The question

at Monday night's meeting of the Peachtree City Planning Commission was

this: Just how temporary is temporary?

Braelinn Baptist

Church approached the Planning Commission several years ago with a request

for a temporary use permit for portable classrooms. It was granted. Braelinn

Baptist was hoping for a bond referendum to pass and the city to buy the

church facility, paving the way for the church to relocate and expand.

When this didn't happen, the church had to shift gears and make new plans.

This meant that the portable classrooms would have to be on site for a

while longer.

David Millican,

chairman of the building committee for Braelinn Baptist Church, addressed

the Planning Commission, stating that the portable classrooms are used

Police Department has used the classrooms for meeting, training and tests,

while other uses include guitar and dulcimer lessons, adult education

classes and Kindermusik classes.

City planner

David Rast told the commission that the portable classrooms are a few

steps above the trailers used at a number of the local schools, meet all

Americans with Disability Act standards, are inspected annually by the

fire department and building department for safety (and pass annually)

and can not be seen from the road, whcih means they are not eyesores to

the community.

Millican also

told the Planning Commission how relocation efforts to their new campus,

which is being built on Dogwood Trail and Ga. Highway 74, are going and

how that affects the time they will need the portable classrooms at their

Robinson Road campus.

"If everything

holds and the financing comes through as expected, we plan on beginning

our relocation in 2005," said Millican, who also said that several

projects on the Dogwood campus have been completed, including an observation

deck over Landrum Mill and the extension of the cart paths in the area.

Braelinn Baptist

will not have the use of its temporary classrooms all the way until 2005,

but the Planning Commission did grudgingly give the church some relief.

Commission members Ray Green and Wes Saunders both felt that the church

was stretching the definition of temporary. "While we appreciate

the communtiy use of these buildings, a permanent temporary building is

just not a good idea," said Green.

"Times

are tough right now," said commission member Bob Buckley. "If

the buildings are safe, I say give them another 12 months."

The Planning

Commission granted an extension of the temporary use permit for the buildings

for one year. Braelinn Baptist Church will have to have other plans by

July 14, 2004.

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