Friday, January 5, 2001
Friday, January 5, 2001 |
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Elementary school on Katz property may not be funded with bond money
By JOHN
MUNFORD
The Fayette County Board of Education still plans to locate a new elementary school on the 80 acres in western Peachtree City that John Wieland Homes has promised to donate. The school just might not come as quickly as some would like, despite raging residential growth that continues in Peachtree City. The school board is looking at putting another elementary school north of Peachtree City or in the south Tyrone area, said Jerry Whitaker, director of facilities planning and land acquisition for the Fayette County Board of Education. But the school planned for the Katz property will be needed, too, he added. Two elementary schools which serve that area Kedron Elementary and Tyrone Elementary are already over capacity, Whitaker said. The board is working feverishly to acquire the land for schools it will build with the bond funds with the hope that construction could begin in May since it takes just over two years to build a school, he said. The school adjacent to the planned John Wieland Homes subdivision on the Katz property in Peachtree City will still be needed to handle growth in the area, Whitaker said. "You've got almost 1,400 single-family homes there between the Line Creek Apartments, Cedarcroft, Peachtree City Holdings, the Katz property, Wynnmeade and Planterra Ridge," Whitaker said. "They will fill up the school by themselves." The board plans to build three new elementary schools with its $85 million bond that was recently approved by voters. The school planned for the Katz property could be the last of those three schools, although there is a chance it might not be developed quickly enough to fit into the timeline, Whitaker added. One major factor which could hold up the school's construction is the development of MacDuff Parkway. School officials want to make sure the parkway is completed so it will provide two points of access off state highways for emergency vehicles, Whitaker said. It's likely that the school won't be built until MacDuff Parkway is complete, he added. Representatives of emergency agencies have recommended the board wait on construction for the MacDuff Parkway completion, Whitaker said. John Wieland Homes hasn't deeded the land to the school board yet, and that must take place before the board spends funds to conduct the engineering studies on the site, Whitaker said. "All we have is a copy of the plat for the whole project," Whitaker said. The board is waiting for a go-ahead from John Wieland Homes for a finalized plan for the school site. "They said it might be a while before they get everything finished up," Whitaker said. The 20-acre school site will be located on land that's actually in the unincorporated part of Fayette County. The total amount of land in the county is 80 acres, and John Wieland Homes is seeking a rezoning from the county from A-R, which requires a minimum of five acres per home to R-75, which allows two-acre home sites. The earliest that rezoning request could appear before the Fayette County Board of Commissioners is its January 25 meeting.
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