Fulton County

Commissioner Bill Edwards says he is determined to clean up Fulton Industrial

Boulevard.

He is so determined

that he took a busload of the county's government officials last week

to the corridor to investigate possible violations by many of the service

companies on the boulevard.

When the trip

was done, Fulton County had closed down three businesses and cited two

more for severe violations.

"Fulton

Industrial Boulevard is the biggest industrial area east of the Mississippi,

and for too many years, we've disrespected it," he said.

The businesses

closed are EJ's Soul Food, Executive Inn and Parkview Inn. The businesses

were cited for numerous health code, electrical and fire violations.

At the Executive

Inn, Edwards discovered a swimming pool filled with stagnant water that

he said could be a breeding ground for the West Nile Virus.

Other violations

included banquet rooms filled with trash, a break in the gas line that

filled the inn with the smell of natural gas and open paint and gasoline

cans.

Edwards had

hoped to hit 17 businesses on his trip, but said the violations were so

numerous his "e-team" of enforcers could make it to only five.

"We're

going to keep doing this, and not only on Fulton Industrial. We're also

going to Old National and other corridors," he said.

The commissioner

said he deplored the conditions he found, but he was even more upset with

Fulton County.

"Fulton

County didn't do its job. We let that area become derelict. We've got

Fortune 500 and Fortune 400 companies out there that have to hire security

teams so employees cars won't be broken into," he said.

Edwards said

he plans another e-team trip in the next few weeks.