The Peachtree City Development

Authority has again quit the venue management business, suppposedly for

good.

In a meeting late Friday afternoon,

with Chairman Tate Godfrey absent, four remaining members on the seven-seat

appointed board voted to again terminate a contract with the city to operate

both the Peachtree City Tennis Center and Fred Brown Jr. Amphitheater,

effective Nov. 30.

agreement for the second time in just under a month, the DAPC also gave

an endorsement to Tommy Turner of Fayetteville's AIS Computers and

other local business leaders to take over the Tennis Center operations

exclusively.

Member Scott Formel thanked

Turner by name for his efforts as the motion was for the four DAPC members

to resign.

There was no firm date given

for when Turner's partnership, which he is calling Tennis Management

Group or TMG, would be ready to assume full responsibility for running

the tennis center.

City Hall will assume temporary

operations of the facility on Ga. Highway 54 West across from Wal-Mart

and Home Depot on Nov. 30, but the city's hand in day-to-day operations

will last only as long as it takes the private partnership to come in

and assume control, likely in early 2004, sources said.

The amphitheater, or "The

Fred" as it is more affectionately known, would remain under some

kind of city oversight, though details have yet to be worked out.

The DAPC deferred to the city

administration to work out the rest of the details related to Turner's

investment group, which includes names like Terry Maple, former director

of Zoo Atlanta, and auto dealer Mike Fitzpatrick.

"The Development Authority

is not a policy-setting board when it comes to these things," said

DAPC member Bob Brooks on Friday. "It's up to the city council

to decide how this will be managed."

Sorting through all the confusion

was cited among the reasons the date of the transfer was moved to Nov.

30 from an earlier proposed Nov. 10.

"We met with the mayor

about all this, but we've learned since that he can't speak

for the whole council," said Brooks.

Turner seemed willing to wait

it out, if it meant going through all the proper channels.

"We knew it had to be

a unilateral agreement, and that a final acceptance of the terms would

require some City Council action," said Turner. The second council

meeting is scheduled for Nov. 6.

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