Friday, January 3, 2003

Fulton County: transportation was key issue

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

Transportation was one of the key issues Fulton County Commissioners discussed in 2002.

Early in the spring, Fulton County unanimously voted to get on the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority's bus program Tuesday and became the 11th county to sign up for the deal.

GRTA's proposal calls for Fulton County to receive $31 million in roadwork for a one-time payment of $2.45 million to help support the bus system.

Another big issue in 2002 was the county's election. Early in the summer with a federal judge's swipe of the pen, South Fulton County's County Commission district grew by a few hundred residents.

The judge was called in because there was a controversy concerning some of the districts, said South Fulton's Commissioner Bill Edwards.

Many of the problems were in the Fifth District, but Edwards was happy to see his district grow.

Now, the Seventh District reaches up to Benjamin E. Mays drive and some of Cascade Road, he added.

"We also now have some of the Neighborhood Planning Units in the city of Atlanta," he said.

The ruling came right before qualifying for the Fulton County Commission posts.

In November, Edwards was reelected to his post with no opposition.

Edwards won a special election in 2000, after former Commissioner Mike Hightower was convicted on bribery charges.

One of the biggest stories in 2002 was Williams Power Company deciding not to build a huge power plant in South Fulton County.

The power company formally withdrew its request to rezone 162.59 acres on Peters Road, part of a larger parcel that extends into Union City, for a power plant.

Dillard & Gallaway, LLC, acting on behalf of the Williams Company's Fulton Energy Center, LLC, informed the Fulton County Department of Environmental Community Development via letter June 11 of their intention. The company had been deferring the rezoning request from month to month.

Early last year when word first became public that the company intended to build a power plant in their neighborhood, individuals from South Fulton and North Fayette County began organizing and spreading the word. They contacted elected officials, involved local businesses and banded together to form Safeguard South Metro,Inc.

Bob Crutchfield, President and CEO of Christian City, became involved once he discovered the close proximity the proposed plant would have to Christian City, a thriving senior retirement community. Crutchfield contacted Richard Ficken, Group Director for Power Development, upon hearing the rezoning was being pulled and was told, "the matter was not on the table for consideration" and that "at this time, they have no immediate plans to move forward on this matter."

Ficken further assured Crutchfield that he would be contacted in advance if anything changed in this regard.