The Clayton County Board of Supervisors approved a request from a group of senior residents to use the county multipurpose center for a weekly line‑dance class and agreed to compensate a certified instructor from fitness‑center funds under a contract.
Linda Martin and other members of the group described a yearlong program they said improves mobility for older adults and asked for space and instructor compensation. "We are requesting that each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. for a duration of one or two hours ... we be allocated the space to exercise," Martin said.
Parks and Recreation Director Michelle Burrell told the board that funds for instructor compensation are available in the fitness‑center budget and that any paid instructor should carry liability insurance. "The funds, at this time, are available, through the fitness center," Burrell said. Burrell also said certified instructors are preferred if the county will pay for instruction.
Vanessa Chambers Thomas, the instructor who has led the class, said the sessions are primarily low‑intensity and that full group‑fitness certifications can be expensive; she reported obtaining CPR certification and said she would provide liability documentation if required.
The board’s motion — made by Supervisor Chandler and seconded by Supervisor Jones — allowed the Line Dance for Health group to use the general open area of the multipurpose center and authorized staff to contract with the instructor. Supervisors instructed staff to draw contracts with the instructor that specify days, hours and compensation and to pay the instructor from fitness‑center membership funds or the parks and recreation budget as applicable.
What the board did: approved space use and authorized staff to prepare a contract for the instructor and to fund it from the fitness center membership account; set a requirement for instructor certification and liability insurance before county funds are paid.
What remains: staff will draft a contract, confirm the instructor’s liability insurance and provide the board with compensation terms consistent with other ongoing classes.