Fayette

County's refusal to allow Chariots of Fire

Ministries to hook onto Clayton County's sewerage

may land the county in court.

An

engineer has declared the ministry's north

Fayette property unfit for a septic system, and

the ministry has retained a lawyer.

"The

hope that I have is that after notifying them of

our position and describing the necessity for

public health purposes, and the appropriateness

under the law of permitting my client to hook up

with Clayton County, we can come to an

understanding," said Atlanta lawyer Brian

Spears.

"Failing

that, our only alternative will be to initiate

legal action," Spears added.

Chariots

of Fire was founded two years ago by Bishop

Luther Graham and works to help people who have

lost their jobs and homes get back on their feet.

The ministry has been plagued with problems ever

since it purchased a house and outbuildings on

2.5 acres just east of the intersection of Ga.

highways 138 and 279. The septic system failed,

and raw sewage seeped out of the ground and ran

down the street, prompting complaints from

neighbors and increasing pressure from the county

Health Department to resolve the problem.

After

a new septic system also failed, Graham made an

appeal to Fayette County commissioners to allow

the ministry to use Clayton County's sewer lines,

which run right past the property. But

commissioners last month turned down the

ministry's request, citing fears the sewer lines

will then be extended to other Fayette customers

and allow increased density of development in

north Fayette.

Fayette's

Environmental Health Department then ordered the

ministry to hire soil engineers and dig test

holes to find the best place on the property for

a new septic system, but those engineers last

week declared that there is no such place.

"In

my professional opinion, the only remaining

option is to connect the structure on this site

to the Clayton County sewer," said Martin

McElhenny, consulting engineer, in a

certification letter to Chariots of Fire board

member John Ford.

Ford

said once the engineer determined that a septic

system won't work, the ministry could make a new

appeal to the County Commission, but was told the

matter can't be brought up again for six months.

He

said the ministry then decided to retain a

lawyer, and had hoped to find one in Fayette

County. "Since we could not find an attorney

in Fayetteville with a backbone, or who cared

about what is right or wrong, we retained an

Atlanta attorney," he said.

Spears

said if the county refuses to reconsider,

"There are a number of legal arguments that

can be made, including the view that denial of

access to the sewer system under these

circumstances is arbitrary and not in the best

interests of the county or my client."

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