My parents, an 82-year-old couple who have been citizens and taxpayers of the City of Fayetteville since 1979, were recently surprised when large trucks with heavy equipment pulled up next door to begin construction.

The City of Fayetteville apparently thought it would be a good idea to approve the construction of 63 new country homes by clearing 11 acres of land between my parent’s house and the Montessori school on Georgia Highway 54 East. The 11 acres of land had been undeveloped for nearly 20 years. A very peaceful and quiet place to live considering they are within the city limits.

There was a “For Sale” sign on the property for at least 10 years. There was never a “Sold” sign on the property, no public notice was ever posted on the property. No one ever approached my parents about the project. It was a complete surprise to my parents.

Now that construction work is ongoing from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., there is no sense of peace or quiet.

Heavy equipment just a few meters from their house is shaking the whole house. There is a huge cloud of dirt and dust all over our house and on the cars. The dust and stench is coming into our house. The stench is horrible, it smells like sewage. They have blocked our driveway several times and I have had to ask them to move.

They have cut the power supply to our warehouse. They have an armed security guard who himself has direct access from our living room 24/7 all weekend. I’m sure he can look right into our house with binoculars and take away our privacy.

I called the building inspectorate to check whether there are any limits on noise from construction work in residential areas. I had to leave them a voicemail. They never returned my call.

I called David Rast of the City of Fayetteville’s Community and Economic Development Directory. I left him a voicemail message and he didn’t call me back. Instead, he texted me saying the smell was a normal part of construction.

That is not an acceptable answer for me. My parents should not have to suffer because of this construction company and the city’s poor planning.

Is the smell safe? Will it have a negative impact on my parents’ health? My father has Alzheimer’s and dementia. Will it have a negative impact on the children who attend the school?

So now there is no sense of privacy. No quiet enjoyment, no use of our garden. Just a big, loud mess with an armed security guard.

The City of Fayetteville and its officials have shown how little they care about the long-time citizens of this city. They care more about money.

Cathy S. Morris

Georgia