Fayette

County is going after $754,000 that the state has

made available for green space preservation.

Goal

of the program is to set aside 20 percent of the

land in eligible counties to be preserved as

perpetual park land, and in Fayette that amounts

to about 25,000 acres, said senior planner, Pete

Frisina, who will coordinate the county's effort.

"This

isn't a whole lot of money," said County

Commissioner Greg Dunn before the commission

voted to participate in the state program.

And

the money, if the county is approved to receive

it, will be spread between the county and its

cities. The county will receive $415,454, Frisina

reported, while Peachtree City collects $229,819,

Fayetteville $70,423, Tyrone $32,874, Brooks

$3,996 and Woolsey $1,432.

Most

of the cities have already approved their own

participation in the program, and have been

awaiting the county's decision. The state law

that set up the program states that cities cannot

participate unless the county acts as the lead

agency.

The

way the program is designed, the county and

cities will work together to identify areas that

are likely candidates for preservation, and to

develop a plan to reach the program's goals.

Dunn

suggested that in each year funds are made

available, the county and cities also coordinate

efforts so that in a given year, all of the money

might be spent on one or two projects.

"I

just don't think we're going to get good quality

projects unless we cross the boundaries," he

said.

Commissioner

Glen Gosa said it's a shame that much of the

county's current green space won't be counted in

meeting the program's goals. "There couldn't

be a more spectacular and exemplary form of use

of green space than Peachtree City has," he

said. Yet the city's network of parks and golf

cart paths might not be counted due to

technicalities, he added.

But

Frisina said he is still working with state

agencies for more detail on what will and won't

be counted. "We need a final answer on

that," he said.

He

said only 239 acres in unincorporated Fayette

currently can be counted, but more may be added

merely by taking legal steps to ensure that it

never will be developed.

And

public access is necessary as well, something of

a Catch 22, Dunn remarked. "You have to have

public access, and yet pathways and trails don't

count," he said.

Frisina

will be meeting with county and city officials in

coming months to put together a coordinated plan

that will be presented to the Georgia Greenspace

Commission for its approval, unlocking the funds.

Neither

Fayette nor its cities will be required to put up

matching funds to receive the grants, but Frisina

cautioned that the state money is not intended to

fully fund the projects. Other funding might come

from private sources, corporate donations and the

like, he said.

Gosa

pointed out an example. The Two Rivers project

plans to begin collecting land this fall to apply

toward the green space program, he said.

major component of the program is preservation

and protection of wetlands, stream and lake banks

to prevent erosion and pollution. Frisina said

wetlands and buffer areas around streams and

lakes, which can't be developed anyway, will be

the logical first target for the preservation

efforts.

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