JACKSON SCHOOL BOARD EXPECTS TO VOTE ON BUS CENTER TUESDAY

JACKSON -- The Jackson R-2 school board will decide Tuesday whether to build a $177,000 school bus transportation facility near the district's Orchard Elementary School. The issue is the first action item on the board's agenda when it meets at 8 p.m. in the Jackson School District administrative office.

The proposed facility would be located on school-owned property located east of the elementary school, and north of Orchard Drive and Springview Drive.

District officials say it will provide a secure parking space for some of the district's school buses, and a building for washing and minor maintenance of the buses.

But residents who live near the school are opposed to the center, claiming it would create a safety hazard to students at the school and children in the neighborhood, and cause air and noise pollution and traffic congestion.

A large delegation of the residents is expected to attend Tuesday's board meeting.

One of those residents, Denise Dowdy, says she is concerned about the location of fuel tanks near the elementary school. Two, 2,000 gallon above-ground storage tanks will be located at the extreme northwest corner of the transportation facility. These tanks will hold gasoline and diesel fuel for the school buses.

Dowdy is also concerned about dust created by buses entering and leaving the center.

Ray and Karen Gramlisch, who live at 411 Springview, also feel the transportation center will devalue their property and create traffic problems.

Jeff Dix, an attorney hired by the residents, says his clients main concern is the safety of the children who live in the neighborhood and who attend the elementary school.

Dix says the transportation center, or bus garage, belongs in an industrial park, and not around a residential area with children.

Dix said residents are also upset because they feel the city and the school board did not make a sincere effort to notify them of plans to build the center near their neighborhood.

Dowdy said she felt the entire effort to build the center was staged. "It was railroaded in," she maintained.

The bus transportation center issue began more than a year ago, when the school district sought to rezone a tract of land on East Lane. After opposition developed from residents in that area, the rezoning request was withdrawn. The board then decided to build the facility on school property east of the new elementary school.

Both city and school board officials agree the school district is not legally required to ask for a special use permit for the transportation center since it would be built on land already properly zoned for that purpose. But district officials said they sought the special use permit as a courtesy to the board of aldermen.

School Board President Jack Knowlan Jr., said Friday he intends to vote for the transportation center. "I can't speak for the other board members," he said, "but I have not heard too many convincing arguments to change my mind.

"We have got to have that transportation center and that (location) is the only financially viable option we have at this point," he said.

Knowlan said as a member of the school board, "We have to look at what is best for the entire school district, and not an isolated segment of the community. I have tried to keep an open mind and look at all the pluses and minuses, but I feel the decision to build the center at that location is best for the district as a whole."

Knowlan asserted the issue has been "blown way out of proportion by a few parents who live close to the school, and do not want the buses parked in their neighborhood."

He added, "They are trying to use safety as an issue when it is not a factor. I have a first grader that will go to the school next year. If I thought there was any concern for safety, I would not be in favor of it."

Commenting on concerns voiced by the residents, R-2 School Superintendent Wayne Maupin said Friday the safety of the students and children in the area is always the primary concern of the school administration and school board. He expressed dismay that the residents would feel otherwise.

"We have asked our architect to move the facility as far back from Orchard Street as possible to allow for a wider greenway," Maupin said. "We plan to install a decorative weave in the chain link fence on the south side of the facility that will screen it from Orchard Drive and the rest of the neighborhood. Trees and shrubs will be planted in front of the fence."

Although the district has 39 buses in its fleet, Maupin said only 25 of them will be parked at the facility during the school year.

"The other 14 buses will be parked at the homes of the bus drivers," he explained. "The only time these rural buses will come to the center is to refuel. So, in effect, there will only be 25 school buses entering and leaving the transportation center when school is in session."

Maupin said during the summer, all 39 school buses will be parked at the transportation center.

Referring to concerns about the fuel storage tanks, Maupin said the tanks have been placed as far away as possible from the school and the neighborhood. He said the tanks are at least 200 feet away from the closest corner of the school building, and even farther away from Orchard Drive.

Maupin said fuel in the tanks will be piped to fuel pumps located at a fueling island on the east side of the maintenance building.

Maupin said the school district is converting its bus fleet from gasoline to diesel fuel, which does not have the flammable characteristics of gasoline. He said the conversion will take about five to six years. "By this fall, we'll have 11 diesel-powered buses in our fleet," he added.

Maupin said the district decided to locate the transportation center on Orchard Drive because it will be near more than half of the 3,500 students in the district. He said about 2,000 students attend the Orchard and West Lane elementary schools, and the R.O. Hawkins Junior High School, all located within several blocks of the transportation center.

Maupin said the district wants to build the center at the Orchard Drive site is because it owns the property, and can use leftover bond proceeds to construct the center.

"If we were to build the transportation center anywhere else, we could not use the bond money," he said. That means the district would have to come up with $177,000 that it does not have in next year's budget, he said.