The city of Senoia will have its sewage squabble settled by March 14.

That's the word from Mayor Joan Trammell, who briefly addressed the controversy Tuesday night.

Senoia's bid to purchase the Southern Mills, Inc. company's sewage treatment plant for the city sewer system hit a snag in the last month when an unknown easement appeared.

Last Monday night, the council haggled over the easement that runs through neighboring Winpak Film Inc.'s property and contains the force main from Southern Mills' treatment plant.

Winpak has offered to swap the property for a piece of city property and pay up to $25,000 to move the force main that runs through its property.

The snag is that Winpak also wants the city to donate a seven-tenths-acre tract to the company. The city maintains that parcel is necessary for future spray field application uses.

“Our engineer is still recommending that we don't give them that property. We have offered another piece, though,” Trammell said Tuesday night.

Trammell said that part of the original contract called for Southern Mills to contribute up to $12,000 to move the main, but Southern Mills' Ken Collins said he couldn't commit to that.

“We're just about tapped out. We've spent $5,000 in legal fees to have this contract drawn up,” he said.

If an agreement cannot be reached between Southern Mills, Winpak and the city, Trammel said a final option could be condemning the property.

There's no written record of the easement, but apparently there was a verbal agreement between the previous owner of Winpak and Southern Mills.

Public works director Leonard Thompson said he would probably bring a recommendation on the dispute to the City Council Monday night for its perusal.

Back to News Home Page | Back to the top of the page