By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

Fayette County is going after $754,000 that the state has made available for green space preservation.

Goal of the program is to set aside 20 percent of the land in eligible counties to be preserved as perpetual park land, and in Fayette that amounts to about 25,000 acres, said senior planner, Pete Frisina, who will coordinate the county's effort.

“This isn't a whole lot of money,” said County Commissioner Greg Dunn before the commission voted to participate in the state program.

And the money, if the county is approved to receive it, will be spread between the county and its cities. The county will receive $415,454, Frisina reported, while Peachtree City collects $229,819, Fayetteville $70,423, Tyrone $32,874, Brooks $3,996 and Woolsey $1,432.

Most of the cities have already approved their own participation in the program, and have been awaiting the county's decision. The state law that set up the program states that cities cannot participate unless the county acts as the lead agency.

The way the program is designed, the county and cities will work together to identify areas that are likely candidates for preservation, and to develop a plan to reach the program's goals.

Dunn suggested that in each year funds are made available, the county and cities also coordinate efforts so that in a given year, all of the money might be spent on one or two projects.

“I just don't think we're going to get good quality projects unless we cross the boundaries,” he said.

Commissioner Glen Gosa said it's a shame that much of the county's current green space won't be counted in meeting the program's goals. “There couldn't be a more spectacular and exemplary form of use of green space than Peachtree City has,” he said. Yet the city's network of parks and golf cart paths might not be counted due to technicalities, he added.

But Frisina said he is still working with state agencies for more detail on what will and won't be counted. “We need a final answer on that,” he said.

He said only 239 acres in unincorporated Fayette currently can be counted, but more may be added merely by taking legal steps to ensure that it never will be developed.

And public access is necessary as well, something of a Catch 22, Dunn remarked. “You have to have public access, and yet pathways and trails don't count,” he said.

Frisina will be meeting with county and city officials in coming months to put together a coordinated plan that will be presented to the Georgia Greenspace Commission for its approval, unlocking the funds.

Neither Fayette nor its cities will be required to put up matching funds to receive the grants, but Frisina cautioned that the state money is not intended to fully fund the projects. Other funding might come from private sources, corporate donations and the like, he said.

Gosa pointed out an example. The Two Rivers project plans to begin collecting land this fall to apply toward the green space program, he said.

A major component of the program is preservation and protection of wetlands, stream and lake banks to prevent erosion and pollution. Frisina said wetlands and buffer areas around streams and lakes, which can't be developed anyway, will be the logical first target for the preservation efforts.