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Board approves Safe Routes to School project at Ford Middle School, including parcel transfer and $10,000 district match
Summary
The Franklin Pierce Schools board unanimously adopted Resolution 25-R-02 to advance Safe Routes to School work at Ford Middle School, approving sidewalk, curb-and-gutter, a rapid-flashing beacon and a county-required stormwater retention pond; the district will transfer a parcel appraised at $160,800 and contribute $10,000 toward construction.
The Franklin Pierce Schools Board of Directors on Feb. 11 unanimously adopted Resolution 25-R-02 to move forward with a Safe Routes to School project near Ford Middle School that will add curb, gutter and sidewalk on the south side of 104th Street, a rapid-flashing crossing beacon and a county-required stormwater retention and treatment system.
Doug (presenter) said the project would add sidewalks, curb-and-gutter, truncated domes and a pedestrian beacon where students often cross, and that the county’s modern stormwater code requires on-site retention and treatment. He said the district will transfer a parcel to Pierce County at an appraised value of $160,800; after the district’s previously agreed $10,000 contribution, the net payment to the district would be about $150,800. “We had an agreement with the county that we would contribute $10,000 to the construction of this project,” Doug said.
Board members pressed presenters on fencing, student access, parking loss and future redevelopment. Presenters said the pond will be fenced with an asphalt maintenance access road around it and that pedestrian gates and access points would be provided. Staff estimated the project could eliminate roughly six to 12 on-street or convenience parking spaces at peak times and described potential campus reconfigurations to mitigate lost parking. Doug said engineers judged the chosen pond location and treatment approach to be the least impactful feasible option given regulatory requirements and right-of-way constraints.
The project is federally and state funded through a Safe Routes grant administered by Pierce County; district staff said construction is planned to start in summer with most heavy work scheduled for the following spring to avoid the school year. The board’s unanimous adoption of Resolution 25-R-02 authorizes the district to proceed with the county-led improvements and associated property transfer.
The district’s next procedural step is coordinating final easements, construction timing and campus parking mitigations with Pierce County and notifying the community of schedule details.
