Letter: School board should reject Pipkin site that is distant, isolated and unfriendly

OPINION|

by Tom Gist, Springfield

Pipkin Middle School is historically part of the heart of Midtown. It is old and needs revitalizing, but the community still needs Pipkin.

At 5:30 p.m. on August 22, the school board will decide whether to revitalize the Midtown community or abandon the community and spend $53 million to build a new structure next to Highway 65 and 3M Manufacturing. The only access to the property is a single narrow road that is crossed by railroad tracks that are used 30 times a day.

The site is distant, isolated, and unfriendly. It is an industrial park, not a neighborhood. Drive there and see it for yourself.

There are major problems with the Pythian site:

1. The city thinks the site should be used for heavy manufacturing, not a school.
2. The site was rejected by city staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission.
3. Trains will block the entrance to the school several times a day.
4. Since heavy manufacturing uses dangerous chemicals and dangerous chemicals are transported by rail, there is a potential for environmental threat to students.
5. Construction will be delayed for two or three years in order for BNS to conduct a crossing safety examination.

I don’t think any students live within one mile of the proposed site. Eighty percent of the students will live more than 2 ½ miles away. Students at the west end of Pipkin’s attendance area will be more than seven miles and 12 stoplights away.

For perspective, this is about the same distance as Kickapoo High is from the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.

I don’t believe parents will not be able to drop their kids off on the way to school because of the remoteness and inaccessibility of the site (remember those 30 train crossings a day). 

SPS only provides bus service for middle and high school students living more than 2 ½ miles from a school. SPS estimates that 85 % of Pipkin students meet these criteria.

From my experience with my kids and grandkids, I know that middle school kids do not like riding a noisy, crowded school bus, especially if they have to get up an hour early to catch it. If a child is late for a bus, he/she will miss school for the entire day. Cab rides could be up to $16.

Students living on the east side of National will have to find their own way to school. Some families don’t have cars. Many families do not have work schedules that allow them to take and pick up their children from school. Imagine the problems that will be encountered by 11-year-olds who may have to walk or bike across National and Glenstone and then travel along Trafficway to get to the Pythian school. Even the closest students will have to cross railroad tracks and walk on streets that do not have sidewalks.

Afterschool activities will suffer. There will be no bus transportation for students who want to come in early or stay late. This will limit student participation in tutoring programs, club activities, and sports programs. Football and volleyball will be particularly impacted because they have summer practices. Because the vast majority of students will live more that 2 ½ miles from school, they will be unable to walk home and the nearest bus service is one-half mile away and does not run after 6:35 p.m.

There are better places to build a school that could revitalize Midtown and enrich the life of the entire Midtown community. Park/schools similar to those at McBride, Sequiota, Cowden, and Truman could create a place where the neighborhood could play and relax while offering an inviting place to go to school.

Other options include:

• Using Reed as a model, a new Pipkin could be built with greenspace across the street; a bridge or tunnel could be constructed to provide safe passage to the athletic fields.
• A learning community could be created at Nichols Park by building between Nichols Park and York Elementary.
• The same could be done with Grant Beach Park, Weaver School, and the Boys & Girls Club.

The school district has not explained why the above sites are undesirable or unworkable. Building on Pythian in an industrial park would be a great mistake. And a missed opportunity to revitalize the center of Springfield.

It is your $53 million. Make sure your money will be used wisely.

Email your concerns to the school board — boardcommunication@spsmail.org

Or better yet, attend the school board meeting on August 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the district office at 1359 E. St. Louis.