Fayetteville council members Oct. 20 gave unanimous approval for a Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) sidewalks project and heard the first reading of a proposed amendment addressing city garbage customers failing to remove containers in a timely manner after pick-up.

The council approved a DOT agreement for pre-construction engineering activities of design and right-of-way for the Fayetteville Connecting Sidewalks Project.

The city will cover the cost of design and right-of-way acquisition while 80 percent of the funding for the construction phase will be covered by DOT with a 20 percent local match. The construction phase is estimated at $504,000.

The five project segments include Hood Avenue from Landings Drive to Ga. Highway 85, White Road from Huddleston Road to Ga. Highway 314, Old Norton Road from Lester Road to Ferncliff, Ga. Highway 92 from Timberlane to Hwy. 85 and South Jeff Davis from North Jeff Davis to Virginia Highlands. Costs may preclude work on all segments at this time.

Councilman Al Hovey-King said the project would provide an immense safety improvement regarding the project proximity to schools.

Responding to a question from Councilman Glenn Brewer, City Engineer Don Easterbrook said the decision regarding what side of the street the sidewalks will be located on will be determined at a later date.

Commenting on the project, Mayor Kenneth Steele said he was delighted at its approval. It is interesting that people sometimes ask about spending money on sidewalks, he said, adding that such projects funded primarily through federal sources cannot be used for other purposes.

The council also heard the first reading of a proposed amendment to the Solid Waste Ordinance requiring that customers remove their garbage containers from the street by 7 a.m. on the day following garbage pick-up.

The proposal is in response to complaints that some customers leave their garbage containers near street-side for several days after pick up. Easterbrook said that if adopted, the amendment would help enforcement of problems that sometime occur and would help keep streets cleaner and more attractive.

The proposed amendment specifies that customers must place the container at curbside approximately two to four feet from the edge of the roadway. The container must not present a visual or physical obstruction for motorists.

Councilman Larry Dell said he could not support the measure, citing the belief that code enforcement relating to the amendment would be a “nightmare.”

Speaking in favor of the amendment was Councilman Walt White, who said he had received more calls this year relating to the problem than he had on any other issue. White said he was behind the amendment 100 percent.

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