This week my opponent addresses Shamrock Industrial Park. He complains that there is one way in and out, a potential safety hazard.

No one is more cognizant of that dilemma than I am. I first suggested a second entrance would be mandatory before we considered a youth center for that area.

Unfortunately the Tyrone Neighborhood Alliance, then led by my opponent, rallied their seven people and killed yet another good idea. But he has hung onto the idea of a second entrance. Fortunately some good things have happened:

We have reached an agreement with the developer to establish a second entrance before he can proceed with the next phase of the park.

CSX has constructed a new siding along Ga. Highway 74 in Peachtree City that has virtually eliminated the problem of idling trains blocking the entrance to Shamrock Industrial Park.

This is not good enough for my opponent. Although we have a 20-year-old entrance that today is probably more accessible than it has ever been, he wants more.

There are two ways to do this without the developer: establish a tax district within the industrial park and ask them to voluntarily tax themselves to pay for the entrance, or ask all of the taxpayers of Tyrone to pay for it.

Neither one is acceptable to me. When developers want to build in Tyrone, whether they are residential, commercial or industrial, we ask them to build the infrastructure and dedicate it to the town. That’s the only way to insure that the current taxpayers are not subsidizing growth.

The next big issue my opponent addresses is emergency planning. Tyrone participates in an extremely comprehensive emergency planning process that is coordinated by the county and certified by FEMA. I believe we (the county and town) received our most recent plan certification earlier this year.

Perhaps I can best illustrate this by talking about the tornado that hit River Oaks two years ago. As soon as I heard about it, I headed to River Oaks fully prepared to personally direct an emergency operation.

What I saw was a carefully executed emergency plan that put me in awe of the process. It was apparent to me that it had been practiced, practiced, practiced. Other than offering moral support to the citizens and responders there was nothing I could do to improve it.

Mike Smola, candidate for mayor

mike.smola@delta.com

Tyrone, Ga.