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ALBERTVILLE
Thursday, July 6, 1989
12/28/89 # ^
. . ? m-^alem Chronicle
SO cents
"77ie Twin City's Award-Winning Weekly" j^y ^
Aldermen voice support for Eastway Plaza development
By TONYA V. SMITH
} Chronicle Staff Wr|tftr
First impressions may be deceiving but they were favorably received by
j planners of the proposed Eastway Plaza Monday night.
The community's first sit-down cafeteria, a meeting center and ball
| room, professional office and retail space would be featured in a proposed
v $3 million complex slated for East Winston
I ? '
William T. Brandon, who worked with the city's Community Develop
ment Office for 16 years before leaving to open his own business, is the
I developer pushing the endeavor. -
Eastway Plaza would be located on approximately 9.27 acres of land
behind Wachovia Bank ATrust's East Winston branch and is bounded by
Mt. Zion Place, Graham Avenue, Seventh Street and New Walkertown
Road.
>
The facility would increase the city's tax base by some $2 million annu
Ially and provide about 140 new jobs, Mr. Brandon has said.
Representing Mr. Brandon, Attorney Michael A. Grace presented the
project to the Board of Aldermen with the admonishment that the planning
is in the "very early stages." Still, Aldermen Vivian H. Burke and Virginia
K. Newell voiced their approval.
"I have received nothing except for positive comments," said Mrs.
Newell, alderman of the East Ward where the project would be located. "It
appears to be a well thoughtout plan that I think will enhance the entire city
not just that area."
"I can't help but say how pleased I am," Mrs. Burke said. "The consul
tant (Clifton Henry who is conducting an economic development study of
East Winston on behalf of the East Winston Community Development Task
Force) has emphasized economic development in that area, and I'm just
enthused and elated that he (Mr. Brandon) would want to get involved. I'm
ready to see it materialize and come to reality."
Mr. Brandon will be asking the city to financially participate in the pro
ject In addition, the city would have to amend its redevelopment plan for
the proposed area to allow for rezoning from multi-family residential to
commercial. The aldermen forwarded the project to the City-County Plan
ning Board for its review and consideration at its July 13 meeting.
In other business, a company which planned to build two apartment
complexes ? a 3>1.4 million project ? withdrew their offer because of oppo
si tion from residents in the proposed area.
M.B. Corporation asked aldermen to approve a multi-family dwelling
containing 27 units off Kennerly Street and another on the south side of
14th Street at Chestnut Street. The board's finance committee had been
conversing with the company for about six weeks -- hammering out agree
ments for the projects -- and had even approved selling the company the
4.4 acres on which to build the 44 apartment units and financing two sec
ond mortgage loans amounting to more than $530,000.
However, during the aldermen's June 19 meeting an entourage of residents
Please see page A10
ssTm
Minority contractors missing x>ut^
due to lack of bonding, expert says
By TONYA V. SMITH
Chronicle Staff Writer
Many minority- and women
owned firms don't get their piece
of the construction business pie
because they can't meet bonding
requirements, according to the
Minority /Women Busii* T7***#**
prise Annual Report released laM
month.
* In an effort to better educate
themselves on the bonding pro
cess, members of the M/WBE
Advisory Committee invited Dale
E. Clark of The Bond Exchange
in Charlotte to make a presenta
tion on the subject last week.
"A bond is a guarantee to the
owners lhat the work is going to
be done (a performance bond) and
that all the subcontractors and
people who are supplying materi
als are going to be paid (a pay
ment bond)," said Mr. Clark, a
veteran bond underwriter with 10
years in the business. "A bond is a
tr. *.ote ar?d some
of the thin|) > Jt does is it just qual
ifies a contractor to say that he
has been reviewed . . . and he has
the experience and the contracts
in order to do the job."
The Bond Exchange set up
shop 20 years ago specifically to
bond small contractors, Mr. Clark
said. His message to committee
members was simple: "bonds do
exist and bonds can be gotten by
small contractors, minority con
tractors an^ women contractors."
The cithsepls committee said
in its report that limited working
capital and the firms' inability to
meet bonding requirements have
kept minority- and women-owned
construction contractors from get
ting city jobs in that area. Accord
ing to the city's 1987-88 spending
report, $9.4 million was spent in
the construction and demolition
category. Only $713,571, less
than 8 percent, was spent with
M/WBE's.
"Bonding has been a rcaU real
Please see page A6
Board delays action on zoning amendment
Law called discriminatory as it relates to group homes
mm?
It's hard to tell who's happiest over the diploma, JTPA graduate Kevin Robinson or his daughter
Jewell Robinson, 15 months.
By TONYA V. SMITH
Chronicle Staff Writer
Two mentally retarded women pleaded with mem
bers of the Board of Aldermen Monday night to amend
a city code requiring a half-mile spacing between fami
ly care homes.
The existing city code is prohibiting Gale W. Lyon,
administrator and board president for Bethabara Hills
Inc., from building a family care home near an existing
one at 4643 Oldtown Drive which would probably have
immediate capacity occupancy. The existing facility
houses four women and there are at least five men wait
ing to get into a family care home, Mr. Lyon said.
The 21 family care homes in Forsyth County are
largely occupied by the elderly, mentally retarded and
physically handicapped. The homes allow the individu
als to live on their own and make their own decisions in
a semi-protective environment. Each home has its own
activity program .
Bethabara Hills, Inc. proposed the text amendment
to allow two family care homes on a 7.9 acre tract it
owns.
"Not only is there adequate space to construct
another family care home on this lot, but the proximity
to the Enrichment Center contributes to this site's suit
ability as a family care home," Mr. Lyon said. The
Enrichment Center is an activity center of sorts where
the mentally and physically handicapped attend classes
sponsored by Forsyth Technical Community College
and make crafts to sell in-house.
Tracey Lee Jones, a resident of Bethabara Hills
Family Care Homer told the aldermen that by amending
the city code they would be opening the doors for a
waiting list of young men seeking residence in a family
care home.
"I would like to see our handicapped live in a
group home because it hurts me to see them not living
in one because when their parents die what's going to
happen to them/' said Ms. Jones, who is mentally
retarded.
In November 1982, the city code regarding family
care homes was revised as a result of a bill introduced
in the General Assembly. The bill, ratified in 1981,
allowed each local governmental entity the option of
adding a maximum half-mile spacing requirement for
Please see page A 10
Caring for the Punished
Adequate health care for prisoners still a concern
I
By TONYA V. SMITH
Chronicle Staff Writer
What do people think of when
they hear the word prisoner? A
person confined behind bars for
committing a heinous crime? Or
ma; L the more Kbc.al-minded
would credit the confined individ
ual with only being accused of a
crime -- the guilty until proven
innocent bit.
However, not many people
think of ihfe nation's 500,000 pris
oners as people in need of medical
care; as individuals who need
nursing back to health. For this
reason, some say, many prisoners
still aren't receiving the medical
care guaranteed them in 1976 by
the U.S. Supreme Court.
In January of this year, more
than 600,000 lawsuits were filed
by inmates claiming they did not
receive the appropriate medical
care. Some inmates have died of
relatively "routine" illnesses
because bandages weren't
changed, feeding schedules
weren't adhered to or the ailing
person was abused because of his
a
or her illness, according to filed
cases.
The Supreme Court's ruling
that "deliberate indifference to
serious medical problems of
inmates constitutes cruel and
unusual punishment," makes pris
oners the only class of U.S. citi
zen that is guaranteed health care
by the federal government. How
ever, no one has as yet defined
adequate health care, and since
1982 only 10 percent of the
nation s 600 prisons have Volun
tarily met health professionals'
guidelines.
In Forsyth County, a contractu
al agreement a year ago between
the county and Bowman Gray
School of Medicine has at least
assured needy inmates of regular
medical attention, said Dr. Ted
Chandler, associate professor of
medicine at Bowman Gray and
medical director of Forsyth Coun
ty Jail and of adult medicine at
Reynolds Health Center.
Because of that agreement,
Please see page A10
' . i
Prison Health Care
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