By STEPHEN BARTLETT
Staff Writer
May 11, 2008 04:00 am
—
PLATTSBURGH -- Plattsburgh City School officials want to buy a home near Momot Elementary School.
Then they want to destroy it.
But first, they need voter approval.
"The opportunity came when this piece of property came on the market for sale, and as it sat there, we were looking, thinking it could be a solution to our problems at Momot," said Plattsburgh City School Superintendent James "Jake" Short.
BALLOT PROPOSITION
In an attempt to alleviate worrisome traffic congestion, school officials want to purchase 66 South Peru St., a single-family home bordering the southern entrance of the Momot grounds.
The district has the option to buy the property, originally listed at $68,000, for $53,000, but needs voter approval to do so.
The proposal will be listed as Proposition 2 on the May 20 ballot.
"We can use EXCEL money to purchase this without it having to come from property taxes," Short said.
Demolishing the building and reconstructing more open space would improve traffic flow at the school.
MORE KIDS GET RIDES
"At a few of our buildings, Momot being one, traffic has always been a concern," Short said.
Momot traffic has grown, he said, with the apparent trend of more people moving into that section of Plattsburgh.
"Momot will be at capacity," he said.
Short said local school traffic reflects a national trend that indicates the number of students walking to school or biking fell from 48 percent in 1969 to 16 percent in 2001.
The design of the school grounds at Momot cannot safely accommodate the increased volume, Short said, and while some site improvements have occurred over the years, space constraints have prevented any major redesigns of the drop-off area.
AID CAN BE USED
When school officials learned 66 South Peru St. was for sale, they contacted the State Education Department and were told they could use EXCEL aid to cover the purchase and demolition of the property, since the move stems from safety concerns.
As part of its voter-approved capital project, the district planned to repair a retaining wall that surrounds the school property. Since that would no longer be needed, those funds can be reallocated.
"It is no cost to local taxpayers," Short emphasized.
Still, voter approval is needed to acquire the property.
The district has an option to purchase it for $53,000 that will expire July 1.
DESIGN ON HOLD
Once voter approval is secured, the district will begin working on specific plans for the property.
"The traffic loop in back of the building is very tight and congested," Short said. "The entrance and exit on South Peru Street is not as much an issue as is turning radius. So basically, we are looking at opening that up and having a much larger area for parents to park as they pick up kids and drop them off."
Traffic is held up when people pull up to the loop.
"The other thing is, in front of the building, we do pull some buses in, and they take up a lot of space and have to stop traffic when loading and unloading," Short said. "So we would like places for buses to come in back to alleviate that."
School officials wanted to clear the hurdle of taxpayer approval before having plans drawn up, in the case the proposition is defeated.
"If that (approval) comes to fruition, then we can go to work on what our plans will be and what it will look like," Short said. "That will take time, and I do not foresee a different traffic pattern for next fall."
sbartlett@pressrepublican.com
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