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OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2018
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Saving Haiti’s children
NEWNAN RESIDENT SHELBY MCNEIL USES HER NEW BOOK TO BRING BRIGHTER FUTURES FOR HAITIAN ORPHANS BY MELANIE RUBERTI
melanie@newnan.com When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the island nation of Haiti Jan. 12, 2010, between 220,000 – 300,000 people lost their lives in an instant. Thousands more were hurt, including young children who suddenly became orphans. Shelby McNeil, now 21, was familiar with helping out pover t y- s t r ic ken t h i rd-world countries, especially in South America. From a young age, McNeil, along with her parents Patrick and Julie McNeil of Rockmart, had a heart for mission work. The trio traveled the world to help those in need, especially children. “I went on my first trip to Peru and was hooked on missionary work after that,” McNeil said. But the Newnan resident was not prepared for what she saw after her plane landed in PortAu-Prince, Haiti, in 2015. McNeil and her parents were on a medical mission trip in Titanyen. It was clear the country was still in crisis five years
after the earthquake, McNeil remembered. “As we were being driven to the missionary compound, we passed a dirt field that was used as a mass graveyard to bury those who died in the earthquake,” she said. “There were ‘tent cities’ everywhere. People still didn’t have homes and were selling their goods on the side of the road. “Our translator told us Haiti still looks like the earthquake just happened,” McNeil added. “The country still needs help … there’s been little progress to rebuild at all.” While working on a compound in Titanyen, the family met Robenson Pierre and his wife Kelly, who lost funding for their orphanage after the earthquake. The couple told the McNeils they were not sure where most of the children ended up, but they knew two children had passed away. Despite their anguish, Robenson Pierre told Patrick McNeil
HAITI • 4
City council denies rezoning request BY CLAY NEELY
clay@newnan.com Grei son Tra i l re sidents concerned about the possibility of more affordable housing in their corridor received a break from Newnan City Council. Monday evening, the council unanimously denied a rezoning request on behalf of developer Mark White that would have allowed t he constr uction of a 96-unit affordable housing complex. L a s t J u l y, W h i t e applied to change the zoning on the 19.85-acre tract for the development of Brookside At McIntosh – a 96 -unit, townhouse-style apartment complex at the corner of Greison Trail and McIntosh Parkway. The complex would have been built on the sout hwest por t ion of the property, while the other three tracts would be donated by White for the city’s LINC project. The property is current ly z one d RU-2 (townhouse residential dwelling district). White sought to change it to RML (residential multiple-family dwelling) since the site topography would make it difficult to create a townhouse development. I n a n ei g h b orh o o d meeting conducted May 23, White met with several nearby homeowners to get their thoughts on the complex. W h ite pre s e nte d a greenspace concept in the middle, showcased a playground and commu n it y bu i ld i n g a nd agreed to extend a buffer a rou nd t he prop erty running 60 to 100 feet in depth, along with no rear entrance to the units. Councilmember
George Alexander asked White why he chose the Greison Tra il a rea to develop the proposed apartment complex. " We d o a f fo rd a bl e and tax credit housing,” White said. “So we’re looking for properties we think will be a good f it . We’ve a l so m ade concessions based on input.” Brown’s Ridge homeow ner E l i zabet h R ay spoke to council regarding the concerns shared by her family and other residents – staying they’re not against affordable housing, but concer ned why t hei r corridor seems to attract so much. “ We’re pro -g row t h , but saturated with a f ford a ble h o u s i n g ,” she said. “There are 506 units in our area and this is another set of 96 units. Affordable housing isn’t the problem – but when it’s concentrated in one area, that’s when crime rises.” Shari Harrington, who lives on Brown’s Ridge Drive, said she loves her neig hborhood , but i s concerned an additional 96 units will even further burden the school bus system – stating her middle school daughter’s bus ride home is already an hour and a half. “We’re all for growth and diversity - just look out ou r com mu n it y but we’re against taking the brunt end.” she said. “(White) donates three tracts of land and gets the write-off while we get the problem.” A lexa nder made a mot ion to deny t he rezoning based on the continued clustering of affordable housing in the area and the nega-
REZONE • 4
COURTESY OF SHELBY MCNEIL
Missionary Shelby McNeil reads the French version of the Dr. Seuss book “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” to children outside an orphanage in Cabaret, Haiti.
THE HOUSE WITH THE CLOCK IN ITS WALLS
PHOTO BY SARAH CAMPBELL
George Alexander enjoyed having his home on Greenville Street for the filming of “The House with the Clock in its Walls.”
Living on a movie set ‘a lot of fun’ BY SARAH FAY CAMPBELL sarah@newnan.com When George and Pam Alexander go to see “The House with the Clock in its Walls,” they’ll see their home on the big screen – as more than one house. The Alexander home on Greenville Street was used extensively for filming of the movie, based on the spooky children’s book of the same name. “It was a lot of fun, it really was,” said Alexander, who serves on the Newnan City Council and has lived in the house 32 years. Sta r r i ng Jack Black and Cate Blanchett, “The House with the Clock in its Walls” opened Friday. It’s received mixed, though mostly positive, reviews. Some reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes say it’s destined to become a Halloween classic. T he stor y fol lows recently orphaned Lewis Barnavelt, who goes to live with his uncle Jonathan
(Black), who turns out to be a warlock. His uncle lives in a strange house with a ticking heart. The clock was placed by the home’s former resident, the sinister warlock Isaac Izard. Things go awry when Lewis, attempting to impress a popular kid at school, accidentally raises Izard from the dead. It’s directed by Eli Roth, better known for gory movies such as “Hostel” and “Cabin Fever." Newnan features promi nent ly i n t he mov ie. Downtown was transformed into a 1950s version of itself. Young Lewis plays basketball at the Wesley Street gym, and one of Newnan’s most recognizable homes, the Second-Empire style ParottCamp-Soucy House on Greenville Street, is the titular house. Though extensive filming took place outside the house, which got a black paint job for the movie, the interior scenes were filmed in a studio,
Alexander said. The outside and foyer of Alexander’s home – directly across the street from the Soucy House – was used at the home for a nosy neighbor. Other parts of the house got an extensive purple paint job to become the home of Cate Blanchett’s character, the witch Mrs. Zimmerman. Upstairs bedrooms were used for another scene. And the Alexander’s family room was where Roth, the producer and other staff watched things progress. His home was chosen by chance one day, when location scouts were out looking around the Soucy house. “They knew they were going to sweep my house in the filming and so they needed to get my permission,” he said. The home’s front curtains were being washed, so the scouts were able to see inside the house.
They liked it, and came by another time when someone was home. A lex a nder s a id t he producers offered to put them up in a hotel during the time the home was used for filming. But they decided to stay put. “I said, ‘If you put me up somewhere, I’m just going to get up early and come over here,’” he said. Filming usually didn’t start until around 5 p.m., and they would film until 4 or 5 in the morning. “I would stay up and sit in the back, behind the producer and director and watch what they were doing until about 2 or 3 in the morning,” he said. Before the filming, there was a lot of work and a lot of changes. The house got a new exterior paint job – from peach to yellow – and many rooms were repainted inside. All of the Alexanders’ furniture in the rooms that were used
MOVIE • 4