New nature area planned at Fayette’s Whitewater High

Plans for a new nature area behind Whitewater High School in Fayetteville are starting to coalesce. Representatives from the school system and the nonprofit Southern Conservation Trust presented a concept drawing to the Fayette County Board of Education Monday, outlining a collaborative effort to turn about 45 acres around a detention pond into a passive recreation area with trails and an outdoor classroom.

The board agreed to create a conservation easement for the site, after which discussions about funding and construction will be held. The current three-phase plan has an estimated cost of $208,000.