FTP, I couldn’t agree with you more. I also live off of MacDuff and I basically love the area. However, I’ve only been there a short while and I guess I’m naïve in thinking that it will be nice and peaceful ‘once all this construction mess is done with.’ I guess you are right that the ‘construction mess’ has been going on for more than the 5 years you have lived there. The Wieland proposal and the rezoning and annexation will just drag all of that out for another 10 years. I do like the area for the most part, but…if I had thought about all of the construction and traffic problems, I would have rethought. Right now, I would not choose Wilksmoor to live in and I would not recommend it to anyone else either. All the talk of living closer to where you work? I work right outside of Fayetteville, 12 miles from home. Most days it takes me 15 minutes to get the first ten miles toward home. Then, it takes another 20 or 25 minutes to get from the Wyndham to MacDuff, waiting in a line of cars through light after light after light. My commute and my gas mileage was better when I drove from PTC to Roswell Road every day.

Several times a day, I am reminded of the incredibly dumb retail development going on in the area as I notice all of the VACANT and FOR LEASE signs right across the street from more and more going up. I still cannot understand why all of this has been allowed.

Do we need more cars trying to get from Highway 54 in to and out of Wilksmoor by building more and more homes? Absolutely not. And how does anyone, including Wieland, think that there is any demand for homes in PTC anyway, much less demand for homes on an island that will be stuck from coming and going? And do we need more retail stores where those that are leased bring in more traffic from workers and customers? And do we need more dark parking lots near our homes where criminals can meet and plan their dirty deeds? I attended Wieland planning meetings about this project. They did a nice sales job, and everything sounded pretty good. I even liked the idea of the Wieland project at one time. But…not now, now here and maybe not anywhere close by ever. Things are definitely changing.

As a long time PTC resident, I used to say that the quality of life was as good for my 14 year old daughter in 1999 as it was for my oldest at 14 in 1986. The entire city has changed so drastically for the worse that I don’t think I could make that comment today.

I’ve written before and it hasn’t done any good, but one more time…

STOP THE GROWTH MADNESS !!!

Congrats on having a hot wife. Pictures?

You want rated G or R? (wink wink, nudge nudge)

It's not just my wife. It's the wifes others, school girls, and anything that walks. It kinda reminds me of Brooklyn, except they spoke English in Brooklyn.

All Smiles, I have a question about your comments. Are you suggesting that we need to build another middle school and high school before we allow the building of these homes, or are you suggesting that the children who will move into this development should displace the children that are already attending Booth and McIntosh? I know that McIntosh is already full, so we can't send these new students there. I definitely do not want my children displaced to Sandy Creek to make room for the new students. If the parents who buy homes in this new development don't want their children being bussed to Flat Rock and Sandy Creek, then they shouldn't buy homes there. When we bought our home, one of the most important considerations was where our children would attend school. We cannot and should not displace present students to accommodate children in these new homes.

I do know that the BOE was stating a couple of weeks ago that there were no available "seats" in our county's high schools, so I do agree that we need to build our infrastructure before adding new homes and students. I don't think this development should be approved. But if it is, I don't want to hear the parents who buy homes in this new development complaining about their children being bussed to Flat Rock and Sandy Creek.

Weiland is going to make ( and has made ) hundreds of millions on his PTC projects. When the Annexation was going on John himself came to council and said that he was looking to make the connector village and such his lasting legacy.

Ok John we agree Donate John Weiland High and Dan Fields middle School on top of Centennial Elem. and I think you will find that all of PTC can agree on that. If not....

We supported the annexation for the road, what have you done for us lately?

Steve,

I find it ironic that roughly 4 years ago you called me, emailed me, and recommended that I get copies of council minutes to be used to support this annexation (specifically Judi Rutherford's votes). At that time it was your "baby" and you were all for it, or so it seemed on the surface.

After the voters removed you as Mayor of Peachtree City, your tone changed, in fact, the classic political reversal happened. Now you cry it is too dense, not appropriate, not needed. I'm sure you are rallying your "troops" that are currently on your email list to support this cause of yours.

Let's keep things in perspective. You approached the developer about annexing this property. You helped push this agenda. Now you push against it. And in all of the discussions that were held, with me, with Centennial HOA, you were 110% for this.

Can you please explain which side of the tracks your on?

Dana Kinser

Classic Brown flip flop.

But I agree, if they want this many homes on the 88 acres, just leave it industrial and let it sit.

Since you hide behind 3 initials, I can't address you by name. But I will ask these questions:

1. If you were a businessman/woman, and I assume you are not due to your topic here; would you be in business long if you ran it giving away things as many here seem to feel Wieland should?

2. Do you even attend City Council meetings regarding any of these issues?

3. Did you attend any of the 89 acre Task Force Committee meetings where all of this was discussed for months (this one I can answer as I was on the committee and attendance was small. Typically the committee itself)?

While not agreeing with Ms. Pullias on many topics, I do respect her for taking the time to attend these meetings, educating herself on the issues at hand, and not just throwing a random rant out about a businessman trying to make money.

Last I checked, most businesses in the US today are FOR profit businesses.

Dana Kinser

1) Please do not make assumptions, everything is not as it seems. Yes, I do run a portion of a large business and understand profit on that level and well beyond. I do not have a problem with profit, it's the American way. However, I do have a problem with the builders who sold folks (not I) here homes 10 years ago with the main concept of "limited growth" and "the best schools with great teacher to student ratios". They charged a premium for this concept, and that is what their customers expected. But, 10 years later they are contributing to the clogging of the schools, painful traffic (this coming from a former LA/NYC/Detroit driver), and generally driving the scenery into the ground. Who wants to be stuck behind cement trucks every time you go somewhere? I can hardly wait until the sound walls go up on MacDuff. My favorite part is the pickup bed load of “workers” spitting all over the place when I am taking business guests to dinner. It just gets old. It's not what was promised to so many not too many moons ago.

2) Not everyone who is irritated by things complains. Some people run themselves into the ground to accomplish nothing. At the end of the day, the city will have to come up with the tax revenue to support the already existing school problems, growing crime, traffic congestion, and all the other nuances that will come along with the growth. I do not have the time to attend council meetings, and honestly do not think it’s going to help. The city is going to do what will generate the funds they need. I do not think there is anything you, I, or any of our fellow gripe-a-thon members can do. In my opinion, it’s a lost cause already. I’ll buy new tires when I get drywall screws in them. I’ll continue to patronize businesses that I can get to easier (not in PTC). I’ll leave earlier and earlier for work and the airport. And when our growing company re-locates other executives here, I’ll share my opinion when asked. Eventually, I will get tired of all that. At that time, I’ll buy a house elsewhere and be done with it. Two or three weekends of house shopping is much easier than sitting in meetings debating topics than minion citizens as we are cannot derail.

3) Please refer to #2. No, I did not attend those meetings. I read the Cliffs Notes and move on. For every upset voice you DO hear, there are dozens that pack up and move on in silence and go enjoy their life. It’s wasted energy to me.

-FTP

Weilamd should have the right to make money. We as a community should have the right to keep him from ruining our community. His not getting his way only means he will either have to change his plans and make less money or sell the property and go on to another endeavor. For us, if he gets his way, it will mean congestion, overcrowded schools, empty buildings, possibilty of more accidents and too many more to enumerate. Who's rights should prevail?

What a wreckless and destructive sentiment. You're the personification of a "filthy capitalist pig."

I don't want unfettered growth either, but your last statement is a doozie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with for profit capitalism. There is plenty wrong with socialism and its creeping totalitarianism. The government, whether local, state, or federal, gets corrupted by monied influence and makes bad decisions for personal gain. There is nothing capitalistic about corruption. Most socialistic governments are more corrupt. We should fight the pervasive corruption, not the ability to make a profit.

Capitalism and Socialism and every major industrial nation in Europe has a higher standard of living than American does. I don't think you can say Governments in England, Holland, France, Germany or Scandanavia are more corrupt and they provide far more for their people the we do.

They also get taxed at 50-75% to pay for it.

Eurpoe is the birthplace of socialism and creeping more so into totalitarianism every day. How so...? Liberties are chipped away from individuals in the name of the public good. Their corruption is in the name of the public good, regulators and bureaucrats make more and more decisions, and options become more and more limited.

Don't use Europe as a model. They are a generation or two from being completely subsumed by another culture. One that they are increasing reluctant to confront. Bread and circuses will not last forever. Eventually, they (and we as we copy them)will not be able to finance it.

There's that socialistic "government provides" thinking that is invading American thought with every Obama speech.

Government doesn't "provide" anything. They take by force from the productive and redistribute to the unproductive.

Compare the unemployment rate in Europe to the U.S. and get back to us.

Tell you what. You check out how much of our t-bills China owns? Who is the biggest provider for floating our national debt. Why did the Feds bail out Freddie and Fanny - I'll tell you. The government of China said that the US better square up those outfits because they want their money (they own most of the paper). The Chinese get paid, while the US investors don't. So, who is in charge? Tell me who we are in hock to, for how much, and if they sold all of their holdings in US institutions, what would become of us? Go ahead and rant and rave, but we are no longer in control of our own destiny. Who got us into this mess anyway? W and his boys.

The govt taking over Freddie and Fannie made their estimated 375billion investments almost worthless. Now, if you are suggesting that maybe the USA is still going to slip the Chinese some of the 375+ they originally had at one time invested in these two giant losers, maybe so. Details aren't really known yet as to how the US is going to handle the unsecured bonds that China, Japan and others hold worth around 1.5 trillion bucks. What is known is that before the govt takeover, china was dumping Fannie Mae as fast as possible and at extremely low prices. That suggests that the Chinese aren't expecting a big bailout of their unsecured investments since they were trying to sell them off ASAP.

To China, the US is already "too big to fail." If they dumped all of their US investments, the world economy would be almost immediately destroyed, which doesn't help the Chinese at all either. This is also the same reason why China buys oil with US dollars instead of the Euro. China is so deep into the US that they cannot have the US completely fail.

I agree it's a sorry state of affairs for Americans, being a debtor nation beholden to whoever will buy our inflated paper. Now, these others have been switching into more tangible investments like land and buildings because they have reached their threshold for American paper investments.