The Development Authority of

Peachtree City wants to make sure the transition of tennis center and

amphitheater operations to a new recreation and entertainment authority

goes smoothly.

So authority Vice-chairman

Scott Bradshaw has volunteered to create a "rough transition plan"

to help smooth the process.

"It's in our best interest

to put our best foot forward and cooperate with the [Peachtree City] Council,"

Bradshaw said at Monday night's authority meeting.

There are contracts and agreements

that must be transferred in addition to budgetary and payroll matters

that must be considered, Bradshaw said.

There is also between $600,000

and $900,000 in property that is actually owned by the authority (the

city, not the authority, owns the tennis center and amphitheater). Most

of that property was donated by vendors, sporting goods companies and

also paid for with revenues from the city's hotel-motel tax, Bradshaw

said.

Authority member Robert Brooks

said during the negotiations with council representatives, both sides

indicated they wanted to continue meeting to insure a smooth transition.

"I just think it's important

because we have 30-some-odd full- or part-time employees whose lives are

involved," Bradshaw said.

Mayor Steve Brown, who attended

the authority meeting, said he thought the new authority could be created

"relatively quickly." He said an important part of the transition

would be getting concrete information on the authority's debt so the city

can determine how much of the debt can be wrapped into tax-free municipal

bonds.

Meanwhile, with one last-minute

change to satisfy Brown, the City Council approved a draft of state legislation

Thursday night that would create a new recreation and entertainment authority

to operate the city's tennis center and amphitheater.

Originally, the document allowed

the city's development authority which currently operates both venues

to appoint two of its members to serve three-year terms on the new recreation

and entertainment authority. But Brown protested, saying the council should

have the final say.

So the council agreed that

the authority will recommend candidates for the recreation and entertainment

authority but those candidates must be ratified by the council before

the switch is made official. The same concession was made for the representatives

who will be appointed to the new authority from their current position

as members of the tennis center and amphitheater advisory boards, which

are separate entities.

Council hopes to have the new

authority issue bonds to pay off the development authority's $1.45 million

in debt, which was accrued by building improvements to the tennis center

and amphitheater in addition to operating the venues.

Brown had said he thought the

three-year term for the two development authority members who will serve

on the recreation and entertainment authority was "a bit long"

but he felt more comfortable after determining the council will have the

final say on who is appointed.

"They're city facilities

(the amphitheater and the tennis center) and I'd like for the city to

make that decision," Brown said.

Councilwoman Annie McMenamin

said she understood that the Development Authority planned to appoint

two of its newest members to the recreation and entertainment authority

and both of those persons were originally appointed to the development

authority with Mayor Brown's approval, she pointed out.

"It's not like this is

part of the old court or old establishment that has raised such concern,"

McMenamin said.

Councilman Murray Weed said

the compromise position "is simply trying to reach somewhere in the

middle."

"What we're trying to

do is take the politics out of this," said Councilman Dan Tennant,

who added that he appreciated Brown's flexibility on the issue.

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