Posted: 11/27/07
Parking issue continues to
be looked at by school board
By Daniel McGonigle
Argus Managing Editor
Step from your vehicle out onto the parking lot at the Caledonia High School facility and it is a long jaunt to your seat in the home bleachers if you are there to watch a football game.
The trek can be too much to bear if you are elderly or handicapped.
For that reason Don Moore came before the Caledonia school board back in August in an effort to find a solution.
"Itís good for all of us," said Moore to the school board during their November meeting. "It was amazing to see the number of people up at the dome cheering on the football team. People just want to be a part of that back home here too."
Prior to the September board meeting, Moore, Superintendent Mike Moriarty and members of the school board viewed an area that Moore would like to see designated for handicap parking, one in which they could view the games right from their vehicles.
The board reviewed the matter and found there is no money in the budget which would allow for a crushed rock surface to be put into place, as would be required by the city.
Further, the board is concerned that additional man-power would be needed to monitor the newly created parking.
"I looked into it and there are no zoning restrictions," said Moore. "A lot of people havenít been able to make the games because they canít walk that far. I think the board shouldíve stepped up to the plate months ago."
The issue was sent to the building and grounds committee. They looked at it thoroughly and agree that the matter is something to consider.
Charlie Wray, a school board member who is on the grounds committee said the crux of their discussions were in regard to visibility and the issues the narrow drive back to the proposed location could present.
"There are a lot of issues," said Wray. "We discussed them."
"I understand the long-term concerns," said Moore. "I just look at Rushford, given all the problems theyíre going through down there, this is pretty minor."
Following procedure, the matter will go back to the building and grounds committee and will be put into the budget process.
"From there we can make a decision based on the recommendations," said board chair Naomi Fruechte.
Caledonia Argus
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