Fayette County high school interns working with the Fayette County government are set to present their findings and options for a golf cart path and crossing for the Starr’s Mill school complex on Redwine Road. The presentation will be made at the Aug. 14 meeting of the Fayette County Commission.
“This summer, Fayette County interns Tessa Strickland, a rising junior at Starr’s Mill High School, and Khalil Coleman, a rising junior at Whitewater High School, rose to the challenge of ensuring that students, parents, and faculty have a safer route for golf cart usage along Redwine Road to the school complex and have safer crossings within the complex itself. The complex is comprised of Peeples Elementary School, Rising Starr Middle School and Starr’s Mill High School,” said County Clerk Floyd Jones.
Jones said the interns started by studying the schools’ campuses and adjacent areas and identifying areas that needed to be addressed.
Utilizing the help of experienced county staff who shared their ideas, Strickland and Coleman pinpointed safer solutions that include a multi-use path extension and secure crossing techniques along Redwine Road and within the school complex.
Jones noted the increasing prevalence of golf carts as a mode of transportation throughout Fayette County.
In 2013, Fayette County created the High School Internship Program to allow students opportunities to work with commissioners and administrative staff on various projects, according to Jones.
“The 2013 interns tackled the golf cart ordinance by recommending a unified ordinance with Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone and Fayette County,” said Jones. “At the time there were differences in golf cart rules within the cities and the county, such as the minimum age to operate a golf cart which would lead to violations in other jurisdictions and would subject golf cart owners to penalties. Commissioners adopted a simplified ordinance, creating a common platform and allowing 15-year-olds with a valid learner’s permit to be able to drive a golf cart throughout Fayette County.”
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Stonewall Administrative complex at 140 Stonewall Avenue in Fayetteville.
