Cape Holds Meeting on Elementary School Parking

What was once thought of as just a school parking problem has escalated into an entire community quandary, according to the attendees at a town hall meeting last night sponsored by the  (CSCIA).

Sam Gallagher, president of the association, welcomed guests that included County Councilman Dick Ladd (District 5); officials from the county schools, recreation and parks, and traffic departments;  PTO members; and concerned parents and neighbors.

“This issue is not just a school issue,” explained Gallagher to the county representatives in the room. “It is now a huge community issue that affects all of us.”

Gallagher and the CSCIA scheduled the meeting after pleas from the PTO about their concerns with the safety of students and families.

“This is a numbers issue,” Heather Kilpatrick, a concerned parent, said  to attendees. “The fact is there are 62 parking spaces in the two lot areas we have now. We have 75 staff members at the school. Just that alone is unacceptable, but add on the fact that we have over 700 students with more than half walkers or car riders and that is alarming.”

Gallagher told county officials he had received similar parking complaints from the Cape St. Claire Recreation Council which uses the adjacent field for weeknight practices and weekend games.

An aerial map was on display at the meeting, showing how the school’s design allowed for only one pickup and drop-off entrance/exit. The other entrance is for buses only, a safety practice mandated by the county. Though parents could use the area for parking when picking up a sick child or dropping something off during the school day, the fire marshal is now enforcing the fire lane rule and cones are out eliminating even that option.

Given the narrow streets and lack of sidewalks, many neighbors with homes within a half-mile radius of the school, are deeply concerned about safety.

“This is a tragedy waiting to happen,” said Jim McCrea who lives on Pine Hill Drive. He brought along a diagram he made showing how cars park on both sides of his street, in the mornings and afternoons, allowing space for only one vehicle to get through.

“You have mothers and kids opening doors in front of cars, and if a car enters the street, the other car has to back up to let them through,” McCrea explained. “I have nightmares about running over a child.”

Other neighbors also complained about the cars parked along their street, often blocking them from getting out, and making it dangerous for travelers to pass through.

“When you ask people to move, they become very nasty,” complained Karen Bailey, who has had to deal with the problem for years.

Jennifer Burke added, “We also have a lot of trash as a result, everything from cigarette butts to pudding pops.”

But many neighbors concede that parents need to have an alternative.

“You’ve got to come up with a solution that can accommodate parents,” said McCrea. “We must take care of the parents and kids.”

The PTO has offered a short-term solution, suggesting that the basketball courts in the back turn into additional parking, moving the existing basketball courts to the now unused tennis courts on the side of the school. Since the ball fields are owned by the county schools, the PTO is also proposing an additional parking lot on some of the grassy area that is now used as overflow parking during school events.

“We believe we could add 100 new spaces that way,” said Kilpatrick, who admits parents have been told there would be problems with drainage issues with the proposal.

Gallagher was appreciative of Ladd getting the county officials together to hear the community’s concerns and suggestions for improvements.

“We want to come up with short-term solutions now,” said Gallagher, “but a long term strategy must be addressed.”