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Residents urge board to move athletic complex, citing parking, privacy and safety concerns
Summary
Residents told the Colman‑Egan School District 50‑5 board that a proposed athletic complex behind private homes would create chronic parking, trespass and privacy problems and urged the district to locate the facility elsewhere to avoid long‑term negative impacts.
During public comment at the Colman‑Egan School District 50‑5 board meeting, Mary Sweeney Gengler urged the board to reject the proposed athletic complex at its current site because of recurring parking and trespass issues. "We are pleading with you to stop this nightmare, as Lisa called it at the city meeting, by building an athletic complex in a location where it makes sense, not only now, but for years to come," she said.
Gengler said a recent track meet confirmed earlier neighborhood complaints: vehicles parked on lawns, drivers jumping curbs, and crowds cutting across private driveways to reach the field. Another resident, identified in the record as Mike, framed the problem in cost terms, saying nearby homeowners would bear traffic, trespass, noise, light and privacy impacts while the district benefited from budget savings and administrative credit.
Board and staff members acknowledged the public comments and the tradeoffs cited by residents, but said several procedural steps remain before final site approval, including city annexation decisions and additional studies. The record shows the board received repeated requests for an alternate site and for clearer mitigation plans before proceeding.
The comments were part of a larger discussion about site classification, annexation and the scope of pre‑construction work being done for the project; residents asked the board to provide specific mitigation measures, parking plans and timelines before any final approval.
