Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9411030092
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CLOVERDALE LENGTH: Medium
Residents of the Orchard Hill subdivision say their streets will be converted to access roads for the $8.4 million school, which they say will be built too close to their houses.
The residents say they will vote against the $19.7 million bond referendum Tuesday unless they receive assurances that the school plan will be altered.
Residents would like to see the school building moved back farther on county-owned property and a second access road built.
"Two exits would be a big help," said Dottie Dooley, one of the residents.
County officials say that approval of the bond referendum will enable them to provide two middle schools for the fast-growing county. In addition to building Cloverdale Middle School, the School Board hopes to renovate Botetourt Intermediate School, which would become Fincastle Middle School.
Cranwell met with the homeowners Monday night and said he will seek an appointment with Botetourt County School Superintendent Clarence S. McClure and School Board Chairman Ray Sprinkle to discuss the residents' concerns.
"I would like to meet with them this week," Cranwell told about 22 homeowners gathered at the Read Mountain Fire Station on Alternate U.S. 220. "I think they could give you some idea what is going on before next Tuesday. Moving a road and getting a second road, I don't know if that's asking too much."
Assistant School Superintendent Rod Dillman said that under the current construction budget, it very well could be. The School Board has sunk about $350,000 into architectural and engineering planning for the school, which would accommodate about 625 children.
The School Board already has targeted portions of the school plan that can be cut if construction costs exceed their $8.4 million budget. Among the items that could be lost would be an auxiliary gym and classrooms.
Dillman said school officials took the request by Orchard Hill residents for a second access road seriously and asked for cost projections from engineers.
But with a projected cost of $241,750, the road would have to compete in the same arena with other potential cuts. If the building costs come in cheaper than expected, then there may be enough money to build the road, Dillman said.
"If it's a choice between roads and classrooms, I believe the School Board will choose to fund the classrooms," he said.
That's not the message Orchard Hill residents want to hear. They say the flood of automobile traffic to and from the school each day could create a safety hazard as well as ruin the aesthetics of their quiet suburban neighborhood.
The residents argue that the new school would not be centrally located in the middle school attendance district.
The school parking lot is within 48 feet of several residences. The school building itself is within 172 feet.
"The school is right on top of us," said Lynn Bledsoe, one of the residents.
Many residents are troubled that they were unaware of plans for the school when they bought their homes.
"It's the best-kept secret in Botetourt County," Bledsoe said.
While cost is a factor, Dillman argues, the lay of the land makes repositioning the school impossible. From the back of the county's land to the front there's a 70-foot drop in topography, Dillman said.
He said the School Board went to great lengths to make sure that all sides were heard in the five years it worked on plans for the school.
Despite what he called "a 12th-hour challenge" to the school's design, he said it would be the best for all of southern Botetourt County. The fast growth of Cloverdale Elementary School in the past decade shows that Cloverdale is the fastest-growing community, he said.
Dillman said if the bond referendum fails, the school will be delayed, but not derailed.
"With the growth we have, there will be a school on that site," he said. "If it's delayed, it's going to be more costly."
He said he hopes the money will be there for a second access road in the current construction budget.
"We don't want to be bad neighbors," he said.
While residents say that's good to know, they're not willing to bank their votes on it.
"They're very nice during meetings," said Mike Percherke, one of the Orchard Hill residents. "They don't commit to anything."
by CNB