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Letters to the Editor

BoE ignores danger of Banks Rd. bus stop

On April 25, 2005, our neighborhood, Wellington Place, experienced a very unfortunate accident involving a resident high school student.

While waiting for the schoolbus, at the corner of Banks Road East and McElroy Road, this student was hit by a motorist in a traffic accident.

Fortunately, the student did not sustain life-threatening injuries. However, he has a broken ankle and bruises. Over time he will heal and hopefully will not be affected by the injuries in later life.

This tragedy affected all of the families living in Wellington Place, as we are a very tight group and support each other in health, safety and property protection.

My point is this: while I do not have school-age children riding a school bus, every child living in my subdivision is important to our community. I have concerns of their safety and well-being.

As a Wellington Place homeowner and concerned member of the neighborhood, I along with many families take the safety of the children very seriously.

The fact that our children are being mandated by the Fayette County Board of Education (FCBOE) to walk through one of the heaviest traveled sections of the county and stand at one of the most traveled intersections is a heated issue for our families.

The FCBOE mandated this new stop for the purpose of consolidating stops and saving fuel. When the families asked why place the children at the center of this cut-through road, they were answered with "Budget cuts."

"Are budget cuts and a gallon of gas worth the life of a child?" is a question I would like for the FCBOE to answer.

Another question is, "Has any member of the FCBOE been to this bus stop location and surveyed the conditions? DO THEY ever cut through our subdivision?"

Families asked the questions and got the routine answer, "This is the most efficient bus route." Obviously safety is not a priority for the FCBOE, as the children of Wellington Place are told to report to one of the most dangerous intersections in Fayette County to ride the schoolbus.

The backdrop for this bus stop nightmare is painted by a report of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department Traffic Division showing Banks Road East and McElroy Road as one of the most traveled routes in Fayette County. One of the peak travel times at this intersection is 7:45 a.m.

The data show average speed of motorists to be between 35-39 mph northbound. This is the cut-through route direction of Wellington Place.

Those of you that travel our roads know that the posted speed limit is 25 mph. The Sheriff's Department provides as much help as they can with the manpower they have available.

Now a student has been hit by a motorist and the families of Wellington Place are looking in the direction of the FCBOE to correct a problem they created. This accident could have been a lot worse.

Is the FCBOE now willing to listen to the families or are the budget and a gallon of gas more important? This whole incident could have been avoided two years ago if someone would have only listened to the voices of the families.

The traffic situation will not get any better at this intersection and the safety of the children is the main concern.

Bill Altman

President, WPHOA

Fayetteville, Ga.

BoE, please listen to Wellington residents

I am writing to let you know of a situation that happened [April 25] at a bus stop in the Wellington Place subdivision.

Two years ago, the Fayette County Board of Education decided to consolidate all bus stops within the neighborhood in an effort to conserve fuel in light of the recent budget cuts facing the BOE.

While this in itself does not constitute a problem, where they placed the bus stop does pose a problem.

The bus stop for the middle school and high school students is at the corner of Banks Road East and McElroy Road.

This is a VERY busy intersection because of the traffic coming from Clayton County and the normal morning traffic.

The residents of the neighborhood have contacted the BOE with our concerns repeatedly to no avail. This is the most efficient route for the buses is the routine answer.

[April 25] a high school student was hit by a car while standing at the bus stop. While this was a legitimate accident, it still shows the dangers of this intersection. Anywhere from 10 to 15 students are standing on the corner waiting on the bus. The student suffered a broken ankle from the accident. It could have been much worse.

The Fayette County Sheriff's office has ample data showing the traffic patterns of this highly traveled corridor. Apparently, since a traffic light is at the corner of Banks Road and Ga. Highway 54, this is the chosen route for most traffic entering onto Hwy. 54 from the Clayton/ Fayette County line.

Far and away, the majority of the traffic traveling through our neighborhood is not originating or ending in our neighborhood.

While the residents have come to accept this fact, it still does not downplay the dangers of people speeding down Banks Road.

In conclusion, while the residents do not argue with the BOE's decision to consolidate bus stops, why is it necessary to have the stop at a very busy intersection? Is a gallon of gas saved worth a child's safety?

And why can't the stop be placed within the subdivision at a much safer cul-de-sac entrance?

These are the possible solutions that have been presented to the FCBOE over the past two years. It just seems that no one is listening.

Jody S. Roberts

Fayetteville, Ga.

10 reasons to deny Walgreens rezoning

Thursday night the Peachtree City Council will vote on whether to approve Christ Our Shepherd's request to rezone their property from Office Institutional (OI) to Limited Use Commercial (LUC).

The rezoning would allow the church to be demolished and replaced with a 24-hour Walgreens drugstore plus a second commercial building. During the last nine months there have been numerous letters to the editor opposing the rezoning. The following 10 reasons summarize the opposition:

1. Opposed by the community.

Last July when it was announced that Christ Our Shepherd was requesting a rezoning I wrote newspaper articles asking Peachtree City citizens to join in signing or circulating a petition against the rezoning. Over one dozen concerned citizens from various parts of the city contacted me for a copy of the petition and walked their neighborhoods going door to door obtaining signatures. During a two month period, over 90 percent of the people contacted signed the petition. After 1,650 signatures were obtained it was quite clear that the vast majority of Peachtree City residents agreed with the petition and the petition drive was stopped.

2. Sets bad precedent.

If Christ Our Shepherd is rezoned from OI to LUC, what is to stop other land owners and/or churches from requesting the same? Churches such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Carriage Lane Presbyterian, First Presbyterian, First Baptist, and Holy Trinity all have property next to Ga. Highway 54 and could sell their property at much higher prices than currently appraised if their land were rezoned commercial. This rezoning will also reduce adjacent residential property values. Who wants to live next to a 24-hour drugstore?

3. Jams up traffic.

Christ Our Shepherd generates approximately 100,000 car trips to the site per year. Most of the church traffic is on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings which are slack traffic times for surrounding roads. The Walgreens with 550,000 car trips per year and a second commercial building (such as a bank with 100,000 car trips per year) are projected to generate over 650,000 car trips to the site per year with a greater proportion of the traffic on weekdays during rush hour traffic. Changing the zoning from OI to LUC will increase the number of vehicles to the site at least six-fold and change the timing so that the maximum traffic to the site will occur at times when Hwy. 54 and Peachtree Parkway will already be busy.

4. Violates a planned community.

Good zoning standards use step-down density zonings to buffer adjacent zoning designations. For example, residential zonings should be buffered by office institutional which in turn should be buffered by commercial zonings, etc. The current church site is office institutional and provides perfect buffering between the residential zoning behind the church and the adjacent commercial zonings for Ruby Tuesday and Kroger. Changing the Lutheran Church zoning to LUC is a step in the wrong direction that violates good zoning standards for our planned community.

5. Compromises our safety.

Additional traffic generated by the Walgreens site will cause accidents at the proposed new curb cut entry and exit onto Hwy. 54. Traffic on Hwy. 54 going west down the hill (from the direction of McDonald's) often is traveling 50 miles per hour and will be deadly for cars entering and leaving the new curb cut. In addition, adding traffic to northbound Peachtree Parkway increases the risk to school children who now load and unload along the parkway.

6. Decreases fire/EMS response time.

Additional traffic on Peachtree Parkway north trying to enter the Walgreens site will delay fire trucks and EMS vehicles from the adjacent fire station from going through the Hwy. 54/Peachtree Parkway intersection. Currently when there is a red light on Peachtree Parkway, fire trucks and EMS vehicles often go against northbound traffic to enter the intersection. With northbound vehicles on Peachtree Parkway stopped to turn left into the Walgreens site, going against traffic will be restricted during rush hours.

7. Ignores moral covenant.

The Lutheran Church 26 years ago accepted religious-use-only restrictive covenants which legally have run out. The church is now ignoring a moral covenant to the city. Most citizens of Peachtree City feel betrayed by the church's decision to request a rezoning for a 24-hour drugstore and to protect us with another covenant (that prohibits gas stations, liquor sales, adult entertainment, fast food stores, etc.) that will expire in 20 years. Legally what happens 20 years from now when there are no restrictions to the site? This is a downward trend with no end.

8. Lessens our quality of life.

When most of us moved to Peachtree City, the driving factor was quality of life. This planned community is special with a history of strict adherence to its land use plan. The Hwy. 54/Peachtree Parkway intersection has an equal split between commercial development on two corners and churches on the other two corners. Rezoning this property to demolish a beautiful church at a prominent location and replace it with a 24-hour drugstore needlessly further commercializes the entire corner and upsets a delicate balance.

9. Super-sizes a drugstore.

The new Walgreens will be 50 percent larger than the Eckerd across the street and open 24 hours per day, seven days per week. According to the Walgreens Annual Report, they build stores where they want them to be, rather than where sites happen to be. In an average week Walgreens opens one new store a day, and two on Sunday. Losing one corner in Peachtree City certainly won't affect their stock price. There are more suitable building sites in town with proper zoning for commercial development. Walgreens is relentless, they know what they want and they usually get it, regardless of cost. This is a chance to say no.

10. Ignores the planning commission recommendation

Two weeks ago the Peachtree City Planning Commission voted 5 to 0 to not recommend the rezoning. The members of the Planning Commission are selected for their expertise. Ignoring their recommendation is unwise.

The City Council vote on the church property rezoning is scheduled for Thursday, May 5, at 7 p.m. at City Hall. City Council could easily vote for or against the rezoning.

Mayor Brown has already indicated his support for the rezoning. Steve Rapson seems to be very sympathetic and I believe will vote against the rezoning. If you know any of the other council members (Stuart Kourajian, Judi-Ann Rutherford, or Murray Weed) and wish to make your concerns known, contact them.

The often silent majority needs to become vocal and make its position clear. Also, if you can, come to the council meeting and voice your opinion.

Bill Nigro

Peachtree City, Ga.

Trading Lutheran church for 24-hour Walgreens: PTC will be the loser

We need to demolish and replace the Lutheran Church with a Walgreens? Otherwise, Eckerd across the street will continue its monopoly position in the village?

That is what Christ Our Shepherd's College Park consultant says in a March 2005 study provided to Peachtree City government. However, there is plenty of drugstore competition in town with nine pharmacies and a tenth on the way (at Target).

A Macon appraiser provides an equally confusing opinion. He states that the Walgreens offer - subject of course to the proposed commercial rezoning - is "four to five times the amount the property would be worth as zoned Office/Institutional." He also says that this is "the most profitable use."

This is quite revealing. He values the "land only" without this signature church's 32,000 square feet of buildings.

In a third instance, before the Peachtree City Planning Commission meeting last month, Walgreens' Orlando developer argued that the second building would act as a buffer.

Can you imagine? Build a building to buffer a neighborhood.

I guess the proposed 10-foot berm and wall with plantings is simply not enough to adequately mask this 24-hour drugstore.

Why? Walgreens plans a 28-foot high single-story building. Isn't that really the equivalent of a three-story building?

They have presented a case with hired experts from College Park, Macon, and Orlando led by a Griffin lawyer. What if this proposed commercial rezoning is denied?

Walgreens will probably still build somewhere else in town. There are other commercial sites. They will also choose one that better fits our land use plan. A denial can bring a better result.

Simply said, this rezoning has been driven by what Walgreens wants. The very first line of their 2003 Annual Report, after the customary letter to the stockholders, reads, "We build stores where we want to be, not where sites happen to be." Look it up.

Walgreens is a Chicago-based Fortune 500 company focused on gaining market share. That is why they often build across the street from the competition. A typical store has 25,000 items and annual sales of $7.4 million. They are a 21st century five and dime, or for some, a mini-Wal-Mart with drugs.

The developer's proposal calls for a bigger than average 14,600 square foot building with a very high ceiling for surveillance cameras. This is considerably larger than an average Eckerd. They also do a lot more business than a typical Eckerd or CVS, at least 60 percent more.

Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church seems sold on this as the only option. If their objective is to move, they can still move regardless of the decision. There are other reasonable alternatives that have not been pursued thus far.

If they wish to expand their ministry, I for one have faith that there are other ways to succeed. That is, without leaving a long-term mess in their wake.

Again, what if this proposed commercial rezoning is denied? Senior Lutheran Pastor John Weber stated in last month's Planning Commission meeting that they would find a way to move on regardless. "It just may take longer."

Doesn't this all seem like such an unnecessary waste? Hire outside consultants so you can tear down a signature church for yet another drugstore: 24 hours of convenience at what price to our quality of life? All for a church representing only about 3 percent of the city's population.

Remember why we moved here in the first place. Peachtree City is a planned community. It's a delicate balance. Let's stay the course and uphold both the current zoning and our land use plan.

B. Ray Helton

Peachtree City, Ga.

Who really represents us in the Ga. legislature?

I was reading a review of the historic 2005 session of our Georgia legislature when I was overcome by a sense of shame and sorrow.

You see, I always thought that the state legislature was composed of middle-class people like you and me. People who have to take out loans to send their kids to college or buy a car or even to replace the furnace when the old one gives up the ghost.

I thought these legislators would care about middle-class concerns like our school system or property taxes or even just property rights.

You know you have joined the middle class when you own your home. Be it ever so humble, it's still a sacred place to you and only in the direst circumstance would you ever give it up. Our oldest and most inviolable laws are based upon an individual's property rights.

Yet the new majority in power tried to slip through a bill that would allow the state under eminent domain to condemn your home. Not for any compelling government need, like a hospital or fire house or interstate highway, but for a mega-market, drug store or another strip mall.

"Why?" you may ask, would some of our representatives risk the wrath of the middle-class voter on such an unseemly bill? Because it's time to pay back the developers and chain stores for their massive campaign contributions.

This bill was never supposed to see the light of media scrutiny. When it was revealed in the press, it was quickly sent