Board nixes school site

Feb. 23, 2007

By SHARON G. McBRIDE

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - One would think the most difficult thing about building a new school is getting the money to build it, but that don't seem to be the case for South Palmer's new elementary school.

The problem seems to deciding where to build it.

During the Feb. 21 Mat-Su Borough School District's regular school board meeting, a vote to accept the proposed location at Inner Springer Loop Road failed. School board members then unanimously approved a motion asking the borough and the now permanent Borough Site Selection Committee to take another look at the proposed sites and basically start the assessment process all over again.

&#8220I think there has been a little bit of ‘monkey business' that has come to light with the Nelson site,” said Cheryl Turner, school board member. &#8220I'm not afraid to say that. But now let's fix it. I think we have just cause to go back to the table.”

The Nelson site, which was comprised of 15 acres, was donated by Turner Construction Company and is adjacent to the company's 800-home subdivision, The Ranch. Among other reasons, the board decided sharp turns along the route would take to much time to drive and would be unsafe for buses.

At the time of the meeting, it was not known how much the price tag would be with the Inner Springer Loop location. And there were concerns over building a school so close to railroad tracks where the Alaska Railroad conducts its business.

School Board Member Dan Contini concurred with Turner.

&#8220Things are just not adding up,” he said. &#8220The numbers on the assessments don't jive. We should vote to table it and start all over again.”

So that is what the school board did.

&#8220Several things were overlooked when deciding on these sites, and that was unfortunate,” Turner said. &#8220So we are bringing it back to the borough to get black-and-white information (on the sites) as well as visual information.”

The process to build a new school in South Palmer began when Mat-Su voters approved a $39.7-million bond package in May's special election.

The school board asked the borough to identify suitable construction sites. Four locations were considered initially. But after a visit to each site by the selection committee and borough staff last September, the options were narrowed to two: Nelson Road and Inner Springer Loop Road.

At a public meeting on Jan. 10, the site selection committee selected Nelson Road as its preferred site. The committee also recommended acquiring the Springer Loop site for possible future school construction.

Building a new school in South Palmer would ease enrollment numbers at the overcrowded Snowshoe and Cottonwood Creek schools, and the near-capacity Pioneer Peak and Swanson elementary schools.

Contact Sharon G. McBride at 352-2250 or sharon.mcbride

@frontiersman.com.