Published Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Senoia hopes to use trail money for sidewalks
The Times-Herald
Senoia's proposed multi-use trail plan has gone through many changes over the years without the trails being completed. Now, the city hopes to use the grant money to improve sidewalks downtown.
In 2000, the city was awarded a $350,000 federal "congestion mitigation/air quality" grant.
It was originally planned to be used for a multi-use trail joining the city's Seavy Street park to Leroy Johnson Park on Howard Road.
The trail was delayed until the city's sewer system was completed.
When the city purchased the Merrimac Lakes property, it was decided to reroute the trail to go through the park.
The park trail is currently under construction, paid for with funds from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
But it's the "lane" on city streets that will be a problem. The idea was to have a 10-foot lane on city right-of-way along Seavy and Pylant streets. That concept report was approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation in 2006. But the railroad companies are not cooperating, City Administrator Richard Ferry told the council.
The CSX crossing "is going to be nearly impossible," Ferry said. "And the cost, if we are going to do it, is going to far exceed CMAQ funds."
Ferry said he hasn't really been able to get an answer from Norfolk Southern, but he doesn't think it will be good news.
The council discussed the problem at its retreat this spring and decided to try stopping the lanes just short of the tracks.
"We determined that probably wasn't the way to go," Ferry said. "The city wasn't interested in spending that much money to basically run a painted line down these two streets."
So the city was considering actually giving up the grant money before Ferry talked to the grant administrator for the city's Transportation Enhancement Activity grant, which paid for some improvements to downtown sidewalks.
The administrator said the city could keep the grant by turning the 10-foot-wide path into a 4-foot-wide bike lane. The cost of the striping will only be about $18,000, Ferry told the council.
The city's TEA grant was not enough to pay for the entire downtown project. If the DOT will approve it, the remaining CMAQ funds can be used to install a sidewalk along Main Street, across from city hall.
The city might be able to get back some of the funds already spent in designing the CMAQ project, Ferry said.
The council voted to move forward with getting the change approved by the DOT.
The city will eventually build a multi-use trail connecting downtown with the subdivisions along Rockaway Road. But the city will have to acquire land for that, so it could be extremely difficult to try and build it with CMAQ funds, Ferry said. That path will be built with local funds.
In other meeting business:
* The council voted to move forward with contracting leaf and limb pickup.
The city public works department will no longer do regular leaf and limb pickup. Instead, the city's garbage contractor, Dependable Waste, will do it. The additional cost is $4 per month, per home. The city will pick up $2 per month.
After the meeting, Ferry said the city will likely have to work with some apartment dwellers, who don't need the leaf and limb pickup service.
At a public hearing held on the issue, it was also suggested that the city look into having a recycling center.
* The council approved a resolution supporting the McIntosh Trail Scenic Byway project.
* The council approved a well head protection ordinance.
* A discussion of water conservation was postponed, as was a hearing on using radar for speed enforcement. The city is awaiting more information from the state on the radar issue, Ferry said. That hearing was rescheduled for Aug. 4.
* Public hearings on the millage rate will be held July 21 at 7 p.m., and July 23 at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.