Friday, Februry 8, 2002
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Friday, Februry 8, 2002 |
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County disagrees with GRTA on bus plan By JOHN
THOMPSON While not totally slamming the door on an express bus route in Coweta County, the County Commission left the door open only a crack. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority has proposed a program that would allow metro counties to get on board a bus program for a small cost. In return, GRTA pledged a large amount of transportation funds would be released to the county. In Coweta's case, GRTA is asking the county to pay $850,000 up front, in return for nearly $9 million in transportation funds. But Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter met with state Department of Transportation officials Monday, who professed to know nothing about releasing these funds to the county, he said. With DOT officials in the dark about the proposal, Hunter urged the commission to use the $850,000 in special sales tax funds to improve dangerous intersections on some of the state routes that DOT has not committed to repairing yet. Hunter mentioned roads such as Ga. Highway 16 and Orr Road and said the commission pledged to voters last year that they would work on fixing some of the dangerous intersections in the county. He asked the other commissioners to approve his motion of letting some of the dangerous intersections out to bid, and also making a priority list for DOT. Commissioner Robert Wood had no problem with supporting Hunter's motion, but preferred that any mention of GRTA be omitted until he had more information on the bus proposal. "I think somebody needs to put people together from GRTA and DOT and get this worked out," he said. County Administrator Theron Gay said GRTA officials told him they would be sending the county a contract soon to execute a bus agreement and the commission might have more information when the contract comes up for discussion. The commission passed Hunter's motion, and also agreed to contract with former DOT employee Nancy Jones to help secure the right-of-way for some of the projects.
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