Published Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Senoia looks to improve sight distance for Heritage Pointe
The Newnan Times-Herald
The Senoia City Council is looking at ways to improve the road sight distance for residents leaving the Heritage Pointe subdivision, but the council balked at a resident's request that the city officially declare the intersection a traffic hazard.
Don Rehmond, a Heritage Pointe resident who frequently addresses the council, spoke at Monday night's city council meeting.
Rehmond said there are some concerns with plants that block the entrance. He has spoken to the management company that runs Heritage Pointe's homeowners association, and it has agreed to take care of the problem. If not, Rehmond said, he would like the city to treat the plants as a nuisance.
The city is considering moving a utility pole and cutting down a berm in order to increase sight distance. City Administrator Richard Ferry said he hopes to meet with the Coweta-Fayette EMC soon to discuss moving and to find out how much that will cost.
"We have diligently been pursuing" ideas to improve the sight distance, said Mayor Robert Belisle.
The speed limit on the road was lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph a few months ago.
Rehmond said he hasn't done calculations but suspects somebody going the speed limit could end up hitting someone pulling out of the subdivision.
"We've done the timing --it's 6.5 seconds from the time you first see the car," the mayor said. He said city officials timed many different vehicles, and 6.5 seconds was the average from the time the vehicle became visible to a car pulling out, to the car crossing the intersection.
"I would like to see the council have some sort of declaration or recognition that there is a safety situation for the public at our Heritage Pointe subdivision," Rehmond said.
"Because there are legal ramifications to that, that can't be done without a traffic engineer making that determination -- that is not something anybody sitting here in this room is qualified to do," Belisle said.
Rehmond asked if city police could do the study. They aren't qualified to do so, the mayor said.
"How do you get EMC to move a power pole on an expedited basis?" Rehmond asked.
"Because we have to pay for it. And they are quite willing to do it, if we pay for it," the mayor said.
Rehmond had also requested a mirror be installed to increase visibility.
Belisle said he had done some research on intersection mirrors. They are great for increasing visibility at hairpin turns, but "they are not recommended, and don't work well, for seeing down low sloping hills."
The field of vision is very small, and a car can pass it quickly, the mayor said.
Rehmond said he would like the council to include an update on the issue on each meeting agenda.
That is not going to happen, according to Belisle, though Rehmond is welcome to ask for an update.
The entrance to the subdivision was approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation, Belisle said. That was when the speed limit was 45.
Belisle said Rehmond is welcome to use the Twin Lakes entrance.
"It is a somewhat hairy intersection," Belisle said. "We are looking at remedies, to see if the city can fix it. Can we re-grade Rockaway Road? No, we cannot. Can we do things like move the plants and get the berm shaved down? Yes."
If a traffic engineer determines the intersection is not safe, "then we have to close that intersection."
"The city is exploring what we can do. I don't know what else to tell you," Belisle said.
In other meeting business:
n Councilman Larry Owens talked about the city's recycling program.
The city wants to increase participation in recycling.
Owens said he thinks hesitation on the part of the residents is partially from "some of the past problems that we had -- where you had to basically sort this and sort that and they would only take certain items."
The process is now much simplified. Nearly all items, other than fast-food containers and other boxes contaminated with food, can now be recycled. All items can be mixed together, though they should be rinsed to remove food residue.
"It is just as easy to throw it in the recycling bin as it is to throw it in the garbage can," Owens said. The city's garbage provider provides recycling bins. Larger cans, similar to what garbage goes into, can be bought for $55. "You don't have to use their containers, you can use whatever you want," Owens said.
"You'll be really surprised if you look at what you throw in the garbage can as opposed to what you put in the recycling cans," Owens said. "You will be surprised at how much solid waste you produce."
n The council approved several certificates of appropriateness recommended by the city's historic preservation commission, including one for a UPS drop box downtown.
n There is one vacancy on the historic preservation commission, and interested residents are encouraged to apply.
n The council approved a request by Mark Ball to run a water line, with fire hydrant, to serve homes on Hutchinson Lake Road. The council also requested that Ball re-plat his two lots into one lot so that one additional building permit can be granted for the property. The council had previously told Ball he would have to meet subdivision regulations to put any more homes on the property.
"To me, this offers a good chance to fix an existing problem," Belisle said.
The water lines and hydrant will be the responsibility of the residents, not the city, he said.
