Traffic concerns addressed at school meeting.

By Rachel Kellogg / neighbor newspapers

School board member Katie Reeves held a community meeting yesterday to discuss the new high school that will soon be constructed in Milton at the intersection of Bethany Bend and Cogburn Road.

Several residents expressed concern about traffic congestion during construction and after the school opens.

According to Patrick Burke, chief of operations for Fulton County Schools, the school system has been in constant contact with the city of Milton regarding traffic.

“We have been actively working together to come up with a resolution to improve the [traffic] situation,” he said.

A representative from Evergreen Construction, the company building the school, also said deliveries to the construction site would be done during times when traffic is less congested.
Construction for the unnamed school will take two years, and it will open in the fall of 2012.
In May, the school board awarded the $45.5 million building contract to Evergreen Construction, which has completed six projects for Fulton County Schools.

One resident asked if any quality had been sacrificed because the school board was able to come in almost $10 million less than the cost of construction for Johns Creek High, which was built using the same construction prototype.

Burke addressed the concern, saying the schools get better every time this model has been used. “It's not a lesser school,” he said. “Fulton County has a very high standard for construction.”

Ms. Reeves agreed and said, “I know you will be happy with this school. We will do a good job.”

Redistricting will start next spring and will be completed in September of 2011, and the school's principal will be named in fall of 2011.

Once a principal has been selected, a committee will be formed to choose the name. Incoming students will be able to vote on the colors and the mascot.

The campus, which will be 64.5 acres, will have a 650-car parking lot, a 600-seat theater, a 4,000-seat athletic stadium, five tennis courts, a 2,000-seat competitive gym with three basketball courts, a 378-seat practice gym, a courtyard, an outdoor pottery area and space designated for future field houses.