There's an issue I've heard come up in town and on social media that I figure I might address. It is in part regarding the layout of the new jr high and how the property fits into the city's transportation and access plan, which is part of the comprehensive plan.
To be frank, there is some history of strong disagreement between the city and the school district in Sugar City. I haven't been privy to all the information regarding things that may have gone on in the past, so I'll let sleeping dogs and rumors lie. I'm confident that in any cases of disagreement, past, present, or future, the school board and superintendent and the city council, staff, and mayor all have the best intentions and are trying to maintain and follow the law and the wishes of our overlapping-constituents.
In any case, I think it's best to talk in person, rather than on social media, about such things and figure out what can or has to happen that will be productive for everyone involved.
Rest assured, the mayor and the city council are not trying to figure out a way to make sure a steady stream of semi-trucks will use an extended Park Ave to make deliveries to and from any future manufacturing businesses in the parcel north of the canal to the north of the jr high. If Park Ave were to be extended north as the city's transportation plan calls for, I can't imagine any truck driver getting off the hwy at the Sugar exit, driving down Center Street, turning up Park Ave, passing in front of Central Elementary School, sitting at the stop sign at Park and 3rd north, then rumbling past the jr high, crossing the canal and finally entering the business site, when the driver could bypass all of that by simply getting off hwy 20 at the hwy 33 interchange and entering the business from the north, either directly off hwy33 (if the state transportation department allows it), or by turning south on 7th east, and turning west on a new entrance on the northern border of the old Moody Creek property. When Moody Creek was up and running, hundreds of potato trucks rumbled down that little stretch of 7th east.
The city has no desire or plans to make things unsafe for children to walk to and attend school. The city has been working hard over the past couple of years to make the city safer for school kids and others walking around town. We've secured funding for additional crosswalks, blinking light crossing posts, and lots of new sidewalk. The mayor has directed the city staff to come up with ways to better clear snow on the roads, sidewalks, and even across the parks so kids have better and safer routes to school and back home again. Let's give the school board and the city council and mayor the benefit of the doubt that they all want to have a safe and friendly city for everyone--they all live here, after all.
Of course, there are situations in which well-intended residents of the city will not agree on things specific to the city or the school district or both. I would be very nervous if this were not the case. The school board wants with great passion what they think is best for their students and school families. That is great and as it should be. The mayor and city council feel the heavy responsibility of performing their duties to safeguard the wonderful environment we have in Sugar and to plan wisely for our near and extended future. That is great, too, and as it should be.
The school district and the city have not always stayed in as close communication as they could with each other. I'm sure if you asked a member of the school board and then a member of the city council who is more to blame for this lack of good communication and any resulting difficulties, you would get two different answers. That always happens in the blame game, but I'm not sure playing that game is productive. Let's all try to work well together now and going forward.
There are some sticky issues the city and the school district have to get worked out regarding the district's land development and the jr high campus. If we can keep these issues from blowing up and entrenching neighbors into separate "battle" camps, I'm confident that we can be mature, open, and productive, as we work toward legal solutions that if we can't all be completely satisfied with, at least, maybe we can all be respectful of and still be happy to invite one another over for a neighborhood barbecue when all is said and done.
I like to think of the current project to find a location for and a way to fund new tennis courts that can be used by the city residents in general and the tennis teams from the school district specifically as an opportunity for the two entities to work together to find a way forward when given a tough, but exciting challenge.
