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From LaGrange Daily News, 1962.

Front Page Stories:

City Council to Option Properties for Industries — Responding to a request by the Chamber of Commerce, City Council Tuesday night agreed to option property for development of an Industrial Park in LaGrange.

The city fathers approved this action after Chamber of Commerce Vice President Chuck Franklin asked the city to set aside $30,000 for acquisition of the property. They were forced to alter their course when City Attorney Horace Richter explained that a constitutional amendment plus a vote of approval by the people of LaGrange would be needed before the city could purchase and develop an Industrial Park.

Because the legal procedure would involve about a year’s delay, the council agreed to option the industrial property and the property and the option will be assigned to either a citizens committee or an industry when needed.

Council members voiced approval of the industrial venture and said that it is something that “must be done.”

Council Approved Funds for New Health Center — The City Council of LaGrange Tuesday night approved $25,000 for the proposed new Health Center to be located near City-County Hospital. Members voted unanimously to include the expenditure in the 1963 budget.

This city action followed approval of the Troup County Board of Commissioners of $25,000 for the Center on Tuesday of last week.

The combined local funds of $50,000 represents one-third of the cost of the proposed $150,000 Center, which will be operated by the Troup County Board of Health. The remaining two-thirds will be financed jointly by State and Federal funds under the Hill-Burton Act.

The proposed Center would be located adjacent to City-County Hospital on land provided by the Fuller E. Callaway Foundation.

Jaycees Continue Curb Numbering Project in City — The LaGrange Junior Chamber of Commerce announced today that their House Curb Numbering Project is underway and will continue through the month of November.

The Jaycees will paint your house number on the curb in front of your house for one-half dollar. Proceeds will be used to finance some of the more than 35 annual civic and community projects sponsored here in LaGrange and Troup County each year by the Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Development Board Organized in Troup — The Troup County Planning and Development Board, created by county ordinance some six months ago, was activated Monday night at its initial organizational meeting at the Troup County Courthouse in LaGrange.

Edgar H. Wright of West Point was elected chairman of the Planning Commission. Vice chairman was George Forrester of Big Springs Community and Grady Fowler of LaGrange was elected secretary-treasurer.

The 15-member board is made up of four members from Troup County, five from LaGrange and three each from Hogansville and West Point. Funds were appropriated in the amount of $100 per Board member.

A budget for 1963 will be submitted to official bodies of the county and the three cities for additional appropriations.

Duties in accordance with state law are numerous and include preparing a master plan of development for the county and recommending to official bodies, regulations for the subdivision of land and administration of such land, controls of streets, public buildings, building sites, structures and boundaries.

West Point Dam Could Become a Reality in Six Years — The $53 million West Point Dam will become a reality here in a minimum of six years, Col. Jack R. Harris of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday night.

The Army engineer spoke to over 1,000 persons gathered in a crowded room at West Point High School Tuesday night to hear Army specialists outline procedures of construction and land acquisition in connection with the new dam.

Col. Harris explained that designing of the multi-purpose project will take two to three years and construction could take up to six years. The power plant and dam to be located 2.8 river miles above West Point would service this area with a total of 72,000 kilowatts of power.

Ethel Kight Homecoming Queen Crowned — Miss Katie Woodyard was crowned Homecoming Queen at Ethel Kight High School during Homecoming festivities here this week. Attendants to the Queen were Miss Henrietta Reed and Miss Lauretta Lovelace.

Eleanor’s Letter — Pampered tomatoes were growing during the past season by Curran and Hollis Easley, whose yard man insisted that the bed enclosed with boxwood plants was the ideal spot to plant them. Maybe I should have called them “patrician” tomatoes.

Here and There With Sue — We heard about a woman who went to a psychiatrist and told him her husband was ill and thought he was a horse. The psychiatrist assured her he could help him, but it would take a lot of money.

“That’s all right,” said the wife. “He has just won the Kentucky Derby.”

Julia Dyar, a retired journalist, is active in the Troup County Historical Society.