Toccoa Not Moving Forward With Lake Harbor Shores Water Line

The city of Toccoa will not move forward at this time with a request to install a water line on Sequoia Trail in the Lake Harbor Shores subdivision.

That was the consensus of city commissioners after they talked about it at a work session on Monday.

Resident Buddy Trexler requested the Sequoia Trail water line in October for homes there having trouble with the current water system in Lake Harbor Shores.

According to Trexler, the current well water set-up in place for part of Lake Harbor Shores is not sufficient or cost-effective for residents that are on it, citing old lines, leaks, and costs.

Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said the line would serve as a trunk line for those potential customers.

“While there are no residences on Sequoia Trail, the new line would allow ten residents on other roads to extend their service lines to tap on to the system,” said Morse. “The cost of the project is estimated at $93,500 and we do not have the funds budgeted for this project.”

City officials noted that Sequoia Trail is a private drive and they would require the county to take over the road before any water line was installed and Toccoa Utilities Director Harry Scott added that road is in need of repairs.

Toccoa City Commissioner Terry Carter said it would be a large investment from the city with little potential return.

“There are a lot of vacant lots even where our line already goes, so I would think even if we were able to add this additional line, I do not think we would see much growth because even where we has existing lines, there is not much growth,” said Carter.

According to Scott, it would take 25 years to pay back the line investment made by the city with 10 customers.

Mayor Jeanette Jamieson said it appears cost-prohibitive for the city of Toccoa to do.

She said a future county SPLOST may be a potential option.

“The suggestion was made (Monday) that since the county, through SPLOST funding, had handled these problems at Shorewood, that SPLOST funds initiated by the county may be the way to do Lake Harbor Shores, so that it could be done fully and completely, instead of piecemeal, especially since the city simply does not have $93,500 to put into this project,” said Jamieson.

Other commissioners agreed and also said that homeowners could run their own line to where city lines already exist, as others there have done.

No further action was taken.

During Monday’s regular city commission meeting, another Lake Harbor Shores resident, Donald Maule, made a request for city water in the development.

He said that the homes on the well system need city water because “the well system is failing.”