Fayette County

Locals seek food, water for Haiti

JohnMark Conklin (in the gray cap) and members of Scout Troop 118 from Brooks United Methodist Church load up donated supplies of rice, beans and water destined for earthquake victims in Haiti. Collections will continue Sunday afternoon at the Starr’s Mill Chick-fil-A on Ga. Highway 74 South.

Eagle Scout projects can take many forms. For Starr’s Mill High School senior JohnMark Conklin, the idea of collecting staple foods and water for earthquake victims in Haiti was just the thing to do. JohnMark is partnering with New Hope Church South and with Tyrone-based Operation Mobilization to collect rice, beans and water and to have it shipped to the Caribbean island. Read More»

F’ville commercial vacancies: 1 in 4

Office space even worse: Nearly 1 out of every 3 F’ville offices are empty

Fayetteville, the commercial capital of the county, is suffering through a tenant drought, with one in every four commercial properties empty, and nearly one in every three office spaces vacant, the City Council was told last week. Read More»

What’s next for Fayette schools?

No comments from school board members Lee Wright (L), Janet Smola and Chairman Terri Smith (R) about what happens next after retirement. of Supt. John DeCotis (below).

The June 30 retirement of Superintendent John DeCotis leaves financially struggling school system with questions

With Fayette County School Superintendent John DeCotis retiring by July 1, the Board of Education must find his replacement. So how will that decision be made? Read More»

Apartments for seniors sought for east PTC

An Atlanta company is asking Peachtree City to lift its moratorium on multi-family rezoning to make way for a 4.8-acre senior rental complex in the Lexington Circle retail center off Ga. Highway 54 East. Read More»

Schools brace for $11 million cut in funding

Falling local tax receipts and cuts in state funding may add up to $11 million less total revenue available to spend on Fayette County schools beginning in July, the Fayette County Board of Education has been told.

School system Comptroller Laura Brock at the Feb. 9 meeting provided board members with an initial local revenue projection for the upcoming 2011 school year. That projection shows a decrease of $10,906,869 million in state and local revenues from the current budget of $185.5 million. Read More»

If cuts necessary, where will they be?

Fayette County School System Comptroller Laura Brock reported last week that additional proposed cuts by Gov. Sonny Perdue for the remainder of the fiscal year, if approved by the General Assembly, could mean a loss of $2.8 million in areas such as staff wages, transportation and nursing services.

Estimated potential cuts for January totaled $1,276,490 as a result of another proposed three-day furlough and $1,267,046 from a 1.5 percent budget cut, for a total of $2.544 million, Brock reported to the Board of Education. Read More»

Committee wants to add 20 minutes to high schools’ days

A few school systems around the state are shortening their school year to offset decreases in funding. So far, Fayette wants no part of an abbreviated instructional year.

Instead, Fayette County’s School Calendar/School Day Committee is recommending that the board maintain the 5-day-a-week, 180-day school year.

They are also recommending that high schools follow Sandy Creek’s example and include a 20-minute per day period to accommodate students’ instructional needs. Read More»

Crime increase in F’ville? Stats say reverse, chief says

Fayetteville Police Chief Steve Heaton at the City Council retreat Friday said there is a community perception that overall crime has been increasing in Fayetteville and that the Fayette Pavilion continues to be a major source of criminal activity.

But the crime numbers tell a different tale, Heaton said. And in terms of serious criminal offenses Fayetteville is in better shape than comparable Georgia cities. Read More»

F’ville’s home foreclosure rate holds steady at 1.2%

Members of the Fayetteville City Council at Friday’s retreat got a look at city foreclosure totals for 2009. Foreclosures totaled 1.2 percent of city housing units based on the number of actions filed.

Building Department representative Tony Haponski told the council that last year a total of 269 properties were listed for foreclosure though only 73 of those properties were actually listed in the county’s public notice listing system, adding that the number of foreclosures is approximately the same as from the previous year. Read More»

F’ville Main Street program acknowledged

Fayetteville Main Street Director Brian Wismer and Main Street Chairman Lane Brown, received recognition from Commissioner Mike Beatty of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs for being an active Georgia Main Street city for over 10 years. The Main Street program is a nationwide effort created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980. It was designed to help revitalize historic downtown districts across America. Photo/Special.

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