Forest Hill Road in Macon, GA vs GDOT

Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:30
To: FHR Friends
From: Holliday Dental <teeth@mindspring.com>
Subject: Forest Hill Road -- in Court

Dear Friends of Forest Hill:

Friday, in Bibb County Superior Court, I filed for an Injunction against the unnecessarily destructive GDOT plans for Forest Hill Road.

Georgia DOT forced our hand when they advertised in the Macon Telegraph that they would begin awarding construction contracts on this road project.

The Forest Hill Road Mediation Team, our friends and allies, have, ever since the first public meeting in June 2001, exhausted all other reasonable avenues of action to obtain a redesign. We want a road that is safer, environmentally cleaner, and more appropriate for its location. We met numerous times with uncooperative roads officials from GDOT and FHWA in Macon and Atlanta.

Five international experts have agreed that the GDOT plan is wrong. Citizens paid Rick Chellman and Michael Wallwork (2) to produce feasible and superior alternate plan ideas.

We have pleaded with local (a ,), municipal, county, state and Federal politicians with mixed results.

Citizens exhausted attempts to negotiate a true compromise in 2008 in Mediation.

The newly elected District III Commissioner, has publicly stated his desire for a scaled back and safer design.

We have documented citizen's comments from 1999 and 2001 and 2006 (b)(c) and 2011 that display overwhelming opposition to the GDOT design.

We met with a dozen local attorneys about filing legal action. The consensus? - Even if we hired the most experienced and expensive legal firm in Georgia, GDOT has more money and time to argue the fine points of Georgia Law; and this would lead to failure and financial hardship for the citizens. So, we hope a simple plea for justice might prevail if there is no attempt at heavy hitting arguments over legal minutia.

Simply stated:
- The citizens have been dealt clear injustice(s).
- We hope to show the Court that road officials have acted arbitrarily and abused their powers of discretion.
- Justice might be served with a redesign of the road by a mutually agreed upon independent expert(s) who would use modern road safety features and Best Management Practices regarding environmental protections, and Complete Streets concepts.

If you want to help:
- Talk up the issues with friends... discussion is good... Sustained Public Opinion is very important.
- Make phone calls to local officials and politicians.
- Write letters to the above and the Telegraph (email - letters@macon.com)
- Write a "Friend of the Court" letter supporting our cause to the Superior Court - this should only be done in a highly respectful, positive and friendly manner.
- Donations can be made to Caution Macon (tax deductible 501.c.3) mail check in care of Mediation Team member, Alice Boyd, 540 Forest Hill Rd, Macon 31210. We will need more money in the account to pay for our expert's travel and testimony.
- Pray for Justice.

Thank-you,
- Lindsay D Holliday