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FMHS plan remains but with larger setback
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
The Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees provided a little bit of wiggle room Monday regarding the relocation of athletic facilities at Flower Mound High School.
As part of a plan to construct a ninth-grade campus connected to the academics side of the main FMHS building, Lewisville ISD officials expect to move the baseball and softball fields, as well as the tennis courts, to the property located across the street from FMHS on Peters Colony Road.
Residents in the nearby neighborhoods have complained about the possibility of noise and light pollution coming from the new fields.
The existing site plan shows the tennis courts to be located near the intersection of Peters Colony and Old Settlers Road, the baseball field to the north of the tennis courts and the softball field to the west of the baseball field. Additional parking would be located west of the tennis courts.
The outfield wall of the baseball field is shown to back up to an existing neighborhood.
One of the alternative plans, which the board members agreed with, kept the fields in the same arrangement but with the baseball field being pushed back from the property line by 84 feet.
The modification will cost $450,000, Perry said, but he added that would be absorbed into the project's budget.
Other alternatives would be more costly, Perry said, since it would have required addressing more obstacles, such as adding a lift station for a relocated concession stand and re-grading the property to make up for drop-off issues. Perry said that was the case for the option of moving the tennis courts closest to the homeowners. He said some of the alternative plans would also cause a delay in the project.
Board member Brenda Latham said she is more comfortable with the plan since there is now a larger distance between the baseball field and the neighborhood.
"Eighty-four feet is actually twice the distance between the existing softball field and the Wellington neighbors," Latham said.
Several Wellington residents were at the meeting to show support for the project. Latham pointed out that they live close to the football stadium, where the speakers are louder than the baseball and softball field speakers would be.
"Plus, I like that the shuttered lights don't go beyond 84 feet," Latham said. "This plan helps the neighbors who live closest to the fields, and the other residents are more than 400 feet away from our property line."
Board President Carol Kyer said she was fine with the alternate plan but said she would prefer the original plan since it wouldn't cost anything extra.
"I worry about the kids across the entire district who need that money for a better bathroom or more technology," Kyer said.
The ninth-grade campus, including the cost to relocate the fields, is part of the 2008 bond election that voters approved. Bond money can be spent on construction projects and technology but not on teacher salaries or classroom items.
Residents who spoke at the meeting were split evenly -- eight for each side -- on the plan to move the fields to Peters Colony. One reason residents opposed it was the relocation cost, which some said was $11 million.
However, district officials said the true cost is between $8 million and $8.5 million. Board member Kathy Duke said that doesn't factor in the $2 million it would cost to repair the surface at the tennis courts and the updates needed for the softball field to address drainage issues.
Perry said the project would also provide more locker room space for the female athletes, which he said is needed to meet Title 9 requirements, and it would take traffic from ninth-grade parents off of an already-congested Peters Colony and shift it to the east side of the campus.
Residents' biggest concerns, however, were the possible noise and light impacts.
"I've seen the damage that can be done by erecting structures, such as emergency towers and tall park lighting, to close to properties, creating impediments that have helped deflate home values as much as 10 percent," said Curt Anderson, who is a realtor. "They also make homes hard to sell."
Perry said in addition to the shuttered lights that face away from the homes, other remedies include redirecting the sound system if the noise becomes an issue. He said that was required at the football stadium at Marcus High School when neighbors complained of the speakers being too loud.
Residents were also upset because they said they have been ignored during the decision-making process despite living in the neighborhoods most impacted.
"I am insulted that nobody contacted me, anyone on my street or anyone in the Pecan Park and Diamond Belle Estates neighborhoods," said resident Steffani McQueen, who lives just north of the proposed baseball field location.
Dr. Stephen Waddell, LISD superintendent, refuted the claim that the district didn't listen.
"If we had not been listening, then this item would not be on the agenda tonight," Waddell said.
Other residents showed support for the relocation of the fields, and many of them said it's important so the ninth-grade campus can be built.
"A lot of work has gone into making the best choice," said Anila Dhanam, who was part of the charette that discussed the possible plans for the ninth-grade center. "A lot of studies show that if ninth-graders are separate but still working within the system, they really develop good skills and learn."
District officials said the fields have to be relocated to fit in the ninth-grade campus. Previous plans had the ninth-grade center located in the parking lot west of the main campus, but parking issues caused the center to be shifted.
Earlier plans also called for the athletic fields to be moved to the Liberty Elementary School campus, but district officials said safety and transportation costs would be a problem.
The board is expected to vote on the plan in January. If approved, construction could begin in the spring of 2013, and completion is expected in June 2014.
For a detailed look at the schematic plan for FMHS' ninth-grade campus, as well as Marcus' ninth-grade center, go to https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?ik=32449936.
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