The adage has it that you do something yourself when you want it done correctly.

Residents of Fairview Estates have taken that folk wisdom to heart and are trying to take firm control of development in their community.

Fairview has had more than its share of challenges, including foreclosures and falling property values.

It was left incomplete after its developer declared bankruptcy in 2008 and has been in the news since then as Newton County sought to stabilize the development by creating a neighborhood park, and by bringing in IECDG, a nonprofit community development group.

But last week, about 40 Fairview residents told Newton County that they want to run the neighborhood and that they want no part of IECDG’s long-term revitalization plan that was presented earlier in January.

That’s as it should be.

There’s no need to involve a bureaucracy, no matter how well intentioned, when the folks who live there want to manage their own affairs. These folks know what they want, and they should be able to control their own destinies.

Fairview residents will meet in March to start up a homeowners association and elect a board to oversee neighborhood development, something that was left undone after the developer’s bankruptcy.

Times are tough, and there are some hard decisions ahead for the community, but we have confidence that the people with the most at stake, the homeowners, will make the right decisions on their own.