By JOHN THOMPSON
Staff Writer

By the beginning of next year, the town of Tyrone could be hooked up with a sewer line from the city of Fairburn.

Last week at the Fayette County Development Authority meeting, member John Woody said the city was about 45 days from formalizing an agreement with Fairburn to provide sewerage to the town.

Woody emphasized the sewer lines would be used exclusively for the John Wieland development north of Tyrone and the proposed Richard Bowers' office park on Ga. Highway 74.

Town manager Barry Amos confirmed earlier this week that talks with Fairburn are progressing and said the deal could be finalized in 45 to 60 days. If a deal is struck, Amos said it would take another two to three months to build the line that would connect the two municipalities.

Fairburn has petitioned the state Environmental Protection Division for a permit to build a wastewater facility, which could provide excess capacity for Tyrone if the town ever wanted to connect other parts of the town to sewerage.

Tyrone's dealings with Fairburn have come under fire from the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, who are vehemently against the town going out of the county for sewerage.

At a meeting between Tyrone and county officials in April, some of the commissioners expressed alarm over Tyrone trying to bring in sewer from outside the county. But Tyrone Councilman Ronnie Cannon spoke up.

“We don't like going outside of the county, but the people of Tyrone don't want Tyrone with a giant spray field,” he said.

Commission Chairman Harold Bost said he worried about the future impact of having sewer on Hwy. 74.

“My concern is that once sewer crosses the county line, there will be enormous pressure to keep extending it,” he said.

The Tyrone leaders were adamant that the sewer would be used only for the large projects currently under consideration by the town and that residential development on the busy state highway is not an option.

Still, the commissioners were reluctant in giving a thumbs up to the proposal. In fact, Commissioner Linda Wells said a workable community septic system is available, but Tyrone officials refused to discuss it when it was first mentioned five years ago.

Councilman Ray Bogenschutz bristled at the notion that Tyrone officials were jeopardizing the fate of the highway corridor and said the town's regulations for development on the highway are actually more restrictive than the county's.