Wednesday, November 1, 2000
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Wednesday, November 1, 2000 |
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County, cities ask state for $754,000 for green space By DAVE HAMRICK
Fayette County is now officially a part of Gov. Roy Barnes' green space program. County commissioners last week voted unanimously to accept $415,454 in state funding to buy and preserve park lands in the county, and in doing so made a long-term commitment to set aside 20 percent of county land area as green space. In light of the commitment, the initial grant is a drop in the bucket, but commissioners said they hope the county money can be pooled with grants to local cities. "That way we can make larger and more significant buys of property," said Commissioner Greg Dunn. The cities already have agreed to participate in the program. Peachtree City will receive $229,819, Fayetteville $70,423, Tyrone $32,874, Brooks $3,996 and Woolsey $1,432, for a total of $754,000. Another catch in the program is that use of the money is restricted, said county planner Pete Frisina. "These dollars can only be used for purchasing the property. The county will be responsible for maintenance, or 'stewardship' of the property," Frisina told commissioners. 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 in a previous commission discussion. Yet the city's network of parks and golf cart paths might not be counted due to technicalities, he added. Frisina 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. Following previous discussions, Frisina met with county and city officials to put together a coordinated plan that will be presented to the Georgia Greenspace Commission and the Department of Natural Resources for 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. The Two Rivers project includes plans for hundreds of miles of trails and buffers along the Flint, Chattahoochee and Appalachicola rivers, Gosa said, quipping that the work is "expected to take approximately 153 years to complete. And I say 'Lord, just let me live long enough to complete this one project.'"
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