The Fairburn council Nov. 13 voted to postpone consideration of a lease of the old courthouse to the Old Campbell Historical Society over concerns raised by residents of St. John’s Crossing subdivision. St. John’s Crossing residents also wanted action from the city on issues such as area crime, clarification of the question over ownership of a greenbelt strip in the development and suggestions on ways to resolve shoddy construction problems faced by homeowners.

An original motion to approve the new lease to Old Campbell Historical Society for continued use of the Old Campbell County Courthouse property was withdrawn in favor of revisiting the issue in January in conjunction with a proposed public hearing on the matter. No historical society members were present at the meeting to state an opinion.

The decision came after some residents in attendance expressed obvious emotions over whether the lease agreement was appropriate. Comments by some noted their opposition to any display or any reference to the Confederacy or slavery.

Residents comments were followed by those from council members Scott Vaughan and Mario Avery, who recommended the change in the motion and the inclusion of a public hearing so that the varying points of view could be heard. Mayor Betty Hannah remarked that rather than being eradicated or removed, history is something to be learned from.

Also at the meeting, St. John’s Homeowners Association President Elizabeth Hurst gave an overview of concerns relating to issues faced by residents in the subdivision. Hurst referenced an Oct. 12 letter to the mayor and council, a letter which went unanswered except for contacts made by Councilman Mario Avery, she said.

“Mayor and council persons, we are shocked, surprised, disappointed and mostly down right insulted that correspondence sent to you and received by each of you articulating serious issues in our community did not warrant so much as a phone call or acknowledgment from our elected officials,” Hurst said. “The one exception was Councilman Mario Avery.”

Speaking Wednesday about the letter and the lack of communication with the association, City Administrator Jim Williams said that while some of the residents’ concerns require significant research to adequately address, the city should have been more timely in its communication with the association. In his explanation, Williams took responsibility.

“I think with respect to the letter that it really should have been handled better. We should have gotten full explanations of the issues identified in the letter and we should have gotten back quicker on it,” Williams said. “I know its something we’ve been working on. It’s not a new topic to us and a lot of what has come up are things that have no quick resolution. But that’s no excuse for us not having gotten our response back. That’s my fault for not following up on it as I should have.”

Hurst and others from the subdivision cited concerns of criminal activity largely by teenagers from the Lightning area. Activities included vandalism, theft and property destruction, residents said.

Williams said Police Chief Charles Long would immediately seize the opportunity to get a meaningful Neighborhood Watch program started in the community. Long, Capt. J.T. Rogers and other officers previously assisted the historic district neighborhood in forming a similar program and have worked with other neighborhoods in instituting protocols designed to help residents combat crime.

Neighborhood association members at the meeting also referenced concerns such as ownership and maintenance of the greenbelt area in the subdivision, comparatively dim street lights on subdivision streets and questionable construction practices by the subdivision’s builder.

With a summer full of annexations now behind them, Williams said city staff began researching the specifics of the greenbelt ownership Nov. 14.

“If the city owns the greenbelt area we have an obligation to fix that problem,” Williams said. “If that property is owned by somebody else we would have a real problem getting on somebody else’s property to fix it. Within the subdivision, there are properties that appear to be owned by the city and there are some properties that are thought to be owned by the city but are not. What we have to do is sort that out.”

Williams said the intensity of neighborhood street lights will be checked to determine if they conform to city standards reflected in other neighborhoods.

Summarily, Williams said the city will take each point brought by residents, research those items, initiate a plan of action and share that information with residents. That initial contact is expected to come through interfacing with the association president, he said.

A concern brought by St. John’s residents and one over which cities have little control once construction is completed concerned what neighbors called substandard construction and workmanship in some homes in the subdivision. In response to those concerns Williams said Wednesday the city can go to a residence and review the concerns.

“If the problem meets city codes but is not up to expectations the city can do little about the issue. If the problem does not meet code the city has an obligation to try to help the resident have the problem resolved. We do not want people living in homes that do not meet the minimum codes, regardless how it came about,” Williams said.

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