Okay kids...for those of you that have been waiting patiently for your info fix, buckle up because we are going to crank this site back up. The post hospital respite is over and now we can all take part in shining the light on numerous opportunities and challenges within our city.
first up...
A School on Cleburne Road?
Developer: Pete Crutcher, Chapter Two Investments
Land for middle school offered to Maury County
35-acre donation in 'one of the next growth areas'
By SUE McCLURE • Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, 03/22/06
SPRING HILL — A developer has offered to donate 35 acres on Cleborne Road to the Maury County school system for construction of a new Spring Hill middle school.
"We're just trying to be a good neighbor," said Pete Crutcher, an associate with Chapter Two Investments.
"We put this land deal together out here a couple years ago as an investment and having a school here would benefit both the county and us."
The land is located off Beechcroft Road, a half-mile down Cleborne Road on the right, Crutcher said.
The property does not have city sewer and water, but city officials have been discussing extending service out Beechcroft Road.
"That's one of the next growth areas for the city," City Administrator Ken York said.
If the land had sewer and water, Crutcher estimated his 35-acre donation would be worth between $875,000 and $1 million.
Maury County Schools Director Eddie Hickman said he's delighted with the offer.
"It looks like a good site," he said. "Of course, you never know 'til the testing has been done."
Hickman said the new middle school would likely be L-shaped.
"And there's plenty of room for a playground and ball fields," he added.
Hickman said he plans to take the offer to the school board and then approach the County Commission in April to request construction funding.
But, wait… There’s another site being offered, isn’t there?
Homes of Royalton Woods
Shouldn't we consider WHERE the growth is happening in Spring Hill before we start placing schools (not to mention locations of railroads that we will send all of our children across on a daily basis)???
Well...here is a list of the growth in Spring Hill with respect to the two choices:
Subdivisions Approved on the East Side of Spring Hill (Port Royal Road area)
North Meadowbrook – 484 Units
South Meadowbrook – 679 Units
Royalton Woods – 403 Units
Stone Creek – 554 Units
Sommerset Springs – 418 Units
Walden Creek Apartments – 468 Units
Port Royal Estates – 277 Units
The Reserves at Port Royal – 352 Units
Williams Park – 1,100 Units
Total: 4,735 Units
Subdivisions Approved on the West Side of Spring Hill (Beechcroft/Cleburne Rd)
The Meadows of Spring Hill – 675 Units
Total: 675 Units
So given a few facts, we want to put a school where?
Tennessean Article
Here is the process if you want to see where we stand on the issue.
Maury County Schools Property Timeline:
Step 1. Contract (option) to purchase (accept) land is signed by the Director of Schools and approved by the School Board (usually 2 years).
Step 2. Request is made to the County Commission to Fund the Due Diligence Process
Step 3. After Due Diligence is completed, option for property is either accepted or denied.
Step 4. A request for funding by the School Board is made to the County Commission for the construction of the school.
Current School Site Status:
Royalton Woods Site – Step 1 Completed, Option expires June 2007
Cleburne Road Site – Step 1 is current being negotiated
Other Options Currently Considered:
Build new High School; convert existing High School to a Middle School.
Approach GM for additional land near High School for a new Middle School.
Extend Royalton Woods site and accept Cleburne Road site for new Middle School and future High School.
Contact for Maury County School Board:
Tommy Dudley - shal1983@bellsouth.net - 931-486-1983
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
A school off of Cleburne Road?
Posted by Gorilla in the Corner at 2:24 PM
Labels: County Government, Miscellaneous, Planning Commission
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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is a series of personal opinions and is not meant to reflect an official position by the City of Spring Hill.
17 comments:
gorilla one more thing to consider in regards to growth. I have said it before, follow the future locations of fire stations. My understanding is the beechcroft station is thought to be in a good position to handle the growth. The projected new stations are all headed east.
be safe all
ole fire fighter
Silly me - I'd think you'd put schools where the KIDS are - not necessarily the fire stations ;-)
Silly me - you put the fire stations where the subdivisions are going to be to keep response times and iso ratings. The kids usualy go where the subdivisions are.
be safe all
ole fire fighter
You'd be correct if they were on top of or ahead of population growth. But as it stands, they are playing catch-up and need to address existing citizens before moving on to future growth.
Drm
I guess I see the world differently from the people in charge. That is something I have never understood. I just cannot see always putting yourself in the position of having to play catch-up on infrastructure. I guess that is just one of many reasons I am not an elected offical.
be safe all
ole firefighter
DRm
I forget to add this. The mayors comments about deceleration lanes on 31 just reflect the outlook on growth. I do not find the state of the roads in this area to be a joking matter. Maybe we should stop growth until 2020 or so when the state gets around to fixing 31. Just a thought.
be safe all
ole fire fighter
ole fire fighter,
You have had a beef with the Mayor every since he opened debate and was successful in bringing an ambulance service to the citizens of Spring Hill. You need to let go!
Maury & Williamson counties would not respond to the needs of our community with an ambulance service. So the Mayor seeks out alternatives. I suspect the Mayor will do the same with roadways.
Also, I am sure you and the Spring Hill hospital opponents would love nothing more than for the city to stop growth. We would be playing right into your hands of not needing Ambulance service or the hospital.
Personally, I like the Mayor being straight forward. It's refreashing for a change.
Anon
I question all of my elected officials, it is the duty of all voters and citizens. I do not believe that I said anything about the hospital or ems. If you think that "not in your lifetime" is a professional comment for the elected leader of a city to make even in jest that is too bad. I have a problem with growth first and infrastructure second, I do not care who is in office. If you can find alternatives to state roads being widened by the dot you need to call the gov I bet he would love to talk to you.
Once again for the record I am not opposed to a hospital. I live in the real world. By the time it is built this city will need a community hospital.
As far as ems goes it is a done deal as far as I am concerned. You got what you wanted. I did not bring it up, but would be glad to debate anything further. You will have to do better that nobody gave us what we wanted.
be safe all
ole fire fighter
Then question the County Commissioners wasting our tax dollars on an appeal of "OUR" Spring Hill hospital. Those dollars could be spent on the roads! The wasting of our dollars could easily be stopped, getting TDOT to focus on our roads could take a "lifetime".
Now maybe you get the "jest".
I have been going to county budget meetings and questioned how they spent money since the early 1990s.
As far as the appeal goes, I knew there would be an appeal no mater who won. If the counties believe their positions to be valid then they would consider an appeal to be in the best interest of the tax payers. Just like if HCA had lost then they would consider an appeal to be in the best interest of the share holders. No suprise here.
be safe all
ole fire fighter
Who appeals a 7-1 decision and realistically expects to win?
The appeal is about delaying the inevitable at the cost of tax payer money. That's it.
Instead of taking a few million out of the 'administrative budget' for an appeal, why doesn't WMC take those millions and finish the NICU unit that is currently in a converted supply closet?
I guess we just have a difference of opinion on many things. Which is cool.
be safe all
ole fire fighter
and back on topic...
ole fire fighter - It would be nice if we were not in the position of playing catch-up, and we could use projected growth (which is used to place new fire stations) to plan for new schools. However, Maury county is not in that position right now. They really need to address current citizens. Maybe some day we'll all be talking about "planning ahead" and do it the right way... but that day is not here yet.
DRM
Thank you for getting back on topic. You are so right. Unfortunately niether is Williamson County. It would be nice if everyone could get a handle on things before what people come here for gets destroyed. I hate the thought of this area getting to be like Atlanta and some other places that I have lived. Maybe you should run for office.
be safe all
ole fire fighter
I agree with the fact that the roads are already at or close to capacity in their current form. Putting off any type of improvement to the major thoroughfares is a huge mistake and just smells of the city looking more for revenue generation from residential/commercial growth and not trying to keep a balance. This needs to be addressed now, before it gets any further out of hand than what it already is..
Gorilla,
Don't know if you have seen this email propaganda coming from our Maury County School Board Member:
Hello to all of you.
My name is Tommy Dudley and I am the School Board representative for the 11th district of Maury County. The 11th district consist of a very large area which covers the northern parts of the county from Carters Creek Pike around to Bear Creek Pike on its eastern end. Spring Hill is in my district, but I want to represent the entire district equally and fairly.
As most of you are aware, Maury County does not have a middle school located in the northern end of the county. Middle School students from the northern end of the county are required to attend Cox Middle School in Columbia. This requires the students to endure lengthy trips and creates hardships for the parents of the students.
The School Board has for sometime now, been trying to obtain a middle school site in the northern end of the County. Only two sites were offered as a donation to the School Board until recently. The first site was off Port Royal Road. This site was not suitable for a middle school due to it contains wetlands, TVA easements and development of the site would be very expensive due to requirements established by the property owners. After development of the site the usable land would not be sufficient for a middle school.
The second site is a 33 acre tract off Cleburne Rd. This site is not perfect but it is a better site than the first site. The property is on the western side of Spring Hill just past the railroad tracks off Beechcroft Road behind the GM Assembly Plant. Buses will have to cross the railroad tracks if coming from the east, but we have buses going over railroad tracks not only in Maury County but also in Williamson County daily. Buses going all the way to Bear Creek Pike in Columbia create just as much concern for me as the railroad crossing on Beechcroft Rd. The Cleburne Rd. site has more usable land and will carry less development cost with it. Utilities are already available at or near the site. If we can keep the development cost low we can use the savings to build a nicer school or even be able to better equip the school.
An additional site has since been offered in the Spring Hill area next to I 65 off of Jim Warren Road, but the developer and the City of Spring Hill have yet to establish that the roads are any safer, that the site development will be any less expensive or that the infrastructure will be there to support a school when completed. As a member of the School Board, I certainly appreciate the offer of this additional site, but a final decision needs to made now.
Other sites may be available in the City limits of Columbia also, but do you want your middle school students to have to attend school that far away?
The Cleburne Rd site offers the best opportunity for a middle school site in the northern end of the county. The School Board is ready to act upon the building of a middle school, but if we continue to have delays, other school projects could be placed ahead of it. If this were to occur, it could be years before another opportunity for a middle school in the northern end of the county comes around again. The Cox Middle School could be expanded or an additional middle school could be built in Columbia.
Some of the members of the Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen have stated that they do not want a school on the Cleburne Rd site and have even suggested that they would prefer the school to be built in Columbia. I ask you to contact them, and let them know that you want a middle school built here. They are scheduled to vote on the approval of the developers plans which include the school site on Cleburne Rd. on Monday April 16, 2007 at 7 PM. Please call the members prior to the meeting or plan on attending the meeting at Spring Hill City Hall. Kathie Johnson has given you the phone numbers of all of the members of the Mayor and Aldermen.
The other sites offered may be used in the future for additional schools. The School Board is not turning down their offers. With the expected growth of Maury County over the next few years, we will need many more school sites.
If you have any questions, call me.
Thank you.
Tommy Dudley
931-486-2982
I think they should go ahead with the middle school; and then build a 1000 student Unit School (K-12) in the port-royal area.
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