Former mayor promotes bonds to help pay for road improvements
Photo by Ryan Gladstone / St. Joseph News-Press
Former St. Joseph mayor Larry Stobbs Sr. was one of a parade of people who spoke in support of the continuation of the St. Joseph School District’s plan for opening and closing schools. Board members heard from parents, business leaders and citizens on Monday night.
The community needs to find a way to fix bad roads so that the northeast part of town can get a new elementary school, some of the community’s most influential people told the St. Joseph Board of Education Monday evening.
Last month, the city of St. Joseph’s Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council deny the school district’s request for a conditional use permit to build a school on the site. The two-lane asphalt country roads in the area are not up to par, commission members said.
Next week, the City Council will discuss the request and vote on the issue in early June.
Following the commission vote, school district officials invited their supporters to speak during Monday’s meeting.
About 20 parents, teachers and community leaders spoke.
Speakers — including former Mayor Larry Stobbs Sr., St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce President Ted Allison and neighborhood activist Steve Holdenried — said the bad road problem needs to be addressed so the school proposal isn’t derailed.
Mr. Stobbs said the City Council should vote 9-0 to fund the $6 million to $8 million road improvements near the proposed site on Karnes Road between Leonard and Woodbine roads.
He said the city needs to implement a general obligation bond program — property tax increases that would fund projects such as roads. Voters would have to approve a bond program.
“There’s a big invisible elephant that’s been running around St. Joseph for 200 years — no bonding,” Mr. Stobbs said.
It’s time to “bite the tail off” and not put the road issue on the school district’s back, he said.
The one person who both spoke during the meeting and has a say in whether the school district can put a school on the Karnes Road site didn’t indicate that the city needs to make improving the roads a higher priority.
Mayor Ken Shearin, who has a vote on the City Council, is siding with the Planning Commission’s recommendation to reject the district’s request.
“We don’t appoint these people not to listen to them,” Mr. Shearin said of the commission.
While at the podium, he also brought up another issue. Students are sharing textbooks, he said, and he’d like one textbook for each student.
School administrators don’t consider road improvements necessary.
Buses already travel those northeast St. Joseph roads every day, they said.
“In 30 years, we’ve never had an accident on those roads,” superintendent Dr. Melody Smith said.
Rick Hartigan, the district’s chief operating officer, and Steve Huff, the district’s assistant to the superintendent, detailed the about 10 northeast sites they’ve examined. They looked into many of the sites based on community suggestions, they said.
Aside from the proposed site, all others were either not for sale, less than the desired 15 acres, too expensive or didn’t meet other requirements, such as sewer access.
District officials say they need a new elementary school to serve the 350 students who live east of the Belt Highway and north of Gene Field Road. The student population has grown in that area, and there is no school in that area.
If the council approves the permit, the school board plans to approve the purchase of Robert Warden’s home and 10 acres for $395,000. Reed Kline and Howard Miller would donate five acres behind Mr. Warden’s property to the district.
If voters approve a $43 million bond project and renew a 63-cent property tax in April 2009, the district immediately would build an $18.3 million school on Karnes. If voters reject one or both of the proposals, the district would keep the Karnes property until funding is available.
Nancy Hull can be reached at nancyhull@npgco.com.
- More Headlines
- Recently Discussed
Content © 2008, NPG Newspapers Inc, St. Joseph News-Press
Services: Privacy Policy / Subscribe / Forms / Contacts / Feedback / Contacts / Profiles / Careers / Newsstands
Affiliates: St. Joe Live / St. Joe Now / NIE / Atchison Daily Globe / Hiawatha Daily World / Green Acres
Well gee, you think maybe some of the other properties that were "too expensive" are now in range considering we will have to come up with 6 - 8 million for road improvements for the Karnes Rd. site? You think maybe our school board can think outside the box on this one?
Posted by biggieroth on May 13, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)There will probably be major road improvements anywhere in that area. The infrastructure has not evolved with the population. The roads in that area are very narrow.
When the new Greystone development in completed we a potential for 300 more families in that area.
Posted by sunny13 on May 13, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)This site is not the solution and the school officials will go to any lengths to push this on the voters. Not only will we have to pay their increased tax, but I'm sure the city will also impose another tax (call it a bond, tax, whatever - more money from my pocket) to finance a poorly thought out solution.
Posted by falcon on May 13, 2008 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)Does this mean we potentially have four tax issues coming up? One for the school levy, one for the new schools, one for public safety and now one for street bonds. Great timing!
Posted by insider on May 13, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)It is high time the school district re-visit their open enrollment policy. If children live within bicycle or walking distance of a school they should be mandated to attend that school. I believe a 20 minute walk is reasonable. We are concerned about childhood obesity. Two twenty minute walks a day would be a good start towards attacking this problem. I also believe parents should share the resposibility of getting their children to school. This might open the door to more parental involvement with their childrens education. With the high fuel cost, bussing should be limited to extreme cases.
Posted by 4wildones on May 13, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)Insider, do you have school age children, do you work outside the home, do you live off of a highway so your child would have to walk along the highway to get to school?With all the streets in town that have no sidewalks for them to walk or ride on and all the irresponsible drivers and all the weirdo's out there, you really think that long a walk is the best solution to this issue?
Posted by g73 on May 13, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)Lets get down to the core of this. I think the bottom line here is that the residents of Twelve Oaks and Carriage Oaks are afraid that this school is going to effect their property value and their peace of mind. Just imagine the increased amount of traffic that will be cutting through both of these developments. I bet money and St. Joe politics win this battle. If this plan was being proposed in a less prominent area, there probably would be no issue.
Posted by gr8fan on May 13, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)With all the additional taxes that the feds, state, city and county have and want to have, why don't we just sign checks over to them and let them throw us a bone every once in a while to nibble on. Oh, I guess we do. Its that temporary tax they put in place back in the 40's called Income Tax!
Posted by heritage on May 13, 2008 at 5:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)there are more than a few holes in the school issue. the creation of an economic poverty zone in the student population will completely negate any projected "savings" from closings being touted by Dr. Smith. this entire plan has been crafted in the dark, formulated while the administration has been amassing a war chest of 30 million at the same time as students are sharing books and viable facilities are suffering from deferred maintenance. the planning commission is perhaps the most effective and informed group in this city. These volunteer advisors are no less valuable to the future of st joseph because their advice comes at such a discount. nay, perhaps it is just because the members of this group have literally nothing to lose ( or GAIN) that they have the temerity to point the obvious holes in this ill conceived and badly considered boondoggle.
Posted by peoplerule on May 14, 2008 at 8:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)The Karnes Road Property acquisition is a real test for the new school board. Will they rubber stamp a bad plan or will they amend the superintendent's vision to represent the people of St. Joseph. Roads are not the only problem with Karnes. Why hasn't the school district released the soil and water studies to assure the public that the soil and water are free of chemical residues from the previous use of the part of the Karnes property as an auto junkyard? Is there evidence of lead, asbestos, mercury and heavy metals left from its previous use? If there are, the neighborhood will be covered with toxins during dirt moving and site preparation. The superintendent should release the 1st and 2nd studies. Also, 3-5 acres of asphalt and roofs on an extreme hillside will require a huge retention pond, if any can actually hold the runoff of a 1-2 inch per hour rainfall. People living downslope on Fieldcrest and Gene Field should require engineering studies to assure proper runoff control. The district did not even ask the property owner of the SW corner of Leonard and Karnes Roads. The last straw is that there are numerous schools that have room right now for the overflow from Coleman: Noyes, Bessie Ellison, Eugene Field, Pershing and Webster all have low populations from the upper 200s to the lower 300s. Crowding at Coleman is irresponsible and unnecessary and should be remedied for 2008-2009 school year.
Posted by StJoeMoe on May 14, 2008 at 7:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)Roads improvements in the area mentioned need to happen, and will, without question.
They have too, the area has grown.
As for a school, maybe the population justifies it - and maybe another one or two would need to close to help offset the costs.
Improvements, those are good things.
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them.
Rules: We don't allow comments that degrade others on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability. Epithets, abusive language and obscene comments will not be tolerated... nor will defamation.Robust, even heated debate we like. Straying off-topic or flaming, we don't. Please read our user agreement.
Requires free stjoenews.net registration.