Williams Company

is postponing its request for a power plant once again.

South Fulton

residents will have to wait at least until January to know whether the

1,230-megawatt power plant will be built in their backyards.

Williams spokeswoman

Paula Hall-Collins confirmed this week that the energy company has notified

Fulton County to postpone a vote on the Fulton Energy Center until January.

Williams has

an option on a 288-acre tract on Peters Road in South Fulton County and

wants to build a natural gas-fueled power plant on the site.

In recent weeks,

the company has conducted informational meetings with several local groups,

and a meeting with officials of the Christian City senior/children's facility

convinced Williams to slow the process down.

"We're

very sensitive to the needs of the community and we want to make sure

all the necessary information is provided to everybody," Collins

said.

During the

meeting with Christian City, several issues concerning health came up

at the meeting. Williams is currently completing air quality studies and

wants to assure residents that the plant will exceed all federal and state

health guidelines.

Christian City

CEO Bob Crutchfield voiced several concerns for his residents at the meeting.

He said that

potential sound and light pollution, as well as noise during the construction

phase would pose problems for his elderly residents.

"It would

raise the risk of hypertension, stress and sleeplessness, all of which

dramatically affect the health of older citizens," Crutchfield said.

Crutchfield

also is concerned about possible expansion of the facility.

"We were

told that construction of this facility could only be the beginning. Future

expansion is not only possible with space provided on the site, but highly

probable as demand for energy increases. It is our opinion that construction

of this power plant would dramatically curtail future senior housing development

and the planned construction of a new home for the children's village,"

he added.

Collins said

that many of Crutchfield's concerns were valid and Williams would work

to provide specific answers to the questions.

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