Does Benton County have an interest in evaluating what kind of impact a new high school in Centerton will have on nearby county roads? Are the county's interests and those of the school district, which is building the school, the same?
Yes and not necessarily, respectively.
What’s The Point?
Although under no obligation, collaboration by Benton County government and the city of Centerton with the Bentonville School District to fund a traffic study for the new high school would probably head off problems in the future.
Bentonville School District officials have asked county government and the city of Centerton to split the costs for a traffic study in anticipation of the district's second high school opening in August 2016. Between now and then, traffic will steadily grow to the area as construction and the eventual move-in create never-before-seen levels of traffic. The school will be built, starting this summer, on 91 acres on Gamble Road, just south of Centerton Gamble Elementary School. Some of the roads expected to be affected by the vehicles traveling to and from Bentonville West High School are unpaved while others are already strained by traffic.
The elementary school has about 650 students. When the high school opens, it will have a capacity of about 2,250 students, plus teachers and support staff.
The site is largely served by county roads and state highways.
The presence of a new high school will unquestionably impact the surrounding area, and largely through the onslaught of cars transporting faculty, staff and students to the planned facility. The school district wants a traffic study by Peters and Associates Engineers, expected to cost $24,500, or about $8,167 each for the three entities if they all choose to participate.Quorum Court members have, so far, voted against county participation. This week, the county Finance Committee tabled discussion of the matter, requested by school Superintendent Michael Poore, because Moore could not make it to their meeting. The discussion will take place at a future meeting.Centerton has offered $1.4 million to widen Gamble Road with a center turn lane and to pave a portion of Seba Road. It's mayor recently said the city would wait to see what the county does on the request to help pay for the traffic study.It appears some believe potential traffic congestion is entirely a school district problem. That's at least partially true, but who will get the phone calls when traffic becomes a mess as motorists flow toward or away from the new high school? We suspect it will be the county judge and some justices of the peace, along with the city officials in Centerton.This won't be a make-or-break proposition for the school district, but the county and Centerton cannot afford to bury their heads in the sand. The impact will be felt on county roads by county constituents. Isn't it better to have a seat at the table to discuss the future of roads in the area of the high school?A little collaboration can go a long way in preventing miscommunication and misunderstandings about transportation in the area of the high school. The school district is responsible for improvements in the immediate area of the new facility, but does anyone believe that's the only place the impact will be felt?Traffic study funding and involvement from all three entities would probably produce better results for all three levels of government in the long run.
Commentary on 04/04/2014