LAST WEEK: IS FAYETTE’S DIVERSITY CAPTURED IN NEW CAMPAIGN?

A coalition of public and private entities in Fayette County is developing a new marketing image for the area to cultivate new business and attract a younger and more diverse population. Already known for good schools and a thriving film industry, Fayette has adopted a new logo and tagline,“Create Your Story,”as part of the Fayette Visioning Initiative’s five-year rebranding plan. However, there are differing opinions as to whether and how Fayette should change, and which demographics it should prioritize. Many older residents prefer the county’s more traditional rural character, but younger professionals like more connected livework areas and easy access to Atlanta’s amenities. Here’s what some residents had to say about the effort: Not only is Pinewood Studios and their neighboring residential development creating a buzz among the creative artist types to check us out, but the increasing number of younger-focused activities and events in our county have become more relevant in attracting this group. Even from my perspective as mayor of Woolsey, the smallest town in Fayette County, we have seen a recent increase in home ownership among the “under 40” families in our community. These folks seem to be drawn not only by the increasing career and entertainment opportunities like I’ve mentioned, but also the attraction of a quiet and more expansive homestead to raise their families. — Gary Laggis

The idea of attracting more people, and especially more young people, to Fayette County is counterproductive when the county’s infrastructure — including congested roads, septic tanks and even unpaved roads— is already inadequate. Fayette cannot be an island unto itself when it is right next to Atlanta, a city that provides a great many Fayette citizens substantial job opportunities. Yet its people have long been deprived of transit options that make it easier to commute into Atlanta. Fayette cannot control the composition of its population, but it could influence it for the better by working on providing suitable options for access to the job, education and cultural opportunities of the metropolitan area that it’s in. – Claude Paquin

Here in Fayette there is an increasing racial divide among our growing aging population and our relatively steady school-aged population. Moving forward, we have to recognize that maintaining a healthy local economy means becoming a more overtly welcoming place. That’s what makes the #createyourstory brand great. We honor the storyteller as the source of the wisdom and lessons of our ancestors while celebrating our common story as humans working and living and loving and striving to make things better for our children and our community. – Leonard Presberg, Fayette County Board of Education

Jill Howard Church for the AJC