Protect Milton, Georgia

Residents involved to Protect, Enhance and Preserve Milton, Georgia

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Progress update -An update from PM on the status of the Chicken Creek/School sites issue will be coming in early September, 2008. Residents wanted a stronger Resolution from Council Milton Residents Want Tougher Stance Against School They worry about environmental impact

By DOUG NURSE www.ajc.com

Opponents of a planned high school in Milton are upset with the City Council because, they say, a resolution to the Fulton County School Board wasn't tough enough.

The City Council resolution on Monday called on the school board to consider the concerns of nearby residents who worry about the environmental impact of the school on nearby creeks and rivers. Residents have been especially vocal about the prospect of having a large septic tank to handle the school's waste and about the expected runoff from the school.

Some opponents made a presentation with an environmental engineer, and asked the City Council to intervene. The city has no authority over where schools are placed by the school board, which acts independently of municipalities.

The resolution fell short of condemning the selection of the 116-acre site. Instead, it asked the school board to consider working with the City of Milton to conduct additional tests, and to coordinate with regulatory agencies to ensure that the new high school is designed and built in a safe and environmentally sound way.

Lisa Cauley, chairwoman of a group called Protect Milton, felt the City Council wimped out.
"We feel the City Council should have insisted the school board find an alternative site, since our reports and studies conclude Chicken Creek cannot handle any additional bacterial load," Cauley said Friday."We are confused, disappointed, frustrated about their stance," she said. "We were expecting something teethier. For some reason, they watered it down."

Councilwoman Tina D'Aversa also had hoped for the resolution would be worded stronger, but she said the council concluded the city lacked the authority to make demands on a co-equal government. And she said there was some concern that a strident resolution might alienate the school board."There was concern that a stronger request would cause greater pushback from them," D'Aversa said. "We think that if they will review the environmental studies, they will reach the same conclusion on their own."

City of Milton, City Council, School Site Resolution, June 2nd, 2008At the City of Milton City Council Meeting last night, the City Attorney presented the Council's Resolution regarding the placement of a High School and Middle School on the 113 acre site on Freemanville Road. Below is a copy of the exact Resolution that was given last evening at City Hall.Protect Milton is very appreciative of this Resolution by Council. However, the studies on Chicken Creek were done by top experts in their field and done to EPD Protocol. They conclude the Creeks and Streams that border this proposed school property are already impaired by storm water run off and pasture land run off, and can handle no additional load of bacterial pollution. To clarify any misconceptions, existing residential septic systems are not the cause of the existing impaired conditions of Chicken Creek. The Environmental Engineers have investigated additional research of other Nationwide septic studies which conclude that one home per one acre is ample land to dissipate that of one residential septic system. We anticipated the City would have taken a stronger stance insisting the BOE find an alternative site given the environmental facts which were presented to them, but feel this Resolution is a postive step for our City and will assist in the process of finding a better location for these schools altogether.This Resolution by Council validates the extreme concern of Protect Milton in regards to the detrimental impact the building of these schools on this particular site on septic will have for the Coosa Watershed, Lake Allatoona, and that of Chicken Creek. We hope that the EPD will investigate this proposed site by the FCBOE in hopes the Board of Education be forthright and relocate this school site to a better location for the environment and for our city as a whole. When a governmental body has complete jurisdiction and the ability to purchase land anywhere for schools, why would the FCBOE chose a site they knew previously had environmental issues, and chose to place 2 schools on septic and an Elementary school as well, in an already fragile watershed ecosystem, which will contribute to the pollution in our rivers, creeks and streams and the water supply for N.West Georgia, Lake Allatoona. If schools are built on this proposed site by the FCBOE, in our opinion, and that of our Experts, this will be a violation of the Ga. Clean Water Act, by blatantly contributing to the pollution that is currently impairing the water quality of Lake Allatoona and all of the other bodies of water connected to Chicken Creek in this Watershed.Please see the Resolution below:

STATE OF GEORGIA

COUNTY OF FULTON RESOLUTION NO. _______

A RESOLUTION REGARDING THE FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION’S PROPOSED HIGH SCHOOL AT FREEMANVILLE ROAD

The Council of the City of Milton hereby resolves while in regular session on the __ day of May, 2008 at _:00 pm.: WHEREAS, the City of Milton, by and through its City Council is aware that the Fulton County Board of Education ("Board of Education") has preliminary plans to construct a new high school facility in the City of Milton on a 116 acre site located along Freemanville Road; and, WHEREAS, the 116-acre parcel in question delivers storm water to Chicken Creek and Cooper Sandy Creek; and, WHEREAS, Chicken Creek and Cooper Sandy Creek are a part of the Little River watershed and the Etowah River basin; and, WHEREAS, the Little River watershed and the Etowah River basin are environmentally sensitive areas worthy of all available protection from hazardous or damaging runoff, erosion, and/or siltation; and, WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council are tasked with being reasonable and responsible stewards of the natural resources of the City of Milton; WHEREAS, the City Council has been approached by a number of citizens that have expressed environmental concerns regarding use of the Freemanville site for a new high school; WHEREAS, the concerns expressed include the potential adverse impact of a high-capacity septic system on the site, as well as more generalized concerns regarding the stress the school development will have on impacted waters; WHEREAS, the City Council has not undertaken independent testing with respect to the site, or any potential impacted waters, and therefore the Council is not presently in a position to assess the validity of the concerns raised by our citizens; WHEREAS, the City Council respects and appreciates the significant effort associated with site selection for a new school facility, and is certainly mindful that the Fulton County Board of Education will have reviewed and addressed many, if not all, of the issues raised by Milton citizens; WHEREAS, in light of the issues that have been raised by Milton citizens, the City Council would respectfully request that the Council and the Board of Education work together to allay the concerns raised by Milton citizens by disseminating technical data ____________________________ _____________________________

already in existence – or – alternatively, to further explore the issues raised to determine whether those concerns are worthy of additional study; and,

WHEREAS, if the Board of Education believes the Freemanville site is, and remains, the optimal site for the new high school facility, then the Council would respectfully request that all necessary steps be taken to preserve the health of Chicken Creek and Sandy Creek. NOW THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MILTON this __ day of May, 2008, that this Resolution shall constitute the respectful request and petition of the Milton City Council that the Fulton County Board of Education and the City Council work together to respond to the concerns raised by Milton citizens with respect to the Freemanville Road site by disseminating technical data already in existence – or – alternatively, to further explore the issues raised by the citizens of Milton to determine whether those concerns are worthy of additional study; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in the event the Board of Education believes that further testing may be necessary, the City of Milton would respectfully request that City Council and the Board of Education work together in undertaking such testing and in coordinating with those State and federal regulatory agencies having oversight of riparian health and stress loads, and in otherwise taking all available steps to ensure that the Board of Education’s plan for construction of a new high school within the City of Milton is undertaken in such a manner as to preserve and ensure the health, safety and welfare of the Citizens of Milton and the State of Georgia; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Milton City Council does hereby express its appreciation and gratitude to the Fulton County Board of Education for its commitment to the educational needs of the community, and also for its expressed desire to work hand in hand with the City of Milton in being a responsible and conscientious steward of the City’s natural resources.

The public health, safety and welfare demanding it.

Approved:

Mayor Attest:

City Clerk (