By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

If the Fayette County Board of Education agrees to name the Starr's Mill High School auditorium after Willie Duke, audiences will soon be able to take their seats.

The board will make that decision at its Aug. 17 meeting, 7:30 p.m. at the board offices on Stonewall Avenue.

At the urging of the Endowment Committee for Cultural Arts for Fayette County and other organizations, the school board agreed to increase the size of the auditorium to accommodate 1,200 seats, 400 more than originally planned, but the agreement saddled the committee with responsibility for providing the seats.

ECCA has raised about $63,000, said chairman Sandra Jungers. She told the County Board of Commissioners last week that Georgia Pacific Corp. has agreed to match any other large contribution if the auditorium is named for Duke, a former Georgia Pacific vice president and Fayette resident who died of cancer.

Commissioners agreed to pay $45,000 if Georgia Pacific matches the donation so the project can be completed.

Jungers said getting the seats in place is becoming urgent. A large religious women's conference scheduled Oct. 16-17 has sold out the auditorium, said Mary Frances Bowley, spokesman for the Women Seeking God's Best conference.

Once the seats are in place, said Jungers, Fayette County will have its only facility large enough to accommodate numerous events, including graduations.

In other action:

The commission agreed to go forward with studies aimed at building a new jail and judicial complex.

A preliminary report from consultants Mallett and Associates suggests that building onto the existing jail to accommodate future growth would cost more than $22 million.

But Maj. Robert Glaze, the Sheriff's Department's director of technical services and manager of the jail, said adding on probably won't be feasible because it would leave no room for parking. A completely new facility is likely to cost even more, he said.

Commissioners voted to continue the study by Mallett and Associates and by Summerour and Associates, Architects.

Commissioners voted to allow students of the Flint River Technical Institute to ride with Fayette paramedics to gain firsthand experience in emergency medical service. The students will have their own malpractice insurance, said Fayette public safety director Jack Krakeel.

Approval is based on the county attorney's approval of the contract involved.

The group unanimously voted to switch its random drug testing service to Georgia Baptist Urgent Care Center. The county could have saved up to $2,800 by using Georgia Baptist last year, said county manager Billy Beckett, and the county also will save worker time because the facility is closer and is open longer hours, he added.