Published Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Senoia to take a 10-year town photo Jan. 1

By Sarah Fay Campbell

The Newnan Times-Herald

On Jan. 1, 2000, hundreds of Senoia residents gathered in downtown for the "millennium photograph."

Ten years later, they're going to do it again.

The "Stand by Me" portrait will be taken Jan. 1, 2010, at 2 p.m.

Lynne Wendt and Tony Bell of the Senoia Area Historical Society appeared before the Senoia City Council Monday night to discuss the event.

The millennium photo, taken by Senoia photographer Gary Gruby, hangs at both the Senoia Coffee Company and the historical society's headquarters house.

"Our mission, as we see it, is really to preserve the history and to document the history" of Senoia, Wendt said.

The society wants to take another picture because "Senoia has changed a lot in the past 10 years, and we want to document that change," Wendt said. There have been new residents moving in, and older residents who have passed away. There are also new buildings on Main Street, and changes have been made to older ones.

"It's a whole new landscape," Wendt said. "We're basically asking everybody to come down and stand together on Main Street so we can take their photograph."

The historical society is hoping to borrow rocking chairs "from all over town" to put in the front row for Senoia's oldest residents, Wendt said.

Wendt requested that the city close Main Street between the coffee shop and Seavy Street from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the photo.

The request was approved unanimously.

In other meeting business:

* Councilman Maurice Grover made a motion to appoint Councilman Jeff Fisher as the city's representative on the Coweta County Library Board of Trustees.

Fisher was named to the board last week by mayoral appointment.

There was no discussion, and the vote was 4-0, with Fisher abstaining.

"Well, the silence is deafening," said Mayor Robert Belisle before Grover's motion was made.

* The council voted to pay half the cost for improvements to four ball fields at Leroy Johnson Park.

Carl McKnight, Coweta's recreation director, told the council that he likes to renovate the fields every three years or so. The work would replace worn-out sod and the infield soil, and should help improve drainage, McKnight said.

Coweta County has cut expenses, and McKnight said he only had enough money to do the work on two fields. The low bid for four fields is $5,700, and McKnight asked the city to contribute half.

"This is needed terribly," said Grover. "None of the ball fields drain. They puddle, they hold water. If we get a sprinkle, we have to cancel games," Grover said. And "it's a nightmare to reschedule."

The council voted to contribute up to $2,900 from city recreation impact fees for the project.

* Suzanne Helfman of the Senoia Downtown Development Authority announced that advance tickets from Sunday's Candlelight Tour of Homes are available at various downtown businesses, as well as at the Welcome Center.

* The council went into closed session to discuss real estate. After returning to open session, the council voted to move forward with an appraisal, survey, and phase one assessment on an unnamed piece of property.