After more than two years of negotiations, the city of Senoia agreed Monday night to purchase the Southern Mills wastewater treatment plant for $750,000.

The purchase is the final piece in the puzzle for the city to build and operate its own sewer system.

“I feel good about this. I think this is the best decision we could have made,” said Mayor Joan Trammell.

The city will pay Southern Mills $500,000 before Dec. 31, and the final payment of $250,000 is due by Aug. 31, 2000. Along with the wastewater treatment facility, the town is purchasing more than 100 acres from the company, which the mayor said could eventually be harvested for timber.

Both Trammell and Southern Mills officials said the city is getting an excellent deal. A recent appraisal put the value of the treatment plant and the land at $1.5 million.

“We're getting everything for just what the land is worth,” Trammell said.

Southern Mills vice president of manufacturing Steve Mitchell said he wanted the citizens to know the company was basically donating more than $800,000 to the city, based on the appraisal.

As part of the agreement, the city agreed that water and sewer rates charged to Southern Mills would not exceed residential water and sewer rates for a 20-year period and the company will continue to operate the treatment plant until the city makes its final payment next August.

Now that the purchase of the treatment facility is complete, the city can proceed with building a sewer system.

The first stage will provide sewerage to the city's lower income residents, along with the central business area and Martinwood subdivision, which has a history of failed septic systems.

The second phase will run lines to the rest of the city and the new subdivisions that are sprouting up through town.

The total cost of both phases is $3.3 million and the estimated time for sewering the whole city is approximately three years.

The city plans to pay for the system through a combination of special local option sales taxes, grants and low interest loans.

The city already has a $500,000 grant from the state Department of Community Affairs to help pay for providing sewerage to the city's low income residents.

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