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.

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