Friday, Aug. 26, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Football parents question councilBy BEN NELMS Parents of children participating in the Fairburn Athletic Association (FAA) football program at Duncan Park brought a series of questions to the city council meeting Monday night. Parents brought their questions to the council, they said, because some of the issues involved were not within the control of the FAA board of directors. Prior to parents questions Mayor Betty Hannah said council would follow its customary procedure and listen, but not respond, to questions at the meeting. Answers to questions would be forthcoming at a later date, she said. Questions from parents covered a host of topics addressed to council and several city department heads. Topics included items such as FAAs inability to access keys for the restrooms and concession stand, the lack of access to running water, charges by the city of $250 per game to a non-profit dependent on donations and staffed by volunteers and the reasons for city control of the money raised by FAA. Concerns surfaced relating to what some parents said were instances of people having been escorted off the field by city enforcement staff though no apparent violations occurred. What do we tell our kids when they are escorted off the field by officers? asked Charlette Knox. Parents asked the names of other organizations operating at Duncan Park since the city assumed ownership in 2003 and requested copies of their applications, contracts and insurance. Included in the request was a statement relating to the orange badges used as a security measure to identify FAA coaches. Parents agreed that the badges are used to appropriately identify coaches and that background checks for those supervising children are needed, but questioned whether coaches and volunteers of other organization holding tournaments and clinics at the park were required to do the same. What are the guidelines for the background checks? Is it at the discretion of the police department and how do they make the decision asked Tabitha Boyce. What more protection do we need to protect our children than to have us as parents out there with them? Creekside High School staff George Smith was one of the last of the nearly one dozen that addressed the council. He said some of the events that have taken place are discouraging participation in the football program. He said the city and FAA should be able to sit down and talk about the issues with the idea of resolving them. Following questions put to the council, Hannah said the city took responsibility for Duncan Park in 2003 after nearly two decades as a county park because the county would not do so for citys with more than 5,000 residents. In August 2003 Fairburn entered into an agreement with FAA to run the football program. During the late summer and fall of 2003 they operated the football program without following the terms in the agreement made with the city. And the city was reluctant to enter into another agreement with FAA for the 2004 season. Once again in 2004, FAA failed to live up to terms of the agreement, so in preparation for the 2005 season the city made it clear that it would insist on FAA adhering to the terms. Hannah said she would furnish answers the questions posed to the council. She maintained that the prime interest was for all parties to work together for the children that participate in the program. The organization gained non-profit status in 1981 with the last annual renewal in 2004. Functioning with different boards of directors over the past 20 years, the Fairburn organization is a part of the South Metro Football Association that provides leadership for football programs, according FAA Vice President Chester Brown. FAA currently has more than 100 children participating, he said. |
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