Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Residents criticize Amos Tyrone visionBy JOHN THOMPSON Tyrones Town Council got another earful last Thursday as residents beseeched the towns leaders not to locate a proposed town center development in Shamrock Park. The town wants to put a new library on the site of the current park, and also build a new police station and town hall adjacent to the library. Town Manager Barry Amos said the development plan would feature a mixed use of residential, commercial and government offices that would inject new life into the towns center and give the area along Senoia Road more of a downtown feel. But in Thursdays discussion of the proposed plan, the towns residents at the meeting made it clear that there was a better location for the new library. Using the site of the current town hall is something the taxpayers have already paid for. What better place for a library than across from a school? said former mayoral candidate Grace Caldwell. Caldwell also dismissed the notion that future impact fees would fully fund the upkeep of the library. How many more houses would have to be built to pay for this? Caldwell wondered. Judy Jefferson, who represents 20 subdivisions in the Tyrone Neighborhood Alliance, also had a problem with how the plan was revealed to the residents. Jefferson said the residents should have had a bigger role in the process, and took exception to a stare she received from Councilman Paul Letourneau. Thats a real condescending look youre giving me, she told the councilman. Letourneau agreed with her and said he had a few questions for her. He asked her to submit the list of subdivisions in the alliance, along with the representatives from each subdivision. He also wanted to know if the leaders were picked by the group or volunteered. Jefferson agreed to provide the information, but chided the council as she left the podium. If you had asked for input, we wouldnt be looking like two divisive factions, she said. Mayor Sheryl Lee and some of the council reiterated that all discussion of a new vision had taken place in public meetings and that citizen input was always welcome. We talked about this at our retreat which was open to everyone, she said. Town manager Amos also told the crowd that the surveys asking residents opinions of the site for the library were due back to the town Sept. 20. He also said city staff and council members would be manning a booth at Founders Day to further explain the master plan. In other news, the Town Council: Moved ahead with plans to build three soccer fields at Handley Park. Earlier this month, representatives of the newly-formed Tyrone Soccer Association said the group was desperately in need of playing fields. The Town Council agreed to get bids on grading three regulation soccer fields. Agreed to work with the towns baseball association to build a T-ball field at Handley Park. The town agreed to split the $15,000 cost with the association and will use funds from fencing that was not necessary for the park. |
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