New Loganville Schools Draw Traffic Concerns

There was much excitement in Walton County Tuesday as officials gathered at property on Bay Creek Church Road in the Loganville area of Walton County for the groundbreaking of the first of two new schools. 

But not everybody was happy about plans to build schools at this location, particularly residents from the Bay Creek community who are concerned about the traffic impact on Bay Creek Church Road. 

"This road runs between Highway 78 just east of Loganville over to Highway 81 just west of Loganville," Bay Creek Community resident Steve Arnold wrote in a Letter to the Editor. "Bay Creek Church Road is nothing more than an enlarged two-lane cow path with deep drainage ditches on both sides and with blind curves. If you have traveled this road you will see for yourself that it is truly hazardous.  

"We are about to add two new schools, one middle and one elementary with appox 250 plus student, parents, teachers, school busses and support staff plus the current high volume of traffic it is handling currently. Likewise there are still pending plans to add additional housing into this area, which will only add even more numbers to the above list.

"There have been several accidents at both ends of Bay Creek church Road including the death of at least two people in the past year. Are we to wait until a school bus full of our children is involved in one of horrible accidents? I hope not."

But at this time it is not in the hands of the city of Loganville. According to Loganville City Manager Bill Jones, the property is located in unincorporated Walton County and the city is not officially involved in any of the construction plans. It is a Walton County Board of Education and Walton County Board of Commission project. There are, however, plans under way to look into possibly annexing the property into the city, but that could take a while.

According to officials, WCPS, the Walton County Commission and the City of Loganville would all have to agree to the annexation first. They also would have to agree to forming an “island” around the school since the adjoining properties would remain in unincorporated Walton County. If all that is worked out, then the state legislature would have to put its stamp of approval on the annexation of an island.

Another Bay Creek Church Road resident, Alecia Nation, also has come out strongly against the project, especially in the light of the fact that much of the surrounding property is still farmland.

“I do plan to get a lawyer and fight for my farm and even if I don‘t win I will have delayed the construction by maybe five or more years and buy enough time to move,” she wrote on Loganville-Grayson Patch. “Maybe with it in court will make Loganville stand up an take notice to who was here first and residents in the future will be more protected.”

However, with permits already issued and construction set to begin, it is likely too late to do anything to delay construction. Loganville city officials, however, are aware of the traffic concerns, particularly as it relates to the intersections of Highway 78 and Highway 81 on each end of Bay Creek Church Road. Although the property is not yet annexed into Loganville, City Manager Bill Jones said meetings are set up with Georgia Department of Transportation officials to see what can be done to address the concerns.

“We have two years to get it worked out,” he said.

"I encourage our leadership here in Walton County to work with the City of Loganville, the State Highway Department and our citizenry to quickly move on this issue before we do witness a tragedy here on Bay Creek Church Road," Arnold said.