In a very polite

exchange last week, Fayette state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh told the Peachtree

City Council he needed to know its priorities for major road projects,

particularly when it comes to counting on the city's share of the funding

for those projects.

There may be

a chance to fast-track important projects, including the widening of Ga.

Highway 74 from Hwy. 54 to Hwy. 85, which is crucial for the city's industrial

park, Seabaugh said.

But Seabaugh

said he feels uncomfortable negotiating with the state Department of Transportation

on projects for Peachtree City when he is unsure of the city's commitment

to the various road projects.

"When

I go to the DOT, the question is get is, 'Are you sure they really want

it?'" Seabaugh said. The senator also apologized for not working

closer with city officials to make sure the city's funding was in place.

Currently the

widening of Hwy. 74 isn't scheduled to be complete until 2010, but $5

million in funds were secured last summer for right-of-way acquisition

on the project north of Crosstown Road.

Seabaugh particularly

wants the TDK extension into Coweta County done as soon as possible to

provide a relief valve for clogged traffic that will be further delayed

once the Hwy. 54 widening project picks up steam.

Seabaugh cited

a letter from the city on placing a traffic light at the intersection

that serves Panasonic and its 975 employees (with the city paying approximately

$150,000 to add turn lanes and the state paying for the light) and another

letter saying there weren't funds for the TDK extension because the money

was shifted to the Hwy. 54 widening.

But councilwoman

Annie McMenamin pointed out that the city has already committed $350,000

towards engineering for the TDK extension, which is approximately 90 percent

complete. She added that the city wanted to have TDK built as early as

nine years ago, but Coweta County officials weren't interested at the

time.

"What

we need to do is sit down with you and (Fayette County Commission Chairman)

Greg Dunn and Coweta County and see how we can fund this fairly,"

McMenamin said.

Councilman

Steve Rapson said the city also has committed another $460,000 for the

project and he was "a little concerned that the business community

is not aware of those numbers."

Seabaugh said

he sees the extension of TDK Boulevard into Coweta County as more critical

to provide a traffic relief valve once crews begin the Hwy. 54 widening

project as early as this summer. But Mayor Steve Brown said he felt that

would clog traffic on Hwy. 74 in the Crosstown Drive area, possibly creating

a situation similar to that experienced on Hwy. 54 currently.

Seabaugh said

council could easily ask motorists stuck in traffic on Hwy. 54 how they

felt about having TDK Boulevard extended as an alternate route into Fayette.

"They're

sitting there," Seabaugh said, noting that many of those motorists

stuck on Hwy. 54 provide a large share of Peachtree City's workforce,

particularly in the industrial park.

He added that

businesses and industries are concerned about transportation issues for

their employees.

McMenamin said

she didn't know anything about commitments to fund the extra lanes for

the Panasonic traffic light but she wanted to make sure the issue was

handled properly.

Mayor Steve

Brown said the city's budget crunch, which plays a role in its road funding

dollars, is led by factors that can't be controlled such as higher insurance

costs. But he also wants the Hwy. 74 widening to be speeded up.

Brown also

said he was worried about the development status of the land on Coweta's

side of the TDK Boulevard extension, but he added that there is no opposition

from the Peachtree City Council to the project.

"I just

want to make sure we're doing things in the proper order," Brown

said.

Rapson said

he was concerned that the opinion that TDK would help traffic on Hwy.

54 came from the same engineering firm that told Peachtree City "there

would be no problem" with the presence of the Wal-Mart and Home Depot

on Hwy. 54.

As for the

widening of Hwy. 74, Brown said it would cost the city $310,000 to relocate

utilities and a new revenue stream will be needed to secure those funds.

Brown proposed

having the legislature allow municipalities to collect special local option

sales tax to pay for such projects, but Seabaugh said he opposes tacking

on any new taxes.

Former mayor

Bob Lenox said he would be okay with a tax increase if the City Council

could provide a plan to improve traffic via the major road construction

projects.

"We're

willing to pay for it if you're leading us into the future," Lenox

said.

Council decided

to have city staff compile a list of projected costs for each project

so it could make an informed decision. McMenamin also said she would work

to set up a meeting with the Fayette and Coweta county commissions