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School idea more palatable to Highland Park

The size pleases many subdivision residents, as does the fact that schoolchildren probably wouldn't share the neighborhood play area.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published March 20, 2005

KEYSTONE - Preliminary plans for a new school in the Highland Park subdivision have mollified some of the homeowners' initial worries.

The school is proposed to hold only about 600 students, significantly fewer than first expected and about a third smaller than the usual county elementary population. The idea of sharing the neighborhood's community play area also appears to have disappeared.

"That was one issue a lot of people were upset about," said Dean Kent, who plans to move into Highland Park before March ends.

Many families moving to the community have young children, and parents worried that elementary school children would overrun the playground, making it unusable during the day.

Residents still question whether students from outside Highland Park will walk to the school, as suggested. Crossing busy Race Track Road is a perilous proposition that only will worsen as the county widens it, noted William Cassidy, another active homeowner.

The likelihood that children will walk from Waterchase, the next nearest subdivision, is low because many of the homes are more than a mile away, he said. If parents drive their children to school, then the concern returns to heavy traffic into the subdivision.

"It's really now an issue of how they deal with traffic patterns," Cassidy said. "They probably will see they can't put in even 650 kids."

Noise from all the cars and buses is an additional concern.

District chief of facilities Mary Ellen Elia said the school remains in its early planning stages, so nothing is settled. The district still must work out a final deal with developer Bill Bishop, who has offered to donate the property if satisfied with the design.

It also is negotiating with the county about shared use of nearby Ed Radice Park.

Community support is key for the project to succeed, Elia said. And success is critical, because the district has a dire need for new school seats in the growing northwest corner of the county.

"We're going to have to have more schools in that area, whether we build Highland Park smaller or larger," Elia said.

Bryant Elementary, just up the street, is about 300 students over capacity. Nearby Westchase Elementary has about 125 children too many.

District officials have been looking for new sites in the area for years. Neighborhood groups, high costs and other complications have stymied many efforts.

That's why Elia is not about to walk away from a piece of property where a developer has invited the district to build.

"Where we can get schools and sites, we will work with the communities to build schools," she said. "I think you're going to find, more and more, we're going to have to be creative in how we serve students and communities."

- Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at 813 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 19, 2005, 08:39:05]