****

What does Walgreens have to do with annexation in Peachtree City? One little church may damage a lot of folks in and out of Peachtree City this year.

Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, operating on a vote of fewer than 30 percent of its members, wants to sell their prime corner at Peachtree City's heart for a 24-hour Walgreens drug store and move over to some bargain land being offered by John Wieland Homes, provided that land gets annexed into Peachtree City.

Nevermind that the lot on which the church sits was originally covenanted to remain for church use only. Nevermind because the covenant is no longer being enforced by the original land owner.

If Lutherans ought to understand anything, it's the importance of remaining faithful to a covenant, no matter what. A man named Luther understood what a covenant meant.

One hopes that his spiritual offspring will reconsider breaking the covenant made with the community of Peachtree City more than two decades ago and retain that prime corner for a place of worship of our Lord, rather than a worship of the almighty dollar.

Who was it who said, "Where your treasure is, there is your heart"?

So, which City Council members will be voting for the first commercial REzoning along Ga. Highway 54 within the city in many years? Maybe the same ones who will later vote to annex the Westside Village? Quid pro quo.

Mark the members in favor of Walgreens and Westside Village and get ready to vote them out of office. Only problem is that the irrevocable damage will have been done.

****

Speaking of damage, under a new ordinance in Peachtree City, you have to get a permit to cut a 3-inch or larger-diameter tree on your residential lot.

Consider that: Your tree, your lot, and you have to take time out of your life to locate some city office, wait to get waited on, explain what you want to do in detail, and then wait for a city inspector to come out on another day or future week on his schedule and tell you if you have his permission to maintain your own property.

This is another example of the abominations that boil up out of bureaucracies everywhere.

In the name of a "greater good" - protecting a few dumb homeowners from scam artists with chainsaws - the council in its ineffable wisdom has chainsawed yet more of our property rights.

You can't even clear saplings out of your yard now without the long eye of PTC overlooking your every move.

Boston had its tea party; Peachtree City is due for a tree party.

****

Fayetteville's Council has caught its share of criticism from me for past annexations. It's time to say something nice about the city fathers.

J.C.Penney will come into town and open up a nice department store in what is now a vacant big box in Banks Crossing Shopping Center.

Kudos to the Fayetteville Council for encouraging this redevelopment of existing rental property. We hope they will continue to look imaginatively for such solutions to the problem of abandoned retail properties.

Good job, guys.