Wednesday, April 23, 2003
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Wednesday, April 23, 2003 |
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Council amends lake dredging contract By J. FRANK
LYNCH
Fayette County government will have to cough up $36,366 more to cover the costs of dredging Lake Peachtree after the Peachtree City Council agreed last week to amend the contract for the project to include the lake's inlets. Citing a 1985 dredging contract with the county, Mayor Steve Brown recommended Thursday that the city go ahead and authorize the work and then seek reimbursement from the county. In March, the county commission awarded a contract for the project to Massana Construction for $632,236. The county assumes responsibility for the lake's silt level because it is used as a backup water source by the county water system. City Attorney Ted Meeker advised that it wasn't good precedent to change a contract after it had already been awarded, but agreed that the city reserves the right to seek compensation from the county in accordance with the previous dredging contract. The council nevertheless gave unanimous approval. In other business Thursday: Council amended the Traffic Impact Ordinance affecting Ga. Highway 54 West so that restrictions on development along the corridor will be lifted as soon as the state DOT has awarded a contract and "progress is being made" on widening the road, which is still 18-24 months away, staff reported. The change will also avoid unwarranted delays to the LCI program to improve and beautify the western entranceway to the city, staff said. Council gave final approval to a new city ethics policy after months of fine-tuning and delays. Councilman Steve Rapson praised the document for its "accessibility" and joined the chorus of praise for the hard work of members of the ethics committee present. Council agreed to create a new level of employee sick leave called "catastrophic" that could be used to close the gap between regular sick leave and long-term disability. Council awarded a contract for city tow service to Parker Wrecker of Newnan. Council approved a variance request for 219 Sandown Dr., where homeowners Michael and Christy Cornett had mistakenly overstepped their property's setback limits when they replaced a faulty swimming pool with a huge deck and gazebo and without obtaining the proper permits. "When I get into the middle of doing something, I just go at it and can't stop," Michael Cornett told Council. "He was just trying to make me happy," explained his wife. Agreeing that the Cornetts had inherited a no-fault situation with the faulty pool when they bought the house, and that the gazebo and deck were impressive, the council forgave the failure to get a permit and gave approval 4-0, with Councilwoman Annie McMenamin abstaining because she lives in the same neighborhood. But McMenamin recalled a similar case that came before council several years ago: "President Jimmy Carter did not get the proper permit when he built his grandson's treehouse," she told the Cornetts. "We grandfathered the treehouse." Council took no action on a request from the Southern Conservation Trust to sublease office space to the UGA Marine Extension Service after SCT Chairman Jim Williams suddenly withdrew the issue, saying the matter had become "just too complicated." An earlier request was tabled when Councilman Murray Weed insisted the SCT show how the UGA office would benefit the city. Council tabled a proposal to consider freezing property tax assessments for homeowners over age 70 when it was determined that the issue would require legislative action, and the General Assembly session is all but over this year.
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