Newtown school to get county grant funds
By Ben Johnson
Neighbor Senior Staff Writer Next Article
February 25, 2004Classes could be back in session at the 1929 Newtown schoolhouse in years to come, but cooking, gardening and chess will likely replace the reading, writing and arithmetic of old.
The Newtown Park Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization of local residents, is moving forward with plans to renovate the historic school as a community center. Potential uses include health and educational classes, as well as arts and social gatherings.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners recently budgeted $250,000 to fund the design work for renovating the 6,000-square-foot structure and eventually add another wing.
"We are in the process of working on the design and getting a project together," said Debra Ewing, assistant to Commissioner Bob Fulton. "This is an exciting project for north Fulton and especially the Newtown area."
Fulton County owns the school property and the 50 surrounding acres that comprise the popular Newtown Park on Old Alabama Road.
"This will be an inter-generational, multi-purpose community center that is unique in Fulton County," said Lynn Pennington, president of the Newtown Park Community Foundation.
Commissioner Fulton deserves much of the credit for securing county funding, she said. Local residents plan to ask the county for the renovation money in subsequent years.
The old school house is the oldest public building remaining in the historic Newtown community, which can be found on maps dating back to the Civil War era. The county spent about $100,000 in 2002 to demolish a 1950s addition on the front of the school, and to remove asbestos and lead paint.
Members of the community foundation will raise funding for landscaping and gardening projects.
The group is planning a public meeting in March for community input on the design phases. The time and date have not been set.
For more information, visit www.newtownpark.org.
February 25, 2004 Neighbor Newspapers.com