JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A new master plan for the City of Johns Creek includes a pitch for a 21,317-square-foot makerspace at a former water reclamation plant at Cauley Creek Park.
The first phase of build-out is estimated to cost roughly $9 million.
But, because officials had previously set aside only $2 million, members of the City Council discussed the logistics of working with the tight constraint at their April 25 work session. The current budget would cover re-roofing the building and first-floor infrastructure.
The makerspace, presented in the plan, is sleek and modern. The first floor includes areas for woodworking, metalworking, laser-cutting, a robotics area and some classrooms. The mezzanine floor features additional spaces for activities like esports and 3D-printing.
“I would really like to see us go back to the drawing board, to see … how much of this building can we make operational in the $2 million window, rather than all the bells and whistles that we’re currently with,” Mayor John Bradberry said.
Many councilmembers agreed. But Chris Haggard, Johns Creek Public Works director, said aesthetics didn’t consume much of the cost. The first $1 million would be spent on making the space usable, he said, and the other half would be spent on infrastructure and code compliance.
“You’re going to invest probably close to the $2 million no matter what you want to do,” Haggard said.
He is expected to begin looking at using the $2 million to activate the most space on the first floor of the facility, including the planned area for a robotics field. The City Council also agreed to move forward with the design-bid-build construction method, used for most city projects, which has a 17-month timeline.
Pitch for robotics space
Bob Stevens, mentor to Northview High School’s Techno Titans, appeared before the council at its formal…
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