McIntosh High School moved one step closer to having its outdoor practice facilities enhanced when a conceptual site plan was approved Monday night by the Peachtree City Planning Commission.

A request had been made for an additional practice field, citing what the school said was a severe shortage for the needs of the various athletic teams, marching band and physical education classes. McIntosh currently has only one field available for all of these activities, aside from the stadiums used for games.

Residents from surrounding neighborhoods, such as the Eastwind Estates subdivision which adjoins the property and nearby Southern Trace, also figured into the discussion of the project, which was tabled at an earlier meeting. Some residents attended Monday night's meeting to express their concerns about vegetation, noise, drainage and the possibility of installing lights at the fields in the future.

Mike Satterfield, facilities director for the school system, presented the McIntosh proposal to the board. He pointed out that the current facilities are somewhat "confined," and with current state guidelines that prefer 50 acres or more of land for a new high school, McIntosh might not even get site approval today for its 38-acre complex.

The original plan was to add a practice field next to the existing one, with a drop of approximately 50 feet in elevation to the new field. That would have required clearing the property right up to a nearby cart path, Satterfield said.

The revised plan calls for lowering the existing field 12 feet and making both fields level. It would also have the fields laid out in a north-south direction, unlike the current east-west configuration which can make use of the field difficult at times due to sunlight.

A buffer of about 60 feet would be in place nearly everywhere around the fields under the revised plan, according to Satterfield, with dense, evergreen vegetation used for additional screening. There is no need for lights, he added, since the football stadium can be used in the rare instances when practicing after dark might be necessary.

An irrigation system would be installed to handle drainage, Satterfield said, and a four-foot fence is recommended for the outer edges of the fields to help keep errant balls in place.

One resident voiced concerns about whether the funding was definitely in place for this project, noting previously published statements by the Board of Education about the need for more classrooms.

Another resident pointed out that the Eastwind Estates development contains only six homes that would be affected by this project, but those residences have an appraised value of $3 million and contribute roughly $30,000 in property taxes each year. He added, however, that the neighborhood supports the school system and will continue to do so, provided everything is done properly and the neighbors are considered.

Planning Commission member Wes Saunders said that he wants the school system to make a formal commitment before any work on this project is begun. He said that he does not want to do any grading on that land and then find out that the school system is not going to fund the field renovations.

Satterfield said that the Board of Education would vote on the matter soon, perhaps at its next meeting, and a letter stating its intentions could be sent to the Planning Commission immediately after that.

That documentation was made a stipulation of the Planning Commission's motion to approve the plan. Other stipulations included coordination with city staff and adjoining property owners during the entire construction process, submitting a landscape plan after grading is completed, preventive measures taken concerning erosion control and sediment in affected streams, and future approval of any plans to erect lights, bleachers or sound equipment.

In other business, a request for extension of a temporary use permit for modular classrooms at Braelinn Baptist Church was deleted from Monday's agenda at the request of the applicant and tabled until the May 10 meeting. No one representing the applicant was in attendance at the meeting.

City planner David Rast announced to the Planning Commission that the Highway 54/Walt Banks Road Task Force has been disbanded. A letter from Mayor Bob Lenox stated that the property would be developed as it is currently zoned, Rast said.

A site plan for Photocircuits Corporation would be on the May 10 agenda, Rast reported. Photocircuits had a variance for its property approved by the City Council at its April 15 meeting, and another is still under consideration.

A tract in unincorporated Fayette County has attracted the attention of city staff and should be watched by the Planning Commission, Rast reported. A request for rezoning to M-1 (Industrial) has been submitted to the county for a site on Rockwood Rd. between Tyrone and Peachtree City. Zoning Administrator Jim Williams sent a letter to the county expressing Peachtree City's opposition to the request, Rast said.

The city is also paying attention to a tract south of town near Redwine Road, where a proposed shopping center with a Publix grocery store as an anchor has been mentioned as a possibility. Rast said such a development, if it proceeds, could lead to a request for annexation into Peachtree City so that sewer can be obtained.