[Vision2020] school levy

[bill bonte]

Ted Moffett writes about the increasing traffic congestion in Moscow.

This is an important issue that bears directly on the question of the 
school levy.  First of all a new high school on the Trail property will 
mean a substantial increase in traffic.  Specifically there will be 
student and staff traffic on Mountain View, F Street and D Street.  At 
the present time, many students leave campus to eat lunch in downtown 
Moscow or at the COOP.  Students who want to leave campus to eat lunch 
would have to drive to eat off campus, so there would not be just two 
trips per day, but four.  There would be additional heavy vehicle and 
construction traffic as the area surrounding the high school is 
"developed".  Eventually there would be commercial development on the 
northeast side to service the high school and new residences, drawing 
business from downtown, making new roads necessary, more traffic 
congestion...

Secondly, a new high school is less expensive than a remodel because of 
the demands of the automobile.  Property adjacent to the present high 
school has to be purchased, buildings have to be torn down and parking 
lots have to be constructed!  I guess students need a place to park, 
even though MSD has a large and expensive fleet of busses.  I don't 
believe high school students have a right to park.  I taught at large 
high schools for 30 years.  There was always a parking problem, no 
matter how large the lot. The building of new parking is always the 
most expensive solution.  If New Saint Andrews does not have to provide 
parking for its staff and students, why does MHS?

Why not get a variance from the city on parking, encourage students to 
take the bus, and redo the bid to remodel, not rebuild MHS without the 
expensive parking accommodations.  That's what the levy asks us to 
approve for the elementary schools, let's do the same for the high 
school.