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Tuesday, March 7, 2006
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School officials try to solve Forestview traffic snarls BRAINERD SCHOOL BOARD Staff Writer Brainerd school officials had hoped that the traffic congestion at Forestview Middle School in Baxter would sort itself out this year as more students rode the bus and as savvy parents developed their own ways to beat the traffic.
But Brainerd Superintendent Jerry Walseth told school board members Monday that traffic continues to be a challenge at the middle school and said the district is now looking at changing the student pickup and drop-off sites on both a temporary and permanent basis.
Walseth said that starting March 20, parents will be allowed to pick up their Forestview students at the south bus loading area after 3:15 p.m. - and only after the last school bus leaves that parking lot. For student safety concerns, Walseth said cars can't be intermingled with school buses as the buses are loaded and leave the school. After 3:15 p.m., parents may choose to enter that south parking lot to pick up their students, he said.
Walseth said the worst traffic times appear to be in the afternoon, creating frustration for parents. Many parents have to pick up their children at school, rather than have them ride the bus home, because their children have sports or other activities to go to after school, he said. Walseth said the student pickup circle in front of the school is so congested after school that there are now two lines of cars circling the drive, causing students to run between cars to get to their parents' vehicles.
This has become a safety concern, said Walseth.
Walseth said the district is beginning to look at long-term solutions to the traffic congestion at the school. He said the district is considering the construction of a new school entrance that would extend a loop from Mapleton Road to the south of the school and around the concessions area to the south bus pickup and back around the concessions area. If this occurs, there will be another student pickup area on the nearby sidewalk, said Walseth.
Walseth told the board the district will be getting a feasibility and cost analysis of whether the proposed roadway could be constructed on the school property.
JODIE TWEED can be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
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