THOMPSON

jthompson @thecitizennews.com

Agreement to

fund and build a new east-west connector between Fayette and Coweta counties

is nearly a done deal, with just final touches from lawyers holding up

final passage, officials said Thursday night.

"The essence

of the agreement is in place and the spirit of the agreement is done;

it's just a matter of lawyering it," said Peachtree City Councilman

Dan Tennant. "We'll have it signed, sealed and delivered very soon,"

Tennant said of the extension of TDK Boulevard into Coweta County.

Mayor Steve

Brown agreed that the remaining issues were minor in scope. Councilwoman

Annie McMenamin said she understood that Coweta County stood ready to

commit its funds to the project as well.

During Thursday's

County Commission meeting, Fayette's leaders signed off an intergovernmental

agreement calling for full support for the road.

Coweta County

Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter attended the meeting and reiterated

his county's full cooperation for the road.

Fayette Chairman

Greg Dunn explained the deal was essentially done, except for some final

wording in the agreement.

He also said

the road would not have been able to be built this soon without the cooperation

of local governments.

Thursday night

the Peachtree City Council met in a specially called meeting specifically

to sign the deal. Council specifically wanted to ink the deal and then

attend the county commission meeting at 7 p.m. to show support for the

agreement in the hopes the county would also sign on Thursday night.

But county

officials want their lawyers to have one more crack at it before they

are ready to consider approving it, said Tennant.

In the Atlanta

Regional Commission's long-term transportation plan, the road was not

slated to be built until 2025.

Considering

the road an immediate need, Dunn, along with Peachtree City and Coweta

County leaders, worked out a deal to fund the road locally.

Essentially,

Coweta County will build its side of the road and Fayette County will

handle construction on this side of Line Creek.

Dunn said Peachtree

City will pay the county $200,000 in two payments over the next two years

and let the county manage the project.

Local business

leaders are pushing the project as an alternate route for Coweta County

residents who work in Peachtree City's industrial park. State Sen. Mitch

Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) also wants the TDK project done soon to help alleviate

congestion on Ga. Highway 54 West in Peachtree City, which will likely

get worse as construction begins on making that stretch of highway four

lanes.

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