Plans for the

extension of TDK Boulevard across Line Creek and into Coweta County are

"90 percent complete" but have sat unfinished since late March

because of a disagreement between Fayette County and Peachtree City over

who should pay for engineering cost overruns.

Construction

of the road as proposed would require the blasting of rock from Line Creek,

a prospect that could cost the county an additional $180,000 but could

be avoided altogether if the design of the bridge is elevated.

But redesigning

the bridge at this stage, city engineer Troy Besseche said, will cost

an additional $63,000, an amount the city has said it simply cannot afford

and will not pay, even though a Feb. 9 financial agreement to build the

road required that the city pay all engineering costs and the county governments

share in the construction costs.

"The county

will have saved $180,000 by having the city pay an additional $63,000,"

said Besseche, who estimated Peachtree City has already shelled out in

excess of $300,000 on the project.

But County

Commissioner Greg Dunn said the added engineering costs are down to $30,000

and doesn't see this as a squabble between Peachtree City and the county.

"We have

a signed intergovernmental agreement with Peachtree City saying they're

going to pay for that engineering," Dunn said.

Dunn said if

Peachtree City has a problem with the agreement, city officials should

have asked to amend the agreement.

The county

asked the city to look into redesigning the bridge so the approaches on

both sides are higher, and thus clear the rock below, Besseche said.

"We told

them what the cost change was, but they said they weren't paying that,"

said Besseche.

Lee Hearn,

Fayette County public works director, said the wording in the contract

between the two governments leaves no doubt to who is responsible.

"In the

intergovernmental agreement, it was clear that they (Peachtree City) were

responsible for all the engineering funding," Hearn said. "It's

just unfortunate it has taken this long to get going on the project."

Peachtree

City has no logical reasons for delaying the extension, Hearn pointed

out, since the city will benefit greatly and is getting a good deal financially.

But in the

meantime, while each side waited for the other to blink, the drawings

have been gathering dust in the engineering department at Peachtree City

Hall for nearly two months. Coweta County engineers, meanwhile, continue

with right-of-way and easement work on its side of Line Creek, Besseche

said.

So far, the

debate over who should ante up has not gone higher than the staff level,

said Colin Halterman, who on Monday returned to his job as head of the

city's public services department after an eight-month stint as acting

city manager.

But the question

of whether or not the city should or can pay the $63,000 will likely be

on the June 5 City Council agenda, he said.

The delay is

a sticky issue for some members of the business community, who see the

Coweta-Fayette link as vital to bringing any new businesses into the industrial

park. Many of Peachtree City's industrial workers live in Coweta, and

traffic conditions on Ga. Highway 54 at rush hour are near gridlock now.

TDK Boulevard

proponents are also eager to have that route open and new commuter habits

established before work is completed on widening Hwy. 54, which is still

about two to three years off.

Some have accused

Mayor Steve Brown of stalling the project. In a letter to County Commission

Chairman Greg Dunn dated April 28, Brown says that the final plans for

the road "will meet the criteria of our agreement. It must be noted

that should you wish to make changes or amend those plans for any reason,

it will be at your expense."

Brown has butted

heads with the Chamber of Commerce and the Peachtree City Development

Authority in recent months and was perceived as an opponent of the extension

in the early going. But city staff say he has no greater role in the present

stalemate.

"Not true,"

said new City Manager Bernard J. McMullen. Besseche said the financial

haggling is what's holding up the road, plain and simple, and not "one

person ... We're trying to do it in a way that it won't waste city funds,"

he said.

While each

side waited for the other to blink, the drawings have been gathering dust

in the engineering department at Peachtree City Hall for nearly two months.

Coweta County engineers, meanwhile, continue with right-of-way and easement

work on its side of Line Creek, Besseche said.

So far, the

debate over who should ante up has not gone higher than the staff level,

said Colin Halterman, who on Monday returned to his job as head of the

city's public services department after an eight-month stint as acting

city manager.

But the question

of whether or not the city should or can pay the $63,000 will likely be

on the June 5 City Council agenda, he said.

The delay is

a sticky issue for some members of the business community, who see the

Coweta-Fayette link as vital to bringing any new businesses into the industrial

park. Many of Peachtree City's industrial workers live in Coweta, and

traffic conditions on Ga. Highway 54 at rush hour are near gridlock now.established

before work is completed on widening Hwy. 54, which is still about two

to three years off.

Some have accused

Mayor Steve Brown of stalling the project. In a letter to County Commission

Chairman Greg Dunn dated April 28, Brown says that the final plans for

the road "will meet the criteria of our agreement. It must be noted

that should you wish to make changes or amend those plans for any reason,

it will be at your expense."

Brown has butted

heads with the Chamber of Commerce and the Peachtree City Development

Authority in recent months and was perceived as an opponent of the extension

in the early going. But city staff say he has no greater role in the present

stalemate.

"Not true,"

said new City Manager Bernard J. McMullen. Besseche said the financial

haggling is what's holding up the road, plain and simple, and not "one

person ... We're trying to do it in a way that it won't waste city funds,"

he said.