopment projects, and (Hatcher) rose to the top of the list because of his experience with that,” said Commissioner Virgil Watkins, who serves on the blight committee.
SCOTT ANNOUNCES MOBILE OFFICE HOURS
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., has announced mobile office hours in several Middle Georgia counties for September, a news release said.
Representatives from the congressman’s district office will be available to offer assistance with a number of federal issues ranging from Medicare and Social Security to veterans’ benefits.
Wednesday
Monroe County
Monroe County Board of Commissioners Building
Commissioners’ conference room
38 W. Main St., Forsyth
9 a.m.–noon
Twiggs County
Twiggs County Public Library
110 Ash St., Jeffersonville
2–4 p.m.
Thursday
Dodge County
Dodge County Public Library
531 2nd Ave., Eastman
9 a.m–noon
Telegraph staff writers Wayne Crenshaw, Maggie Lee, Laura Corley and Stanley Dunlap contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: International manufacturer eyeing Houston County ."