New school talk heats up at Staff/Planner
“It’s obviously a major project for the county and the Town and the residents living in that area,” Community Development director Mark Shipley said. “It’s on a 41-acre tract that Horne Properties owns (owned by Doug Horne, also owner of Republic Newspapers, Inc., parent company of farragutpress) sold.
Most of the residents’ comments steered toward potential traffic along Smith Road, improvements to Boring Road and access for students walking to school.
About the traffic, Shipley said he is waiting to get a response from the school system on a traffic study requirement. Likewise, Town engineer Darryl Smith said he also is waiting for updated traffic study results.
Aaron Gray, project developer with McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects Inc., said he would make sure those results got disseminated to the Town. Until then, however, Shipley said it is too early for plans to go to Farragut Municipal Planning Commission in December.
Regarding school access, Doug Shover, KCS director of Facilities and Construction, said there will be fencing around the school property for security. However, Shipley said he would like to see options for students who are walking to school be able to enter the school.
Shipley said the plan shows two areas of road improvements but no details on the site. It shows the bus traffic going into the school from Boring Road, while parents and other traffic will be entering the school from Village Commons Boulevard off Kingston Pike.
“There will be a lot of stacking, internally, onsite to try to deal with that issue that’s commonplace in some of the schools that we have in the area,” Shipley said.
“The access onto Boring Road, at this point, is really intended to be bus access,” he added. “Non-bus traffic will be coming off of Village Commons.”
Shipley said the site plan does show improvements to the Boring Road section.
“You know, Boring Road from the end of Baldwin Park to Smith Road is already improved,” he said. “That was improved by Saddlebrook when they built Baldwin Park.”
The proposed site plan shows “they’re basically matching that (previous improvement) and extending that to the east, past where the walking trail that was built where Country Way subdivision comes in,” Shipley said. “So, you’ll be coming into the walking trail on the east end of the improvements to Boring Road.
“They’ll also be putting a sidewalk in on the south side of Boring Road, extending from the one that terminates at the end of Baldwin Park and taking that all the way to the end of their improvement,” he added
“The remainder of Boring Road down through Kingston Pike, who’s going to fix that? What’s the Town going to do?” Baldwin Park resident Paul Johnson asked.
“There are not any plans with this project to improve beyond what I’ve already reviewed,” Shipley replied. “What happens with the remainder of the road is something the Town would have to do.”
Baldwin Park resident Joe Di Mauro urged the rest of Boring Road should be improved, as it currently is only a lane-and-a-half.
“The Town has to step up to improve the road,” he added. He also asked for a traffic light at Boring Road, but Mayor Ron Williams explained a light at Boring Road would be too close to the one in front of the old Ingle’s parking lot.
He further explained Tennessee Department of Transportation might see it as unwarranted.
However, the mayor pointed out while there will be buses coming off Boring Road, there also will be school staff coming in and out of that road.
“What if Sam Gwen’s property develops, and they have an access that comes through Boring Road?” Shipley asked. “That’s going to have to be thought about.”
Williams said Gwen’s property is going to be developed.
Another improvement planned is to Village Commons Boulevard, which includes taking out one of the raised medians and provide for stacking of vehicles.
“Part of this island will be removed to, again, improve access in and out of the school facility,” Shipley said.
“One of the things discussed is to try to look at the south road going into the school) to have more zigzagging,” Williams advised, noting “zigzagging” would allow for more stacking.
“You’re going to pick up about 20 percent more cars in that area, which I think is going to be a critical thing,” he added. “We don’t want any of (the car traffic) on Kingston Pike. What we’re faced with now is what goes on at the other schools. One of the things we don’t want is to replicate that.”
