The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 4

2B TMtTtWWeSSEAN TuwdyUOUST. 1889 Saturn Parkway officially open; final work will take 6-8 weeks RANDY BARLOW State Writer SPRING HILL The $37 million Saturn Parkway connecting Interstate 65 with the Saturn automotive on the interchanges at Port Royal Road and Kedron Pike are Transportation Commissioner Jimmy Evans, who was master of cere-monies for yesterday's ribbon-cutting, also announced that his will award grants totalling $57,000 for Maury County Regional Airport. Some of the state funds will be used to help match federal grants and others will be used for improvement projects at the airport "The Maury County airport is very important to the economy'of Colum-. bia, Mount Pleasant, Maury County and the surrounding communities," Evans said in announcing the grant, "It's a valuable asset in attracting new employers to the area. These projects are needed to accommodate the increased use of the airport" The funds will be used for construction of a partial parallel runway, reconstruction of part of the aircraft, parking apron and paving of an access road and automobile parking lot.

Work on the airport project shoujd be completed within the next few months, officials said. cause it is a good day to be governor." After cutting the ribbon to open the new highway, McWherter said the state was proud of the connector. He termed new roads the pathway to "economic growth and opportunity." The four-lane, limited-access highway was built as part of the state's commitment to General Motors for its site selecltion process for Saturn. Saturn executive Guy Briggs praised the state for both the quality of work and the rapid pace which resulted in the 4.5-mile parkway's completion in just 19 months. "The people we have worked with are just outstanding in the way they have done what they said they were going to do," Briggs said.

"I've aiways heard that Tennesseans are men of their word, and they've really proven that to us." The highway will be open for traffic as construction workers continue seeding, sodding and other incidental work, said Department of Transportation officials. The remaining work is expected to be completed in 6-8 weeks when work plant was officially opened yesterday by Gov. Ned McWherter. It is the first highway both started and completed during his term as governor. "When you're a candidate, you talk about things.

And when you get into office, you talk about what you're going to do," McWherter said. "Now we're here, opening this road. The things that we talked about doing and told people we were going to do, now we can start telling them they are realities." The governor also likened the con-strution of the new parkway to "having a child born and watching it grow through the stages of their life and see them go into adulthood." "Being governor is just like any other responsibility and job in life," said McWherter. "There are good days, and then there are a few bad days. This day is significant to me be An n' An ira An Sfr y.

..4 Low-income families have opportunity to buy a home through state program TAMMIE SMITH Staff Writer Low-income residents in Cheatham, Dickson, Robertson and Sumner counties can become home buyers with the help of a state housing program administered by the Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency. The three-year "Going Home" pro-' gram has been funded through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, which made the funds available in response to recommendations from a governor's task force. The panel examined the housing problems among low-income people. During the first year, the program also will reach out to potential home-buyers in Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Stewart and Trousdale counties. Secondary service areas include Williamson, Wilson and Rutherford counties.

1 "The state identified the need through the Governor's Task Force on Housing," said Blanche S. Jones, deputy director of Mid-Cumberland. "We, being a local service agency in the counties, also identified a need. The state sent out a bid package for the program, and we applied." In the first phase of the program, a minimum 28 families stand to benefit by having the costs of acquiring a home down payment and closing costs covered through grants from the agency. Mid-Cumberland is working with local banks to determine if individuals andor families are eligible for the low-interest THDA loans or mortgages through the bank's participation in a federal community reinvestment program.

So far, Mid-Cumberland officials have accepted five applications from residents in Dickson and 16 from Humphreys counties. "We've left applications in the areas just in case more people are interested," said Jones. "I thought we would receive a lot more," she said. "The housing authority there said they received a lot of phone calls from people asking about the program, but not a lot of people cameia" 1 Jones said officials plan media campaigns in the other first-year targeted counties. To be eligible for the program, which provides down payments for a modest home and offers a low-interest loan to pay the mortgage, residents must meet income guidelines.

The guidelines vary according to the county and number of people per household. "We will try to prioritize single-parent households and first-time buyers," Jones said. "They have to qualify by family size and income guidelines established by THDA." For example, a Dickson County family of four could make no more than $23,850 annually to qualify as low income. A family of four with an income below $14,900 would be classified as "very low" income. While such a family would show a greater need for housing, officials would consider whether that family-would be able to make a monthly mortgage payment Jones said the number of families that could be helped per county is five for all the primary targeted counties except for Houston, Montgomery, Stewart and Trousdale counties.

In those areas, as many as three families could be helped per county. "Everybody may not need the maximum grant set aside," said Jones, plaining that more may be helped. The first set of applicants, she said, are currently being qualified for loans. Residents interested in knowing more about the program can call Mid-Cumberland's Nashville office at 331-6033. Blount sheriff to fight suspension suit No hearing date on the suit had been set Ritchie said he could not predict if the suit would be heard before Mills' Oct 5 court date on the criminal charges.

"I cannot tell you how quickly the ouster suit would progress," he said. Mills was sheriff from 1958 until 1962. He then went to work for the-, state Alcoholic Beverage Commission until 1981. Mills ran successfully for sheriffagaininl986. An affidavit filed at the time of Mills' arrest by FBI agent G.

Wayne Walls said five of the payments were made in 1987 and three this year. If convicted, Mills faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. see sheriff arrested on felony charges since 1980 when he was indicted last Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Knoxville for allegedly extorting a bonding company. The Indictment alleged Mills took eight payments totaling $3,700 from Blount County Bonding Co. in return for allowing the company to remain in business in the county.

Mills pleaded innocent and was freed on a $50,000 property bond. He has refused to step down or take a leave of absence. "He's not a threat but you've got people concerned when you've got a sheriff or any public official under indictment" Ballard said. "I just felt like it was necessary to get the ouster suit filed." MARYVILLE (AP) Blount County Sheriff Avery Mills will fight a civil suit to force his suspension pending the outcome of a federal extortion indictment his attorney said yesterday. County District Attorney General David Ballard filed the ouster suit yesterday in Chancery Court, saying, "Any public official that's indicted for acts in office in my opinion ought to be suspended as a matter of law." Mills' attorney, Robert W.

Ritchie, said his client who pleaded innocent to the extortion charge, would respond in court filings within 20 days. "We expect to resist all efforts to remove Sheriff Mills from office," Ritchie said. Mills, 72, became the 16th Tennes 82 OF PROSPECTIVE HOME BUYERS USl THE TENNESSEAN AND NASHVILLE BANNER CLASSIFIED! Call Classified 254-1031, Mon. thru Fri, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

mental studies, general curriculum, the honors program, the instructional evaluation and performance funding program, and planning and budgeting for summer school. Tolbert will also be a member of the Executive Advisory Committee to the President "I am delighted Ms. Tolbert has accepted this position," said Tech President Angelo Volpe. "Because of her academic experience and background, she brings a unique perspective to this position. She'll do an outstanding job, and I look forward to working with her for many years." Girls, 1 1, drive from home 4 UNION CITY, Tena.

(AP) Two 1 1-year-old girls who took off on their own on a crosscountry car trip wre found yesterday driving erratically on a West Tennessee highway some 70 miles from their home, police said, "The officer who followed them said they almost ratfc into a couple of cars and trucks. They were just one sid of the road to the other, and they were probably that way up and down US. 51," said Union City Police Chief Daf vidRhoades. The girls began their adventure about 2 am in a 1988 sedan owned by the grandfather of one of the youngstete, policesaid. Rhoades said an off-duty police officer from nearby Dyersburg, TeniL, spotted the girls about 3 p.ra near Codington, Tena rj "It's just anybody's guess where all they went" J.

Rhoades said. "They're being questioned now." The youngsters, Chrystal (Chrissy) Towery and Jen-jj nifer Bean, were reported missing by their parents. Po? lice put out bulletins for them from northwest to Mobile, Ala. 'j CONTRIBLmNG: Lincoln County. Jim Leonhirth.

9th-grade move resurfaces FAYETTEVTLLE A grade-shift proposal still awaits approval by the Lincoln County Board of Education after the panel agreed last night only to seek an architect's price estimate. "What we need to find out is what this program is going to cost" said Sarah Shouse, chairman of the board's Long-Range Planning Committee. The proposal would shift ninth-graders to Lincoln County High School and sixth-graders to junior high schools, which would then become middle schools. Board Chairman Johnny Womack and board member Wayne Watson opposed the proposal and have recommended that the ninth-graders remain at three community junior high schools. The plan resurfaced after the County Commission twice rejected a $14 million comprehensive schools building program.

The building program would include construction of a K-8 school in northern Lincoln County to replace Boonshill and Petersburg schools, plus new classrooms at other schools. Tech names academic VP COOKEVILLE Rebecca Tolbert has been appointed an associate vice president for academic affairs at Tennessee Tech University, a position she has held on an in-, terim basis since last September. The position was previously held by UT-Martin Chancellor Margaret Perry, who left Tech in 1 986. Tolbert will be responsible for remedial and develop The TENNESSEAN iashville Banner Source: 1988 Nashville Market Study 4.