After years of discussion, Fulton County Schools leaders said they’ve selected a site to build a new elementary school in East Point.
Chief Operations Officer Noel Maloof recently told board members that the district plans to replace Conley Hills Elementary School with a new building about 2½ miles away on land that once housed a high school.
“The former Briarwood High School site is approximately 14 acres of very usable property that we already own,” he said.
As part of a capital plan approved five years ago, the district pledged to give the south Fulton community a new school. They cited the poor condition of the Conley Hills building on Delowe Drive, and budgeted about $44 million to replace it.
But construction was delayed as officials looked for an appropriate site after determining the existing property is too small and the topography too challenging to build on.
The board last fall rejected Superintendent Mike Looney’s recommendation to combine the kindergarten through fifth grade school with a nearby middle school.
Officials eyed another property as a potential site for a new elementary school but had not come to an agreement on the purchase price.
Maloof said they widened their search for property and determined that the former high school site, located on Briarwood Boulevard off Dodson Road, would work. He said it’s well suited for a new elementary building, with room for ample parking and drop-off zones.
Board members praised the plan, which they said would allow the district to deliver on a promise to the community as well as save money by not purchasing more property.
“Hallelujah is a good word,” said board Vice President Kimberly Dove, who represents parts of East Point, College Park, South Fulton and Union City. “This has been a very long process.”
Board member Linda McCain pointed out the proposed new location is within walking distance of Asa G. Hilliard Elementary School. She said that may require some adjustments to attendance boundaries, but noted locating two schools near each other is something the district has done elsewhere in the county.
The district plans to begin the preliminary design work in May and start construction in December.
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