It was a classic neighborhood struggle that pitted the interests of one north Fayette County subdivision against the other.

But when the lengthy discussion was over, the Fayette County Commission decided to defer any decision on whether Old Ga. Highway 138 should be re-opened to allow traffic and school buses to travel from Highland Hills to Shenandoah Estates, both near the northern border of Fayette.

Last Thursday’s County Commission meeting saw neighbors from both subdivisions pack the meeting chambers. Young and old, black and white, came to see if the commission would decide to reopen a road it closed in 2002.

Four years ago, Highland Hills residents asked the commission to close the road because it was used as a cut-though road by many commuters who wanted to avoid the traffic light at Ga. Highway 138 and Ga. Highway 279. The commission complied, built a cul-de-sac, placed a planter at the intersection and thought the issue was done.

But in 2004, residents of the newly constructed Shenandoah Estates subdivision moved in, and discovered that their children would have to cross the barricade of the planter to reach a school bus stop on Highland Hills Road.

“You denied us any input. There was a rush to a decision. There was no data and no studies done,” said Mignon Allen, who represented Shenandoah Estates.

Allen said her subdivision had 59 homeowners that represented a diverse community and the cul-de-sac had become a dump for trash and abandoned cars. She said the county’s emergency services department was never consulted about closing the road and residents in the subdivision were concerned because there was only one way to access the area.

Commission Vice-Chairman Linda Wells said the trash situation had improved dramatically and chided Allen for using older slides in her presentation that showed a presence of abandoned cars.

Walter Harris, who has lived in Highland Hills for 12 years, said the road served as a cut-through for many years for drivers from Hwy. 138. He also wondered why school buses could not cross Hwy. 138 and head back to Hwy. 279.

Wells agreed the issue of the school bus stop should be addressed by the school board and disputed the county rushed to judgment in making its decision four years ago.

“It was antagonistic to say that we acted capriciously and didn’t do our homework,” she said.

Wells also said it was “pure emotionalism” to add a race angle to the discussion.

For his part, Commissioner Herb Frady said he wasn’t much for closing roads, and asked the item to be tabled until more study could be given to the situation. Frady’s request was granted, but Commission Chairman Greg Dunn also told the Shenandoah Estates residents how he felt about the situation.

“We have to hurt somebody to make you happy,” he said.

The commission is expected to further discuss the issue in May.

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