Fulton County Schools Superintendent Cindy Loe has made a move in the high-stakes contest to bring a technical college campus to north Fulton.
Loe suggested the old Milton High School in Alpharetta could be converted into a tech school. She made the suggestion in a letter to the president of Gwinnett Technical College, which wants to expand across county lines and build a satellite campus in north Fulton.
"The District would consider conveying property rights on all or part of the site in return for substantial consideration in the form of demolition of the existing building including mitigation of any environmental concerns, a no-cost long-term lease of classroom and office space co-located within the newly constructed Gwinnett Technical College facility, and access to and use of other shared on-site amenities," Loe wrote.
The old high school campus is called the Milton Center and houses the nontraditional Independence High School. Loe wrote that the school system was considering demolishing the buildings and constructing a new facility anyway.
Despite jockeying by the Fulton schools system and other local governments, indications are not good for the north Fulton campus to be funded this year.
The campus was not on the 2011 project list released a few months ago by the Technical College System of Georgia, said Mike Light, system spokesman. However, he said the campus was "high on the list of future priorities."
Sandy Springs, Roswell and Alpharetta also are working to become home to the tech college, which will generate revenue and jobs for the host town. Development authorities and other organizations might be in the running.
A Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce committee that will vet the plans said the host would be expected to provide $5 million in land, capital or both. The tech college leaders might choose to build from scratch on an undeveloped site, move into an existing building temporarily or renovate a building, the committee said.
Other locations that have been mentioned include a multistory office building in Sandy Springs, along Ga. 400 or just south of I-285, and land on Mansell Road.
Sharon Bartels, the Gwinnett Tech president, declined comment this week. Loe didn’t want to say anything, either, though the school system released her letter.
"Other than this letter, no formal discussions have occurred about a partnership or the facility," said Fulton schools spokeswoman Susan Hale. "It is an expression of interest in beginning a discussion."
Loe’s letter also said the technical college’s mission would dovetail with that of the school system’s Fulton Institute of Technology, an initiative to integrate the study of science, engineering, technology and mathematics.
“The redevelopment of the former Milton HS site provides a unique opportunity in north Fulton for our mutual interests to align,” Loe wrote.
Groups that want to be home to the tech college must submit plans -- called indications of interest -- by Jan. 31. The plans will be examined by the chamber committee composed of about half a dozen people.
Nancy Davis, the committee chairwoman, said the chamber became involved because the tech college is tied into economic development.
“Our role is not to pick a site,” Davis said. “Our role is to review the proposals and make sure they meet the criteria laid out.”
The committee will pass the plans to Bartels and the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia by March 1, Davis said. The tech college leaders must pick the offer they like best and approach legislative leaders to secure funding. Last fall, the price tag for the new campus was about $42.5 million.
North Fulton was part of the Lanier Tech service area until last June, when the state placed it within the Gwinnett Tech area. Many of Gwinnett Tech’s students now attend classes at the campus in Lawrenceville.
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