[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=35581.87

Concerns arise over proposed MCAS projects

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The county prosecutor and some Coolspring Elementary School employees voiced concerns Tuesday night over new parking lots planned for Michigan City High School and Coolspring.

Rob Beckman, speaking as a private resident of 8515 Pahs Road, across the street from Michigan City High School, told the Michigan City Area Schools board he believes building a new parking lot in the front yard of the high school will dump even more water onto his property and that of his neighbors.

Beckman last month threatened to sue city and county agencies over drainage issues. In a letter, he served legal notice of his intent and concern about a new parking lot at the high school.

"I don't know if it will (turn into a lawsuit)," he told The News-Dispatch.

Theo Boone, MCAS business manager, said both parking-lot projects stem from a 2005 Indiana State Police safety audit.

Engineers from the Abonmarche Group, South Bend, drew the plans, and the discussion was sparked by the administration's recommendation of awarding a bid for the work to Rieth-Riley, La Porte, the low bidder on both projects. The corporation also offered a $20,000 deduction for awarding both bids at once.

John Linn, Abonmarche president and chief executive officer, said the plan is to use a detention pond to control the flow of water into the ditches. The ponds at their deepest would be 3 feet.

The drainage would have no effect on Beckman's property, Linn said, but for neighbors to the east, he said, the controlled release of surface water, especially during severe weather events, would provide a benefit. They would see less water than they do now, he said.

The purpose of moving the parking lot is to provide smoother traffic flow on school days and at big events, such as graduation and sectional games, MCAS Superintendent Michael Harding said.

Also, it will allow school authorities better control over who enters the building and where they enter. Remodeling the parking lot has been in the making since the middle schools and high school were remodeled two years ago.

At Coolspring, traffic and access drove the parking-lot issue as well.

Those who park in front of Coolspring now back out to County Road 300 North. Those parking spaces will be gone with the new design.

Board member Nathaniel Gipson is overjoyed to see the remodeling.

"For years, I have said this was an accident waiting to happen," Gipson said.

The new plan will totally separate bus traffic from the traffic of the 50 or so parents who drop their parents at the school.

Representing Coolspring staff, secretary Kathy Schroll worried about teachers who carry so many supplies who now will be walking farther to the building, and also about teachers who stay late to work, often leaving after dark.

The parking lots will be lighted, Linn said.

"And no one said teachers will be forced to park at the back of the lot," Harding said.

The new plan actually adds 11 spaces, bringing the number to 81.

The board awarded the $1,382,837 contract, with board president Jeff Jones and members Gipson, Kathy Lee and Carlson voting for it, Jim Kintzele and Beryle Burgwald voting against and Clyde Zeek abstaining.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=36140.84

High School Parking
School System To Add Another Parking Lot

Editorial

Anyone who has arrived at the last minute for a major event at Michigan City High School is well aware of the parking inadequacies at the school. At last year's boys basketball regional, for instance, cars were parked up and down both sides of Pahs Road, some all the way back to Woodland Avenue to the west.

Late arrivals for graduation have found themselves in a similar predicament, so it's understandable that Michigan City Area Schools officials would want to remedy the situation. The problem is so acute that the Indiana State Police pointed out deficiencies in a 2005 traffic safety audit of the high school.

To address that, school officials worked with Abonmarche Group, a South Bend engineering company, and came up with a plan to build a new parking lot in front of the high school. Coupled with repairing the existing parking lot behind the school, that should create enough spaces so that parking along Pahs Road won't be necessary.

But the project hasn't been greeted warmly by some of the school's neighbors, who worry that run-off from the parking lot will create flooding problems for them. La Porte County Prosecutor Rob Beckman, who lives near the school and spoke as a private citizen at Tuesday's school board meeting against the project, has already filed a letter threatening to sue over potential drainage issues. That is premature.

The last thing school officials want to do is exacerbate any water problems in the area. In fact, part of the parking lot project calls for construction of a retention pond to hold run-off from the new parking lot. According to John Linn, president and chief executive officer of Abonmarche, the parking lot will not affect Beckman's property and could, in fact, reduce the water problems of residents east of the high school.

The project has the potential to be a winning situation for everyone. It would improve traffic flow at the high school as well ease the existing runoff problem that affects residents east of the school after heavy rain.

This is a project that needs to be done, but in fixing the school's problem, MCAS officials need to make sure they aren't causing any problems for neighbors.

Our Opinion
The issue: Parking for major events is inadequate, but a new lot in front of the school will create more water runoff.

Our Opinion: The parking lot should be built, and school officials are right to prepare plans that catch the runoff so that neighbors are not adversely affected by the parking lot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Southsider2k12]

The HA had a much better article filled with quotes from the meeting.

http://heraldargus.com/archives/ha/display.php?id=386813

Parking projects hotly debated at MC School Board meeting
10/10/2007, 11:09 am
Comment on this story

Scot Squires, 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13869, ssquires@heraldargus.com


MICHIGAN CITY -- Despite his best attempts at persuasion, La Porte County Prosecutor Robert Beckman couldn’t convince the Michigan City School Board Tuesday to vote against a parking lot planned for the north side of Michigan City High School.

Beckman, who spoke as a private citizen, said he’s concerned about runoff from the parking lot flooding nearby properties.

“Water comes across Pahs Road and right into my land,” Beckman, who lives near the high school, told the board. “The law in the state of Indiana is I don’t have to take your surface water. Now, I’ve taken it for many years. I’m not going to take it any longer.”

In reference to comments that the project would make parking safer at the high school, Beckman said, “I can’t remember a safety issue at the Michigan City High School property that would justify doing to neighbors what this project on the north side of your high school would do to the neighbors.”

In September, Beckman sent a letter to local government entities complaining about drainage issues in his neighborhood. But he stopped short of taking the issue to court.

John Linn, director of engineering for Abonmarche of South Bend, the company designing the project, defended his firm’s plans, saying the parking lot and its drainage would not create more flooding.

“The effects of flooding will improve,” Linn said.

In the end, the more than $1 million project was awarded by a 5-2 vote, with members Beryle Burgwald and Jim Kintzele voting against the project and member Clyde Zeek abstaining.

Explaining his vote, Kintzele told The Herald-Argus: “When you put in 700 or 800 parking spaces you are going to have runoff. All this is going into ditches. It has to go somewhere.”

Asked if he felt Beckman would take the issue to court, Kintzele said, “I’m sure it is going to happen.”

Michigan City Schools Superintendent Michael Harding defended the project.

“It was indicated by our safety audit that we needed a major improvement to restrict the entrances our students and staff come in,” Harding told The Herald-Argus. “It provides greater parking for us for our larger events. We never seem to have enough. And it provides us with better supervision to watch the parking lots.”

More parking problems

Another parking lot project that was voted on Tuesday -- this one at Coolspring Elementary School -- also drew criticism.

Currently, employees that park in front of the school must back out onto CR-300N. The project will remove those spaces and reconfigure parking in other areas to add 11 new spots.

Coolspring Elementary School secretary Kathy Schroll, who has been at the school for nearly 20 years, said some teachers and staff members took issue with the project.

“The staff has some concerns about where the staff has to park,” Schroll told the board. “You will have far to walk, and a lot of teachers have to carry a lot of stuff in.”

Plus, Schroll said, staff members were upset because they felt they weren’t allowed to provide input about the project, including their concern that the project won’t alleviate the problem of parents lining up in their vehicles at the end of the day to pickup students.

“We do have some concerns with the parent drop off. They will be winding off onto (CR-300N) and at the end of the day they will be lined up,” she said.

Still, Harding believes the project will make the parking situation safer by eliminating parking spaces near the road and right in front of the building.

“If you look at the site, short of building a garage on top of the school, it is pretty restrictive,” Harding said.

In the end, the board voted for the $276,527.20 project by a 6-1 vote. Burgwald voted against it and Zeek abstained

[Roger Kaputnik]

Where is the proposed new parking lot going to go at MCHS?

[Ang]

Where is the proposed new parking lot going to go at MCHS?

It will replace the front lawn.

[Southsider2k12]

It will replace the front lawn.

Too bad. The front lawn was a beautiful wasted opportunity for some neat green space. I would have loved to see something landscaping done there... My idea was to have each successive class plant a tree and have them line around the driveway, and then up and around the top section, and backdown the other driveway. It would have been neat legacy.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Esthetic nightmare to pave over that lawn. Are they telling us that on special occassions, that lot behind the school is COMPLETELY full? And is this the best use of that money?

[Ang]

They can't landscape the front lawn because kids drive over it and tear it up (on purpose) so landscaping would be a waste. And yes, the back lot is always full at sectionals, regionals, and graduation. The football team usually guides visitors to parking so as to use every space. They park 'em in back all the way to the base/softball fields, they park em' on the side by the soccor fields, they park 'em between the pool and the theater, they even park 'em between the building and the tennis courts. Event staff are required to park in the front and if all those spaces aren't filled, event goers get them. They've even had to park 'em on the grass between athletic fields. And if you have more than one event at the same time it's total parking pandemonium.
While I would like to see the front lawn stay right where it is, I believe more parking is needed. They might use the lawn in front of the soccer fields, but I believe (and I may be wrong) that area has been allocated for another soccer field and the back soccer field will be used for a field house whenever the board approves one to be built. So, front lawn it is...