Friday, Sept. 23, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Campaigning to be limited at amphitheaterBy JOHN MUNFORD No more than five political candidates will be allowed to solicit at any one time during concerts at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater, according to a new policy approved by the Peachtree City Tourism Association Wednesday night. Some candidates have already been using the amphitheater's concert series to meet voters and hand out campaign materials. The new restrictions come as the city has 11 candidates running for the mayor's title and two seats on the City Council. The new regulations apply to any politician, organization or other group that wants to solicit at the amphitheater. The important thing is that the policy doesn't regulate content, noted Murray Weed, chairman of the Tourism Association. Association attorney Caryl Sumner Black said one important part of the new rule allows the amphitheater to protect the safety and enjoyment of its patrons. Amphitheater Manager Randy Angrisano said he thought five candidates was a good limit to set, and if necessary the amphitheater will rotate allowing five candidates at the Friday concert and five others at the Saturday concert, officials said. The new rule requires any group or individual wishing to solicit at the amphitheater to register 36 hours before the event. That will give amphitheater staff plenty of time to prepare and if necessary consult with city officials, Angrisano added. One mayoral candidate, Dar Thompson, has pledged not to campaign at the amphitheater or on other city-owned property during his campaign. In other business, the association discussed possibly reducing the membership fees at the Peachtree City Tennis Center by 10 percent in hopes of attracting more members. The association is trying to get the facility to run at break-even or a small profit, but for the coming budget year it is projected to have a loss of $93,598, which will be covered by profits from the amphitheater. Tennis Center Manager David Gary said he thought the lower prices would attract more people who are just getting started in the sport. Hopes are that new members will sign up for other amenities offered by the tennis center such as lessons with tennis pros. At the current pricing level one would have to play two or three times a week to see much of a benefit from becoming a member. The association took no action on the proposal, which Gary suggested be implemented at the end of the year due to other membership specials the tennis center is offering. The proposed cuts would lower the cost for a family of three or more from $750 to $675; from $700 to $630 for a married couple, from $500 to $450 for an individual, and from $300 to $270 for a senior member. Also, the tennis center would begin to offer six-month memberships for seniors who are out of town living in their second home, Gary said. Additionally, the center wants to make membership easier by allowing memberships to be paid on a monthly basis instead of the yearly or quarterly payment options currently available, Gary said. The authority also discussed a complaint from a patron at the amphitheater about receiving solicitation for a food drive that was conducted at the facility during the Charlie Daniels concert. Weed said the patron thought the association sold its list of patrons to the charity, but that did not happen, he said. Instead, the amphitheater provided the information for free at the request of the charity, but in lieu of handing over a list, personnel had mailing labels printed so there would be no permanent record for the charity to keep, officials said. The mailing labels were used on postcards that were mailed asking ticket holders to bring food for the drive. Weed said the association would never sell its list of patrons as long as he was on the board, but he noted that under the Georgia Open Records Act, anyone could request that information and get it for as little as 25 cents per page and an hourly fee depending on how long it takes to compile the list. Gary asked if the law could be used to get the e-mail addresses of tennis center members, because he had told members he would not release that information. Weed said the association would have to release that information if it was requested. |
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Copyright 2005-Fayette Publishing, Inc. |