Friday, Apr. 1, 2005

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PTC assessing roads, planning for SPLOST spending

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

With $12 million expected to flow to Peachtree City over the next five years thanks to the one-cent sales tax approved by voters in November, city officials will have to decide which of its transportation projects get done first.

At last weekend’s City Council retreat, City Engineer David Borkowski said the city is currently updating its transportation plan, last done in 1995, with the city’s consulting engineering firm, QK4. The plan will assess the “level of service” of each road, using the system that assigns a letter grade from A-F, with A being the best and F being the worst.

The plan should be wrapped up by December, Borkowski noted, and the city should begin receiving SPLOST funds in July, officials said.

The city will likely need to prioritize what projects it wants Borkowski to handle and what must be handled by a consulting firm, the engineer said. There are several high-profile projects involved, from the extension of TDK Boulevard to the roundabout for the intersection of Peachtree Parkway and Walt Banks Road to the realignment of the intersection of Huddleston Road and Dividend Drive and also improvements to MacDuff Parkway.

The city is undertaking a traffic study to determine if MacDuff should be widened to four lanes at some point, Borkowski added.

Borkowski said city officials are also preparing a new program for maintenance of the city’s road system that will need to be considered at some point by council for possible funding.

Because the SPLOST funds will take care of some projects the city previously planned to fund in its regular budget, council will determine in the future what to do with the cost savings. Suggestions from council members included funding other necessary city projects or perhaps using the extra money to reduce property taxes.

“We need to figure out what the right answer is,” said City Manager Bernie McMullen.

Councilman Steve Rapson said the SPLOST-funded projects will gain support from the citizens in terms of a favorable vote after it expires in the first five years.

“They will be able to see immediate improvement,” said Rapson, who also suggested trying to reduce the stormwater fee that will be associated with the city’s stormwater management program when it rolls out.