In response to several recent requests for funding assistance, the City Council of Peachtree City has adopted a policy regarding contributions for school playgrounds and playing fields.

Council voted unanimously at Thursday's regular meeting to adopt the policy just before reconsidering a request from the Braelinn Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization to help pay for playground improvements.

Braelinn PTO playground committee chairman Anne Myers appeared before the council at its May 6 meeting to ask for assistance. Her request was tabled at that time, and news of that discussion motivated representatives of two other schools to contact the city.

City manager Jim Basinger said that he expected the additional requests to come in after word spread of the Braelinn request, and he suggested that council put a specific policy in place to handle these situations.

The new guidelines, which Basinger read for the record at the meeting, are as follows:

* Each request for funding/labor will be forwarded to the city manager, who will ensure that adequate information is provided to council members to enable them to make an informed decision.

* Council will evaluate each request and make a decision based on the merit of the request.

* No more than one funding/labor request per school will be considered in any five-year period.

* Only Fayette County public schools whose attendance boundaries include Peachtree City will be eligible for consideration.

* Requests for funding/labor must be for enhancements to playgrounds and playing fields only. Any playground/playing field for which the city makes a contribution must be made available for use by city residents when not being used by the school. A formal agreement with the Board of Education would be required.

* The city would assume no liability for any project for which the city provides funding/labor.

* Should council approve a funding request, a dollar-for-dollar match up to a maximum of $5,000 in funding/labor may be provided as a match to any funding provided by the school or any school organization, such as a booster club.

Mayor Bob Lenox pointed out that the city has had a rigid policy on donations, but is always looking for ways to assist the schools in these areas since they are important to all residents and Board of Education dollars must be spent on education first.

A letter from Jane Langley, playground committee chairman for the Peachtree City Elementary PTO, was received by the city the day of the meeting. Langley expressed her desire that her school be included in funding consideration, then suggested the city go a step further and put school playgrounds on the master recreation plan, giving fair consideration to all schools with Peachtree City students.

Councilman Jim Pace agreed with Langley's sentiments, saying that if the city takes any action, it should plan to be fair to the entire community. He added that he expects every eligible school to ask for funds within a matter of weeks. “They all have needs,” he said.

Pace said that he thinks the policy presented by Basinger is a great start, and he cannot support the Braelinn request without something in place that affects all schools. He also pointed out that, under the guidelines set forth in the proposed policy, schools in the town of Tyrone would be eligible for funding as well as some others outside the city limits, such as the Starr's Mill complex.

Basinger said that, with a use agreement such as is outlined in the policy, the city would be getting a return on its investment by way of residents being allowed to use playground equipment when not being used by schools.

City attorney Rick Lindsey said that every request should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Councilwoman Annie McMenamin said that her decisions in such cases are nearly always based on the aggressiveness of the PTO's themselves as far as raising their own funds.

After Councilman Robert Brooks moved to adopt the policy and McMenamin seconded, a citizen addressed the council, saying that all of these requests should be brought before the Recreation Commission first.

Lenox said that was a good idea, adding that the groups in these cases had come to the council first because the Recreation Commission did not have the money to meet their needs.

After some discussion, the council agreed that the Recreation Commission should hear all such requests first just as the Planning Commission does for planning issues. The motion was amended and then approved.

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