Hats off to the Peachtree

City Council members, the mayor, and the citizens who worked diligently

on the West Village Task Force.

After five long months of discussion, research, and community input, the

mayor and city council have voted to reject the West Village annexation.

In a move that has surprised, and even amazed, residents, the council

and mayor cited concern over the impact on our already overcrowded school

system and our traffic-snarled west corridor. Even more awe-inspiring

is the recognition that community sentiment on growth and density also

played a role in the rethinking of the annexation proposal.

Thank you, Peachtree City Council members and thank you, Mayor Bob Lenox.

Suddenly, what had seemed an "us-against-them" uphill trek has

spilled out on to a plateau of civic unity. The collective sigh of taxpayer

relief is nearly audible. The air is fresh, and folks in Peachtree City

have renewed faith in our representative republic.

If we became still and keened our ears towards Fayetteville, I bet we

could hear the whistle of held breath let loose from over near Stonewall

Avenue and the Fayette County Board of Education.

There, folks have their own walls to scale in trying to house the students

already enrolled. The prospect of a greater number of students than normally

anticipated, coming in at a much quicker pace, as would be inevitable

with any large-scale annexation, had rendered most school officials stoically

quiet. Hopefully, taxpayers will muster more compassion by proxy and see

fit to support the school system in its upcoming funding initiative.

The heat is effectively turned up on Fayetteville now, who may feel the

pressure to measure up to Peachtree City's sound example. Both annexation

proposals represent some gain for their respective localities, and both

carry some inherent costs. Public sentiment rests squarely with "slowed

growth," as evidenced by the steady stream of responses to The Citizen

Newspaper's opinion poll indicating an overwhelming majority of "no

annexation" votes.

And let's not forget the hard work of the citizen members of the

West Village Task Force, as we're passing out gratitude.

Feeling, I would presume, as if the annexation was nearly inevitable,

task force members worked diligently to bring together the best possible

package for the city. There are those who are disappointed and there are

those who are relieved. They are all deserving of some heartfelt appreciation

for their willingness to participate in the process.

The way I see it, we have about a week to enjoy our collective relief,

then it's off to defend hearth and home again against the far-reaching

arm of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA).

We can't go languishing, thinking we've held the line when GRTA

has its sights set on our Ga. Highway 74 transportation corridor.

Proactive is better than reactive. GRTA is expected to "activate

jurisdiction" over the 13-county metro Atlanta region Sept. 13, and

has already requested land use maps from city and county governments.

GRTA is trying to win friends and dispatch enemies by "partnering"

with local governments. They want to make local governments part of the

solution to problems of air quality and traffic gridlock.

GRTA calls to my mind images of the wolf in grandma's clothing -

talks sugary, but packs a mouthful. We'll have to be very careful

in making any conciliatory assumptions, and make sure we don't get

gobbled up.

We have established a braking momentum, thanks to the Peachtree City Council

and Mayor Lenox. We salute you. Let's make it a trend.

Your comments are welcome: [email protected].