Board approves Cottage Grove School bus-loop site plan with traffic study condition

Trustees approved a site-plan amendment on Monday to add a paved, gated bus loop and related safety changes at Cottage Grove School, but attached conditions and a study requirement underscored lingering traffic concerns.

The Monona Grove School District requested the amendment for a bus loop to separate bus movements from car drop-off and to add perimeter fencing and controlled gates. "Our number one goal is to eliminate any of those unmonitored times of kids coming and going into school," said Tanya Frederick, who introduced the plan and identified herself as the district superintendent. She described changes to morning procedures (staff on site by 7:25 a.m., doors opening at 7:30) and dismissal (2:45 p.m.), and showed a plan that routes buses to a dedicated north entrance and cars to the south.

Why it matters: Trustees and staff said the loop should improve student safety but warned it could concentrate queuing and push queued cars through nearby intersections. "No parking lane during this period is absolutely critical," a trustee said while urging additional public-works monitoring of the Taylor/WheelBridge intersection. Staff and the village engineer said the design increases on-site queuing capacity (from roughly 34 to about 71 cars) but that a full traffic-impact analysis would help the board evaluate off-site effects.

Details of the approval: The motion approved the site-plan amendment with staff conditions including specified staffing for arrival/dismissal, installation of a no-parking zone south of the school to Taylor Street during school hours, and an explicit requirement that the district commission a traffic-impact analysis and report to staff/committees for follow-up. Trustees discussed timing and mitigation—staff said a traffic study could be completed in a few weeks if prioritized, and the district indicated it hoped construction would be finished before the new school year.

What trustees and staff asked: Trustees pressed for clarity on how walkers and early arrivals will be managed, where snow will be stored, and how larger vehicles and unexpected bus delays will be handled. The district's facilities staff said snow would be pushed toward athletic fields and said the loop was designed to handle more than 10 buses queued when needed. The village attorney explained that site-plan approvals are reviewed against ordinances and that off-site mitigation (such as intersection upgrades) would typically require a separate process or funding mechanism, such as special assessments.

Outcome and next steps: By roll call the amended motion carried; staff will circulate the traffic-impact analysis results, monitor the intersection through public works, and return with any recommended off-site improvements or special-assessment options. Construction and operational changes aim to be in place for the next school year. The agenda packet named the project as a Monona Grove School District request; Frederick, during her presentation, identified herself as "Tanya Frederick" and as superintendent, and staff provided technical responses from engineering and the fire and EMS departments.

The board also recorded requests to monitor the plan after opening and to educate families on revised arrival/dismissal routes and times.