The following is a response from Katie Reeves of the BOE to Miltonian Tara Chambers.
Ms. Chambers,
As a follow up to your earlier email, I wanted to let you know that we closed on the property late yesterday.
Thank you for taking the time to inquire about the site at Bethany and Cogburn. I have attached the School System press release regarding the purchase of this property. But let me take this opportunity to share someof the details of the Board's decision.
When we purchased the property on Freemanville, the site at Bethany and Cogburn was considered. At that point, given the economy of the moment, we did not have a willing seller. With the property being actively developed,it was thought not to be in the best interest of the system or its taxpayers to pursue that route.
As the Board was told the Freemanville site would be appropriate for both a middle and high school campus - both needed in Northwest Fulton - we agreed to purchase the site on Freemanville. As detailed site plans were developed, it became clear that we could not fit both a middle and highschool on the site without compromising our prototype middle school or the high school facilities. At that time, with the downturn in the economy, the Bethany/Cogburn site became available.
The Bethany/Cogburn site allows for access from two different streets - a huge plus for a high school campus. It is also in close proximity to a major highway and central to our target search area. The fact that it is one of few sewered sites large enough to accommodate a high school campus is a plus as well.
The Freemanville site will still be developed by the School System - as a middle school. After the School System develops a middle school site plan,we will examine how much of the land we truly require. As with all of our school sites, as soon as site plans are developed,community meetings will be scheduled to gather input on the sites.
Thanks again for your inquiry, I hope this answers some of your questions.
Katie Reeves
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12 comments:
You guys need to thank Lisa Cauley for this. Maybe you could move in with her?
THANK YOU Lisa Cauley!!!
I really DO thank you for taking the initiative because you have the resources and the patience, and the chutzpah, to take on the BOE when no one else would. Not even the ones who were supposed to do what is right for our community, the activists who have living here for years. No one took a stand publicly like you did and the ones who have supported Protect Milton and our environment from the very beginning.
The folks that call you names and say all kinds of nasty remarks should have worked for the community as a whole instead of complaining. They should have fought to have the HS moved to inside Alpharetta's city limits where it is needed instead of fearing that it would end up on their side of town or were being politically correct. Or save their own behind.
Now watch John Smoltz get involved and try to push it back to Freemanville because he has great influence and the resources to do it. But will anyone dare to say anything negative about him? Not if they go to Kings Ridge.
I hope Smoltz uses his influence to do the right thing for Milton. He can do it. So can our Council. But more importantly, so can the people who live here. We all have a voice but only about 20 to 30 people are using theirs.
Lisa, I'd sign my name but I realize those same nasty name callers may try to break my Milton spirit as well.
I'll wish on a star each night that people might be kinder and more understanding. And try a little harder to work together.
There are folks that are enjoying the mess Milton is in because they have an agenda, wealth and power. They like the game. And they forget The Golden Rule.
I want Milton to be as beautiful on the "inside" as well as the outside. Imagine what that feels like, we had it just a few years ago. We need to get it back. Show me the Love......
-The Dreamer
Who is the "activist" who have lived here for years? Anyone on city council maybe?
Some of the comments from the "Protect Milton" Petition Site...
"The proposed location is not acceptable for a large school due to condition of roads and traffic. Philips Circle and Wood Road are key to Milton's rural character and trail plan, and must be kept unpaved. Both Redd Rd and Dinsmore Rd have had numerous accidents and the proposed school location would severely increase traffic along those roads. If another school is built in Milton it should be closer to higher density housing, at Hwy 9--or better yet in Alpharetta closer to where students live".
"The school should be placed along Hwy 9 in an area of Milton with sewer and designed to handle the higher traffic loads. The proposed site has too many negtive detractors seems poorly planned. Not to mention lacking in a centralized location".
"If the old Milton High School site is not an option, the location that makes the most sense is at Bethany and Cogburn which is adjacent to highway 9 and is closer to a larger portion of the student population".
"Both the Milton Community and the future students would benefit from the new school being located on a major transportation route such as Highway 9 as opposed to an overcrowded rural road such as Freemanville. It makes little sense for students to travel these overcrowded and potentially dangerous roads when a site on Highway 9 would have significantly safer and better access to the Windward and Alpharetta areas to be served by this school".
"Why have 2 high schools so close together? Why not build a high school near Hopewell & Cogburn Elementary Schools???"
"A high school less than 3 miles from Milton? Does not make sense. I agree that Hwy 9 area would make a better alternative spot. Our roads and area are going to turn into another Johns Creek if we are not careful"
"The roads accessing the proposed school site are not adequate for that kind of influx of traffic. Siting the school closer to Highway 9 would be a more compatible land use (with densities there) and have more suitable roads for access. Also, environmentally it would be more appropriate. Adding that additional volume of school traffic so close to the Milton, etc., complex doesn't seem wise".
"This idea really does not make sense. This site is so close to Milton High School. Why not put a school closer to Hopewell Middle School so all of those students don't have such a long bus ride?"
AND YOU TRY TO INFER THAT SUPPORTERS OF PROTECT MILTON WERE OUT TO DEFEND ALL OF MILTON RESIDENTS?
No we weren't. Obviously Protect Milton was to keep the school away from a 25 acre site with a big home being built across the street.
The BOE made the decision to move it, and Chatham made the decision to sell.
Traffic would have been an issue anywhere the school was put, and yes I do agree it will be worse over there. It's the process in which they do this that is wrong and needs to change. The taxpayers should be angry at themselves for allowing this to continue to go on and on and on. Let's keep giving them SPLOST money to keep making total screw ups on land purchases. Paid to much for the Freemanville site and they cant even use it, could have had Chatham's for less if they purchased it off the bat. Since when do they bow down and not purchase land based on the owner not willing to sell. Now they probably have paid triple what they could have purchased it for. But the taxpayers just let it continue to happen. We not only need a change in the White House, we need a major change at the BOE.
The PM site promotes old Milton site for the new high school. The BOE is the one that mentions considering that site as one of their 5 sites. That was the only one that had sewer available.
Looks like you have added your own flavor to the quotes you said you got from PM.
Be angry at the BOE, no one else for all of this mess.
There are so many issues that are not being talked about, so it is easy to overlook other facts. This is murky water.
Smoltz is probably a very nice guy and I shouldn't listen to rumors about the old KRCS site issue. I apologize more for that part.
One thing I do know for sure is that schools with 100,000 gallons of septic waste should not be built near a waterway (such as the Freemanville site) and if the majority of Milton is fighting for no sewer than we cannot build schools where currently there is no sewer.
What are they planning to do with the old Milton HS site in Alpharetta?
So easy to get all sucked into it. It still all comes down to sewer, doesn't it?
Oh no, here we go again....
Blogger no 8 why don't you go and read the comments on the petition yourself before you accuse people of 'adding flavor".
Website below for your info
http://protectmilton.com
Why dont you guys that have kids and move here just move away. Then we wouldnt have this problem.
To 6:31 am. Get over yourself. We moved here 3 years ago (WITH KIDS). We were looking for a nice place to raise our children. People like you make Milton look bad.
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