Williams Company is postponing

its request for a power plant once again.

Fayette residents will have

to wait at least until January to know whether the 1,230-megawatt power

plant will be built in neighboring south Fulton County.

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 on the Fayette border

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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