REHAB CENTER OPPOSED

Supervisors Given Petition With More Than 250 Names

A group of Ward community residents are protesting plans for a drug
rehabilitation center near their homes.

Ronnie West, the group's spokesman, presented George County
supervisors a petition Tuesday opposing the center. The petition had
more than 250 signatures.

"We do not want Herman Fountain and his rehabilitation facility for
drug and alcohol addicts in our community," the petition states.

Fountain, who operates a children's home in the county, recently
purchased property in the Ward community. He said he planned to open a
center to offer such programs as drug and alcohol treatment, GED
courses and anger management classes.

"Crime will certainly take place, and property values will depreciate,
and in return our county will lose revenue," West said.

Fountain said he doesn't plan to recruit murderers and
rapists.

"This is a voluntary program," Fountain told supervisors.

Board Attorney Darwin Maples said he was unsure the county could do
anything to stop the facility from opening.

"The county has never seen it necessary to adopt a zoning ordinance,"
he said.