Any business in the Peachtree City and Fayetteville area that does not recognize Christmas in their ads and daily business activity will not receive one penny from my household this year.

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I am the parent of children on special permission to attend Kedron Elementary School instead of Peachtree City Elementary. We moved along with many others in 2006 due to overcrowding at PCES. The board offered our subdivision this voluntary move in order to balance out the numbers. (PCES was overflowing and adding trailers while KES had empty classrooms.) Recently, I read that the FCBoE is proposing to rescind all special permissions. Really? All special permissions? The Special Permissions Agreement that we received from Arlene Law clearly states that our children are approved to stay enrolled at KES until they enter sixth grade (barring failing grades, misbehavior, etc.). I am writing to encourage the BoE to resist the urge to make blanket rulings in regards to special permissions. We did not take the decision to move our children to a different school lightly. We agreed to it because it provided them with an uncrowded school and a guarantee that they were welcome there until they entered middle school. Please keep your word, FCBoE.

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How can the people of Fayette County act so surprised about a countywide boundary change for schools? Has anyone noticed two new schools are coming or that five schools are overcrowded? What is the surprise? At a FCBoE meeting last year the board asked for an overhaul of boundaries. This has been 10 years coming. I think it’s great the board brought in a 35-year expert and spent my tax money wisely. I am glad the board listened to the people after the middle school lines and gave parents some input. I might not agree with everything the committee did, but I think it was a better answer than a few county employees doing it. People are going to be mad no matter what is done. They would be mad if the county waited for 200 trailers or they would be mad if you try and stay ahead of the curve. This county is full of people who don’t believe “they” should be the ones moved — they say pick someone else. The maps look very balanced and make sense. Thank you, FCBoE, for staying ahead of the crowding when possible and please make the changes necessary. You have the support of a lot of people who will be thrilled to be out of a crowded school — me for one. Don’t give in to the squeaky wheels.

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The FCBoE’s current elementary school redistricting plans should be a wake-up call for all parents in Fayette County. Most of you chose to ignore how the FCBoE handled the middle school redistricting, because it either didn’t affect your child, or you just believed it could never happen to you. Proximity to a local school has never been a priority when drawing up new boundaries. It wasn’t when the board wanted to move a neighborhood less than a mile from Booth to attend Bennett’s Mill almost nine miles away, and it isn’t now. The worst example of this is the McIntosh Corners neighborhood, on the corner of McIntosh Trail and Peachtree Parkway. They are three-tenths of a mile from Huddleston Elementary, but both the new maps have them being switched to Oak Grove. Originally the FCBoE said they were too close to Huddleston to even get bus service, and now they’re being moved out. Most of the students from that neighborhood walk or ride their bikes to school. The other were driven on golf carts. How economically-, environmentally- and health-minded is it for those families to have that option taken away? They are also being moved from a feeder school to Booth, to a school that approximately 92 percent of the students go on to Rising Starr. Yet there are some neighborhoods that will still attend Huddleston that go on to attend Rising Starr. Wasn’t having continuity of feeder schools a goal of the FCBoE? Where will the middle and high school students go who move into when the north 74 area is developed? It is much easier to be moved out of a middle or high school, when you don’t attend the elementary that feeds into that school. Most of the north PTC parents who were moved to Booth do not expect to get back to McIntosh. This is not just a PTC problem, as many areas of Fayetteville are growing rapidly. Who gets pushed out when your local school hits capacity? Lakeside has been through seven different boundary changes. Get involved now, don’t wait until it hits you personally. Attend school board meetings, or at least vote for competent board members. After my years observing the current board, Marion Keyes is the only one who really shows an interest in the well-being of our children and how our tax dollars are being spent.

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I’m a Starr’s Mill football parent with a 10th grade football player on the team. When I heard that there would be no JV games I was concerned and went to varsity Coach Mike Earwood and discussed the matter with him directly. He explained the 10th grade team only had 16 players and four of them play varsity this year. He said, “With only 12 players, playing both offense and defense wasn’t possible.” As a past football player I understood his concerns as few players have the talent to play both ways. Am I disappointed my son only played a few downs this year? Not really, because he wasn’t ready and needs to learn more about the game. Am I disappointed with the parents writing disparaging comments in Free Speech about Coach Earwood? Definitely. Clearly, you do not know the man or the excellent program and record he’s established at Starr’s Mill. Please give Coach a break and understand his door is always open to discuss football matters regardless whether they are positive or not. Please give it a try instead of your faceless cowardly approach.

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Just for the benefit of the writer Hats Off, I would like every high school football fan whom resides in Fayette County to raise your right hand if you feel sorry for the Starr’s Mill football program this year (“class of the county”). Huh, didn’t think so. Tough year? Yeah. The “class of the county” who has been boasting out loud for years about its county dominance might be coming back to earth. Hey, you could always cancel your varsity schedule as well if it gets a little too tough. You learn more at practice anyway. Right.

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This is directed to the parents of teens in Fayette County, especially if you have a senior. There seems to be a trend here that every other weekend or so, large groups of teens head up to Athens and stay with friends they knew from last year that are now freshman in college. They are probably telling you parents that it’s a trip to check out the colleges, and cheer on the UGA football team. They are probably making it seem so innocent and wholesome that you allow them to go. I have a son in Athens, and let me translate, they are there to party until they drop, without a parent in sight, absolutely no rules or restrictions. They all have fake IDs, and the underage drinking is absolutely everywhere. Then they all crash at some dorm or apartment, around 4 or 5 a.m., dozens of them camping out on the floor. Come on, parents, is this really the environment you want to put your high school student in right now? It’s become very tough to get into a decent college and to get a good job; believe me, it’s even harder when you have a minor in possession charge against you. Parents, your kids are counting on you to keep them safe for one more year; don’t give in to the plea, “Everybody’s going.” Do the right thing. As juniors or seniors in high school they are not ready to spend the weekend in a college town such as Athens, sleeping on the floor of someone’s apartment that they may not even know. One night of underage drinking and partying in a strange town amongst much older teens, and adults in the 20s, can cause a lifetime of problems.

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To the concerned parents who voiced their discontent with the Southern Crescent Aquatic Team (SCAT): We once shared your frustrations and it sounds like things have gone from bad to worse over there. The coaches and staff were cavalier and highly condescending not only to the parents but to the kids. Your suggestion to them was very well put but will most likely fall on deaf ears. Solution: Do what we did. We told SCAT to “scat” and enrolled our kids over at Tara Tarpons. The coaches and staff are very encouraging and work really well with the kids and parents. Practices are at the wonderful and brand-new Clayton County Aquatic Center. It’s a bit more of a hike but not bad when you carpool with other parents. Considering how much more the kids like it and how much more they are learning, it’s well worth it. Incidentally, Tara Tarpons also has a dive team for all ages with an incredible coach. One of our kids transitioned from swimming to diving and really enjoys it. I hope this helps with your dilemma. It’s time to let SCAT know that they aren’t the only game in town and that they will lose swimmers if they don’t get an attitude adjustment.

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I am a high school junior and a competitive swimmer on the Southern Crescent Aquatic Team (SCAT). I am in the top group of the swim team, and I do admit, it is quite challenging. Eight practices a week is no joke, but I attend each one voluntarily. My coach has never made it mandatory for any of the swimmers to attend all the practices, nor has perfect meet attendance ever been a must. We, and I believe I speak for all the dedicated swimmers and their parents, have put our complete trust in our coaches, because — believe it or not — they do know what they are doing. Last year, our coach successfully graduated six seniors, five of whom had swimming scholarships. The parent-coach relationship has never been a problem either. My parents have never felt “belittled” by the coaches; they simply view the newsletter as a helpful guide to being more supportive than they already are. And as for our manager? She does just that, she manages. On a team of 150-plus swimmers, sometimes a little brow-beating is exactly what is required to keep things running smoothly. It is a tough job, but our manager handles it with skill. Personally, I find it quite underhanded and cowardly to send an anonymous letter without first trying to work out the issues this person obviously has conflict with. The staff of SCAT are all wonderful people; they are very understanding and try to resolve conflict, not cause problems. All I can say is: to those who have an issue with SCAT, there is another perfectly good swim team 30 minutes down the road; I am sure they would love to have you.

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I would like to respond to the scathing and cowardly Free Speech editorial written on Nov. 14 about the Southern Crescent Aquatic Team (SCAT). I am not afraid to give my name: I am Andrea Schmid and my kids have been on the team for four years. I can say with certainty that I have never been “demeaned” or “belittled” by any piece of communication from the team, be it a newsletter or personal, face to face. I have found everyone that works for the team to be very forthcoming, friendly and happy to answer questions when they are asked. Did you ever ask before you aired your complaints for the whole world to read? The one criticism I would have is the team’s lack of communication about the large jump in fees for this year, but other than that the team has been wonderful to us and to our kids. You mentioned the practices and meets. You are not required to attend any of them. You may pick and choose to attend all the meets, a few of the meets or none of the meets. The same goes for practices. To say that the schedule is grueling — well then, don’t go. You also mentioned our Fall Invitation Meet that we hosted last weekend. The sessions did not run anywhere close to the five hours you mentioned. They ran anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, much less than most other swim teams due to SCAT’s awesome organization and know how. Last, but not least, our team manager: She is in the impossible position of trying to enforce the rules when no one wants to abide by them. I have found her to be tough, but very understanding and flexible when she knows you are trying. All you have to do is talk to her and ask. Everyone who joins the team is informed up-front of the parental commitment necessary. It’s just a shame that many parents do not support their kids’ team at all. Even the jump in fees this year did not affect the numbers and enthusiasm of swimmers and their families. There are swim teams a few minutes in either direction. Why don’t you try the teams over the county lines in Douglas or Clayton? I would defy you to find a team any better in the entire Atlanta area. So far as I am concerned, SCAT and their coaches are second to none.

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The big box developer now wants to play nice and build by the city’s standards. To quote my favorite Saturday Night Live character, “Isn’t that special!” I’m so glad we have a few people like Cyndi Plunkett, Steve Brown and Brian Dingivan who have the guts to stand up to the self-interested thieves who want to rob us blind. I hope Steve does decide to run for Dan Lakly’s old seat. We need someone who will fight for us. As for Mayor Logsdon, the election of Don Haddix was a mandate from the people for you to put an end to all of your foolish development schemes. Ride out the rest of your term and leave us alone.

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[Councilman] Mike Harman, even though you lost the election, please do not try and get back at the citizens of PTC by voting for the sale of our streets. You know it is the wrong thing to do and that the majority of said citizens are against this sale. Do not follow our mayor, Otis Campbell ... I mean, Harold Logsdon, down the drain. Be a good citizen and do the right thing.

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Police station and the dump: It seems to me that PTC is yet again NOT running its affairs like a business would. We need to stop what we are doing and think this through before wasting another million dollars. The PD is in temporary headquarters. Let’s stop and think this through. Our administrators don’t mind just spending money with no real thought. The biggest red flags that a business would have are (1) what is the real problem and what is the extent of it and (2) does the city have some form of CERCLA, RCRA or Superfund liability looming down the road whereby the Feds will force us to spend millions to clean this site? Do we have a Woburn on our hands? We need a Phase 2 done on this site immediately. I fear that the reason the city won’t do this is because it will reveal an ugly reality which would force them to sue the sellers. No Fortune 1000 business would have come within a mile of buying this property because they would have discovered the dump after spending $5,000 and would have walked away saying, “No, thanks.”

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To the owner of the “fluorescent blue” house in Fayetteville: What a mess. Along with your slash-and-burn landscaping, you have succeeded in creating the major eyesore of the subdivision. I feel sorry for your neighbors. I’ll bet they’re fit to be tied, now that your ”refurbishing” is driving down their property values. C’mon, get with the program, this is not Clayton County. Clean up the mess and repaint your house. Have some self-respect, for goodness sake. You’ve been in that place for several months and it looks worse every time I drive by.

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Attention, golfers: It was brought to my attention that in my Oct. 31 bill, on the back of an insert hawking tickets to various events, is a notice pertaining to the “Employee Holiday Fund.” For those who may have missed seeing this as I did, it states that unless you notify the business office otherwise, a $20 charge will appear on your December bill for this “Holiday Fund.” If you have your last bill, I encourage you to find this flyer and read it for yourselves. Personally, I question the legality of doing this for several reasons. First, how can they charge me for something I have not agreed to purchase? Secondly, I make tax-deductible contributions to recognized organizations and charities. This company is neither. Finally, both my spouse and I have worked our entire lives for companies large and small. We were fortunate to be given year-end bonuses every year whether it was a good one or not-so good year for the company. These bonuses came from the company. The company in question is not small. I know, for a fact, that in the Peachtree City sector of this company, they have approximately 4,000 members. Let’s do the math — 4,000 times $20 equals $80,000. Who’s going to see that all this money gets to the employees and not in the pocket of whoever thought up this scheme? One last issue pertaining this company: Are all of those non-English-speaking employees living here and working legally?

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With all the water restrictions, shortages, and dire predictions, why was the fire hydrant on my street opened for several minutes today? There must have been hundreds of gallons of water sprayed onto the street. If this accomplished something needful, great, but it looked like a bunch of water just wasted down the drain.

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A few weeks ago it was announced that Fayette County had about 200 days of water left. Ever wonder how many more days of water we would have if Lake McIntosh had already been built and at full pool? After 30-plus years of red tape, delays and plain old foot dragging, don’t you think it’s time we get the lake built?

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Tyrone’s lame-duck council ain’t physically dead yet, only brain dead. They are determined to continue on their incendiary ways until they go down in total ignominy. Protecting their vilified leader, Town Manager Barry Amos, the worst government in the history of Tyrone is a candidate for Ripley’s Believe or Not. For reasons that would interest mental health scientists, Councilmen Paul Letourneau, Michael Smola and Amos continued to try to destroy the incomes of small-business people by putting the same old roadblocks in their way for successful operation. As determined as lawyer Robert Stokely was last Thursday in defending Tyrone Tire owner Wayne Adams’ right to rent his building, just as determined was Amos to run Adams out of business. With a smirk on his face that sent feelings of fisticuffs through the audience, Amos tried to confuse the lawyer with meaningless statements about procedure for applying for occupational tax certificates, an illegal device long used by Tyrone town management, to make businesses wait for months until they give up and leave town. And when Letourneau said this was the first time he had ever heard about this issue, a call to 911 should have gone out for an ambulance to haul him to a hospital for emergency psychiatric evaluations to determine why his brain had not connected with the pending lawsuit against the town for negligence in issuing occupational tax certificates. Swearing in the new council can’t come soon enough.

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With the activation of the traffic light on Ga. Highway 54 at Stevens Entry, PTC’s Welcome Sign should now include the motto: STOP and see Peachtree City.

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To the citizens of Fayetteville: next time you are driving by the Fayetteville Post Office, take a look at the U.S. flag at the top of their flag pole. As of Nov. 13, the poor thing is barely hanging on by one lanyard, the bottom one being disconnected. Shame none of the postal workers ever look up to notice. If it has been fixed by now, let the postmaster know you think it took too long.

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Having now seen the combined P&L for the Tourism Authority, it seems to me to leave out an enormous quantity of details. How much of these details are available for the general public to see? The biggest detail left out is how did the two entities covered by the budget — Tennis Center and Amphitheater — do independently? The amount allocated for the Airport was enumerated. The amount to retire the loan pending for the Tennis Center debt to the old Peachtree National Bank, about $1.5 million at last count was not enumerated. Many expenses are commingled, such as income and expenses for each entity. There are many unexplained, very large accounts. A huge “marketing” expense, for example. It would be honest with the public to indicate just how much of the Amphitheater money is being used to support the rest of the budget. To make a long story short, what is being hidden, and why?