The vegetation growing in 100 acres of Lake Peachtree will be cut and later harvested as the lake begins to fill later in the fall. The City Council on Sept. 3 agreed to a $50,000 price tag to have the work performed by Estate Management Services (EMS).
(Read a dissenting view on the brush removal in Letters to the Editor, Page A6)
Following a recommendation by city staff, the council voted 4-0 to approve up to $50,000 to have specialty company EMS cut and remove tall vegetation on 101 acres that is outside the area being dredged by Fayette County.
Interim City Manager Jon Rorie said the initial conversation with EMS dealt with up to 150 acres of tall vegetation cutting and mulching and the use of a harvester to skim off the dried vegetation that will float to the surface once the lake begins filling.
Rorie said a follow-up discussion with EMS to address 101 acres of the 200-acre lake, including the use of the harvester, would cost no more than $50,000. The original price for the 150-acre job would have been $69,000, Rorie said.
The vegetation needing to be cut, some of which is 7-8 feet in height, totals 101 acres.
Once the lake is full the debris will float to the top and will be skimmed off using a special harvester, the council was told in August.
The work will also remove a number of black willow trees now growing out of the water near the shore.
Per council approval, $32,000 of the amount will come from savings in the Public Works budget with the $18,000 balance initially expected to come from general fund reserves. Rorie said it is likely that the remaining $18,000 will also come from Public Works.
The work will be performed in conjunction with the county’s dredging work, now expected to be completed in mid-October.
Councilman Eric Imker prior to the vote withdrew what he referred to as his negative comments at the past meeting where he called for the county to bear the expense of removing the vegetation. Imker noted that Fayette County will be paying $28,000 for work on the Pinecrest boat ramp and another $12,000 on restocking the lake.
Put in perspective, Rorie previously said the cost to hand-cut 40 acres in the often marshy lake bed would cost approximately $180,000.
Previous attempts to negotiate the soggy area has resulted in tractors partially sinking in the mud, Rorie said.
