Wednesday, January 2, 2002
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Wednesday, January 2, 2002 |
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Good news on Hwy. 54 west tops PTC stories for 2001 By JOHN
MUNFORD
Even though many residents were disappointed that Wal-Mart and Home Depot are on their way to Peachtree City, some significant good news came to the burgeoning Ga. Highway 54 west area late this year in one of the city's top stories of 2001. The DOT confirmed in November that the stretch of highway will be widened from two to four lanes by late 2004 or early 2005. That's good news to those who sit in traffic jams on the clogged artery during morning and afternoon rush hour traffic. The DOT even decided to spend money on a project for next year that could ease the traffic crunch much quicker: realigning the intersection of Huddleston and Paschall Road so traffic from Coweta County on Hwy. 54 can avoid the intersection of 54 and 74. Other top Peachtree City stories for the year include: Planning activist Steve Brown is elected as Peachtree City's next mayor after a runoff election. Billing himself as the candidate with regional solutions, Brown defeated Gary Rower in the runoff for the seat vacated by 10-year Mayor Bob Lenox, who couldn't run for another term. Municipal attorney Murray Weed was elected to replace councilwoman Carol Fritz and Steve Rapson was retained in his current seat by voters. Rapson was appointed to council to replace Robert Brooks, who resigned and was later appointed to the Development Authority. In that same election, citizens turned down several recreation bond proposals, including the purchase of the Braelinn Baptist Church campus to convert it into a community center. Voters also shot down a plan for more playgrounds and picnic shelters and another plan to renovate Drake Field. In September, the City Council approved annexing 80 acres on the north end of MacDuff Parkway to be part of a 181-acre, 350-home subdivision planned by John Wieland Homes. Plans for the subdivision include a site for an elementary school in the future and a fire station. The land was once included in the 900-acre 1,700-home annexation proposal for the West Village area, which was denied by council last August. Construction on the Wal-Mart and Home Depot site began in the late summer. Just weeks ago, it was learned that a church adjacent to the property, Line Creek Baptist, is working to sell its land to RAM Development, which is developing the superstores along with other commercial parcels along Ga. Highway 54 West. Construction began late fall on the final expansion of the city's tennis center. Once complete, it will give the center six more covered courts along with a clubhouse building that has a snack area and locker rooms. The $2.5 million facility is not without controversy, however, as some members of council argued the price tag warranted the city getting voter approval in a referendum. Two electric vehicles were approved for use on the cart path system this year: E-bikes and GEM Motorcars. The E-bikes, which can be pedal-propelled or totally powered by electricity, travel at up to 14 or 18 mph. The GEM Motorcars will be limited to its low speed setting, which reaches 15 mph although it has a higher speed setting for 25 mph. The GEM Motorcars can also travel on most city streets with speed limits no more than 35 mph. City Clerk Nancy Faulkner resigned in March after she was not reappointed clerk by the City Council in January. Faulkner was given a settlement package that included six months' salary ($22,179) and $7,500 for tuition to a paralegal school. In January, council decided to appoint City Manager Jim Basinger as City Clerk until the clerk's duties could be delineated in the charter. But it was later discovered through an open records request that there was a plan to have Basinger discipline or fire Faulkner after she was not reappointed. According to notes kept by Basinger of an October 2000 meeting between Mayor Bob Lenox, Councilwoman Annie McMenamin and City Attorney Rick Lindsey, the reasons justifying Faulkner's termination included: an allegation that Faulkner asked McMenamin to lie for her about Faulkner viewing of a copy of the pay plan and another allegation that Faulkner lied in a deposition about comments city Councilman Dan Tennant made to her that were of a sexual nature. Faulkner, who later became employed as City Clerk in Fairburn, said Tennant never made any inappropriate remarks to her. Council eventually decided to change the clerk's role in the charter by making the clerk report directly to the city manager instead of city council as the previous charter indicated.
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