The Fayette

County Board of Education still plans to locate a new elementary school

on the 80 acres in western Peachtree City that John Wieland Homes has

promised to donate.

The school

just might not come as quickly as some would like, despite raging residential

growth that continues in Peachtree City. The school board is looking at

putting another elementary school north of Peachtree City or in the south

Tyrone area, said Jerry Whitaker, director of facilities planning and

land acquisition for the Fayette County Board of Education.

But the school

planned for the Katz property will be needed, too, he added.

Two elementary

schools which serve that area Kedron Elementary and Tyrone Elementary

are already over capacity, Whitaker said. The board is working feverishly

to acquire the land for schools it will build with the bond funds with

the hope that construction could begin in May since it takes just over

two years to build a school, he said.

The school

adjacent to the planned John Wieland Homes subdivision on the Katz property

in Peachtree City will still be needed to handle growth in the area, Whitaker

said.

"You've

got almost 1,400 single-family homes there between the Line Creek Apartments,

Cedarcroft, Peachtree City Holdings, the Katz property, Wynnmeade and

Planterra Ridge," Whitaker said. "They will fill up the school

The board plans

to build three new elementary schools with its $85 million bond that was

recently approved by voters. The school planned for the Katz property

could be the last of those three schools, although there is a chance it

might not be developed quickly enough to fit into the timeline, Whitaker

added.

One major factor

which could hold up the school's construction is the development of MacDuff

Parkway. School officials want to make sure the parkway is completed so

it will provide two points of access off state highways for emergency

vehicles, Whitaker said.

It's likely

that the school won't be built until MacDuff Parkway is complete, he added.

Representatives

of emergency agencies have recommended the board wait on construction

for the MacDuff Parkway completion, Whitaker said.

John Wieland

Homes hasn't deeded the land to the school board yet, and that must take

place before the board spends funds to conduct the engineering studies

on the site, Whitaker said.

"All we

have is a copy of the plat for the whole project," Whitaker said.

The board is

waiting for a go-ahead from John Wieland Homes for a finalized plan for

the school site.

"They

said it might be a while before they get everything finished up,"

Whitaker said.

The 20-acre

school site will be located on land that's actually in the unincorporated

part of Fayette County. The total amount of land in the county is 80 acres,

and John Wieland Homes is seeking a rezoning from the county from A-R,

which requires a minimum of five acres per home to R-75, which allows

two-acre home sites.

The earliest

that rezoning request could appear before the Fayette County Board of

Commissioners is its January 25 meeting.