Yesterday an extraordinary example of cooperation between Fulton County and the City of Alpharetta occurred. After the City of Alpharetta had donated land for a new library downtown the Fulton County Commission returned the favor by donating the old library site back to the city. Historically our two political entities have had trouble working together so it is nice to see that in recent years we have been able to look past political differences and cooperate in ways that benefit all of our constituents.

I can honestly say that both our Fulton County Commissioners and the Library Board were helpful and gracious in meetings I attended as we looked for ways to work together rather than just score political brownie points. It is never easy for two political entities to put politics aside but I applaud Fulton County Chairman John Eaves, Vice Chairman Liz Hausmann and the entire Fulton County Commission for their efforts in this case. I would especially like to thank Commissioner Bob Ellis for taking the time to meet with me about this topic on several occasions.

Below is a press release issued by the City of Alpharetta yesterday:

In action taken this morning, the Fulton County Commission voted to deed roughly 3 acres of land and a building located at the corner of Mayfield Road and Canton Street to the City of Alpharetta. The property is the location of the former public library that was closed earlier this year.
“We are pleased that the property will remain in public hands so that it can continue to serve as an amenity to the citizens of Alpharetta,” said Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle. “We are grateful to the members of the County Commission for today’s action and for fulfilling the assurances previously made to us.”

In December 2013 the City of Alpharetta donated 3 acres of land in its City Center Project to Fulton County to serve as the site for the new Alpharetta Branch Library. Shortly after making the donation the City began conversations with members of the County Commission to express their interest in gaining control of the Canton Street site.

The City plans to hold an open house at Alpharetta City Hall beginning at 7:00 PM on Monday, September 21 to begin a public conversation on the future use of the Canton Street property. The purpose of that session is to provide Alpharetta citizens with an opportunity to share their ideas for how the property should be used.