School board should show consistency

When the Maricopa Unified School Board voted to not build a middle school at the Lakes at Rancho El Dorado, I was disappointed but understood the reasoning, even if I disagreed. The safety of our children was a paramount concern, and that concern should outweigh all others.

Here we are, not much more than a year later and on Wednesday, Sept. 24, MUSD will take action on using the same location as a transportation facility. This location is directly in the middle of a residential area, which when finished and combined with neighboring communities will exceed 5,000 homes, many of which occupied by families with small children. If the school board is to follow the precedent they have already set by placing the safety of our children above all else, there is no alternative but to vote no on placing an industrial transportation facility at the Lakes.

So important is the issue of school bus exhaust, the EPA has a website dedicated to the very topic. Visit www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus. The exhaust from school busses is addressed at the state level in every state in the country. In addition, this facility would be in operation early in the morning, creating both lighting and noise issues for the residents of the neighboring communities.

Ranch El Dorado Parkway was not intended to be a major transportation thoroughfare for commercial-sized vehicles, including school buses. When people purchased homes in these areas, there was never any indication that a facility like this may even be a remote possibility. Children walking and riding their bikes to and from neighborhood parks and friend’s houses shouldn’t have to worry about high volume bus traffic, not to mention the increase in traffic to and from the facility from school district employees. Parental concerns will be elevated because of the many additional issues that come with a facility such as this.

What can the city do about this? Not much. The State of Arizona allows school districts to ignore zoning requirements put in place by local ordinances. This gives the school district the right to build whatever they choose on that location. That’s the legal side. What’s not dictated by the State is how to be a good neighbor. Just because the Lakes property is the only land that MUSD has right now to build this facility doesn’t mean they should move forward. The site is currently zoned residential, and the type of facility proposed would not be allowed under the current zoning. Essentially, the school district is the only entity that could build an industrial-type complex at that location. Building the complex there would be in direct conflict with both our zoning codes and the General Plan, a voter approved document, which guides the future of development in Maricopa.

This is not just an issue for those residents around the proposed site, but all Maricopans. This decision will set a precedent for future development. I would ask you to join me in attending the MUSD School Board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 24th, and let the school board know how you feel.

I think back to when the school board thought of the kids’ safety when the power line issue was in front of them; it gives me hope that they will do the right thing. If the governing board of MUSD wishes to show consistency and a concern for the well-being of children, they need to vote no to building the “bus barn” at the Lakes site.

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