By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
New parking and traffic flow would be established for O'Loughlin Elementary School as part of the proposed Hays USD 489 bond project.
As school releases, traffic backs up on Hall Street with the current traffic configuration. Drivers park their vehicles in the traffic lanes with hazards on to wait for their children.
Principal Rene Burns said the district has tried to be creative in finding ways to handle traffic for its 396 students. Few ride the bus, Burns said.
This includes releasing students from three sides of the building, using Victory Road on the Thomas More Prep-Marian campus and encouraging parents to park on 14th, 15th and 16th streets.
The school has been fortunate it has not experienced any serious accidents at the school, but safety continues to be a concern for school officials.
"We have so many moving pieces," Burns said. "We have kids everywhere. It's a safety issue. ... It's an issue every single day, twice a day."
The plans call for double stacking of vehicles on the new connecting road and 13th Street, as well as sidewalks along the new parking for child safety.
The current drop zone would be used for buses and as an additional drop zone.
If the bond passes, it will still take up to three years to complete the construction at the elementary schools.
In the meantime, the district recently signed an agreement with TMP to use continue to use a portion of Victory Road, which is north of O'Loughlin, for child pick up.
"That's the dilemma," Hays Superintendent Ron Wilson said at a school board meeting March 28. "Hall Street has become very busy, and even using Victory Road, Hall Street is packed. It still doesn't relieve enough stress to let traffic to flow through.
"That's why the bond is so important. We think we have something in our bond scope that is really going to make an impact on Hall Street in the morning and after school in terms of letting traffic flow."
As part of the five-year agreement, USD 489 will pay $62,000 for reconstruction and use of the road plus $4,500 in engineering fees for road reconstruction.
The Catholic Dioceses plans to convert a portion of the road to concrete. The project is slated to be completed this summer.
"Over the last five to six years, we will have put about $140,000 into this road," Wilson said. "I feel like we've done our part in terms of the use. We do appreciate the partnership we have with TMP. They have been good neighbors, and they've been good to work with."
USD 489 board member Curt Vajnar said he did not support the agreement because it is for a five-year term when the district plans to change the traffic flow at O'Loughlin in three years if the bond passes.
He said he also thought the money could be better used elsewhere.
Board member Craig Pallister said he had to weigh student and parent safety with the cost. Weighing those two, he said he supported the agreement.
Board member Allen Park also voted against the agreement.
