By KAY S. PEDROTTI
Staff Writer

Plans for southward expansion of Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport will not "steamroller" over south Fulton County, a determined group of more than 100 citizens told Airport General Manager Ben DeCosta last week.

At a Legacy Coalition community meeting last Tuesday in College Park, coalition chairman Bill Edwards and several citizens let DeCosta know that the airport expansion planners are in for concerted opposition from south Fulton.

In opening remarks, Edwards challenged Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell's "disrespect" of south Fulton citizens. He vowed that the coalition would seek legal remedies if necessary to prevent a potential sixth runway which would wipe out about two miles of the Old National Highway business corridor and about 10,000 homes.

Edwards also charged that airport officials have not provided enough information to the community about expansion plans, but "we found out anyway--you wouldn't give us a map, but we got a map, and no one has stepped forward to say that map is wrong."

In addition to inviting Campbell, the coalition also asked a south Fulton attorney and a relocation consultant to speak. The attorney could not attend. DeeDee Hunt of the mega-development firm of Moreland Altobelli, hired by the Atlanta Dept. of Aviation to handle property acquisition and relocation issues, outlined potential actions affecting those residents and businesses which might be relocated by airport expansion.

"We don't for one minute accept that all this is going to happen," Edwards said, "but we are being open with our neighbors, to let them know what the possibilities are."

Hunt fielded numerous questions about how relocation would be handled, citing the 1970 federal Uniform Relocation Assistance Act as the basic guideline for the process. It starts with surveying all properties, she said, to determine what kinds of residents or businesses might have to move and where.

"I don't know if you've kept up with the news (about property changes for the airport's fifth runway), but we have a company with about 750,000 fish, and huge aquariums, to move," Hunt said. Every effort is made to assure that residential relocations match the homeowner's previous residence, "though there's no way to move your memories ... we wish we could," Hunt stated.

Bill Skates, a senior citizen and resident of the Camelot condominium complex off Old National, said he had spent "20 years getting my home just the way I want it, and I'm nervous about this situation." Edwards pointed out that many seniors may wind up with mortgages in a relocation, though their present homes are paid for. Richard Williams, who is wheelchair-bound, told the group that he doubted whether a relocation process would duplicate modifications made to his home to fit his needs.

Several people in the audience challenged De Costa to spend some time in south Fulton. John Jones asked that DeCosta "come straight with us" on whether there will be a sixth runway, where it would be, and when.

Myrna Fleeman, a real estate broker who lives near the area where the fifth runway will be built, said, "Without knowing what the configuration (of new runways) is, the airport already is a black cloud hanging over residential and business development in south Fulton." Edwards noted that the Old National Merchants Association is having difficulty replacing several major retail stores in the corridor, "because the companies don't know whether five, six years down the road they won't be here."

Fleeman told DeCosta that "we realize the airport is a money machine, but we're not greedy we'll gladly share this wealth with our north Fulton neighbors, with those counties further south who need it."

DeCosta demonstrated some discomfort with tough questions, but praised the group for its organization and ability to "articulate your views." He said he realized from the meeting that south Fulton residents are distrustful of the airport leaders and motives, but "we'll just have to show you that we care about this area."

DeCosta said he was asked by Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell to appear at the meeting on the mayor's behalf. The coalition had invited Campbell himself to speak, but was not notified until the morning of the meeting, Aug. 4, that Campbell would not be available. Coalition leaders said that no mention was made of DeCosta's designation as the mayor's representative.

The Legacy Coalition was formed earlier this year to bring together south Fulton residents and business owners to oppose expanding Hartsfield at the expense of some 10,000 residences and more than 1000 businesses. Its chairman, Bill Edwards, says the name comes from "trying to take care of the legacy that we will leave for our children and grandchildren in south Fulton ... if their homes are covered over for runways, there is no legacy."

The information number for the Legacy Coalition is 404-766-3555.