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Clayton State may stay at Tennis Center after all

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

The Peachtree City Tourism Association and Clayton College & State University are close to reaching an agreement that will allow the school to continue holding classes at the Peachtree City Tennis Center.

Manning Hall, director of academic outreach for CCSU, hand-delivered to the PCTA Board of Directors Wednesday a proposal to provide liability coverage for students taking classes at the Tennis Center.

Under the plan, insurance for students and professors using the Fayette County Higher Education Center at the Tennis Center would be carried under the state’s Department of Administrative Services. CCSU officials thought they had their hands tied in the matter, because the state Board of Regents that governs the university system does not by law provide such coverage beyond property it owns.

More than 100 students are taking credit courses at the Peachtree City site this semester. Had they not reached a solution with the university, the PCTA had threatened to evict the school by November.

“This whole thing will be settled by Oct. 20,” said PTCA Chairman Steve Rapson, referring to the next scheduled board meeting. That will give the PCTA’s attorney time enough to review the proposal.

The two will finally have a legal lease agreement as well after going without one since fall of last year, Rapson said.

“For the record, there’s never been a contract,” he said. “Just a handshake at best. We want Clayton State here, but we’re a business entity and we need to cover ourselves.”

In a verbal understanding that was never made official, the university was to lease the ground floor of the Tennis Center for $1 annually.

Hall said he and University President Thomas Harden completely understood the Tourism Association’s position, and that they want to stay in Peachtree City as well. That’s why they made it a top priority to resolve the matter.

“Dr. Harden told me to do what I had to do to work this out,” said Hall. “We’re your guest, obviously, so we’re trying to go out of our way to reach a compromise.”

Hall said the college was willing to be flexible on some of the space it wasn’t fully utilizing. Also, he indicated that because of the success of the Fayette County campus, the school will likely be looking for a larger location in the near future.

“We’d like to stay here at least another year, if things continue to go well,” said Hall.

Replied Rapson, “We’re committed to working with Clayton State to make this happen as long as they need to.”