You seem like a smart guy. Do some research. Were you at the meeting where the Sun City proposal was put forth, or are you just parroting what you read in the paper? The Sun City proposal, with its request for special zoning treatments, would have, in effect, killed the land use plan that the county has worked so hard to develop, maintain, and defend for years. A project of this scale would not impact the schools, but it would choke the roads in the area, and inudate the health care system beyond capacity just for starters.
And by the way. I am a senior citizen old enough to join a community like this, I am not anti seniors....just an educated one.

No, I was not at the meeting when the County Commission acted on the Sun City proposal, but what the did was that they voted AGAINST ALLOWING THE PLANNING STAFF TO SPEND TIME WITH THE DEVELOPER WORKING ON HIS PROPOSAL!!! I did read the minutes of the meeting and did discuss it at length with two of the commissioners.

First of all, that is narrow-minded as it is another way of saying they are prejidiced against a senior's project and don't want to be confused by the facts.

Secondly, it is a missed opportunity to control one of the largest undeveloped parcel in the county. If staff were to work on the Sun City proposal one of the first things they could do (notice I didn't say would do) is to allieviate the current and future traffic problems by creating alternative roadways, demanding intersection, lane and signalization improvements and most importantly creating an impact fee structure (without actually calling it that) to fund all of that and more.

Several thousand seniors would not create a health care problem, it would create a health care opportunity. All those doctors who split their time between Fayette and Clayton (or Henry) would have enough business to be here full-time; there would be more beds added to the hospital, more labs and more specialists located in our backyard instead of driving to Atlanta; better service and more jobs.

Besides, most of the seniors are already here. They would simply move from their big empty house in Peachtree City and be replaced by a younger family with more kids - this is the only real impact on services, but at least the schools could then raise taxes on those that have kids in schools. Hopefully the seniors would pay lower taxes in a Sun City development like they do elsewhere, the theory being they don't have kids in schools, recreation is self-contained within the community and they don't drive anywhere near as much as the average family (which is 11 round trips per day).

But by refusing to allow the staff to work on a Sun City development - which is now just over the county line in Griffin (see today's business section) who then gets all the above-mentioned benefits and we in Fayette are left with the land which will be developed into another ho-hum subdivision by Scarborough, Rolader or Wieland - with 2.3 kids in schools and a tax bill big enough to pay for just the .3 kid.

That's why you should be open-minded as a public servant instead of taking a position that "we know what is best". That's also why we have elections. It is too late for this to be an election issue with Dunn or Wells, but please pay attention to what candidates say and do - and help them think things through - no one individual has all the answers - certainly not me.

I sure can't wait to be a senior. Thanks for the preview. But seriously, Robert you missed one thing. The Sun City Peachtree people will live in Griffin and use our health care facilities in Fayette since they are much better and reasonably close. Doesn't that help grow the hospital and support functions you describe?

Can't believe I'm answering a hamster. Reminds me of the election, but then as now a nuggent (or is it a pellet?) of a good thought occasionaly comes out of you.

Sure seniors would drive from Sun City in Griffin to Fayette Hospital area. It is only 10 or 12 miles, but most of it is through South Faayette County. Even if they only did this once or twice a week it would add 10,000 vehicles to those roads - even though seniors drive less, they would certainly drive there.

And yes, hospital support would grow a little, but they wouldn't add beds based upon population in another county. That's why it was so hard to Fayette Community Hospital built in the first place - they only look at the immediate area.

No offense to seniors, but they can be a serious drain on the community. Emergency and all services get used a LOT, seniors are only behind young males as groups most likely to be in an automobile accident, they vote NO on about everything because most only care about themselves and not what is in the best interest of the community as a whole.

If you want to see what it is like to be in area with a large population of seniors, head to Florida and cities like St. Petersburg. Then try to operate an automobile at above 10mph on a 4-lane road...you can't.

I know it might sound harsh, but I'm really over how citizens expect everything to be provided by government and then don't want to pay for it yet want people assigned to handle why their garbage wasn't picked-up yesterday or why the stop-sign near by hasn't been recently replaced due to the color fading. A lot of this comes directly from seniors who go crazy over their property taxes increasing by $10 a month on their 300K homes. They see that can't afford to live here(insert any place here, the argument is always the same)with property taxes going up. Solution: MOVE.

They may not have children in the school system but what is so great about that? What that means is your school system catches holy hell from the voting bloc of seniors who don't care about the school system because they have no vested interest in it. Yes, there are seniors who can look past their own self-interest and see what benefits the community as a WHOLE, but those enlightened seniors are getting to be fewer and fewer.

NUK

If ignorance were bliss you would probably be the most blissful person around here! You were never a teenager nor will you ever be an older human, I suppose, since you degrade them so. We have an obligation to treat everyone well regardless of their standing, even you. Superority complexes are for Nazis and KKK members.

Since it is obvious you are not a senior citizen, I will talk down to you in generational way.

The trivia that some seniors engage in is a direct result of the the fact that they themselves have been trivialized and characterized and discriminated against - like you are doing with your boorish and immature posting.

Obviously the faded coloring of a stop sign is less important than the creation (or not) of a rotary at Walt Banks and P'tree Pkway. But if you actually listened to what these experienced and seasoned citizens had to say without the prejudice, you might learn something.

Take it a step further and comapare the senior pejudice to the teen prejudice - neither group knows how to drive, think, make decisions, speak or dress appropriately.

Now isn't that just a bit stupid when all of us were once teens and all of us that get through the next few years or decades will be senior citizens? Think about that.

Bobby and his Gang must have their own competing plans against Del Webb. From a fiscal standpoint, you simply cannot argue against senior community developments. No crime; no noise; they pay taxes; they put nothing on the schools and what little traffic they contribute is usually not focused. Even if Webb goes to Griffin, Bobby makes a ridiculous suggestion as to traffic impact. Many of the people in Griffin will go to the four (count 'em) four hospitals that will be no further away for them in Griffin. These are good projects and we ought to get them in here. Why? Because the alternative will be more residential family housing which will make our school system even more "trailered" out.

A competing project from a dead radio DJ? I don't think so. And it is Robert, not Bobby - and I don't have a gang (anymore).

Hospital area does not mean hospital. "Hospital area" means labs, doctors (that the seniors are familiar with) and other health care infastructure. Sorry about the big word - infastructure means the things around the hospital that make the hospital work, It also means the doctors (that the seniors are familiar with) and other people and businesses that sometimes refer patients (some of whom may be seniors) to the hospital.

Anyway, "Hospital area" in Fayette is where seniors from Griffin and other places will drive to if they want to do so. The Griffin "Hospital area" and its undeveloped infastructure (see above for definition) is not expected to be their destination. Sure, if they are taken to the closest emergency room, they will wind up at a Griffin hospital, Certainly not my choice, but I won't have to face that problem.

And yes the alternative for the Fayette land (ironically next to our hospital) will be a child/student/family oriented subdivision development. I must remind you it takes $7,000 of your tax dollars to educate just one student for one year in the Fayette County School System. By the way, it costs the same $7,000 to educate the illegal students from Clayton County as well, but I digress.

Back to the real point about all this is why can't the Dunn/Wells/Pfiefer gang allow an evaluation by Fayette County Planning Department that will reveal the merits or demerits of the Sun City proposal instead of cutting them off at the knees and driving them to what was obviously their second choice location? Answer that one, please.

Sun City may be a good or bad project. But, should we not learn about it before we, the taxpayers make a decision? Or should we just abdicate our rights to Dunn and the others?

Try InfRastructure. Maybe our schools are dunbed down and overcrowded.