Senoia considers future projects
By W. Winston Skinnerwinston@newnan.com
Discussions from a retreat earlier this year continue to drive discussion of various topics in Senoia.
On Monday, the city council agreed to send three concepts – which were discussed at the retreat in north Georgia – to the planning commission for study. The concepts are:
• To create another residential district – residential historic. No property would initially be placed in that district, but people could seek rezoning to that classification.
The new designation would allow for more flexibility for residential development in the historic overlay as long as no additional infrastructure is needed.
• Removing lots fronting on Highway 16 from the historic overlay and instead having the Highway 16/85 overlay extended from the CSX Railroad to Dead Oak Road.
“It sounds good,” Mayor Robert Belisle said. “Let’s send them all to the planning commission.”
The council also agreed to have AMEC Consulting study plans for recreation so projects can be ready for bidding. The areas to be studied include:
• A parking lot at Seavy Street Park.
• The events lawn, parking and drainage issues at Marimac Lakes.
• Engineering to determine easements at the entrance between Stonebridge subdivision and Seavy Street Park, which runs along a creek.
• A multi-use trail running between Cumberland and Cumberland Village “It’s doable, but it’s going to be quite a bit more expensive than we originally thought,” City Administrator Richard Ferry told the council.He said he expects the total for all the projects to be in the $1 million range.
The fees for AMEC – $98,900 – will come from impact fees.
Belisle asked if some of the money for the trails might be considered transportation funds.
City Attorney Drew Whalen said he would check, but that he thought a change in state law would permit that designation.
Belisle said he had looked into the issue and thought it would work.
He told Whalen he would be “waiting for your affirmative on that.”
Money for all the recreation projects will come from the recently approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax that will be collected starting in 2013.
Senoia resident Ken Hazelton asked for an update on plans for weather sirens. Ferry said the city’s siren project will be done in conjunction with the county’s overall project.
Funds for sirens will come from 2013 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax money.
“It’s about one year out,” Belisle said.
Hazelton asked if money from a previous SPLOST could be used to speed up the process.
SPLOST dollars can only be sent for projects approved when that sales tax was passed by voters. The siren project “was not listed as a project under the previous SPLOST,” Belisle explained.
