Wednesday, Apr. 27, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | PTC to study Senoia request to hook up to sewer systemBy JOHN MUNFORD Even though it could unleash rapid residential growth in neighboring Senoia, some Peachtree City Council members say it would make sense to allow Senoia to tap into the Peachtree City sewage treatment system. Councils opinion could be important because they must approve any deal to allow another jurisdiction such as Senoia to use Peachtree Citys system, according to a 1997 agreement with the Peachtree City Water and Sewer Authority, which operates the sewage system separately from the citys budget. WASA General Manager Larry Turner indicated last week that council approval may not be necessary. The agreement between WASA and the City Council states that WASA shall not extend the system or enter into any contract or commitment to extend the system outside the corporate limits of the city, unless such extension, contract or commitment is approved by resolution of the Council of Peachtree City. The legal ambiguity may arise from the contract at hand, which calls for Senoia to pay for construction of the pipes that will feed into WASAs system. Some might argue that since the lines will not be owned by WASA, the deal doesnt technically equal an extension of its sewer service. City Attorney Ted Meeker said council has the right to approve or disapprove the proposed Senoia sewer deal according to its contract with WASA. The deal would allow Senoia to pump into Peachtree City up to 500,000 gallons a day of sewage to WASA for treatment. In exchange, WASA will get a series of payments totaling $3.3 million with interest, and Senoia will pay a flat rate of $3.50 per 1,000 gallons treated, which will be billed to Senoia, which will in turn individually bill each of its sewer customers. Peachtree City councilmen Stuart Kourajian and Murray Weed said they liked the concept of the deal, but they both cautioned the need to make sure there is enough sewer capacity left over for build-out and any potential industry or other large palatable development that might come down the pipes for Peachtree City. While Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford and Mayor Steve Brown said they want to wait and see the information on the proposal, Councilman Steve Rapson said he wants to be careful because of all the growth that sewage capacity could lead to in Senoia. Rapson said he particularly wants to see a breakdown of future sewage capacity needs from city staff in addition to the figures provided by WASA. The proposed deal, which has not yet been discussed by WASA, would allow Senoia to treat up to 500,000 gallons a day at WASA facilities. Rapson indicated Thursday that he would like to see the proposal scaled back. He pointed out that such a deal would lead to dramatic growth in Senoia, whose closest outlet to Ga. Highway 74 is the often-clogged Rockaway Road intersection, which lacks a stoplight. It is common during morning and evening drive time for numerous commuters to be backed up in a long line on Rockaway Road, waiting to turn onto Hwy. 74. Brown wants a developer to present a concept plan that would allow for Rockaway Road to be realigned with the signalized intersection of Holly Grove Road; a rezoning for a subdivision that would have done just that, but it was nixed by the City Council in 2002. Councilman Murray Weed said he hasnt received any information from WASA yet on the Senoia proposal, and he wants to weigh the advantages and disadvantages. If the city has enough sewage treatment capacity left to handle any large development or potential industry that might locate in the city, why not make some money off of it? Weed said. Weed added that he hoped WASA extended the courtesy of seeking council approval before consummating the proposed deal, which hasnt been formally put before the WASA board either. Turner plans to present the deal to the board at its regular meeting Monday, May 2. Brown said the entire council was caught by surprise by the revealed negotiations between WASA and Senoia, first detailed in Fridays edition of The Citizen. Brown added that he was sympathetic to WASAs position since it is losing its largest customer, Photocircuits, which paid roughly $400,000 a year in sewage treatment fees to the authority. Photocircuits, which makes printed circuit board for a variety of applications, is moving most of its operations out of town. Traditionally, extending sewer service to municipalities outside of Peachtree City hasnt been perceived as the proper thing to do, Brown said. Brown added that WASA has worked well with the council, and although he had hoped the city would have been part of the initial discussions with Senoia, hes confident something can be worked out regarding the issue. Turner said that even if the 500,000 gallons capacity is sold to Senoia, an extra 570,000 gallons a day of capacity will be leftover as surplus for Peachtree City even after all future industrial, commercial and residential developments are built. WASA estimates that 500,000 gallons a day will be needed for the now-undeveloped commercial property in Peachtree City, 370,000 gallons a day for future industrial park development, another 500,000 gallons a day for the build-out of homes in the city and 300,000 gallons a day if the city converted all its homes currently on septic tanks to sewer usage. The main benefit of the proposed Senoia deal is that it would keep WASA from raising its sewage rates, Turner said. Currently, city residents pay $4.38 per 1,000 gallons of sewage treated. Although Senoia would be paying just $3.50 per 1,000 gallons, WASA will not be responsible for installing or paying for the necessary infrastructure for Senoia, Turner said. WASA currently treats an average of 3.89 million gallons a day, Turner said. It has permits to treat up to 6 million gallons of sewage a day, most of which is pumped into Line Creek with the remainder discharged into Flat Creek. All of the discussions with Senoia have taken place at a staff level, Turner noted. |
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