Peachtree City may or may not spend money on dredging portions of Lake Peachtree not covered by Fayette County’s bid. The decision at the Nov. 20 council meeting was to piggyback on the county’s dredging bid to determine the cost before deciding on which area or areas, if any, the city should pay to dredge.
Noting that no decision could be made without knowing the costs involved, the council voted unanimously to have an Integrated Science and Engineering (ISE) map included in the county’s upcoming bid proposal.
ISE representative Richard Greuel showed a map of the lake divided into six areas. Greuel said dividing the lake into areas was done due to hauling costs that would be significantly different depending on the area of the lake where the work was done. Citing an example, he said hauling material from the area adjacent to Drake Field near City Hall would cost less than having to haul material from areas further to the south.
The map showed a number of potential dredging and vegetation removal areas around the lake that the city might choose to address. The county’s bid will include dredging a large area immediately south of Ga. Highway 54 and four other smaller areas on the east and west sides of the lake.
The bid will provide the council with the unit rate for the work and, as Greuel explained, will allow for the development of a grading plan which would include the distinction between removing vegetation and excavating silt.
Greuel said that approach would give council options regardless the area or areas of the lake they might want to address.
City Manager Jim Pennington said the county’s dredging project is expected to go to bid in December with the bids coming before the County Commission in late January or early February.
“And maybe we’ll know about the status of the dam by then,” Mayor Vanessa Fleisch added.
Several residents spoke on the potential project, with some suggesting that money not be spent until the cost of the dam project is known. Still others thought the money for the project would be better spent on other concerns.
Councilwoman Kim Learnard, who owns property on the lake, suggested during the discussion that the Lake Peachtree Association had a suggestion on an approach the council might consider. Representing the association, Tom Fulton proposed that the city could address only the area immediately south of the large area near Ga. Highway 54 that the county will dredge and a much smaller area around the Pebblestump boat ramp.
Next up for the potential project will be the prices coming from the bid the county will receive in early 2015. That time frame may allow for a decision from the state on whether the dam will be deemed a Category 1 or a Category 2 structure and the inherent cost involved with either project.
Work on the 50-year-old dam will be needed regardless of the category assigned to it by the state. But that work, and the cost of the project, will be significantly greater if it is tagged with the Category 1 label where a dam failure could lead to the loss of life.
