Friday, December 10, 1999
Resident doesn't want sewer construction to remove trees

By JOHN THOMPSON
Coweta Editor

Even though Senoia's municipal sewer system is not up and running, it's already coming under scrutiny from one group of concerned citizens.

During Monday night's City Council meeting, Ken Gordon asked the council to reconsider the planned placement of a force main down the south side of Couch Street.

If the city continues with its original design, Gordon said, at least nine large hickory and oak trees would have to be removed to lay the line.

He estimated it would cost the city at least $15,000 to remove the trees and said the problem could be fixed by relocating the line to the north side of Couch Street.

He said the north side contains only one large pecan tree, which could be spared depending upon how the line was run.

Mayor Joan Trammell said she was all in favor of saving trees and said she would forward Gordon's comments to the engineer of the sewer system, Turnipseed Engineering.

“The last thing we want to do is take down any of our trees,” she said.

Trammell encouraged residents to make the trek to City Hall and examine the routing of the sewer system. She said Couch Street would be one of the last streets in the historic part of town to run pipes, but said she didn't know about the possible uprooting of the trees until Gordon brought it to her attention.

In other sewer news, the council voted to borrow up to $500,000 from Farmers and Merchants Bank at 6 percent interest to help in the initial costs of the system.

The city already has a $500,000 grant from the state Department of Community Affairs to provide sewerage to the town's low income residents, but won't receive news on any other potential grants or low-interest loans until next year.

“I like to refer to it as a construction loan,” Trammell said.

The city is looking at $632,000 to construct the first phase of the system, along with paying Southern Mills $500,000 by the end of the year for its wastewater treatment facility.

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