When all was said and done Tuesday night, many wondered if the Ga. Highway 54/Walt Banks Road Task Force still had a task.

The only thing about which there was a consensus was the fact that there is no consensus about anything. Much of Tuesday's discussion explored what the group is actually supposed to do, and whether the previous month's activities had accomplished anything toward that goal.

The group will meet again next Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Peachtree City Library.

At the heart of the matter was a dispute over whether the task force was looking for a new and original use for the controversial corner or just revisiting a proposal that has already been struck down by the City Council.

Councilwoman Annie McMenamin believes the latter, and she said so in a prepared statement she read in the opening minutes of the meeting. She added that she would no longer participate in the discussion under those auspices.

Mayor Bob Lenox started the evening off by saying that he thought the process had "gone astray."

The discussion centered on the retail portion of the development. The name Parisian came up frequently around the room, as an example of what some people want there, along with smaller stores that are similarly upscale in nature.

Lenox said a department store in excess of 120,000 square feet is not the type of thing Peachtree City is looking for. He added that rather than having a large anchor-type store, the emphasis should be on having the larger stores in the 35,000-sq. ft. range, much like nearby Stein Mart.

John Callaway, who has been trying to get a project off the ground at that site, said a development of about 250,000 total square feet for all stores can be done in the most upscale manner possible, but a 100,000-sq. ft. store like Parisian has to be there.

"This represents the finest retail development that can be built in America," Callaway said as he displayed his latest plan. "If something smaller is wanted, it can be built, but not with these stores."

In her statement, McMenamin agreed that the plan is beautiful, but she asked Callaway what stores he can guarantee will sign on if the project is built.

"Once it's zoned, it's commercial," she said. "Not commercial for Parisian just commercial."

She went on to say that Callaway has not significantly changed his original project.

"He's still calling it the Mews," said McMenamin. "We voted that down."

A member of the audience enthusiastically agreed with that assessment. Robert Longmeyer, who lives on Walt Banks Road, said the meeting should not even be taking place since the City Council has already voted down that project.

Longmeyer sparred verbally with some other audience members who were in favor of Callaway's plan because they want more upscale shopping options in the area. They convinced Callaway to stay after he walked out of the meeting at one point due to his disappointment in the direction of the proceedings.

Resident Teresa Quant chastised the City Council for not representing its constituents, saying that a development of this type is what people in Peachtree City want. Several audience members around her expressed their agreement.

Sany Mullin said she is tired of seeing empty storefronts because of retail outlets that do not succeed, with "little buildings here and there," and said that an upscale facility would be "welcome."

Longmeyer responded by saying that he did not move to Peachtree City for the shopping, and neither did anyone else. "If you can't drive to Atlanta once in a while to shop, you shouldn't have moved to Peachtree City," he said. Councilwoman Carol Fritz said that a development like this can be built in Peachtree City, but this is not the proper site for it.

McMenamin reiterated her question about what can be guaranteed in the way of stores if the center is built, and Callaway said guarantees cannot be obtained if the project never gets started.

"Some of these type stores have been standing by for months," he said. "If you don't get Parisian and they go to Newnan, some of the stores here will move there.

"That's why you don't want your anchor store to leave, because it takes other businesses with it."

One local business owner at the meeting charged that local residents do not support businesses in their own community. He said the majority of locally owned shops would never make it if one of the owners or an owner's spouse did not have another job.