There has been a change in the approach to be used in removing the silt build-up and vegetation growth in portions of Lake Peachtree. The Peachtree City Council on Feb. 5 decided to forego dredging and enter into negotiations to have vegetation removed in identified areas. The cost savings for having only the vegetation removed will be substantial.
The council during the discussion, and at the initiation of Councilman Eric Imker, decided by consensus to only consider vegetation removal and to forego the more expensive dredging operation.
The current bid cost for removing all identified vegetation is $235,000.
Staff during the discussion noted that the prices provided by Massana Construction, the firm being used by the county for its dredging work, were negotiable.
“There is still some negotiation, so we’re not looking for a decision tonight,” said City manager Jim Pennington.
Pennington said there are a number of unknowns with the project, such as the issue dealing with how to cut grass in a lake.
A study by Integrated Science and Engineering divided the lake and shoreline in to six zones.
Zone 1 – costs are $50,000 for vegetation removal. The large Zone 1 is located on the northwest area of the lake.
Zone 2 – costs are $120,000 for vegetation removal. Zone 2, also a large area, is located on the northeast area of the lake.
Zone 3 – costs are $6,500 for vegetation removal. Zone 3 is located in the west central lake area.
Zone 4 – costs are $58,500 for vegetation removal. Zone 4 is located in the east central area of the lake.
Zone 5 – there is no vegetation to remove in this zone. Zone 5 is located in southwest portion of the lake.
Zone 6 – there is no vegetation to remove in this zone. Zone 6 is located in the southeast lake area.
The cost for the vegetation removal from all six zones totaled $235,000 while the dredging of all six zones would have totaled an additional $602,500. With dredging no long under consideration, Pennington said the council could expect more information on the negotiations at the next council meeting.
The dredging work by the county, which includes the large area south of the Hwy. 54 bridge and in substantial portions of Zone 1 and Zone 2, is expected to get underway in late February or early March, said Pennington.
At the recommendation of Councilwoman Kim Learnard, city staff will also explore the idea of having the vegetation disposed of in a controlled burn to save on the overall cost of the project.PTC to cut the grass
