Members of the Photocircuits Action Committee got a firsthand look this week at the source of their concerns, as the company hosted a tour of its facilities immediately prior to the group's Monday night meeting.

Composed of Planterra Ridge residents and city officials, the committee is looking into ways to ease the impact of having the neighborhood so close to Peachtree City's industrial area. Residents have been vocal in their opposition to the company's plans for expansion.

The tour began at the 810 Dividend Drive building and covered the chlorine supply building, where cylinders turn liquid chlorine into gas and supply the processing equipment.

Committee members also walked behind the building and took a look at some of the equipment that could be responsible for the high level of noise that concerns the residents.

Part of the problem comes from a number of fans and cooling towers, according to Photocircuits representative Mark Bunker.

"We have some high-tech imaging equipment that is very sensitive to humidity and temperature, so we have some extensive air conditioning equipment for that," he said.

There are also some fans which are aimed at reducing pollution by purifying air before it's discharged, Bunker said.

When all convened at the Peachtree City Library after the tour, noise issues were the main topic of discussion.

Representatives of Photocircuits said they have taken several positive steps to reduce outside noise, such as instructing employees to be quieter when in the parking lots and altering or removing speed bumps that jar trucks and make them noisier than they should be.

Some loading docks are no longer being used at night, they said, and some dumpsters have been moved and are also not being unloaded at night.

Residents on the committee responded that the noise is still bad nearly any night of the week, to the extent that homeowners cannot raise their windows. The most prevalent problem was described as a constant mechanical sound, with occasional banging noises also being heard.

City officials received a revised site plan for the company's expansion April 9, and a variance request that is also part of the plan was on the agenda for the City Council's April 15 meeting, after being tabled in March.

Mayor Bob Lenox, when asked Monday by the committee, said that it was the goal of the City Council to vote on the matter at the April 15 meeting, after press time for The Citizen Review. Lenox stressed that the vote was not the end of the process, however, and said he felt both sides were working well together toward resolving issues of concern.

A proposed new building is included in the site plan, but Photocircuits representatives pointed out that there are no plans right now to add a building. It was included in the plan in case of future expansion.

Expansion of the Peachtree City operations will not be as robust in the near future as was once thought, since market forces have compelled the company to go overseas for a good deal of labor, the company said.

Bunker said he is pleased with the progress the groups have made.

"It's difficult stuff to work on, but the only way we're ever going to make the situation better is by working on it," he said. "We're happy to be sitting down face to face, listening to their concerns."

Part of Photocircuits' variance request is for a reduction in the setback requirement in the front of the facility. That amounts to a shift, Bunker said, since there is no plan to change the overall square footage and the reduction in the front would create a slightly larger buffer in the back.

Residents on the committee are concerned by the suddenness with which Photocircuits submitted its revised site plan, as well as the City Council's intention to vote on the variance this week.

There was some surprise at the fact that only two face-to-face meetings with Photocircuits have been conduced before the scheduled vote, said Eric Snell, one of the residents on the committee. "We thought there would be several more."

He added that the presentation of the revised plan at such a late hour has made it impossible for the residents to give it proper consideration before Thursday, despite a marathon meeting Wednesday night. Snell said Photocircuits did not present the documents to them until Wednesday.

"It kind of surprised us when, at the end of the [Monday] meeting, they showed us the plan. There was no discussion of it at any other time," Snell said.

"The mayor said the variance would be a separate issue, but they [Photocircuits] brought up the plan," he added. "We're a bit confused. Are we or are we not discussing this variance?"