ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell officials are expanding park and recreation programs after agreeing to dish out $6.5 million for more than 20 acres that border Roswell Area Park, once the site of Crabapple Middle School.
The City Council unanimously approved the purchase at its Feb. 26 meeting, using funds from the $180 million bond referendum passed in 2022. The area is already zoned for civic use.
“This was high priority for quite a long time now,” City Councilman Will Morthland said.
The building would alleviate some of the pressure on the Bill Johnson Community Center, he said. The city has already had an agreement with Fulton County Schools to use the fields, he added.
Since the new facility for Crabapple Middle School opened in 2021, the school district has used the building as an administrative center. The contract includes a six-month occupancy clause to provide transition time to relocate administrative services.
According to a city newsletter, the final purchase and closing on the property is pending a due diligence review.
“I look forward to this transaction going through and to your increasing the park space for the city,” said Katha Stuart,Fulton County Board of Education member who represents the area.
The contract with Fulton County Schools also includes the right of first refusal on a Mimosa Boulevard property that currently houses Independence High School and the Teaching Museum North, if the school district decides to sell it over the next three years.
City buys more land
Councilmembers also approved the purchase of two more properties, one along Green Street for $1 million and another along Alpharetta Street for $1.1 million. Both tracts are about half an acre.
Roswell resident Janet Russell informed the City Council of word circulating about city plans to construct a parking garage on the Green Street property. The…
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