The Coweta County Building Department issued 185 permits during August with a valuation of $7.58 million. Last August, the department issued 258 permits valued at $12.97 million.

The biggest drop this year was in home permits. In 1997, the department issued 110 permits valued at $10.1 million in August, while this year the department issued 52 permits valued at $5.36 million. Other permits issued as month included:

· Commercial-17 permits valued at $1.4 million.

· Additions to homes-37 permits valued at $179,769.

· Electrical-31 permits valued at $55,750.

· Accessory building- 24 permits valued at $171,000.

Coweta County's 911 Center received a total of 7,497 calls during the month of August. The volume was 953 more calls than August, 1997. The department averaged 114 daily emergency calls and 128 non-emergency calls for the month.

Coweta residents are gearing up for the Cotton Pickin' Fair in Gay, Ga. Oct. 3-4.

The fair lies somewhere in the state of mind between "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Cold Sassy Tree" on an old cotton plantation in the whistle-stop town 39 miles south of the airport.