Friday, January 3, 2003
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Friday, January 3, 2003 |
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Changes in Senoia in 2002 By JOHN THOMPSON
Change was the operative word in Senoia in 2002. In January, Mayor Dianne Cleveland, along with new councilmen Robert Belisle, Bill Wood and Pat Tunnell took over the reins at City Hall. The new regime promptly imposed a moratorium on all development until the middle of May. The city already had a moratorium on any development that featured an "open" or green space zoning, but the council decided a total moratorium was in order. Also at the beginning of the year after nearly three months of community furor, the resolution came quietly in the saga of the "Blue House." The City Council voted unanimously to allow Chuck Smith to sell his home for $1 and let BellSouth use the property for expansion of its facility in the growing east Coweta town. Belisle's initial motion stipulated the house could not be moved until BellSouth had submitted a site plan for its structure and a foundation was built to place the Blue House on solid footing. Later in the year, Cleveland announced that Richard Jewell has been hired as a patrolman for the city. Jewell came to fame during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta when some media outlets tried to cast him as a suspect in the Centennial Olympic park bombing. Since then, Jewell has received settlements from some news organizations who were quick to judge and has started putting his life back together. Jewell was relieved of his duties later in the year. Senoia residents also learned this year that the city's long-awaited sewer system should be up and running in 2004. City administrator Murray McAfee told the City Council that the city should open the bids Jan. 10. McAfee expects construction to start on the system in April of next year, and anticipates construction to end a year later.
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