$203.7M school budget nears board approval

The Fayette County Board of Education moved a step closer to adopting a nearly $203.7 million general fund budget for FY2018.

The board voted 4-0-1 (with Brian Anderson absent) to tentatively approve the plan, which includes $135.8 million for instruction; $11.3 million for pupil services; $13.8 million for administration; $14.9 million for maintenance and operations; and $8.2 million for student transportation.

The budget’s revenue projection reflects a 10.5 percent increase in local funding, mostly from property taxes.

The board will call a final vote at its June 19 meeting.

UPCOMING

The Ultimate Queen Celebration starring Marc Martel. 6 p.m. box office opens, 7 p.m. gates open, 8 p.m. opening act, 9 p.m. headliner Friday. $20, $35. Southern Ground Amphitheater, 301 Lafayette Ave., Fayetteville. 770-719-4173, SouthernGroundAmp.com/ rr_events/ultimate-queen-cele bration-starring-marc-martel.

Summer Track Series by Peachtree City Running Club for runners of all ages and abilities. 6 p.m. registration, 6:30-9 p.m. events June 14, 21 and 28 with championship on July 5 but rain date of July 6.

Free for runners and spectators. Peachtree City Track and Riley Field next to Peachtree City Elementary School, 201 Wisdom Road, Peachtree City. Rachel Johnson at 630-417-9639 or Bill Werling at 770-460-1425.

N. McDonough Street close to completion

Decatur is about three months away from completing its “re-imagining” of North McDonough Street, specifically the roughly quarter mile between Trinity Place and Howard Avenue. But most of its features are already taking shape.

McDonough will remain two lanes permanently for cars, with a two-way bicycle track, wider sidewalks on both sides of the road, street furniture and streetlights.

But the highlight is its green infrastructure, with 17 bio filtration waterbeds filtering silt and pollution from surface runoff water. Green infrastructure concepts originated in the mid1980s, domestically in the Maryland/Washington D.C. region, but this is one of the first such systems in metro Atlanta.

“[McDonough has] a deep hill, and there was no storm drainage except at the bottom,” said Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon. “Everything flowed to the bottom, carrying the oils of the street into the storm water system.”

Total cost for the one-year project is $5.5 million, $3,750,000 of which comes from federal grants, the rest local.

North McDonough will eventually be assimilated into the Decatur PATH Connectivity Plan. Built in collaboration with the PATH Foundation, the Plan will take about 10 years and cost a total $12 million. When finished it’ll include seven separate bike paths and trails throughout the city totaling nine miles.