Arran-Tara Elementary School Green Space (Photo provided by Ian Gentles)
The Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB) is removing some green space at Arran-Tara Elementary School to put in more parking spaces.
Communications Officer Jamie Pettit says preliminary work at the Tara school is underway to construct a new parking lot for parental use.
“Anyone would agree that the current bus loop in front of the school is an extremely busy spot as it is being used by both buses and parents for student drop off and pick up. The hope is to expand the current parking lot, which will provide parents with their very own loop in a newly expanded adjacent parking lot,” says Pettit.
As part of this project, Pettit says the BWDSB will be removing about 20 trees outside the fenced area of the school. Once the new parking lot is constructed, students will be planting more than the 20 trees being removed.
“The new trees are going to be located within the play area for easy access to students, whereas currently, the area that is being expanded upon, those are trees that are outside of a fenced area,” says Pettit.
Tara resident and grandfather of a student who attends the school Ian Gentles is expressing concern over the project and the removal of trees.
“It’s all come about very abruptly. There was no notice to parents or the teachers from what I am hearing, it is just something the school board decided to do and if you look at the size of the area, it may provide maybe half a dozen parking spots,” says Gentles.
He says other parents share his concern.
“To me, all this is teaching kids is that the environment and basically kids outdoor education doesn’t matter, but paved parking spots for cars do matter,” says Gentles.
While Pettit wasn’t able to confirm how many parking spots the project would create, he says the primary focus is providing a safe space.
“It’s ensuring that we are really reducing the students, whether they are entering the school or exiting the school, that it is reducing the number of times that students are crossing that bus loop traffic,” says Pettit. “Next to the loop in front of the school, there is actually a couple of accessibility parking spots. Those are also going to be moved from the bus loop area to this newly expanded lot.”
Pettit says the work will be completed in time for the 2024/25 school year.