Cherokee schools buy land near Ball Ground

The Cherokee County School Board has approved purchasing land on Flatbottom Road southeast of Ball Ground that documents identify as the potential site of a future middle school.

The board voted recently to pay about $520,000 for approximately 40 acres on Flatbottom 1.4 miles south of Ball Ground Highway (Ga. 372), across the street from land the district already owns for a possible future high school.

“While construction of these schools is not in our current five-year facilities plan, we expect residential development will quickly occur as the area’s infrastructure improves, and this purchase better positions us to prepare and respond,” said Brian V. Hightower, schools superintendent.

The sales contract identifies the seller as Angela D. Bryson, manager of The Old Bailey Place LLC. A map attached to the agenda packet for Thursday’s school board meeting notes two approved residential developments totaling 2,300 homes and a proposed project to have 166 homes in the vicinity of the land purchase.