They came to Fairburn from across south Fulton County Jan. 11 to make a decision on their future. Before the meeting ended, residents voted to positively impact their many communities by forming the South Fulton Civic Association (SFCA).

Nearly 30 residents from the Fairburn area, Union City, Old National Highway, Cliftondale, Cascade and the Burdett Ridge, Pine Tree/Meadows, West Road and Hidden Valley communities were represented at the meeting at Renaissance Southpark. A sampling of the issues residents are eager to address included zoning, traffic congestion, the need for increased greenspace and environmental concerns.

The unsuccessful bid to create the city of South Fulton in 2007 left some in the area believing the need still exists to keep residents of unincorporated south Fulton, along with those in the neighboring cities, abreast of concerns and relevant issues as they arise.

“Given the lost bid for the new city, I feel that we still need to have a voice and be in charge of own our destiny,” said Sandra Hardy. “If we can come together as one we can make a difference.”

That sentiment was echoed by another long-time community advocate, Old National’s Michael Veneble.

“With so many organizations that come about, we really do need a central point of communication,” he said. “Maybe this organization can provide a distribution network that can tie in to all the organizations in south Fulton.”

Cliftondale resident Bruce Moody agreed, noting that amassing and disseminating information should be a primary thrust of the organization.

“Passing information is the name of the game,” Moody said.

The group elected Nicole Cason as interim president and Charlie Landers as interim secretary. Various group members also agreed to the tasks of establishing the non-profit corporation, working on devising appropriate goals and writing a mission statement

The Jan. 11 meeting was the second for the new group. In the initial meeting held in December, the group met with representatives of the Peachtree City Civic Association to exchange information and ideas on the formation of a wide-ranging civic association. Those in attendance agreed that a commonality of issues exist with residents, whether in Fulton or Fayette County, and that an informed citizenry willing to work with local government and communicate with its members will have a positive and far-reaching impact from which residents would directly benefit.

The association will meet the fourth Monday of each month. The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Christ Our Hope Lutheran Church located at 2165 Ga. Highway 138. South Fulton Civic Association can be contacted at southfulton_civicassociation@yahoo.com