Where will Senoia’s library be located?

That was the subject of a spirited debate during Monday night’s City Council meeting as different visions clashed over the new library.

Coweta County has pledged $500,000 towards the construction of the facility and is eager for the city to pick a final site.

One of the options is placing the facility in the city’s park on Seavy Street. But the front of the park already has a building that is being used by the Boy Scouts, who claim they have a 99-year lease on the building.

Resident Diane Adcock said her husband Billy helped negotiate the deal in 1987 and that many of the residents had contributed towards making the facility suitable for the scouts.

Mayor Robert Hannah said it was not his intention to kick the scouts out of the facility, but if the library was going to be built in the park, the city would have to deal with the scouts’ building.

Councilman Larry Owens advocated keeping the library near downtown, but Councilman Bill Wood said he was not driven to keep the library downtown.

“The park property is woefully underused. This is a chance to have a master plan for the whole area,” he said.

Wood also said the scouts could ultimately come out with a better deal since the bathrooms at the current facility are out of date.

New Councilman Perry Benson also weighed in on the issue.

“The location for the library is extremely important, but we also have to work with the scouts. The railroad tracks near the park also concern me,” he said.

Resident Paul Price also asked the council to consider the needs of the scouts in the next few years.

“We need to look at what the scouts will need in 5-10 years,” he said.

The City Council decided to table the issue for more discussion and will try and decide the library’s location Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. at City Hall.

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