ELY – School board members here were set this week to discuss and possibly finalize a formal plan that would drastically change the school bus and vehicle traffic flow and increase parking restrictions around the ISD 696 campus in time for the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
The board met this week on Wednesday, rather than Monday, and any decisions were made after the Timberjay’s deadline.
Ahead of the school board’s action, city of Ely officials and council members were briefed last week by Police Chief Chad Houde about new developments in the ongoing discussions with the school district, including new information that will make the south side of Harvey Street between Fourth and Seventh avenues a no-parking zone during the school day.
Houde, Fire Chief David Marshall, and Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski have been in discussions with ISD 696 officials ahead of the rollout of the new parking and traffic plan.
Parents will no longer use the Ely Ice Arena parking lot area off Fourth Avenue for student drop-off to the elementary school. That area will be utilized for staff parking.
“There is going to be drastically more congestion in the morning with students arriving for school and after school,” Houde said.
Houde said a second one-way traffic circle that enters the campus from Harvey Street will be added. The school bus drop-off circle in front of Washington Elementary School will remain largely as it exists now, he said. A second one-way circle drive, dubbed the “parent loop,” will be created to the east of the school bus loop and the existing parking lot at the corner of Harvey and Seventh Avenue. That area will have several temporary parking spaces for use during the school day.
“We recommended removing parking on the south side of Harvey Street just during school hours,” Houde said. “With the additional traffic circle, there will be several parking spaces along Harvey Street removed anyway. In addition, we won’t have kids darting out between parked cars to get to the north side of Harvey Street. We want to keep that line of sight area open.”
Council members approved the purchase of about $3,400 in additional crosswalk and no-parking signs for city streets around the school campus. He estimated that the school district will be spending more than $2,500 in new signage for the school campus.
“During the school day, I patrol around school in the mornings and afternoons and I can see what works and what doesn’t,” Houde said. “Signage is the only thing that will protect our kids to safely cross Harvey Street and the other streets.”
Houde continued, “With these changes, it will take a while, especially for those who don’t have children but use this area as a main route. It will be busier and we want to restrict traffic during school hours.”
Mayor Roger Skraba struggled to understand all the one-way traffic patterns into and out of the campus parking areas.
“If this is the flow they want, we are going to have to accommodate them,” he said.
Community parking for school events after the school day will continue to be restricted. No parking will be allowed in the school bus loop as previously tolerated, as that is an access area designated by fire code. Parking will only be allowed on the streets and in designated parking lots on the campus. Entry into the school will only be allowed through the new secured entry between the Memorial and Washington buildings.
Council member and elementary teacher Heidi Omerza stressed that school officials are aware of the upcoming disruption to the community concerning the school changes.
“The school is very concerned about communicating the plan to parents,” she said.
The entire school campus will be a construction zone this summer as infrastructure work is completed outside and on city streets in the immediate area as the $21.5 million construction project, scheduled for completion by Labor Day.
Water main and sewer work on both the north side and south side of the campus will disrupt traffic. Access to the Veteran’s Memorial Baseball Field and the numerous scheduled tournaments, the football field and parking areas will also be severely limited for the entire summer.
New principal
A special meeting of the Ely school board was also held Wednesday evening to consider the 6-12 principal position following the resignation of Principal Megan Anderson at the end of the school year
Board members gathered to conduct interviews for four candidates, Jodiann Fanth, Mandy Huusko, Jeffrey Carey and Crystal Poppler, followed by discussion and possible action to fill the vacant principal position.
The Timberjay will have more information in the June 24 issue.