Wednesday, February 26, 2003
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Wednesday, February 26, 2003 |
Mayor defends plan to swap tennis center to new authorityBy JOHN
MUNFORD
Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown defended the city's plans to change the management of the tennis center after receiving criticism from two tennis players at Thursday night's City Council meeting. Ron Small, who plays tennis at the center, spoke up at the end of the meeting and claimed the tennis center budget hasn't been cut enough. This year's budget actually has been curtailed by approximately $88,000 compared to last year, according to information presented during a December meeting of the Development Authority of Peachtree City. The authority currently operates the tennis center and amphitheater. "I can promise you, we have been working on that situation," replied Mayor Steve Brown. That didn't satisfy resident David Gardner, also a tennis player, who said he guessed the center doesn't have enough cash flow. Gardner said he worried that the Development Authority will go deeper into debt to run the facilities and the funds will be paid for with an increase in property taxes. "If you wait until Oct. 1 (to create the new authority) I guarantee it's gonna be more," Gardner said. The authority previously has agreed not to finance any more projects for either venue without getting permission from the city council first. Currently, the authority's debt for both facilities is $1.456 million which includes $250,000 in cost overruns for the tennis center expansion. The $250,000 hasn't been paid yet, and authority members plan to work with council to determine how best to handle that debt. Officials want to eventually pass the $1.456 million in debt, along with operational duties of the venues, to a new recreation and entertainment authority, which would leave the development authority alone to perform its primary function economic development. If the new legislation to create the authority is approved by the Georgia General Assembly, the seven-member recreation and entertainment authority would consist of four members with ties to the current development authority.
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