The town of Tyrone wants to hook up with an existing sewer system, a topic that came before the Peachtree City Council last week.
A presentation from the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) at the Nov. 3 meeting of the council ended with a brief discussion on the request by Tyrone to have WASA provide limited sewer service.
WASA Chairman Bill Holland was at the podium to give a brief update on WASA’s activities. Holland at the conclusion of the presentation was asked by Councilman Phil Prebor if providing sewer capacity to Tyrone, a subject that has been discussed on a number of occasions this year without resolution, would be a “win-win.”
Holland said that would be the case and would add approximately 300 customers to WASA’s system.
Holland added that he hoped for a resolution to the issue.
Prebor subsequently asked how the council could help with the resolution.
“Tyrone told us what they wanted. The council prepared the agreement for Tyrone. The agreement was taken away from us,” said WASA board member Phil Mahler. “So it surprises me that you’re asking.”
Mahler also said the City Council decides if WASA can provide services outside the city, adding that WASA would be happy to participate in exploring a resolution to the issue.
Though WASA is a stand-alone authority, the council in times past has axed the idea of expansion due to the fact that the city signed off on a previous WASA bond.
The no-sewer-outside-the-city provision dates to the original purchase of the privately-owned Georgia Utilities by Peachtree City in the mid-1990s. It came in the form of a pledge made by the City Council to city residents at the time. The idea behind the pledge was that wherever a sewer line goes, much higher density development almost always follows.
City Manager Jon Rorie weighed in on the conversation, saying the city provided a proposal but has not heard from Tyrone.
With Mahler noting that conversations on the sewer project have gone back and forth, Councilman Terry Ernst responded saying, “It’s not for WASA to make our deal.”
“(Tyrone) reached out but I don’t know if they understand the costs involved,” said Councilman Mike King.
The idea of having WASA provide up to 350,000 gallons per day of sewer to Tyrone has been discussed in numerous meetings during the year, with the first occurring in January.
Impasse or not, there has been no public confirmation one way or the other as to the outcome of the talks.
Tyrone Mayor Eric Dial in July said, “It is only responsible for us to be working with other providers in the event that Peachtree City makes it impractical to enter into a relationship with them. If they come to the table making too many demands, then I‘m not doing my job if I don’t confer with others.”
Dial said Fayetteville is one of the sewer providers in talks with the town, adding that WASA met the “common sense test” and remains the preferred provider.
