Peachtree City finally has some answers about how to go about repairing the exterior wall at the lower level.
The problem was discovered several months ago when a significant crack was noticed in the exterior. Soon after it was determined that the exterior panels were never attached to the concrete block in that area of the building, city officials said.
The downstairs entrance to the library has remained closed while a consultant has studied the problem in a bid to determine the best course of action to repair it.
A very rough estimate, which involves anchoring the exterior surface to the concrete block and the steel skeleton, was that the work would cost about $26,000, City Engineer David Borkowski told the City Council Thursday night.
The city in 2004 addressed other structural deficiencies with the library but this particular problem was not found at that time, Borkowski said.
City Attorney Ted Meeker said that due to a cutoff date built into Georgia law, the city would not be able to successfully seek damages against the contractor who built the library.
With concrete engineering drawings on the repair process completed this week, the city will be able to price out the work to be considered at a future council meeting, according to city staff.
In other business Thursday, council approved an agreement that will result in a community garden being built off Kelly Drive just across from Lake Peachtree on the former site of the Fayette County Water Department’s distribution shop. A nearby resident challenged the agreement, saying he and his neighbors were unaware and that he was concerned with the increased use of the property.
It was noted that gardening is a relatively quiet pastime, and certainly more quiet than the initial proposal of locating a radio controlled car track at the same location.
Council also voted to spend $153,000 to purchase a street sweeper with stormwater funds, which will allow the city to have more flexibility in addressing citizen complaints compared to the current contract arrangement with a private company. The arrangement will also save the city about $20,000 a year.
City staff asked for a Elgin Pellican sweeper because fleet maintenance employees are experienced with that brand, officials said.
In a separate matter, City Manager Jim Pennington announced that Finance Director Paul Salvatore received a distinguished award of a scholarship to the Advanced Government Finance Institute seminar in Wisconsin, which is being paid for by the Georgia Government Financial Officers Association.
