Faced with

the impending departure of amphitheater director Kristi Rapson, the Peachtree

City Development Authority has decided to change its management structure.

The authority,

which also manages the tennis center, has decided to hire an executive

director to oversee both operations. And at its regular meeting Monday

night, the authority voted to hire tennis center director Virgil Christian

as its executive director.

The authority

also announced that it intends for Donna Romeo, an assistant at the amphitheater,

and Sean Ferreira, head professional at the tennis center, to be charged

with the day-to-day operations of those facilities. Those plans will be

finalized in the following weeks, noted authority chairman Tom Farr.

The move will

allow the authority to concentrate more on economic development, Farr

said. It will also allow for some cost savings, he noted.

"The tremendous

growth and success of both projects has created the need for more executive

oversight than the management committees of a volunteer board can provide,"

Farr said. "Virgil has demonstrated that he can manage people, develop

and implement programs, market effectively and do this in a professional

and personable manner. We believe that these are leadership traits that

will insure the continued success of our projects."

Farr said the

appointment of Christian will not change the direction of the amphitheater

or tennis center. Specifically, the authority wants to continue the high

quality of the performances of the amphitheater and the continued success

of the tennis programs, Farr said.

"Our intent

is to keep the successful teams at both the amphitheater and tennis center

together."

Christian,

who will assume duties as executive director Dec. 1, has been connected

with the tennis center since its inception. Prior to that, he was the

director of tennis at the University of Pennsylvania after becoming the

youngest Division I head coach in the country.

Christian is

currently managing the third and final phase of the tennis center expansion,

which will add six additional covered courts along with a new clubhouse,

administrative space and a new pro shop.