Richland County commissioners on Tuesday approved giving the Madison Local School District two parcels of land that will be used to create an access road from the Mifflin Elementary School parking lot to Galaxie Drive. (Google maps)
Richland County commissioners on Tuesday approved giving the Madison Local School District two parcels of land that will be used to create an access road from the Mifflin Elementary School parking lot to Galaxie Drive. (Google maps)
MADISON TOWNSHIP -- The Madison Local School District plans on using two parcels of land to create a two-lane access driveway from Galaxie Drive into the parking lot at Mifflin Elementary School.
Richland county commissioners approved awarding the two parcels, both about a third of an acre, to the district during a meeting with district Supt. Rob Peterson. The county is not charging the district for the land.
The school at 441 Reed Road has students in kindergarten though fourth grade.
The superintendent said the drive is designed to ease traffic safety concerns along Reed Road when parents come to pick up students at the end of the school day.
"We currently have traffic issues at dismissal time where traffic is lined up in our parking lot and then out onto Reed Road, where there's up to 20-some cars out there on Reed Road stopped," Peterson said.
"What we'd like to do with the property is put an access drive off of Galaxie Drive that runs up through the property and will accommodate two lanes of traffic and will run right into our parking lot," he said.
"So that backed up traffic that currently goes out onto Reed Road would no longer be there. It would be in this drive, (which) would be black topped and run through that property," Peterson said.
Supt. Rob Peterson of Madison Local Schools (Richland Source file photo)
The superintendent said Mifflin Township officials have contacted the district regarding complaints from motorists trying to use Reed Road. Peterson said township trustees are in favor of the plan and have offered to do the grading necessary to create the drive.
"They'll go ahead and do that for us at no cost, which makes the project much more cost efficient for us," he said.
He said the district plans to have the work complete before the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
"We've actually already started some of the work. We've had a couple trees cut down that would be in the way of the lane. So we've already started the project and want to get it done as quickly as possible, assuming the transfer of the land," Peterson said.
The superintendent said the additional traffic has been created as more parents choose to drop off and pick up their children, rather than have them ride the bus or walk to school.
The property had been used by the county's wastewater treatment department. Amanda Miller, the wastewater treatment director, told commissioners the land is not used.
"As long as we have our easements on the property that we need access to, they have no problem having the property. It would actually be a cost savings to the wastewater department.
"We mow it every year. It actually isn't doing any work for us. Everything is below ground," she said.
Chuck Hahn, Cleveland Financial Group, invests in this independent reporting through a Newsroom Partnership.
City editor. 30-year plus journalist. Husband. Father of 3 grown sons and also a proud grandpa. Prior military journalist in U.S. Navy, Ohio Air National Guard. -- Favorite quote: "Where were you when the page was blank?"
