By KAY S. PEDROTTI
Staff Writer

The question of allowing tailgate parties with beer and wine in the parking lot at Brown Amphitheater is now officially as dead as last season's programs.

The Peachtree City Development Authority, which supervises the amphitheater facility and Peachtree City Ttennis Center, had asked City Council to consider allowing alcohol in the parking lot prior to amphitheater events. The request was withdrawn from the agenda for the Aug. 6 council meeting, and on Monday the development authority decided not to puruse the matter any further.

Authority member Bob Truitt told the members that city council seemed "unlikely to approve" tailgate parties with liquor, since the amphitheater adjoins some recreational facilities for young people. He said that future discussions might include "looking at alternatives, such as placing picnic tables near the old cast house."

Authority chairman Tom Farr said he was unsure "what the demand is" for tailgating with liquor. He agreed that the authority should monitor the situation and "possibly revisit" the question in the future.

Kristi Rapson, amphitheater manager, said the concession and rest room area has been re-roofed after a hailstorm in the spring, and summer rains, did extensive damage to the building. She also said that since a facility manager has been hired to be on the premises, "vandalism is non-existent ... we're not out there frantically trying to scrub dirty words off the walls before a concert."

This year's concert series will be expanded to include Saturday nights, she said, to give more opportunity for attending by those who often have been locked out by the amphitheater's limited seating capacity. Each group or performer will play for two nights, she added, and she expects greatly increased ticket sales for the popular series events.

"Spotlight concerts," not a paret of the series, "have not done so well, but we will keep trying to bring in the ones that make sense for us."

Virgil Christian, tennis center director, said the new clay courts will be open by Sept. 10. The surfaces are finished but not fenced or landscaped, he said. He said the water-conservation with the new courts is "tremendous," and he hopes to attract more seniors to play on the softer courts.

Authority member Tate Godfrey said the Peachtree City Water and Sewer Authority "is discussiong some rate changes that will affect all classifications of users." He asked that the authority schedule a joint meeting with WASA, and Farr said he would handle setting it up.

Foreign Trade Zone activity continues to increase, Jim Cromwell said. Panasonic "has signed," he said, and the paperwork is in progress.

Godfrey said that he and Tom Farr met recently with the Georgia Foreign Trade Zone Board, and the meeting led to agreements in handling Peachtree City issues."

"What we re-affirmed is that we will keep in better communication, in order to assure the succes of attracting industry to Georgia," Godfrey said.