Friday, January 10, 2003
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Friday, January 10, 2003 |
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Seabaugh wants Peachtree City's plans for TDK By JOHN
MUNFORD
In a very polite exchange last week, Fayette state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh told the Peachtree City Council he needed to know its priorities for major road projects, particularly when it comes to counting on the city's share of the funding for those projects. There may be a chance to fast-track important projects, including the widening of Ga. Highway 74 from Hwy. 54 to Hwy. 85, which is crucial for the city's industrial park, Seabaugh said. But Seabaugh said he feels uncomfortable negotiating with the state Department of Transportation on projects for Peachtree City when he is unsure of the city's commitment to the various road projects. "When I go to the DOT, the question is get is, 'Are you sure they really want it?'" Seabaugh said. The senator also apologized for not working closer with city officials to make sure the city's funding was in place. Currently the widening of Hwy. 74 isn't scheduled to be complete until 2010, but $5 million in funds were secured last summer for right-of-way acquisition on the project north of Crosstown Road. Seabaugh particularly wants the TDK extension into Coweta County done as soon as possible to provide a relief valve for clogged traffic that will be further delayed once the Hwy. 54 widening project picks up steam. Seabaugh cited a letter from the city on placing a traffic light at the intersection that serves Panasonic and its 975 employees (with the city paying approximately $150,000 to add turn lanes and the state paying for the light) and another letter saying there weren't funds for the TDK extension because the money was shifted to the Hwy. 54 widening. But councilwoman Annie McMenamin pointed out that the city has already committed $350,000 towards engineering for the TDK extension, which is approximately 90 percent complete. She added that the city wanted to have TDK built as early as nine years ago, but Coweta County officials weren't interested at the time. "What we need to do is sit down with you and (Fayette County Commission Chairman) Greg Dunn and Coweta County and see how we can fund this fairly," McMenamin said. Councilman Steve Rapson said the city also has committed another $460,000 for the project and he was "a little concerned that the business community is not aware of those numbers." Seabaugh said he sees the extension of TDK Boulevard into Coweta County as more critical to provide a traffic relief valve once crews begin the Hwy. 54 widening project as early as this summer. But Mayor Steve Brown said he felt that would clog traffic on Hwy. 74 in the Crosstown Drive area, possibly creating a situation similar to that experienced on Hwy. 54 currently. Seabaugh said council could easily ask motorists stuck in traffic on Hwy. 54 how they felt about having TDK Boulevard extended as an alternate route into Fayette. "They're sitting there," Seabaugh said, noting that many of those motorists stuck on Hwy. 54 provide a large share of Peachtree City's workforce, particularly in the industrial park. He added that businesses and industries are concerned about transportation issues for their employees. McMenamin said she didn't know anything about commitments to fund the extra lanes for the Panasonic traffic light but she wanted to make sure the issue was handled properly. Mayor Steve Brown said the city's budget crunch, which plays a role in its road funding dollars, is led by factors that can't be controlled such as higher insurance costs. But he also wants the Hwy. 74 widening to be speeded up. Brown also said he was worried about the development status of the land on Coweta's side of the TDK Boulevard extension, but he added that there is no opposition from the Peachtree City Council to the project. "I just want to make sure we're doing things in the proper order," Brown said. Rapson said he was concerned that the opinion that TDK would help traffic on Hwy. 54 came from the same engineering firm that told Peachtree City "there would be no problem" with the presence of the Wal-Mart and Home Depot on Hwy. 54. As for the widening of Hwy. 74, Brown said it would cost the city $310,000 to relocate utilities and a new revenue stream will be needed to secure those funds. Brown proposed having the legislature allow municipalities to collect special local option sales tax to pay for such projects, but Seabaugh said he opposes tacking on any new taxes. Former mayor Bob Lenox said he would be okay with a tax increase if the City Council could provide a plan to improve traffic via the major road construction projects. "We're willing to pay for it if you're leading us into the future," Lenox said. Council decided to have city staff compile a list of projected costs for each project so it could make an informed decision. McMenamin also said she would work to set up a meeting with the Fayette and Coweta county commissions
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