By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

Preliminary work has started on Union City's newest middle school.

Dodson Road Middle School will open at the intersection of Dodson Road and High Point Road in August 2002.

Fulton County School System's Marcus Ray, who oversees many of the system's new capital projects, said a construction management firm has been secured and bids will be taken on the project in either March or April.

The school will house 800 students and be built in the courtyard style that is indicative of the newer schools.

Dodson Road will take students from the Evoline West Elementary School in Fairburn, Campbell Elementary in Fairburn, Seaborn Lee in College Park and Palmetto Elementary.

Ray said the system is constantly studying growth patterns in Fulton County and said the future could be impressive for South Fulton.

"There's a lot of potential growth in that area. There's a lot of large developments that could impact our planning and school construction," he said.

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