Issue date: April 08, 1998
By JENNIFER DESAI
After a meeting last week between delegates from Woodside Elementary School and the neighboring Erickson family, the school is considering ways to accommodate the Ericksons concerns that a proposed two-story classroom building would be built too close to their homes.
The school had planned to construct the building 40 feet from the Ericksons' property. That structure and a multipurpose building would be funded by a $10.2 million bond issue, which school district residents will vote on in a special election April 14.
"The school should have gone to the neighbors earlier," said Councilman William McSherry, who also attended the March 29 meeting. "But they're doing that now; the school is genuine in its concern for the Ericksons and their property, I believe."
The school offered three options and is working with its architects to determine how much each will cost, said Maureen Brown, who co-chairs a committee supporting the bond issue.
One option is to plant landscaping to screen the Ericksons' house from the school building. Another idea is to move the proposed building slightly forward, which would eliminate 16 parking spaces used by teachers.
Under a third option, the L-shaped building would be reversed, so that the longer, five-classroom wing of the building would face Woodside Road, while the three-classroom wing would run along the Ericksons' property line.
The Ericksons had no comment about the school's proposals.
Costs for each proposal are expected to be available in about a week, said Ms. Brown.
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