What a remarkable year 2014 has been!
On the west side of town:
Fayetteville became “Hollywood East” as production wrapped on our first movie and pre-production work started on our second movie, the biggest budget film in Georgia history.
Six sound stages were operational this year and five additional sound stages are under construction at Pinewood Atlanta Studios to accommodate our third movie which should begin production in the summer of 2015.
Piedmont Fayette Hospital became the first institution in Georgia to become an MD Anderson Cancer Center Affiliate, in addition to housing one of only two natural light linear accelerators in the entire country.
Next year they should break ground on an expansion of the Emergency Room and the addition of 36 additional patient rooms above the ER. Also thanks to PFH offering a vacant house on their property to the city for a fire house, we have opened our third fire station, Station 93.
Site preparation is well underway for construction of Georgia Military College, our first four-year post-secondary education institution. Classes will begin in the new facility in August 2015, including new courses of study of allied health care and film related computing classes.
On the north and south sides of town:
We are seeing new commercial life in the North Highway 85 corridor as evidenced by the facelift on Hudson Plaza, Hardee’s, new Dollar General and Family Dollar stores and upgrading the old Wal-Mart store from a Flea Market to a Tractor Supply and an Ollies outlet.
Our dining options continued to increase. Dickey’s BBQ took the place of a We Buy Gold shop, Shane’s Rib Shack moved into the former Long Branch Saloon space and became one of their top 10 restaurants and Twisted Taco (finally) opened their roof top.
Our fueling options also increased as Fayetteville became home to two Kroger fuel centers. The second also happens to be the largest one in the Atlanta market, which includes several states.
In the personnel department:
Sad events this year include the retirement of several long-term employees: Assistant Finance Director Ellen Walls (30 years), our finance director of 17 years, Lynn Robinson, and our city manager of 19 years, Joe Morton.
Sadder still, this year saw the passing of long-time City Clerk Judy Stephens, who was clerk when my father served on City Council over 30 years ago and was still working part time for the city when I became mayor.
We have sustained a great loss of institutional knowledge, but we still have City Clerk Anne Barnard (15 years) and Fire Chief Alan Jones (27 years and also serving as assistant city manager) and the retired folks are just a phone call away should we need them.
We hired excellent replacements, with Ray Gibson as city manager and Mike Bush in finance, who have fit right in with our “corporate culture” at City Hall.
We continue to run a very tight ship, without a property tax increase in over 20 years. On a positive note, we were still able to provide a small raise to all city personnel this year.
In the human events department:
This year, we also marked the passing of Mr. Truett Cathy and Mr. Robert Jordan Sr., two giants in the community who impacted many more lives than we will ever know. We were blessed to have them with us as long as we did and we are all poorer for their passing.
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Cathy a few times prior to his passing and of being a friend of Mr. Jordan for several years. I also had the privilege of speaking at Mr. Jordan’s funeral on Dec. 20, but was so overcome with emotion that I failed to deliver my closing line. I will offer it here for the benefit of an even wider audience.
From our earth-bound perspective, there is never a good time to lose a loved one, but Robert Jordan was a man of peace, and what better time for a man of peace to go on to his reward than the time of year when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.
While I am on that subject, allow me to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous and safe New Year!
In the Entertainment Events Department:
Our Mainstreet events were very well attended with our most successful Southern Ground Amphitheater concert series yet, and very well attended Taste of Fayette and Market Days, and probably our biggest Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting Celebration in many years.
Next year the tree lighting moves to the Old Courthouse Square and the Christmas Parade may be sanctioned by the Shriners. If that happens, we would have funny cars, go-carts, mini-bikes and such so it would be even bigger!
Looking forward to 2015:
We should finally begin road construction on the Highway 92/Hood Avenue realignment project by late spring, with completion expected about 18 months later. The bus barn is moving from behind the school board HQ to Whitewater High School next summer. These two projects will greatly improve traffic downtown, especially when school lets out.
The luxury apartment complex should break ground in April with construction continuing into 2016. GMC will be open for classes in August.
We anticipate a soft opening of The Ridge nature preserve next summer, with walking and biking trails, and if all goes well, a water trail down Whitewater Creek to Starr’s Mill.
Hopefully in 2015 we’ll recruit more restaurants and perhaps a new hotel or two as well as a bed and breakfast.
It has been a great ride thus far and, if you will have me back for another four years, I’ll stand for reelection in November.
Greg Clifton, mayor
Fayetteville, Ga.
