Story posted Friday, January 29, 2010
Parking Lot Or Green Space At Cumberland?
By TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter
Approximately 25 community members and parents met before a Des Plaines School Dist. 62 board meeting last Tuesday to discuss the proposal to build a parking lot and bus turnaround at Cumberland Elementary School in an area that is currently green space. School officials say the lot is needed primarily because of safety concerns.
At least one neighbor, Nick Chiropolos, a former Des Plaines alderman who lives just east of the school, vigorously opposes the plan. He does not want any green space to be taken away to make a parking lot. Plans for the lot are continuing as scheduled with work set to begin in March and be completed by August.
Dist. 62 Supt. Jane Westerhold said extra water detention would be installed as part of the plan and that the current narrow parking lot configuration does not allow busses to turn around, has busses sharing pick up and drop off lanes with parents, and does not hold enough parking for staff.
Adding to safety concerns is the fact that about half the students attending Cumberland are "special needs" students from districts 62, 63 and 64, some of whom are wheelchair-bound.
Cumberland is located next to Chippewa Middle School near Golf and Wolf roads further adding to congestion.
The proposal is to build a 30-ft. by 27-ft. parking lot and bus turn around on the east side of Cumberland School that would increase parking by 41 spaces to 75. Currently, school staff uses an adjacent park district parking lot on Eighth Avenue west of the school.
Westerhold acknowledged that the space planned for the new lot frequently floods in heavy rains. She said the Metropolitan Water Reclamation Dist. (MWRD) and City of Des Plaines have had oversight of the plan and said the added detention would help reduce flooding.
Westerhold said plans have been altered to narrow the proposed lot and turn around keeping it closer to the school.
Dist. 62 is midst of implementing a long-term comprehensive school modernization program that has been in the planning stages for the last three years.
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