Friday, April 6, 2001
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Friday, April 6, 2001 |
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County gets state grant for greenspace By JOHN
THOMPSON
Coweta County is moving forward in preserving some of the county's green space. During Tuesday morning's meeting, the Coweta County Commission signed off on a state grant of $318,489 to purchase green space. The funds are part of Gov. Roy Barnes' Georgia Greenspace Act, which helps fast-growing counties and municipalities set aside land for green space. The money will be placed into a green space trust fund. The county must use the funds by 2003 or apply for an extension. Once the county purchases property, it can leave the land untouched or construct small public facilities for the public to enjoy the property. The act allows swing sets, benches, slides and picnic tables to be built on the land. Passive recreational uses, such as bike and walking paths are also allowed. Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter did not have a problem with accepting the state money, but said the county might have more of a problem when it started using local funds to purchase land for the program. "When you start limiting property use, you can get in trouble," he said. County Administrator Theron Gay said the grant only covered state funds, but the county would eventually have to decide if local funds would be used in the program.
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