Friday, December 20, 2002
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Friday, December 20, 2002 |
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Authority adopts tighter budgets for tennis center, amphitheater By JOHN
MUNFORD
Higher concert ticket prices and court fees are the burden shifted to users of Peachtree City's amphitheater and tennis centers to help stabilize the budgets of both facilities. At its meeting Monday night, the Development Authority of Peachtree City unanimously approved budgets that include a 30-percent hike on ticket prices at the amphitheater and some hikes in court fees at the tennis center. Also in the cuts is a voluntary salary cut for executive director Virgil Christian which will save the authority $13,000. Although the budgets for both facilities projected a net loss for the year, that loss will be covered by funds the authority receives from the city's hotel-motel tax. But the losses for both facilities have shrunk significantly compared to past years, as the City Council has asked the authority to tighten its belt and work towards making each venue self-sufficient. The amphitheater budget projects an overall "loss" of $32,635 this year, compared to a $57,816 loss this year and a $142,924 loss last year. But if a new three-concert jazz series goes well and the regular summer concert series continues to sell out, the final budget picture could be much rosier, as officials were "conservative" in predicting the revenues from both projects. "I really feel good about where we are," authority member Scott Bradshaw said about the amphitheater budget. The tennis center budget projects a "loss" of $41,865 this year, compared to a $129,896 loss this year and a $196,503 loss last year. Increases in lesson fees and court fees should increase income by $46,000, said head tennis pro Sean Ferreira. The tennis center will also benefit from the covered courts since it will be able to operate in inclement weather when normally it would have to shut down entirely, Ferreira added. Approximately $6,000 was cut for promoting the tennis center through a weekly television special that was broadcast throughout the southeast. Officials also hope to get help to cover the $20,000 fee to host the NAIA national championship tournament. The tennis center is also operating short two tennis professionals to help save operating costs, but Christian noted the pros bring in an average of $14 per hour in revenue to the tennis center. The pros bring in approximately $500,000 in teaching revenue, and "that's a lost of user fees," Christian noted. The tennis center's budget also shows "we're very much in line with what council asked us to do," Bradshaw said. Under economic development, the authority budgeted an extra $14,000 for legal fees, mainly due to the equal pay and discrimination lawsuit filed by former amphitheater director Kristi Rapson. This year alone, the authority has spent $35,000 in legal fees, mainly due to that federal lawsuit, officials said. The authority's budget process has been delayed several months as the authority negotiated its hotel-motel tax revenue with the City Council. Under a new agreement, the authority will get $180,000 this fiscal year to operate the facilities and the economic development program.
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