The Fulton County School District has ruled out an area on Riverside Drive in Sandy Springs as the site to relocate Heards Ferry Elementary School.
That’s some relief to Charles Maddrey, who says the traffic is already a mess in that area.
“It had no business being considered,” said Maddrey, who lives just off Riverside, near where many thought the district had considered building. “It was a disaster waiting to happen, putting another school at the foot of I-285.”
District officials have not said where the new school will be built or whether plans call for expanding the existing campus, which lies about a mile west of Riverside Drive.
Patrick Burke, deputy superintendent of operations for Fulton County Schools, said Friday the rebuilding project was approved by voters in a 2011 SPLOST referendum. Burke announced Friday that the Riverside Drive site was out of the picture.
A group of more than 50 parents has notified the school board they do not want the school moved, and they have shown up at meetings to reinforce that.
Alicia Kellum, who has children in both the elementary school and nearby Riverwood High School, said she welcomed the district’s latest decision.
“I hope this is an indication they listened to the taxpayers,” she said. “They still need to listen to the city and its residents in reaching a final decision.”
This month, the Sandy Springs City Council passed a resolution calling upon the school board to involve the city in planning for the project. City leaders said the district must be made aware of street and stormwater limitations for any sites it may be considering.
City spokeswoman Sharon Kraun said Monday there are indications the school board will involve the city more in the planning process.
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