I had the pleasure [on Oct. 17] of attending the Development Authority of Peachtree City (DAPC) presentation on our Village Centers. I was impressed by the depth of knowledge and willingness of our citizens to step up and provide input to their elected officials and the development authority. The only problem? This willingness to give to the city was ignored: only one elected official bothered to show up.
Had the entire council attended they would have seen an unprecedented level of support for the Development Authority. The attendees understood that this discussion is not based upon deciding whether we hire an Economic Development Coordinator or have a Development Authority. This conversation needs to be based on how we best marshal our resources to develop the empty storefronts and industrial space in our city. We need to ask, “How do we help existing business grow?”
The simple answer is we need an EDC and a DAPC. The DAPC should be used to “fill in the cracks” and work in the areas that the Fayette County Development Authority does not. The EDC position should be used to coordinate all state, county and local interests and agencies.
We, as a city, need to continue to take advantage of the experience and hard work provided by the DAPC. Anything else would be irresponsible.
George Dienhart
Candidate for Peachtree City Post 2
Peachtree City, Ga.
