The Georgia Bureau of Investigation's

Financial Investigative Unit has been called in to evaluate documents

related to the Development Authority of Peachtree City and its operation

of the city's tennis center and amphitheater.

Police Chief James Murray requested

the GBI's assistance and turned over documents to agents in a meeting

Wednesday "for their expert evaluation," police said. Murray

has spent the last six weeks conducting an in-depth review of documents

pertaining to the operation and construction projects of both venues.

That came at the request of

Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown, who said he was urged by state officials

to have the documents reviewed for possible criminal activity.

But a statement released by

the department Thursday afternoon indicates that no assessment has been

made as to whether anything in the documents pointed to any crimes.

"This review was not based

on a conclusion of criminal activity on anyone's part," the

statement said. "The request was initiated to allow an outside, professional

and qualified law enforcement agency to review and make recommendations

to the city of Peachtree City Police Department concerning any possible

discrepancies."

Because the investigation is

now in the GBI's hands, further comments from the department will

be withheld until the investigation is concluded, Murray said.

The authority, which for a

decade has operated the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater and the tennis

center, will turn over the operation of both venues to a non-profit organization

created by the city council on Dec. 1.

Although Brown has been a vocal

opponent of the way the authority has operated the tennis center and amphitheater,

he and other city officials have recently been mum on the subject. That's

because City Attorney Ted Meeker warned city council members and other

city employees that the matter is being investigated by a law enforcement

agency.

Former authority vice chairman

Scott Bradshaw resigned in September with a lengthy letter critical of

how the authority has managed both venues. Bradshaw was particularly upset

at the state of the authority's financial affairs.

"We received highly optimistic

financial reports throughout the year," Bradshaw wrote, "and

I was stunned to learn on Sept. 15, two weeks before the end of the fiscal

year, of serious cash flow problems."

Bradshaw also disclosed a sponsorship

agreement that obligated the authority to guaranteeing $366,306 in sales

of Adidas products through the privately-owned Trading Post tennis pro

shop at the center in exchange for $15,000 in promotional items such as

T-shirts, hats and travel bags for distribution at the tennis tournaments

and the amphitheater. Bradshaw contended that agreement was never voted

on by the authority.

The Trading Post was owned

and operated, rent-free, by former authority executive director Virgil

Christian under his contract with the authority. That clause dated back

to when he was first lured to Peachtree City to become the tennis center's

director, officials said.