Friday, January 30, 2004
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Friday, January 30, 2004 |
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Amphitheater loses sponsors By J. FRANK LYNCH Two longtime sponsors of the Summer Concert Series at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater with close connections to the Peachtree City Development Authority have withdrawn their support for the 2004 season. Group VI Development and Brooks & Kaigler Family Dentistry have both indicated since Jan. 19 that they will not be rejoining the roster of nearly 30 various corporate sponsors, according to sources within the Peachtree City Tourism Association which took over management of the venue on that date. Group VI was an $8,500 gold-level sponsor, while Brooks & Kaigler was a $5,000 silver-level sponsor. Corporate sponsorships are budgeted to raise $166,000 of the amphitheater’s $1.3 million budget this year. The lead corporate sponsor for the series, the law firm of Webb, Stuckey and Lee, has committed again for 2004, and in fact hand-delivered its check for $25,000 to new amphitheater office manager Lisa Marie Waslis this week, she said. All of the other corporate contributors to the 2004 series, the amphitheater’s 10th anniversary season, have come through on their sponsorships, Tourism Board officers have said. Tate Godfrey, who chaired the Development Authority before resigning late last year, is senior vice president of business development for Group VI, while dentist Robert Brooks of Brooks & Kaigler is one of three members remaining on the seven-seat Development Authority board, which has been trying to enlist new officers, re-identify its mission and eliminate more than $1 million in debt since giving up management of the amphitheater and Peachtree City Tennis Center last year. Meanwhile, the Tourism Association board agreed Wednesday night to tentatively award the contract to operate the pro shop within the Tennis Center to Your Serve Tennis of Norcross, which managers similar retail outlets in four locations in Cobb, Gwinnett and North Fulton counties. Owner Dale Queen told the board he felt confident he could maintain a quality retail operation — which also serves as the registration and entryway for tennis center patrons — pay the rent and make a profit. While the outlet will have a dedicated manager, Queen said that person wouldn‘t be available every day and planned to utilize Tennis Center employees, as before, to staff the pro shop during regular hours. Board co-chair Murray Weed, questioning Queen extensively, noted that all of the half-dozen or so applicants who expressed interest in running the shop intended to make use of the tennis center employees. “That seems to be pretty standard for the industry,” Weed said. Queen said his merchandise would be of the same quality or improved from before, when the shop was operated by former Tennis Center Executive Director Virgil Christian. Queen also said he would be using some of the fixtures already in place, but would be bringing in more of his own as well to compliment the shop, which has sat vacant since Dec. 1 — an unpleasant reminder, some Tennis Center members have suggested, of the trials the facility has faced in recent months. “My first interest is to restoring the operation, not to my personal benefit,” said Queen. “I have an 18-year reputation in this business to maintain.” If Queen meets a couple of conditions requested by the tourism board, the pro shop could be reopened for business by March 1. Also Wednesday, the board voted to give Judi-ann Rutherford a 60-day contract to work with Waslis to get the amphitheater season up and running while a new director is sought. The board submitted help wanted ads on Monday to replace Donna Romeo, who was terminated Jan. 18 from the job. Waslis replaces Rutherford, who had to quit Jan. 2 to take a seat on the City Council.
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