Senoia’s quest for a new library site hit another stumbling block Tuesday night.

The City Council rejected a motion to place the facility in the city’s park on Seavy Street. The park location has drawn the ire of the local Boy Scout troop that uses a building in the park. The Scouts maintain they have a 99-year lease with the city to use the building, but a copy of the lease cannot be located.

Even if the lease is found, it may not make a difference, said city administrator Richard Ferry. Ferry asked the city’s attorney Drew Whalen to look into the issue and Whalen’s opinion is the lease may not be binding because municipalities are not allowed to enter into long-term leases unless a quantifiable service is provided by the lessee.

Ferry said he had looked at a number of sites, including the old cotton gin buildings on Gin Street and the former Public Works building on Clark Street.

The Gin Street site would cost too much to clean up, and the Clark Street location does not have a clear title. The city already owns the park, so there would be no land acquisition costs.

“Couldn’t we locate the library somewhere else in the park?” questioned Councilman Tony Miller.

Councilman Bill Wood said that was a possibility, but that wouldn’t totally solve the problem. Wood believes the Scouts need a better facility and favored having an architect do a master plan for the park and determine where the Boy Scouts building should be placed.

Councilman Perry Benson seconded Wood’s motion and said he would also like to see a permanent solution for the Scouts. But the motion was rejected when Councilmen Larry Owens, Tony Miller and Mayor Bob Hannah voted against it.

“I could have supported it if you would have said exactly what would happen to the Scouts,” Hannah said.

After the motion failed, Hannah added that this was a pressing issue the new administration would have to deal with in January.

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