Line Creek

Parkway will be built according to city standards,

despite a request by the builder to deviate from the norm

just a bit.

Michael

Rossetti asked the City Council at its Dec. 2 meeting for

a variance to the paving standard for the road. He wanted

to increase the thickness of the gravel base by two

inches and reduce the thickness of the asphalt by about

an inch and a half.

Rossetti's

proposed specifications were in compliance with state

Department of Transportation requirements.

The overall

paving section would be increased by a half-inch under

Rossetti's proposal, but the increase would be in less

expensive base material, according to city staff.

Rossetti

had indicated that he would invest the savings in a

landscaped buffer between the parkway and the homes in

Wynnmeade, and without the variance he would be unable to

do much, if any, landscaping, city staff said.

At the

council meeting, Rossetti said that the city's standards

are "a little heavy," and that the foundation

is most important, like in a house. Therefore, the

increased base is the key, he reasoned.

Doug

McMurrain of RAM Development, who said his company is

paying for about 75 percent of the road project, told the

council that the variance boils down to a cost issue and

a practical issue.

The road

work was budgeted according to old standards, after

litigation involving property for the parkway was

settled, McMurrain said. The current paving standards for

Peachtree City were adopted in 1997.

Approving

the variance would allow the developer to save $50,000 on

the road and still meet state standards, McMurrain said.

The extra money would go into landscaping.

If the

variance is denied, McMurrain asked that city staff at

least be given the authority to make decisions of this

nature regarding future projects, which they were unable

to do in this case.

Robert

Brown, a Planterra Ridge resident and soon-to-be

alternate on the Planning Commission, said that the city

needs to be sure it has a good road, because the city

will be responsible for its upkeep long after it is

completed.

Councilman

Jim Pace said that he considered the state's standards to

be good, but he felt a variance was not appropriate in

this case. He did express the opinion that city staff

could have a bit more flexibility in this area.

The rest of

the council agreed, as Robert Brooks moved to deny the

variance and send the matter back to staff for further

review. The motion passed unanimously.

In other

business, the City Council approved a resolution entering

into an installment sale agreement with the Georgia

Municipal Association concerning the acquisition and

construction of the new police station.

Financing

for the $2.27 million project is being provided by First

Union Bank at a 5.27-percent interest rate over 15 years,

according to city staff records. The agreement and

accompanying resolution are required for the GMA's

participation in the project.

The

agreement was approved unanimously.

Michael

Harman was named to begin a five-year term on the Water

and Sewerage Authority beginning Jan. 1. Councilwoman

Annie McMenamin, who served on the selection committee

with Pace and city manager Jim Basinger, said the

qualifications of all five applicants were impressive,

and her motion to appoint Harman passed unanimously.

Two current

members of the Recreation Commission, John Connolly and

Jan Shannon-Zink, were reappointed for three-year terms,

with Tammy Pakulski named as an alternate. A committee

consisting of Basinger, McMenamin and Councilwoman Carol

Fritz recommended the three applicants.

McMenamin

said Connolly and Zink had proven themselves

"assets" to the city, and noted that Pakulski

was qualified to step in at anytime if necessary.

Her motion

to approve all three positions passed unanimously.