ATLANTA --- Building a baseball stadium on the site of the former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame could be harder under a bill Sen. Ed Tarver introduced.

Mayor Deke Copenhaver said Friday he wasn't discouraged in his hopes of seeing a stadium built there, which could be a draw to downtown.

Mr. Tarver's bill, which is co-sponsored by Sen. J.B. Powell, D-Blythe, has a ways to go to become law, including passing the Senate and the House and winning the signature of Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Introduced this week, Senate Bill 431 would prevent the state from giving the land to the city of Augusta or from selling it to anyone without first granting the 30 original owners a chance to buy it back. Their price would be what the state paid them a decade ago, plus 3 percent per year to account for any appreciation and improvements to the land.

The real estate might be among the most valuable in the city, according to Mr. Tarver, who says the original owners should benefit from its risen value rather than the state or local government.

"We in the government are in the business of representing the people. We shouldn't be in the business of screwing the people," said Mr. Tarver, D-Augusta.

Despite assembling the 30 parcels and bulldozing buildings on the site, the state never constructed the interactive museum that was to house the golf attraction. It created only landscaping, paths and a botanical garden.

The state stopped funding operation of the Hall of Fame last year, forcing its closure and removal of statues of the golfers honored.

The mayor remains hopeful the city will gain the property, despite Mr. Tarver's bill.

"I do not believe that it would derail our plans," he said, suggesting he expected the State Property Commission that controls the land to be considering deeding it over to the city.