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Residents concerned about traffic
Published 12/8/2009 in Local News
By MONICA SPRINGERmspringer@gctelegram.com
A group of residents attended the USD 457 Board of Education meeting on Monday night and asked that the school district reconsider the traffic flow around the new high school under construction north of Mary Street and east of Campus Drive.
The residents are concerned, they said, because students will be entering and exiting off of Pioneer Road.
Randy Jackson, one resident who spoke, said Pioneer Road and Campus Drive, as well as residential streets in that neighborhood, will see a lot of traffic and asked the board to look at other options.
One option, he said, is to block off access to residential streets, similar to what Dodge City did when its new high school was built.
Jackson, along with other community members, said the residential streets do not have dips to deter inexperienced drivers from speeding, and he said he is worried about accidents happening on the residential streets.
Also, he said, inexperienced, young drivers don’t need to be around Florence Wilson Elementary School, located at 1709 Labrador Blvd., one of the residential streets that connects on to Campus Drive.
“It will be a problem now and in the future,” Jackson said.
Jackson also suggested that the school district purchase additional land so the intersection of Campus Drive and Mary Street could be widened.
Another Garden City resident, Ron Knoefel, said the location of the new school on the north edge of town will likely require more high school students to drive to school.
And those students, who can be impatient drivers, will divert to the residential streets, Knoefel said.
Lynn Holmes, a resident who also spoke, said the group of concerned citizens isn’t against the new high school, but want to make it safe for students and faculty.
The group who attended the board meeting said there’s a misconception about where students will enter and exit for the new school, which is why they wanted to visit with the board.
Students will enter and exit through Pioneer Road and Campus Drive, and faculty and staff will enter and exit off of Mary Street.
Mike Utz, board president, said the board and school administration will consider different options.
Rick Atha, USD 457 superintendent, said he’ll meet with architects and come back to the Jan. 11 board meeting with a formal report. He also invited the concerned residents to attend the Jan. 11 meeting.
Atha said the school district takes the public’s comments seriously and wants students to be safe.
The construction of a new high school is part of the facilities upgrade plan voters approved in November 2008.
Under the plan, Garfield Elementary School will turn into a centralized early childhood center, Abe Hubert Middle School will become an elementary school, the $92.5 million high school is being constructed, the current GCHS building will be converted into a middle school, and New Outlook Academy will move into J.D. Adams Hall, which sits adjacent to the current high school.
Naming Committee
On Monday night the board also heard from three members of the naming committee, who informed the board of their recommendations for possible names for the schools affected by the bond projects.
Willis Pracht, principal at Garfield and a member of the naming committee, said it is the committee’s recommendation that the new high school be named Garden City High School, the current J.D. Adams Hall retain its name, and Garfield Elementary School be renamed Garfield Early Learning Center.
The committee decided on three names for the building at 1412 N. Main St., currently GCHS, which will be turned into a middle school: Horace Good, Clifford R. Hope Sr. and Abe Hubert.
The committee suggested that the board consider three names for the building at 1205 A St.: Jesse Bernal Sr., Clifford R. Hope Sr. and Bernard Killer if Abe Hubert is chosen for the middle school at what is now GCHS.
The committee appointed with the task consisted of 24 community members, ranging in age from 96 years old to middle- school age, Pracht said.
In all, 14 names were submitted for consideration.
Atha said the committee’s suggestions will be discussed over the next two or three board meetings, and the board will likely decide on the names in January or February.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram Students gather outside Abe Hubert Middle School after dismissal on Monday afternoon. A committee made recommendations to the USD 457 Board of Education Monday night for names of buildings affected by the school districtÕs building projects.
Found 2 comment(s)!
traffic concerns
I think it's interesting that people are now concerned about traffic flow around Florence Wilson, but I've never heard anyone say anything about having inexperienced drivers around Georgia Matthews which is just two blocks north of the current highschool. That's just a really weird reason to want the traffic diverted. Inexperienced drivers have had to go the speed limit on third, and main for a long long time. Georgia Matthews was built in 1957. The police are really consistent about making sure the traffic zones are followed.
Posted by: Glenda Owen on 12/9/2009
Is a school the location, or the environment?
It really bothers me that they would consider changing the name of Abe Hubert Middle School just because it is changing locations. In my opinion, a school is not a location, but an environment made of of the attitude of the staff and students, and that environment will remain the same no matter where the school is located. Why would you change the name of a school because it is moving to a different building? Also, if the current J.D. Adams Hall is going to be the new home of New Outlook Academy, I believe that the name should again move with the school. New Outlook Academy has its name because it is supposed to be a positive, alternative environment for those students who need that, and hopefully again it will remain that when the location moves. I can guarantee that these suggestions were made repeatedly to the naming committees, but it appears they weren't really acted on.
Posted by: Anon. on 12/9/2009
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