Ed

Vanderslice and Joe O'Connell say they'll keep

pushing Fayette County to abandon about a mile at

the southern end of Padgett Road that is bordered

only by their properties.

Vanderslice

owns about 827 acres on both sides of the gravel

road, which dead-ends into O'Connell's 98-acre

tract.

Padgett

Road runs off Ga. Highway 85 near Starr's Mill.

Teens

drive the road, which has a sudden bend near its

end, way too fast, said Vanderslice, adding that

he crosses the roadway at several places on farm

equipment as he works his land. He lives on the

acreage, and is farming its timber, he said.

In

addition to safety concerns, the two men said,

people also take advantage of the dead-end road

occupied by only two home sites to dump all

manner of old appliances, household items and

even toxic substances. And teens treat the area

as a lovers' lane, leaving litter in their wake,

they added.

"I

really thought this was going to be a

no-brainer," said a frustrated Vanderslice

after the Fayette County Commission voted 3-2

last week to ignore the men's request that the

county abandon the roadway so they can close it

to traffic.

Jack

Krakeel, director of the county Department of

Fire and Emergency Services, said he couldn't

recommend abandonment of the road because county

fire trucks would need to use it if either of the

men's houses ever caught on fire.

"This

is a significant length of road that we're

talking about," said Krakeel, "and our

vehicles weigh 40 to 50,000 pounds." As long

as the county is maintaining the road, he feels

better about being able to use it, Krakeel said.

O'Connell

said when he builds his home at the southern end

of the road, he not only will maintain the road

but also will install a pump in a pond right next

to the house so fire trucks won't have to haul

the water in.

Commissioner

Herb Frady pointed out that there is an abandoned

railroad track bed at the end of Padgett Road

next to O'Connell's home site, and he wondered

whether the Georgia Regional Transportation

Authority might want to use that right of way for

future rapid rail service from Senoia to Atlanta.

"I'd

just as soon wait and see if they do anything

with that," he said.

Commissioner

Glen Gosa argued that the men's request is

"a good deal for the county" because

once it's abandoned, the county won't have to

maintain or patrol the road section. He voted

against the motion to take no action, along with

Commissioner Greg Dunn.

Commissioner

Linda Wells made the motion, and said abandoning

the road would create a liability problem.

"We can't set that precedent of putting

people in harm's way," she said.

After

the meeting, Vanderslice said he believes the

county places itself in a greater position of

liability by hanging onto the road than it would

"I

had just crossed the road the other day when a

car came around the curve just flying," he

said. "If he had gotten there three seconds

earlier, he or I or both of us would have been

dead," he said.

"We'll

keep coming back," O'Connell promised.