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Press Release 2-19-02 - Wednesday, February 19, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information see www.mlpa.org or call
MLPA President Dianne Olansky at (404) 885-9846

MORNINGSIDE CIVIC ASSOCIATION CALLS SPECIAL MEETING TO OPPOSE GEORGIA POWER SITE SELECTION FOR NEW POWER SUBSTATION

Atlanta, GA, February 19  --  The Morningside Lenox Park Association (MLPA) has called a community meeting with Georgia Power Company officials for Tuesday, February 25, 2003.  This special meeting was called after MLPA President Dianne Olansky discovered earlier this month that Georgia Power had an option to buy a home in the neighborhood at 2020 Lenox Road.  The public utility's intentions to construct an industrial facility in the established residential area were confirmed at an initial meeting last week, although Georgia Power representatives deferred in providing details and explanations to many questions posed by concerned neighbors.  MLPA has provided a list of questions to Georgia Power for the upcoming community meeting and has posted them at www.mlpa.org. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the basement meeting room of the Morningside Presbyterian Church at 1411 North Morningside Drive.

Olansky sent a letter voicing concerns to Georgia Power CEO David Ratcliffe, expressing neighborhood opposition to building a substation near homes and admonishing the public utility's surreptitious approach. "Despite their pledge to operate in good faith with the communities they serve, I believe that Georgia Power has been planning to construct this facility in our neighborhood for much longer than the past few weeks.  We all understand that Georgia Power must continue to develop their distribution system.  But it's my sense that power needs outside of our mature neighborhood are driving this expansion, while their proposed site forces our residents to bear the spoils and risks of the project with no direct benefits.I'm especially concerned about the severe impact on nearby homeowners, and stunned that our public utility would condone such a stealthy site selection and land acquisition process.  Frankly, I think it shows a lack of respect for many of their customers and shareholders", said Olansky.

The MLPA Board has learned of several studies warning of long term health risks from human exposure to electric power transmission.  Concerning safeguard measures, "our review indicates that most states have specific guidelines to keep power lines and substations a prudent distance from homes", Olansky noted.  MLPA is working with a growing list of organizations in opposition to this site selection including the Wildwood Urban Forest Group, NPU-F, the Alliance of Intown Neighborhoods, and various political leaders and regulatory officials from the City of Atlanta, Fulton County and the State of Georgia.  

Olansky indicated that City of Atlanta officials she spoke with were unaware of Georgia Power's intentions for a power substation at the 2020 Lenox Road site.  From her discussions she learned that the City and Georgia Power are vying to acquire a land parcel in a flood plain area adjoining the proposed substation site.  This parcel borders a 31 acre tract the City purchased for $1.5 million in 2001 as a part of its Greenspace Acquisition Program.

MLPA is a neighborhood civic group representing over 3,000 homes in Northeast Atlanta.  Residential development in the area began in 1923.  In the 1960s the civic association was incorporated as MLPA, and the organization grew to prominence during a decade long campaign that culminated in a court ruling ordering the Georgia Department of Transportation to abandon its plan to construct an interstate highway (I-485) through Morningside and other in-town neighborhoods.

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