For the past three Sundays we have run a special series written by reporter Gabriel Khouli on the boom and the collapse of the housing market growth specific to Newton County.

 Many of you have commented on the timeliness and the accuracy of the articles.

 We were impressed by the cooperation and honesty of elected officials, contractors and the people who were directly affected by the current recession.

 Newton County was the last county in the Atlanta metro area to experience surging growth as people looking for good buys poured into its borders at a rate that almost overwhelmed the system.

 Many builders were allowed to build homes that looked good on the outside but were actually built with the cheapest materials with little or no stringent county guidelines regarding quality.

 When the bubble burst these homes were abandoned by the thousands and are literally rotting where they stand.

 Thankfully, local officials have recognized the dangers of not having strong guidelines in place to control the actions of unscrupulous developers and builders.

 Today in Newton County and the city of Covington, tougher rules and regulations are being put in place to control and manage the future growth that will surely come to our county once the economy improves.

 We need even tighter rules so that those of us who do live here, and pay our taxes here, can continue enjoy the beauty of Newton County.

 If you missed any part of Khouli’s series, you can read it at www.covnews.com