With its reputation for protecting trees, Peachtree City would seem a logical choice for designation as a "Tree City USA," but there's more to be done.

City Council has learned that the National Arbor Day Foundation, which makes the designations, requires a tree ordinance, a tree board, annual forestry proclamation, and city expenditures for trees amounting to at least $2 per resident. The council asked that city staff prepare a plan for meeting the foundation's criteria, speculating that the city already spends at least $2 per capita annually for community forestry.

Also discussed was the possibility of using city staff and officials who are already "in place" as a "tree board," rather than "creating another level of government we don't need," said council member Annie McMenamin.

Ideas about how the "Tree City USA" name could help Peachtree City came quickly into the discussion, as council members voiced agreement with a plan to seek that status. Bob Brooks said he was "heartened" by Carol Fritz's initiation of the project and is "strongly in favor" of the designation. Jim Pace said that perhaps the program could help the city replace trees that have died, such as some older trees that did not survive a "water table change" that created new wetlands.

"Maybe we could get some bald cypress in places like that (between Planterra Ridge and Photocircuits)," Pace said. "They are beautiful trees, but we would have to check with the [U.S. Army] Corps of Engineers to find out whether they could be planted in wetlands."

Robert Brown of Planterra questioned whether those trees were not killed by a chemical spill from Photocircuits, and Mayor Bob Lenox assured him that the trees died from the water table change.

"Please put an end to that rumor if you can," the mayor added. "It's just not true."

Georgia now has 81 cities designated "Tree City USA." Peachtree City would become the 15th in the metro area, joining Acworth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Avondale Estates, Conyers, Covington, Duluth, Gainesville, Griffin, Hampton, Locust Grove, Marietta, Newnan and Roswell.

The council also granted an alcohol license to the Holiday Inn and Suites on Newgate Road. The facility formerly was known as Comfort Suites but is still owned by the same corporation. A restaurant and room service will be added to the services there, said manager Ken Kula.

Also approved was an ordinance change to let the city's code enforcement officer deal with whether a business has posted the city's required tobacco-use signage. City Manager Jim Basinger explained that while the police should deal with smokers in a nonsmoking area, it is better for the code officer to enforce sign-posting.