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Downtown sewer, arts top Tyrone Council’s agenda

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

What is the future of Tyrone and how will its downtown develop?

That was just one of the questions Tyrone’s leaders wrangled with during Saturday morning’s retreat in Peachtree City.

For years, the leaders have struggled with trying to encourage development along Senoia Road, while watching Ga. Highway 74 sprout with shopping centers, banks and gas stations.

But Town Manager Barry Amos believes it’s time the town had a plan for the historic downtown.

“We need to determine what we want Tyrone to be. Peachtree City is the industrial center, while Fayetteville is the commercial center,” he said.

Amos said one concept for the town could be as the county’s cultural center.

“Think of an area that’s half Virginia-Highlands and half Little Five Points,” Amos added.

Some small antique stores have already moved downtown and Amos said dance studios and other cultural groups could be encouraged to move to the area. If the town ever builds a new town hall, Amos added the old town hall could be used as a performing arts center.

Depending on how the town wants the area to develop, it could face a decision of offering sewer to the various businesses that would locate on Senoia Road.

In 2001, Tyrone signed an agreement with the city of Fairburn to provided 250,000 gallons of sewerage capacity for the John Wieland court-approved PUD development on Ga. Highway 74.

So far, the development is using 100,000 gallons a day, but there’s still another phase of residential development, along with an undetermined amount of commercial development to be done at the development.

Amos said Wieland could possibly want to sell any excess capacity to the town, which could be used for downtown development or possibly hooking up the three schools on Jenkins Road to sewer.

“The three schools, along with Tyrone Elementary, would use about 50,000 gallons a day,” Amos said.

Tyrone’s Town council discussed the issue of the schools hooking up to the system Saturday and said it would only make sense for the school system to connect.

“That system they’re using is almost 20 years old, I think,” said Councilman Paul Letourneau.

While the leaders did not agree to send the school system a letter seeing if there was an interest to connect, Amos said connection could be an option if there is any excess capacity available from John Wieland.

Another option would be to see if Fairburn had any further excess capacity, but Amos said that would have to be a decision for the Town Council to make.