If Peachtree City Mayor Harold Logsdon had his way, CSX would abandon its construction of what is essentially a parking area for trains adjacent to a residential area.

But Logsdon acknowledged Wednesday morning that he’s not likely to convince the railroad to abandon the project. The railroad has said it will close several rail crossings including one that the city planned to use to connect MacDuff Parkway to Ga. Highway 74 at the location of the former Comcast Cable building. That at-grade rail crossing would allow MacDuff to be extended to connect to Hwy. 74 where it currently intersects with the southern leg of Kedron Drive.

“That road has always been in our master plan on every document I’ve seen,” Logsdon said. “I’d like to keep it there.”

Logsdon hopes to at least get the company to screen the “rail siding,” which will allow a train of up to 110 cars long to get off the main tracks so it can be passed by other trains.

CSX officials told the city that trains could park on the siding for as short as a half hour up to 12 hours, said City Public Information Officer Betsy Tyler.

That has sparked safety concerns because of the use of railroad cars to carry hazardous chemicals. That also brings on security issues, and Logsdon noted that the siding is located on the only section of track that is not screened from view from Ga. Highway 74.

Logsdon wants the railroad to add landscaping to buffer the rail siding, and he also hopes the railroad will contribute towards the construction of a bridge over the railroad tracks so MacDuff Parkway can be extended to Hwy. 74. If built as proposed by the city’s traffic engineering consultants, MacDuff would link up with Hwy. 74 with the northern leg of Kedron Drive where a traffic light currently exists.

Logsdon said if the Comcast rail crossing is closed, the bridge will be necessary if the city is to consider annexing 787 acres for a subdivision with and a senior “self contained community” with 700 homes.

Logsdon hopes to convince the railroad to help pay for the bridge, along with the two developers seeking the annexation: Levitt and Sons and John Wieland Homes.

“I don’t think the City Council would vote for the annexation if we don’t have a way out of the West Village to 74,” Logsdon said.

While the city might be able to find a small way to chip in toward the bridge project, perhaps by doing some engineering work, the city would not be able to fund any significant portion of the cost.

“We’re not going to put a big chunk of a financial investment in a bridge,” Logsdon said.

Logsdon noted that Levitt and Sons is working with John Wieland Homes on their annexation proposals, and he sees that as a plus.

“They’re being very open with the public about what they’re doing,” Logsdon said. “There are no secrets.”

Between the two companies, they have secured all but 123 acres of land to be developed in the proposed “West Village” annexation, which includes land currently in the unincorporated county north of the city limits running up to the city limits of Tyrone.

“That senior development is going to be a plus for Peachtree City,” Logsdon said, noting that he visited a similar Levitt and Sons development in Canton, Ga.

Last week, Logsdon penned a letter to CSX officials about the city’s concerns regarding the rail siding last week but he has not heard back from the company.

In his letter, Logsdon not only cited the possible difficulty with hazardous chemicals, but also the safety problem with closing the Comcast Cable crossing, which would deny one access road in and out of the West Village. Logsdon noted that about 1,200 residents live in the West Village area and the proposed annexations would add another 2,500 residents potentially.

“Many residents are asking why the siding is not located elsewhere — in our industrial park, or along one of the many thousands of miles of agricultural land throughout the state,” Logsdon wrote.

At least if the rail siding is completed and the Comcast Cable crossing is closed, there could still be a benefit for the city, as trains might be able to travel through the area without blowing their whistles, Logsdon noted.