$30K earmarked for rec field design

The Peachtree City Council has changed its mind, agreeing to spend $10,000 to design an expansion to The Gathering Place, its senior citizens’ center.

Council previously cut $40,000 for that line item from the 2006-07 budget. But the new funds will come from the council contingency fund in the current year’s budget.

The city’s Senior Adult Council, dressed in their red polo shirts, broke out in applause after the affirmative vote from council. The expansion has been delayed for several years, and some had begun to grow discouraged about whether it will ever happen.

Council also voted to spend $30,000 for a design concept for expansion of the baseball and soccer complex on Ga. Highway 74 south, with the funds coming from leftover money in the city’s public improvement program budget for this year.

The undeveloped area at the complex will likely be designed for multipurpose use, but city officials may seek to relocate the youth football program there away from its long-time location in a residential area, where noise complaints from neighbors have become more common despite efforts from the football association.

The association has regulated the use of the public address system and reconfigured the speakers so they point away from homes. Organizers have also banned the use of the loud, piercing “air horns” at games, and efforts are being made to have the last game each evening start earlier than last year.

If the football program moves from Riley Field, that would leave the field open for a smaller sport such as lacrosse or soccer, officials have said.