Imagine cruising through the gloriously wooded areas of Coweta County on your bike and not worrying about a car running you off the road.

That vision could soon be a reality as the Coweta County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday morning to authorize a consulting firm to seek a grant for bike paths.

The county's consulting firm on recreational matters, Roberts and Company, will forward an application to the state that would sprinkle bike paths throughout the county. While the grant application process and building of the paths take time, many of the commissioners expressed support of the alternative transportation method.

But while Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter said he would support the efforts of the county in obtaining a grant, he made his reservations on the project clear.

"I'm not going to pull some of our workers off laying water lines to build bike paths," he said.

Commissioner Lawrence Nelms agreed with Hunter that workers should not be pulled off other projects, but said he would support the proposal since bike paths would serve "all segments of the county."

In other news, the commissioners voted to increase the county's part of employee health coverage to 80 percent. Previously, the county paid 75 percent of the employee's premium, while the employee paid 25 percent. With costs of health insurance continuing to rise, the county decided to up its portion of the premium so the employees would not have any additional costs. While the county will absorb this increase, Nelms said the day will come when the county will have to pass the costs to the employees.