The residents of Shenandoah Estates in northern Fayette County say they are fed up with being treated like stepchildren.

Many in the subdivision are expected to pack the Fayette County Commission meeting room tomorrow night at 7 p.m. and ask the board to reopen Old Ga. Highway 138, so their children won’t have to cross a barrier and overgrown vegetation to catch the school bus in the morning.

At a Monday afternoon press conference, Shenandoah Estates spokesperson Mignon Allen outlined the problems the homeowners have had since they first started occupying the subdivision in 2004.

The subdivision is built just off Old Hwy. 138 and Highland Hills Road, but in 2002, the Fayette County Commission decided to close Old Hwy. 138 at the Highland Hills Road intersection because a resident of Highland Hills complained the road was being used as a cut-through route and bringing unnecessary traffic through the subdivision.

The county complied with the request and erected a huge planter at the intersection, along with building a cul-de-sac, to prevent any traffic from entering the area from Old Hwy. 138.

But in just a little over two years, 59 homes had been built in Shenandoah Estates and the residents discovered their children would have to walk around the planter and barricade to access the school bus stop on Highland Hills Road.

“This subdivision is 100 percent owner-occupied and has 14 families with school-age children. This isn’t right that our children have to endure this,” said Allen.

The subdivision is primarily African-American and Asian, and Allen feels the subdivision is being cut off from the rest of the community. She said the area around the planter is not well-lit, overgrown and has become an area that stray dogs and rodents freely roam.

Allen also expressed concerns that there was only one way to access the subdivision, which could cause a loss of precious minutes should an emergency vehicle have to come to the subdivision.

“It’s just an unacceptable situation and they made this decision without any studies or discussion on the impact it would have on future residents,” she said.

The area near the bus stop quickly became a site for abandoned vehicles, and an illegal chop shop was just up the hill from the bus stop.

“We don’t want to wait another year and see our children have to endure this. We’re not going to go away,” she said.