Friday, Nov. 17, 2004

What do you think of this story? Click here to send a message to the editor.

City, county still at odds over
TDK Blvd.

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

Disagreement between Peachtree City and Fayette County about funding an extension of TDK Boulevard across Line Creek to Coweta County is “still not resolved,” County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn said this week.

As a result, the long-delayed joint road project between the city, county and Coweta officials may be delayed yet again — and time is running out to make good on state grant money that was awarded to help fund the project.

Dunn made his comments on Tuesday during the county’s annual planning retreat, held at the Aberdeen Woods Conference Center in Peachtree City.

During a discussion about the recently approved SPLOST to fund road improvements throughout Fayette County, Dunn offered an update on the TDK Extension, which has been in the works for several years. But the first spade of dirt has yet to be turned.

According to an agreement reached long ago, Peachtree City was to pay for the cost of design and engineering work on the road. Fayette County would pay for the extension on its side of Line Creek, and Coweta would build its own road connection on the western side.

But the design costs have skyrocketed over the past few months as local officials learned that the FAA wouldn’t allow the road to be built within airspace north of Falcon Field. The design was changed to that the road will curve further north of the present runway. But that meant taking out two holes of golf on the Planterra Ridge Golf Course, which are in the process of being moved.

Brown said the city has already spent about $20,000 more than the initial $200,000 he committed to in a meeting with state legislators Mitch Seabaugh and Lynn Westmoreland, and he intends to spend no more.

Although the contract with the county requires the city to pay for the engineering costs, Brown said the agreement with Seabaugh and Westmoreland “was tied into” the contract.

Dunn continues to offer little sympathy, especially since he never received a copy of Brown’s letter, and learned of it only through local newspapers.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do. It would be nice if we got a copy of the letter he sent out,” said Dunn.

Brown was out of town this week and unavailable for comment, but City Manager Bernard McMullen confirmed that Brown did write a letter to Dunn and the Board of Commissioners stating the city’s intentions.

The letter was dated Wednesday, Nov. 10, said McMullen.

“I would assume it went out,” he said.

McMullen said Brown’s position that the city should not have to pay any more for TDK is shared by a majority of the council, and is not just the mayor’s opinion.

“I have heard from three councilmembers that they do not want to spend any more money on TDK, so the letter does reflect the opinion of the majority of the council,” said McMullen.

Dunn said the city has no choice but to pay any additional costs of engineering because it’s under contract to do so.

“It’s going to be up to them,” said Dunn. “Until the two sides sit down and hash it out that road will never be built.”