After more

than two years of negotiations, the city of Senoia agreed

Monday night to purchase the Southern Mills wastewater

treatment plant for $750,000.

The

purchase is the final piece in the puzzle for the city to

build and operate its own sewer system.

"I

feel good about this. I think this is the best decision

we could have made," said Mayor Joan Trammell.

The city

will pay Southern Mills $500,000 before Dec. 31, and the

final payment of $250,000 is due by Aug. 31, 2000. Along

with the wastewater treatment facility, the town is

purchasing more than 100 acres from the company, which

the mayor said could eventually be harvested for timber.

Both

Trammell and Southern Mills officials said the city is

getting an excellent deal. A recent appraisal put the

value of the treatment plant and the land at $1.5

million.

"We're

getting everything for just what the land is worth,"

Trammell said.

Southern

Mills vice president of manufacturing Steve Mitchell said

he wanted the citizens to know the company was basically

donating more than $800,000 to the city, based on the

appraisal.

As part of

the agreement, the city agreed that water and sewer rates

charged to Southern Mills would not exceed residential

water and sewer rates for a 20-year period and the

company will continue to operate the treatment plant

until the city makes its final payment next August.

Now that

the purchase of the treatment facility is complete, the

city can proceed with building a sewer system.

The first

stage will provide sewerage to the city's lower income

residents, along with the central business area and

Martinwood subdivision, which has a history of failed

septic systems.

The second

phase will run lines to the rest of the city and the new

subdivisions that are sprouting up through town.

The total

cost of both phases is $3.3 million and the estimated

time for sewering the whole city is approximately three

years.

The city

plans to pay for the system through a combination of

special local option sales taxes, grants and low interest

loans.

The city

already has a $500,000 grant from the state Department of

Community Affairs to help pay for providing sewerage to

the city's low income residents.