Wednesday, December 11, 2002
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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 |
PTC Council chips in for nonprofit's after-school program for challenged studentsBy JOHN
MUNFORD
A local nonprofit organization has been pledged almost $2,400 from the Peachtree City Council to help fund an after-school program at Harmony Village Apartments that helps 43 elementary school students. The Association of Village Pride had requested the maximum $5,000 contribution to nonprofit agencies allowed by city policy. But since the group serves out-of-city students through two other programs, council decided to pro-rate its $2,375 contribution based on the number of city students served by the project. The money will come from the City Council's contingency fund, which has a pool of $25,000 available for such requests. Per city policy, AVP will not be able to receive funds from the city again for five years. The funds will be provided under a contract between AVP and the city that will be drawn up. When the matter was discussed at Thursday's council meeting, several council members said they would prefer the funds be used to purchase tangible items rather than pay for services. AVP Executive Director Opel Murray said the students served by the after-school program all come from Oak Grove Elementary. The students typically are behind one or two grade levels for reading and they get extra help with the program, Murray said. Councilman Dan Tennant questioned whether council should consider the request considering the city's tight budget. But Mayor Steve Brown noted that the program was supported by several members of the Fayette County Board of Education who sit on the AVP board. The program serves "a very underserved population in the community," Brown said, noting that the school board had designated the Harmony Village location as a classroom so it could qualify for special materials from the school system. Councilman Murray Weed said AVP's request complied with the city's policy for distributing such requests for funding from nonprofit groups. Tennant said he would vote in favor of granting the request, but he wanted council to revisit its policy. The topic will be broached at the council's next retreat. The donation was approved unanimously, 5-0. AVP also provides two county-wide leadership-oriented programs for middle school and high school students throughout Fayette County.
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