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Resident urges board to drop 670 Coal Creek Road site, cites inadequate play area and stormwater concerns
Summary
A resident presented measurements comparing existing school play areas with the proposed Coal Creek Road site and urged the board to reconsider the location, citing smaller play space, adjacency to parking and a loading dock, and stormwater and traffic concerns.
Carla Montecchio, who identified herself as a district resident, asked the board to reconsider the proposed intermediate school site at 670 Coal Creek Road and submitted a three'page handout she said would be presented to the Helm Township zoning board.
"The proposed play area for the new intermediate school at 670 Coal Creek Road is grossly inadequate and unsafe for our students," Montecchio said. She compared square'foot totals from Google Maps for existing elementary sites and the proposed site, and reported the proposed play area provides about 49 square feet per student at a 750'student capacity (or about 73.5 square feet per student at a 500'student capacity), figures she said are smaller than current campus play areas.
Montecchio broke the site into three portions on her handout and said roughly 17,095 square feet of the proposed play area would be grassy space while 19,675 square feet would be blacktop bus loop and hard surface. She noted a loading dock and parking areas adjoin the play spaces and expressed concern about tractor'trailer activity near student play areas. She also listed stormwater, traffic and slope concerns and called the site choice "inadequate in play area alone."
Board members acknowledged the handout; no formal action on the site was taken at the meeting. Montecchio said the district had already spent money and time on the proposal and asked the board to pivot to another location with more open space.
