Quick Poll

Do you give annually to the Coweta Can-A-Thon?

Related Story

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Thursday, June 18, 2009 in Local

TDK Boulevard Extension funds reallocated

By Sarah Fay Campbell

The Times-Herald

Since the extension of TDK Boulevard won't be happening any time soon, Coweta County is taking the money set aside for the project and using it for other projects.

Coweta had allocated approximately $1 million in Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds for the road project, County Administrator Theron Gay told the Coweta County Board of Commissioners Tuesday night.

Plans for the extension had TDK Boulevard in Peachtree City being extended across Line Creek and intersecting with McIntosh Trail. After several years of planning and discussion, the Peachtree City Council put a stop to the plans in the summer of 2007. Fayette County and Coweta County would have constructed the road on their respective sides and would have worked with the Georgia Department of Transportation to split the cost for the bridge over Line Creek.

The proposed McIntosh Trail Village would have had frontage on the extension, which was to be called Vernon Hunter Parkway on the Coweta side in honor of the long-time county administrator and former commissioner.

"The plans have changed somewhat on the McIntosh development for this time. They have also changed in Peachtree City," Gay said. "The bridge project has been turned back in to the state, so it no longer exists."

The county still supports the project, said Chairman Paul Poole.

Funding can be allocated in the future, when the project becomes viable, Gay said. "This allows us to free those funds and build some other projects we need."

Wayne Kennedy, Coweta's director of development and engineering, spoke to the commissioners about several projects.

"It's been a very busy and productive year," Kennedy said.

The county is in its final year of stormwater flood mapping and has partnered with Fayette County to do a study of the Line Creek basin. "That's going to save us a good deal of money," Kennedy said. The department has installed a water quality monitoring station on Cedar Creek, and is currently working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to "improve our flood insurance rates."

The county has been averaging $6.5 million in construction projects per year, Kennedy said. He hopes to have work at the intersection of Lower Fayetteville Road and Ga. Hwy. 154 begin by the end of the summer.

Over the last four years, the county has repaved some 60 miles of roadway using the full-depth reclamation process. "We have 20 miles under contract, which should be completed by the end of July, and we're going to be issuing a contract to do 30 miles of striping and raised pavement markers on some of these roads that we have recently completed the rehabilitation on," Kennedy said.

With full-depth reclamation, "we're looking to obtain at least 15 years of service without having to go back and do maintenance," Kennedy said. He's also looking at putting overlay coats on some roads that are beginning to have issues, "so we can save those and not have to spend the additional dollars on full-depth reclamation."

Last year, Kennedy said, the county concentrated primarily on subdivision streets, but most of the work has been on main thoroughfares.

The culvert replacement on Canongate Road is going well, Kennedy said. "They're supposed to be through with that by August, and at the rate they're going, and if the weather holds up, I think they're going to make it."

Lastly, Kennedy said the engineering work for the proposed Poplar Road interchange on Interstate 85 will likely begin in late summer or early fall.

In other meeting business:

*The board heard a presentation from Matt Wilder about the master plan for a recreation area on county property on Happy Valley Circle. The plan shows two large and two small soccer fields, two baseball fields, a gym, tennis courts, a playground, a pavilion, a walking trail, and a short nature trail.

The first phase would include the soccer fields.

Wilder said the estimate for clearing and grading, stormwater management, utilities, and site work is $1.4 million.

Commissioner Rodney Brooks questioned Wilder about that figure. "That does not include ball fields or a building?" he asked. "That's $40,000 an acre just for stormwater and site prep?"

The estimate is based on the cost a contractor would charge, Wilder said. "I know the county does a lot of stuff themselves," he added.

Construction of the park will have to be funded by a future Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, Gay said. "We may be able to go in and do some work with our crews before we go out for the next SPLOST," he said. "Of course, this is simply an estimate."

Commissioner Randolph Collins expressed some concern about the quarter-mile nature trail that would wind through the woods at the back of the property. He's worried about possible crime or illegal activity on the trails, and would like to see something more open and less isolated.

*Approved was a request by Kenwood to feature Coweta County fire and public works crews in advertising for Kenwood radios.

"We've used a lot of Kenwood products," Gay said.

*Approved was a request from the city of Senoia for assistance with building a nature trail at the park at Marimac Lakes.

*Approved were requests for a family cemetery on Gordon Road and for a conditional use permit to allow a church to locate in the former Sequoyah Stone building on Ga. Hwy. 154.

Comment On This Story

Times-Herald.com does not necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Responsibility of comments rests solely with the writer. Comments posted in ALL CAPS will be deleted.

Submission of a comment does not guarantee publication. Comments will be posted by a moderator after being scanned for abusive language, relevance, etc. See our Comments FAQ for more details.