The long-held idea of connecting Senoia and Peachtree City with a cart path was a topic for general discussion at the Senoia City Council’s Feb. 3 meeting. The item was originally included for the Peachtree City Council meeting Thursday night, but was removed from the agenda prior to the meeting.
The proposal to connect the two cities by way of a cart path first surfaced officially three years ago in Senoia’s master recreation plan. Now as then, funding for the project is the major obstacle.
Funding aside for the moment, the Senoia council Monday night was presented with three potential alternatives that could someday lead to the construction of a path provided funding for the project is obtained.
Alternatives 1 and 2 would have the path extending from Meade Park near Ga. Highway 74 along the east or west side of Rockaway Road while Alternative 3 would have the path begin at Meade Park and extend to the baseball and soccer fields on Hwy. 74 and then to the south where it would cross over Line Creek and into the Heritage Pointe subdivision, said Senoia City Manager Richard Ferry.
The first two alternatives would include 7,300 feet of path while the third alternative would include 14,400 feet of path, Ferry said.
While there were pros and cons for each of the alternatives, the largest obstacle will likely be the cost of the project which has not yet been determined.
Providing background on the project and noting the financial responsibilities for the work, Ferry said Senoia during the summer was named as lead jurisdiction on the project that funded the engineering of the multi-purpose trail connecting the Senoia to Peachtree City. In August, Senoia approved a SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) expenditure for its portion of the engineering.
“Senoia staff was made aware that Coweta County supported the project because of its regional connectivity via alternative transportation. However, the city was made aware that the county could not assist financially. This poses an issue for both Senoia and Peachtree City to expend funds for improvements outside of their jurisdiction,” Ferry said.
Ferry continued, saying “In October, Senoia was advised that Peachtree City was awaiting the result of the Fayette County SPLOST vote prior to determining funding. That SPLOST vote failed and the Peachtree City City Council is taking up alternative funding during their meeting on Thursday, Feb. 6.”
The Peachtree City Council at the Thursday meeting was expected to take up the issue, but the item was pulled from the agenda prior to the meeting.
Regardless the alternative chosen, funds for the project will be needed for items such as right of way acquisition, path materials, the construction of a bridge over Line Creek and the accompanying floodplain.
Noting the historical perspective on connecting the two cities, Ferry referenced the Senoia Parks and Recreation Master Plan completed in 2011.
“The conclusions indicate that the most used recreational activities in Senoia are the recreational trails. Expansion of the recreational trails is also the most sought after improvement. Goal 4 (in the plan) is to connect the city’s recreational trail system with the Peachtree City system,” said Ferry.
