Wednesday, February 27, 2002
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Wednesday, February 27, 2002 |
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Neighbors' rural way of life coming to an end? By DAVE
HAMRICK
Years of living in pastoral serenity may be coming to a close for two residents of north Peachtree City whose estate homes are in the path of progress. Board of Education officials won't talk about real estate acquisition until it's finalized, but the board's interest in three or four parcels at Ga. Highway 74 and Crabapple Lane in Peachtree City to be used for a new elementary school slipped into the public record when discussed by the Peachtree City Planning Commission last month. Bonnie Beerbower's ten-acre property is one of those under consideration. She appealed to the board Monday night to consider the fact that there is a Georgia Power Company substation across the road from the school site. "I think it would be very educational if you read this," Beerbower said as she presented reports on the possibility that electromagnetic fields around power lines and substations might be harmful. Studies have never shown a definite harm, she admitted, but "they are all inconclusive" and call for further study, she said. In 18 states, power companies are prohibited from putting high-tension wires near facilities like schools and hospitals, Beerbower said, urging the board to consider that fact when it decides whether to move forward with purchasing her property. Felton Taylor, who lives next door to Beerbower, said the board is not considering buying his five acres. "When I built my house there 26 years ago, it was for a country atmosphere," he said. Now, he added, it looks like he's going to be living next door to a school parking lot. "It'll be much harder for me to sell my house in the future," he said, adding he agrees with Beerbower on the safety issue. He also warned the board that other recent construction in the area has encountered huge quantities of rock. "They were bringing chunks of rock out and blasting for months out there," he said. If board members move ahead with their plans, he said, he wishes they would buy his land too, and at the inflated prices he hears they are offering for a parcel owned by Pathway Communities on the immediate Hwy. 74/Crabapple corner. But it's not likely, he told The Citizen after the board meeting. That would create a domino effect with still more land owners wanting to sell to the board. If the school goes through, it will culminate years of fighting to keep the area's rural atmosphere, Taylor said. The power substation, a nearby office complex, and rezonings for one-acre subdivisions across the road have already whittled away at the quality of life, he said. "We don't have enough neighbors to protest and get anywhere," he said.
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