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Superintendent outlines parking, safety issues at River Falls High School; district weighing field-to-parking trade-offs
Summary
Superintendent Dave briefed the board on chronic parking and safety problems behind River Falls High School, noted a short-term policy closing the small back lot to general spectator parking, and said the district will study long-term options (including converting field space) for the capital plan.
Superintendent Dave told the River Falls Board of Education the district is managing persistent parking and pedestrian-safety problems at the rear of River Falls High School (RFHS), and described both short-term controls and long-term options the district is considering.
Dave reviewed the history of back-lot access, noting a small lot added near the baseball and softball fields after the 2018 referendum that was intended to improve access. He said the lot’s limited size creates congestion when multiple events overlap and that vehicles sometimes park on grass and along the access road, producing safety and circulation challenges for pedestrians and emergency access.
Short-term measures implemented, the superintendent said, include restricting the back lot to authorized vehicles (coaches, buses, emergency vehicles, handicap-permit vehicles and drop-off/pick-up), installing signage, and keeping the access road clear to preserve emergency access. Dave said those measures have reduced some problems but that visitor confusion about where to park persists.
District staff and board members discussed longer-term options: converting a field into parking, improving vehicular circulation by providing access to the back lot through the main high-school lot (instead of via Southview Road), and reconfiguring bus and parent pick-up lanes to separate bus traffic from car traffic. Dave said any conversion of field space to parking would be a non-referendum capital project to be evaluated and prioritized against other items in the district’s 10-year capital improvement plan; potential designs and cost estimates would be sought before board consideration.
Board members raised safety concerns for children near parked vehicles during youth tournaments and emphasized the need to coordinate with local youth sports organizations that use district fields at no charge. Dave said the district has had preliminary ‘‘napkin-sketch’’ conversations with consultants working on the referendum and will pursue more formal traffic/flow planning if the board decides to prioritize parking projects in the capital plan.
No formal board action was taken on long-term parking changes at the meeting; the superintendent said staff will continue to study options and return with cost estimates and recommended placement on the capital plan.
