Friday, September 26, 2003
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Friday, September 26, 2003 |
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DAPC lawyer: 'It's a mistake' By J. FRANK
LYNCH
"It's a mistake," said the attorney for the Development Authority of Peachtree City about language in a contract that gave Adidas exclusive rights inside the Tennis Center pro shop, but makes the cash-strapped DAPC guarantee $366,306 in sales of Adidas products over five years. Virgil Christian, executive director of the DAPC and manager of both the Tennis Center and Fred Brown Jr. Amphitheater, holds the lease on the retail space, which pays no rent and is corporately known as "Peachtree Trading Post." But that wasn't the name that appeared repeatedly throughout the Feb. 14, 2002 "Partnership Agreement" with Adidas, made public this week with the resignation of DAPC Vice Chairman Scott Bradshaw. "Let this serve as a five year partnership agreement for Peachtree City Tennis Center / Development Authority of Peachtree City (PCTC)" reads the first graph of the two-page contract, signed by two representatives of Adidas along with Christian as Executive Director and Sean Ferreira, senior pro on the tennis center staff. "It's nothing I'm ashamed of," said Christian on Thursday, before a DAPC meeting called to discuss the Adidas contract, as well as Christian's responsibilities. "The impression is that I somehow benfit, but it's really the tennis center that benefits," Christian said. DAPC Chairman Tate Godfrey, already discouraged by months of criticism from Mayor Steve Brown, expressed anger Thursday at both Bradshaw and the local media for making more out of the Adidas contract than it is, he said. "We are working on all of these things outlined by Scott Bradshaw," said Godfrey, adding the vice-chairman's resignation came as a surprise. He had just one sure response when asked about Christian's job security going into Thursday night's meeting: "We're not going to fire him." Updates on developments from the meeting will be posted on The Citizen's website by Friday morning: www.theCitizenNews.com. "The Development Authority never should have been connected to that contract," agreed Mark Oldenburg, DAPC attorney, who confirmed he didn't know it existed until Bradshaw showed it to him two weeks ago. Adidas has agreed to amend the language in the agreement, good through 2007. Bradshaw, who first discovered the document last month while doing research on the authority's financial management policy, couldn't remember voting on the Adidas deal, much less seeing the agreement. But Oldenburg said Christian was correct in handling the marketing deal without approval of the authority. Ferreira, one of the first Tennis Center hires shortly after Christian was wooed from Pennsylvania to establish the Peachtree City facility in 1995, agrees the Adidas contract should have read "Trading Post," and remains loyal to his boss. "Virgil had an unbelievable vision for this place," said Ferreira on Wednesday, sitting in the Ashland Grille restaurant adjacent to the pro shop, with views of the center's 24 courts beyond. The North Carolina State graduate has acted as general manager of the tennis facility since Christian was promoted to executive director over both venues last year, learning the business inside and out. "Here's where I think people are missing Virgil's vision," said Ferreria. "This is a government-owned tennis center built to be self-supporting, and it's impossible. It can't happen." Ferreria said some form of regular, dependable subsidy from the city council is the only way to avoid near-constant struggles to avoid the red ink. State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh worked alongside state Rep. Lynn Westmoreland to craft the amendment to the georgia code of laws that made it legal for development authorities to operate entertainment venues and athletic facilities, a condition that applies exclusively to the Peachtree City authority. "I feel my role is to be a resource for helping resolve problems in our communities," said Seabaugh. "The legislation we passed was a resource to help (DAPC) get to where they needed to go." But his work is done, he said Wednesday. "The question of what to do with the development authority now?" he asked. "That's a question for the people of Peachtree City to decide."
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