'Heart strings' key in southwest Georgia housing plan

CUTHBERT - A group of local officials and civic leaders will appeal to ``heart strings and not the purse strings&#39;&#39; to build 150 houses in five of Georgia&#39;s most impoverished counties. <br> <br> The public-private partnership led by the Southwest Georgia Chamber of Commerce is launching a $17 million project to build 30 houses in each rural county - Randolph, Stewart, Clay, Quitman and Calhoun. <br> <br> The key to the Pataula Development Housing Initiative is to secure land on paved roads either donated or at a low price, chamber CEO Dave Eversman said. <br> <br> ``We&#39;ve got to pull from the heart strings and not the purse strings,&#39;&#39; Eversman told 20 business and government leaders Wednesday. <br> <br> Eversman proposes subdividing the land into one-acre lots to sell for $10,000, with the excess money being used to make loans to help families buy homes. <br> <br> ``Obviously land is the key,&#39;&#39; said P. John McEachern Jr., the Columbus manager of alternative lending for Synovus Mortgage Corp. ``That&#39;s what funds it. Once it gets going, it gains momentum.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Daniel R. Boyd, manager of the Columbus office of house builder America&#39;s Home Place, said his company could go to work in 60 days once land is available, building three-bedroom houses costing $90,000-$130,000. <br> <br> The plan is to lure home buyers from a 50-mile radius that includes Eufaula, Ala., Albany, Americus, Columbus and Fort Benning to live in the rural counties. <br> <br> John Stonie Patterson, Stewart County commission chairman, liked the concept. <br> <br> ``I would love to see 30 new houses in Stewart County,&#39;&#39; Patterson said. <br> <br> His Calhoun County counterpart, Richard West, said 30 new houses would be the ``best thing to happen in Calhoun County in 30 years.&#34;

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