Both our police and fire

chiefs have spoken before council and made it clear that

the traffic congestion at Ga. highways 54 and 74

negatively impacts their ability to respond to emergency

calls. Clearly the addition of thousands of more cars to

the equation will make a bad situation even worse. What

we are talking about is a life and death matter; in an

emergency seconds count and people could lose their lives

just so that we can have a big orange Home Depot in our

community.

Our city council members

take an oath to protect the safety and welfare of our

citizens. They enacted a traffic impact ordinance to deal

with situations just like this one. It is clear that the

widening of Hwy. 54 will occur no earlier than 2005, and

even then it will take several years to complete. No

matter what smoke and mirrors are used, nothing can be

done to mitigate the impact of the traffic that the big

boxes would generate so the only answer is to vote no.

RAM and their attorneys

will have us in court in no time flat, and will say that

their constitutional rights have been violated. Clearly,

the matter will be decided in the courts, and it will

cost our city money to defend its position. The safety

and welfare of our citizens is worth the expense. The

ability to preserve or city's quality of life is worth

the expense. The city council is obligated to honor their

pledge to our citizens and vote no.

Don't let a profit-hungry

developer force the big boxes on our city. This is your

chance to stand up and be heard. The safety and welfare

of your family and your neighbors' families, and the very

future of our city hangs in the balance. Please be sure

to attend the city council meeting on Dec. 16 and help us

stand up for our rights. Call Mayor Lenox and the city

council members and let them know how you feel. Sign one

of the petitions that are being circulated against this

development. Together, we can keep our city's residents

safe and our quality of life intact.

Steve Fodor

Peachtree City

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