A level playing

field for all of Fayette's sports enthusiasts is among priorities as county

commissioners consider a 2002 budget of just over $1 million for recreation.

"What

the results will be ... will e a significant improvement to the playing

surfaces of all the fields throughout the county," said county Finance

Director Mark Pullium during a commission work session last week.

Commissioners

are expected to approve the total budget of about $65.3 million at their

June 28 meeting following a second public hearing. They conducted the

first of two required hearings at last Thursday's meeting (see related

story).

The group has

tentatively approved an operating budget of $822,356 plus a capital improvement

program of $230,480, including funds to crown and resurface ball fields,

but did not put additional money into the spending plan for improvements

to Shamrock Park as requested by the town of Tyrone.

"I don't

have any problems assuring them we will give them money toward recreation

when all the problems are solved," said Commissioner Herb Frady.

But commissioners said that environmental concerns being investigated

want to put money into ball fields until they're sure that's not going

to happen.

"I do

not want to do it until we make sure that park is going to stay there,"

said Commissioner A.G. VanLandingham.

Commissioners

discussed using a $350,000 state grant for recreation recently secured

money for a future park in north Fayette.

County officials

are currently looking for land in the Kenwood Road/Ga. Highway 92 area.

A last-minute

appeal from the Recreation Commission to add three more fields to the

resurfacing list was turned down, but commissioners acknowledged something

will have to be done about the fields. "We can't just leave it laying

out there like a broken dish," said Frady.

"We want

to do what we can, but we need the definitive numbers and we need them

much earlier than this," said Commissioner Linda Wells.

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