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NEWS
FAYETTE
COUNTY
4*THE TRUTH SINCE 1886 4*
INSIDE:
Introducing 2023’s
All-County Soccer Teams, Bl
VOL 151, NO. 22
WEDNESDAY, May 31, 2023
$1.00
INSIDE: Fayetteville Pedestrian Bridge Construction Begins June 3, A3
INSIDE: Second Chamber Cornhole Tournament Set June 22, A3
Commission Votes for Lawsuit Against PTC
Maxwell: ‘Peachtree City Council - Tear Down the Wall’
Luke Haney
Editor
lhaney@upsonbeacon.com
Fayette County Com
missioners voted 4-1 on
May 25 to authorize county
attorney Dennis Davenport
to execute a lawsuit against
the Peachtree City City
Council to reopen Crabap-
ple Lane.
The decision was fol
lowed by a unanimous vote
for Davenport to “hold off’
on filing the lawsuit, provid
ing time for county officials
to work with PTC officials to
reopen the road before for
mally filing the suit.
Prior to discussion and
the vote, two thirds of the
crowd stood in support of
reopening the road, adorn
ing white shirts to demon
strate unity for the cause,
and five individuals spoke
during public participation
regarding the issue.
Tyrone Mayor Eric Dial
was first to speak, stating
that closing the road was
done prematurely, as rea
sons of safety and traffic are
not valid reasons for the clo
sure, as no traffic or safety
study was conducted prior
to the closure.
He added that PTC offi
cials were contacted by the
state insurance commis
sioner and were told that
they are in violation of inter
national fire code by only
having one entrance and
exit point into the subdivi
sion.
Tyrone resident and
PTC property owner Lynn
Biester provided back
ground of the issue that
began in 2021, stating that
she has “fought to have this
road remain open since the
night the Kedron Hills
[homeowners association]
held their meeting to gain
support for residents.”
She added that Crabap-
ple Lane was in existence as
far back as 1964, according
to Georgia Department of
Transportation maps, be
fore the subdivision was de
veloped.
Earlier this year, Tyrone
resident Evan Huelfer ad
dressed the PTC City Coun
cil on behalf of his
21-year-old autistic daugh
ter Lily, who cannot drive a
car but uses Crabapple Lane
to commute into PTC for
work at Kroger. Lily was
given a key to go through
the gate on the road, but he
told commissioners that
things have become more
complicated since.
“Today, Lily drove to
work. Ten minutes later, she
came home and said, ‘Dad,
See Lawsuit, A3
PTC Wins 3
Telly Awards
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
PEACHTREE CITY -
With the establishment of
its new communications
team, Peachtree City has
been awarded three Telly
awards for its video produc
tion of various pieces
shared with the community
via social media and
through the city’s website.
The communications
team developed a series ti
tled “Mondays with the
Mayor,” which received a
bronze Telly award for non
broadcast general govern
ment relations. An
informative piece titled
“What is SPLOST?” re
ceived a bronze Telly for
branded content general-
government relations. The
holiday video, “Dear Santa,”
received a bronze Telly for
social video craft - use of
stock footage.
“We couldn't be prouder
of our award-winning com
munications team and their
hard work,” said one PTC
representative.
Established in 1979, the
Telly Awards attract more
than 12,000 entries from
top video content producers
including Netflix, CNN,
HBO Latin America, Marvel
Studios, and Amazon. Sub
missions are judged by
members of the Telly
Awards Judging Council, a
group of more than 200
working industry leaders.
Presentation of colors at the Memorial Day ceremony at City Center Park on Monday, May 29.
County Celebrates Memorial Day
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
FAYETTE - On a day
of remembrance for those
who died serving in the
United States military,
Fayette County held two
ceremonies honoring Fay
ette County residents and
the families of those who
gave their lives for their
country.
The first ceremony was
held in Patriot Park under
an overcast sky on Monday
morning, as citizens gath
ered to recognize the ded
ication and sacrifices of
fallen soldiers.
The program began
with a presentation of
colors and the singing of
the National Anthem by
Lisa Delk.
Fayetteville Mayor Ed
Johnson delivered an in
vocation and welcomed
the first guest speaker,
Brigadier General Rock
Donahue.
Renee Robb-Truitt
read the poem, “In
Flanders Fields,” and the
second guest speaker,
CW4 Gary Rossomme, re
called his experiences in
Vietnam while also rec
ognizing his fellow com
rades lost during
deployment.
The honoring of Com-
See Memorial Day, A5
PTC Adopts New
Filming Ordinance
Council Unanimously
Approves ‘Civility’ Resolution
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
PEACHTREE CITY -
After much debate of cine
matic development, the
Peachtree City Council
voted to adopt a new film
ordinance, which PTC
Mayor Kim Learnard says is
a “step in the right direc
tion.”
“I’m very excited that we
adopted a new filming ordi
nance. It’s long overdue be
cause filming has been tak
ing place in Peachtree City
for quite some time now,
along with other cities in
Georgia, thanks to our in
centives and thanks to a
burgeoning film industry
statewide,” Learnard said.
The initial reading of the
ordinance took place in the
May 2 city council workshop
by PTC Recreation Pro
grams Manager Cathy
Wilder. During this reading,
See PTC, A2
Commissioners Eye
$135 Million FY 2024
Budget, No Rollback
Public Hearings Scheduled June 8 & 22
Luke Haney
Editor
lhaney@upsonbeacon.com
Fayette County Chief Fi
nancial Officer Sheryl Wein-
mann presented
commissioners with the
proposed Fiscal Year 2024
budget on May 25, with
total revenue at $135.2 mil
lion and total expenditures
and appropriations of
$131.6 million, including
operations and capital im
provement projects budg
ets.
The proposed budget in
cludes no millage rate roll
back with an estimated 9.5
percent increase in property
tax revenues. The general
fund balance is projected to
increase by $395,000.
See County Budget, A2
Fayetteville Bicentennial
Celebration Begins
with Birthday Cake
To kick off bicenten
nial celebrations for the
City of Fayetteville, of
ficials held a birthday
cake cutting event last
iveek at Fayetteville
City Hall.
The official Fay
etteville Bicentennial
Celebration ivill be held
on Saturday, June 3,
starting at the historic
Fayette County Court
house laivn, beginning
at 4 p.m. Celebrations
start at City Center
Park at 5 p.m.
For more infor
mation about the bicen
tennial celebration,
visit iviviv.fayetteville-
ga.gov/200th.
Courtesy of City of Fayetteville
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