Friday, September 27, 2002
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Friday, September 27, 2002 |
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PTC man gets 90 more days to knock down part of wall in greenbelt By JOHN
MUNFORD
A Peachtree City resident has been given an additional 90 days to remove a portion of a retaining wall that was built in a city-owned greenbelt in his backyard. Bill Rye had tried to convince the council it would be more damaging to the greenbelt to take out the part of the wall in question. The brick wall extends no higher than three feet tall, he said. But in February, council ordered Rye to remove all portions of the wall that encroach into the city greenbelt more than two feet. Rye said the delay in the project has been due to the economic slowdown since he hoped to have that work done by a contractor working on an expansion project for his house so he could save several thousand dollars. If the project is not completed in 30 days, council authorized city staff to perform the work and restore the greenbelt, then bill Rye for the services. Rye said he was sure he could get the project done in the 90-day time frame. City Planner David Rast said he has visited the Rye property, and he felt the wall was erected as "an honest mistake." Mayor Steve Brown initially wanted to give Rye just a 30-day reprieve, but councilmen Murray Weed and Dan Tennant said they favored a more gracious time period. Rye pointed out that he originally brought the conflict to the attention of city staff. The motion passed 3-0 with councilman Steve Rapson abstaining because he lives in the same neighborhood. Councilwoman Annie McMenamin wasn't present.
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