By Michael Boylan
Weekend Editor

Fayette County is a wonderfully designed area with lots of space and opportunities for athletic recreation. There are nice restaurants and shopping areas. The one thing that this county has always lacked, though, is facilities for teenagers.

If they are not members of a sports team or club, or if they don't have disposable incomes, there aren't very many opportunities for fun and entertainment.

Richard Thompson of Peachtree City saw this problem, as most people in this community do. The difference is that Thompson decided to do something to help. He has been a resident of Fayette County for 12 years and has two teenagers and an 11-year-old at home. He joined the Commission on Children and Youth and the Youth Advisory Board and started to pitch in and help with the youth problem.

In 1995, Thompson was elected to be chairman of the CCY and the one thing that always came up as a possible solution was a teen center. He began to look in to buildings in the area to house the center and the cost of such a project. There was no movement on the project and in 1997 Thompson ran for city council. His platform was to either have a recreation center built on the south side of Peachtree City or to have a teen center built in town.

Thompson did not win the seat on the city council but he did begin to form alliances with members on the board. He began to ask students what they would like from a teen center and got the schools behind his idea. He wanted to purchase a building in the Braelinn Shopping Center that was vacant, but the real estate company refused to take a lease. The shops in Braelinn weren't particularly put off by the teen center though, and Thompson began to build an alliance with different companies, including KMart, Coca-Cola, and his own company Lithonia Lighting.

Recently, Thompson began talking with David Rosetti and Jim Pace of Group VI. They were both positive about Thompson's ideas and they had a building off Steven's Entry in Peachtree City. It used to be a bowling alley and currently belonged to a business complex that had relocated. A third of the building is now Jitterbuggers, and the rest belongs to the Braelinn Baptist Church.

It took nearly six years, but Thompson and the teens of Fayette County have their teen center. Jitterbuggers takes many of the ideas that have been submitted by students, including video games, a billiards room, a dance floor and a stage. Jitterbuggers hopes to be a place where they can showcase emerging talent in the community. It is designed for adolescents 19 and younger.

“I just wanted a place for my kids to be able to go to,” said Thompson. “Churches are interested in the center and want to help in any way they can. A lot of the teenagers I've hired have worked with me on the YAB or the CCY, so they know what will make Jitterbuggers successful.”

The club is going to be a non-profit entity for at least the first year. There are food sponsors from Chic-fil-A, Pizza Hut, McDonald's and Coca-Cola. There is a membership fee of $25, which grants unlimited access to the club for a year. There are also two companies that have promised Thompson that if the fee is too expensive for some people who wishe to be members, they will cover the cost.

“I think Jitterbuggers can be an asset to the community,” said Thompson. “At the very least it gives kids an alternative.”

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