A new project

has sprouted out of a movement to "finish off" Peachtree City's

recreation facilities.

A brand new

350-seat civic auditorium will be proposed to voters as a part of the

planned bond referendum for the November general election, Mayor Bob Lenox

said recently. The facility would likely be built adjacent to another

proposed bond project: the multipurpose community center.

The community

center likely won't be built from scratch, however. City officials are

looking to acquire the Braelinn Baptist Church campus, Lenox confirmed.

The site, located on Robinson Road near Crosstown Road, could cost in

the neighborhood of $2.5 million to acquire in its present condition,

the mayor said recently.

The campus

has 27 classrooms which could be used to expand the recreation department's

current programs and add more programming, said Randy Gaddo, city director

of leisure services. Another plus is the church's current sanctuary which

was designed as a multipurpose space, Gaddo said.

The sanctuary

can hold 600 people, but "we were there recently for an event where

they had a sit-down dinner for 300 people," Gaddo said. "It's

the ultimate multipurpose area. We probably couldn't have designed a community

center much better than this one. This would be a definite asset to the

city."

Currently,

there are a number of programs the department offers which could be expanded

at the center, including martial arts, arts and crafts, aerobics, gardening

and cooking classes, Gaddo said.

"The possibilities

are endless," Gaddo said. "It could take us years to implement

them all."

While he stressed

the ideas are not finalized, Gaddo said the center's areas would also

be available for rent to increase the facility's revenues.

"It is

going to have pretty considerable operating costs," he added.

City employees

have been working diligently to investigate the costs of running the new

facilities, Lenox said. Those studies won't likely be ready for another

month, he estimated.

Barring any

shocking information in those reports, Lenox said he plans to support

all four bond issue initiatives, including the refinancing of existing

city debt and a package of smaller recreation projects such as the expansion

of the Kedron Fieldhouse and improvements to Drake Field. The new facilities

will dramatically increase property values while costing the average homeowner

approximately three or four dollars a month, Lenox said. This is particularly

true now that the city is reaching its build-out stage and the only way

to get into Peachtree City in the future will be to buy an existing house,

he added.

"It makes

our city that much more attractive," Lenox said.

Also, the initial

cost for the Braelinn Baptist property "is a bargain at that price,"

Lenox noted.

At an estimated

cost of $3.1 million, the performing arts facility will be listed as a

separate bond issue question, Lenox said. But since the original estimates

for the community center were in the ballpark of $5 million, that would

leave some funds left over to cover the civic auditorium

Keeping the

community center and civic auditorium separate questions on the ballot

is a fair way to present the matter to voters, he added.

"It's

a legitimate community decision," Lenox said.

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