To the Editor: 
    The July 9 article in the Citizen about the Kingston escrow deal left me with more questions than it answered.
    First I was surprised to see that the infrastructure variance was still in the approval stage. It was my understanding it was finalized many months ago, right after the public hearings had taken place. No one in attendance at the December 2008 BOC meeting will forget the deafening silence after Commissioner Sammy Cathey tried to get a second to his motion to disallow a variance to the development agreement. Synergy was anxiously seeking the change to allow them to sell their lots prior to infrastructure installation. At the time, they stated the infrastructure contracts were in place and the systems are “on their way” (Morgan County Citizen, December 25, 2008), but it would take 90 to 120 days for the installation to be completed. 120 days was considered by the developer as too long a wait for people who were anxious to seal the deal.
    Since much more time than that has now elapsed I have to assume the infrastructure is not yet installed, else the variance discussion would be moot. Shouldn’t the agreement have contained a provision about timing? What happened to the contracts that were already in place for the work?
    Farther into the article perhaps a clue is given...Georgia Civil, the company responsible for determining how much Synergy needs to place in the county’s escrow fund won’t proceed until they are paid for other work already performed by them for the developer. Are there financial issues at work that have not yet come to light? Presumably no sales could yet be finalized since the variance is not in effect, and now we know an invoice hasn’t been paid.
    One can’t help but wonder what that might mean. Also the article reveals that Don Davis, who was the face of Synergy during both the public hearings and also the variance discussion has left the company... Hopefully it is just my vivid imagination that has quickly moved me up the “ladder of inference”and all is well at Kingston, but I am concerned. The last thing the good citizens of Morgan County need is to be left holding the financial bag for another failed development. 
Walt Parrish
Buckhead
Via e-mail