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Board splits over priorities, safety and timing in five-year facilities plan; some members push to add property-acquisition line
Summary
Maury County staff presented a proposed five-year facilities plan; the board debated priorities including a proposed North Columbia elementary site, traffic-study status, enrollment pockets and whether to add a standing line item for future property purchases. Several trustees urged more detailed site plans and feasibility work before taking capital requests to the county commission.
Staff presented the Maury County five-year facilities plan and explained the only substantive change from last year's plan was removal of a sentence about Mount Pleasant campus reconfiguration. The board then engaged in an extended discussion about priorities, capacity and site readiness.
Eric Pearman (staff) said the document is the board's planning tool and that the typical next step is preparing a capital request to the county commission. He told the board that transportation and traffic requirements have been walked through with the City of Columbia and TDOT but that "they will not approve a traffic study formally until the project is funded." He said staff have worked with TDOT and the city to identify the agency requirements and that, once funded, the traffic study would be formally approved.
Several board members, including Miss Stevenson and Miss Ventura, expressed safety concerns about the proposed North Columbia site at Carter's Creek and Highway 31, citing accident history and ingress/egress challenges. Miss Stevenson said she has personally seen serious crashes at the intersection and urged caution. Others, including Miss Brown and some trustees, argued the district faces concentrated growth in north corridors (Battle Creek, Spring Hill and Legacy Point developments) and that without a new seat in the north the district will need to bus children long distances or use portables.
Board members and staff discussed alternatives: (1) proceed with the current prioritized list and request funding for the ready project(s) to take to the commission, (2) change the order of priorities before sending the request, or (3) add a standing line item for future land acquisition. Multiple trustees asked staff to present site maps, traffic correspondence and more explicit dollar estimates at the voting meeting so the board can finalize what to send to the commission. Staff noted school buses and capital maintenance historically are common commission requests; last year the commission funded buses and provided $1,000,000 for maintenance from a larger request.
No final formal votes were held during the work session; the chair encouraged board members to meet with staff for detailed briefings before the upcoming voting meeting when any change to priorities would be considered.
