Wednesday, March 14, 2001

Saturday morning at 9 I was awakened by the sound of a horse kicking his stall. When I got up to investigate, I realized that the 4-H Skeet Club had begun its shooting schedule for their season.

How many citizens of Fayette County would enjoy listening to repeated gunfire for several hours a day, while either inside or outside of their home? The residents of The Chimneys, Wildwood Estates and Millpond Manor subdivisions, as well as hundreds of other southside residents will soon be subjected to hours of nonstop shotgun fire from the 4-H Skeet Club now located right off Ga. Highway 85.

The property, owned by Peachtree City Water and Sewage Authority, is surrounded by the subdivisions, Hwy. 85 South, and the Starr's Mill High School complex. Across Hwy. 85 are homes built on the minimum 5-acre lots required by this county if one doesn't live in a subdivision (a requirement intended to keep the county more rural, more quiet).

That is the exact reason that so many of us purchased these lots, and built out here to get away from it all, to enjoy a rural lifestyle.

The 4-H, which was once located away from residential areas, is now in our midst. They will be shooting for the next four months, and their practices last for hours several times a week. You can't escape the sound of constant gunfire; it echoes off of the trees. You can forget about sleeping in or taking a Saturday afternoon nap!

The general public has found this to be a convenient location for their own private use they come out to fire their weapons at their discretion.

I have been informed by the county marshal's office and by [Peachtree City] Mayor [Bob] Lenox that the noise ordinance of Fayette County is not being violated by this type of disturbance. I disagree. The ordinance reads that in regard to noise nuisance, it is up to the reasonable person to declare what is allowable.

If a barking dog or a neighbor's boom box can be deemed as a disturbance of the peace, how much more so the sound of the battlefield? The sharp reports of ammo being fired as rapidly as possible is explosive; you cannot push it into the background.

More and more people are moving into this area of the county. If you were looking to buy a home, would you want one where you had to listen to a firing range?

Our taxes pay the salaries of our county officials; they are to look out for our interests, and protect and promote our quality of life. Allowing a firing range in this particular location was a bad call. There is an Olympic Skeet range in north Fulton County, 30 minutes from here.

The 4-H Club needs to find a location that doesn't compromise our property values and our enjoyment of our homes.

Nancy Buchanan

Brooks

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