Regardless the words used by Senoia Councilman Jeff Fisher, the ethics committee formed to hear the complaint by Heritage Pointe subdivision resident Don Rehman decided Sept. 6 that there was no intention to cause harm. The ethics violation alleged in the 33-page complaint and its addendums were dismissed on a 4-0 vote. The City Council will vote Sept. 21 to accept or reject the committee’s decision.

While it is true that a name carries significance, it is content that matters most. At least with websites. In that regard, Senoia Downtown Development Authority voted Tuesday to move ahead with plans to get its much needed website up and running.

It was a simple matter of time. Members of the Senoia Downtown Development Authority Tuesday night voted to replace the organization’s mission statement with one that is more streamlined in its message and more appropriate to convey its intent.

Changes orders in the rehabilitation of the 1906 courthouse in downtown Newnan were expected as workers delved deeper into the historic structure. Coweta County commissioners Sept. 1 approved change orders #6 and #7 to accommodate several structural improvements. The change orders effectively decreased the total cost of the rehabilitation project by approximately $39,000.

The municipal election in Senoia this November will see only three people on the ballot for the two at-large City Council seats. Harry Ramos qualified last week along with incumbent councilmen Larry Owens and Jeff Fisher.

Group completes three year program that helps communities address housing needs

Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Office of Special Housing Initiatives Director Don Watt, Housing and Demographics Research Center (HDRC) Associate Housing Director Tom Rodgers, Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) Deputy Director Bill Thornton, Georgia Power Company Urban Advisor Steve Foster, and USDA Rural Development Single Family Housing Program Director Ed Peace presented awards to leaders from Colquitt, Metter, Milledgeville, Newnan, and Tifton recognizing each community’s completion of the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program. The event was held at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa from August 12-14, 2009.

On Monday, September 14, the Fayette-Coweta Chapter of IAAP will be offering a free seminar, open to the general public.  Lisa M. Waslis, CAP, will be talking about "The Power of Social Networking."   She will be addressing the benefits and the potential dangers of utilizing many of the popular networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Twitter.

The Coweta County School System is hosting an informational meeting on Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. to educate families about free academic tutoring available to them. The informational meeting will be held at the School System’s Central Office at 167 Werz Industrial Drive in Newnan. 

Regardless the words used by Senoia Councilman Jeff Fisher, the ethics committee formed to hear the complaint by Heritage Pointe subdivision resident Don Rehman decided Thursday night that there was no intention to cause harm.

A Sharpsburg man is celebrating a mega win. Wayne Reese, 54, matched all of the winning numbers in Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing and won a $12 million jackpot.

Area bikers showed up at Big Daddy’s in south Fayette Aug. 29 for the Bikers for Bazooms fundraiser to lend support for the Susan G. Komen for The Cure Fundraiser to raise dollars for breast cancer research. The event took riders to Great South Harley in Newnan and on to Big Daddy’s Oyster Pub in Peachtree City. The event was organized by Kelli Leatherman and Casey Kemmerer.

Newnan Police detectives on Aug. 31 issued an arrest warrant for Albert R. Griffin, 36, for the April 19 murder of Antonio Ellis. Griffin is currently in Coweta County Jail on unrelated charges.

Members of Coweta County Board of Zoning Appeals heard both sides of the argument Tuesday on the request for a Conditional Use Permit and a height variance related to the construction of a proposed asphalt plant by Marietta-based Baldwin Paving Co. on the property of the Vulcan Madras Quarry on Ga. Highway 154. The board took the advice of the county’s planning staff and voted unanimously to recommend the project for approval by the county commission on Sept. 15.

Georgia’s annual air quality ban on outdoor burning, mostly in the northern half of Georgia, will end at midnight on September 30, 2009. The annual restrictions have been in place since May 1st in 54 counties statewide. Burn permits can be obtained from the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) beginning October 1st.

If flu strikes a business’s work force, what is the company to do?

To answer that, Summit Healthcare companies sponsored a flu pandemic preparedness conference for businesses Aug. 26 at the Coweta County Fairgrounds that was attended by companies from Coweta and Fayette counties.

Senoia Historic Preservation Commission’s newest member is Boston native and history buff Mary Swinchatt. Preserving the physical past is crucial to getting to the future, Swinchatt explained.

The $1.5 million renovation of the Carnegie Building in downtown Newnan is coming to an end. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand re-opening for the historic building will be held Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m.

Senoia Councilman Jeffrey Fisher on Wednesday went on the record with his response to a ethics complaint filed by Heritage Pointe resident Don Rehman. The ethics hearing will be conducted Sept. 3 by the committee established by the City Council last week.

It has been along time coming, but Coweta County’s unemployment rate declined half a point in July to 10.7 percent, while unemployment across the 10-county Three Rivers Region increased slightly to 13.2 percent.

Some flu-like symptoms are being seen in Coweta County schools, but those numbers are minor compared to some other southwest metro area school systems. As of Tuesday, only 107 students had manifested flu-like symptoms out of a student population of approximately 23,500.

Coweta County school students have outscored their predecessors on the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), with 2009 scores coming in at the highest ever. The average 2009 SAT score increased to 1,516, a one-point increase over last year’s county-wide average. That score puts Coweta County’s average score 7 points over the national average on the college admissions test.

The American Red Cross blood drive, sponsored by the Optimist Club of Senoia and held at the Senoia United Methodist Church on August 3rd, was the most successful drive yet held by the Senoia Optimists.  A total of 49 pints of blood was collected versus a goal of 33.  Fifty four people actually attempted to donate, but some could not due to various reasons. 

Members of the Senoia Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Tuesday voted unanimously to split the rent and utilities at the city’s Welcome Center with the city until 2011. The DDA Coordinator recently vacated by Stephanie Savage will not be filled.

Coweta County commissioners Tuesday approved the submission of a letter to Fayette County Water Department requesting that Fayette include Coweta properties in federally-required documents relating to the the upcoming construction of Lake McIntosh. That inclusion could help Coweta property owners near the 650-acre lake avoid the requirement to purchase flood insurance.

The Coweta County School Board voted Monday to hold the millage rate steady at 18.59 mills for the fifth straight year. Board members also voted to keep the school system’s bonded indebtedness tax rate at 0 mills.

Coweta County commissioners Tuesday held the line on the millage rate, maintaining the 7.66 mill rate for the incorporated areas and lowering the unincorporated rate to 6.93 mills from last year’s 6.98 mills. The recession-fueled local economy saw only minor digest growth in the incorporated areas and a decrease in growth in the unincorporated areas.

Newnan High School was transformed into a movie set last Saturday as filming continued on “The Fat Boy Chronicles,” written by authors and screenwriters Mike Buchanan and Diane Lang. Inspired by a real story, “The Fat Boy Chronicles” is a drama that tells the story of an obese 9th grader struggling to find his way in our thin-obsessed society.

Members of the Springwater Plantation Homeowners Association (HOA) have announced their opposition to a request by Marietta-based Baldwin Paving Co. to construct an asphalt plant on the Vulcan Madras Quarry property on Ga. Highway 154 in northeast Coweta. The issue will go before the Coweta County Board of Zoning Appeals Sept. 1.

Hundreds of residents made their way to downtown Senoia last week for an outdoor screening of the film “Fried Green Tomatoes,” which was filmed in the area in 1990.

A Senoia resident has filed an ethics complaint against City Councilman Jeffrey B. Fisher.

The 33-page complaint from Donald I. Rehman alleges a number of grievances, one being Fisher’s comments to him at the July 20 council meeting when Rehman spoke with council about sight distance problems at Rockaway Road and one of the exits for the Heritage Pointe subdivision.