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Lakeland Middle School parking redesign proposal wins board approval to proceed with survey and plans
Summary
Board authorized staff to pursue survey work and formal plans to alter the Lakeland Middle/High School entrances to reduce pedestrian-vehicle conflicts; state highway officials and local police reviewed preliminary plans and expressed support, with ITD likely to require right‑turn only at newly proposed high-school exit.
The Lakeland District School Board approved a plan concept and directed staff to begin survey and engineering work for a parking-lot and entrance reconfiguration at Lakeland Middle and High schools intended to reduce vehicle-pedestrian conflicts.
District facilities staff presented a design that would shift the crosswalk south of the current intersection, add a new sidewalk connection for students walking between the two campuses, and convert an existing middle-school driveway to staff and bus only. The plan also contemplates reopening a high-school exit to the highway so drop-off traffic can leave without loop‑back through the parking lot. The board was told the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and the school resource officers (SROs) have been consulted and that both agencies were generally supportive of the concept; ITD may require the reopened high-school exit to remain a right‑turn only.
The nut graf: supporters said the reconfiguration aims to reduce morning congestion and improve student safety at a corridor that experiences heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic. School and city staff told the board that moving the crosswalk and creating a single-direction flow for parent drop-off would reduce conflict points and make crossings safer; the design would be coordinated with the concrete work already planned for campus paving so there would be no scope conflict.
Board action: trustees voted to approve the concept and authorized survey work and official plans to be developed for permitting and bid. The board asked staff to confirm ITD approvals and to produce a cost estimate and schedule before moving to construction.
Ending: administrators said, if ITD approves the full concept, they expect the work could be done in the same calendar year and shortly after school starts, assuming fast permitting and timely bid results.
