News
Committee Created To Tackle Sewer Extension Proposal
By: Olivia Bevan
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A special committee of Athens city leaders is charged with taking up future discussions about a county commissioners' proposal to expand the city's sewer system.
The Athens City Council Planning and Development Committee moved Monday night to create the committee.
Commissioners originally presented the US 50 Corridor Wastewater plan at city council's regular session Sept. 17.
Council members opted to move the discussion to the planning and development committee.
The project aims to extend the city's sewer line to the intersection of Radford Road and US Route 50.
The newly-formed group will include administration, the safety-service director, the public works director, and two council members.
The decision came after the council and the commissioners debated over the development in the area the sewer extension would serve.
"One of my biggest concerns about this is that we are opening up a city service into the county that has no real controls on development," said Christine Fahl, city council member (D-4th Ward).
"There's no way it's going to be unlimited growth, you have existing business businesses, you have existing sub-divisions and a lot of the territory, just the geography of it, it's either a hillside or a low area that you can't build on," responded Athens County Commissioner Larry Payne, a Republican.
The new committee will begin discussions at next week's city council meeting.