Allen ISD to proceed with contested service center project; opposition not ready to give up fight

Controversy seems to follow Allen ISD's planned service center project wherever it goes.

Approved by a May 2009 bond election, the project was first planned for a 55-acre tract of land off Malone Road in Parker, which was purchased by the district for $1.9 million. The project drew the ire of residents living near the site in January 2011, when the district erected a sign on the property identifying it as the "future home" of the facility.

Citing concerns over the facility's impact on property values, noise levels and traffic, nearby residents wrote dozens of letters to the board and gathered more than 500 signatures against the district's choice of location. In June 2011, nearly 200 of the residents packed city hall's council chambers during a school board meeting to express concern with the plans.

By September, their wish was granted: the district bought a new 42-acre tract of land northwest of Watters Road and Bossy Boots Drive for $4.6 million. But the trouble surrounding the project was far from over.

Letters from residents living near the new location began to pour in by the dozens, and in October a new group made its own show of force at an AISD board meeting with a 200-strong turnout. Citing concerns about increased air pollution and the expense of the facility, they asked the board, in no uncertain terms, to break up the center's various functions and cease plans to build on the recently purchased site.

Nearly a year has passed since the district moved the site. The board has commissioned environmental and traffic studies by outside consultants, both of which concluded there would be little to no impact on residents living near the facility. Other land options have been explored and evaluated in executive session, but board members insist all other suitable parcels of land are either too expensive or unavailable.

The 145,000-square-foot service center will consolidate the maintenance, transportation, facilities, athletic groundskeeping and food service departments. It includes parking for 130 buses, fueling stations, a 600-person training area, a vehicle maintenance shop and delivery and distribution facilities. A preliminary timeline from AISD shows construction starting in April 2013 and concluding by July 2014.

Now, the schematic design phase of the $36 million project is under way, and the board is standing by the disputed Watters location. But the opposition doesn't appear ready to give up quite yet.

After six months of diminished activity at board meetings and sporadic web and social media chatter, opponents of the service center regrouped at Monday night's board meeting, with more than 70 residents attending and nine speakers making their case to the board.

The complaints were mostly familiar -- increased traffic, air pollution from diesel particulates and lowered property values -- but some new concerns were raised about the presence of two fuel tanks capable of holding more than 24,000 gallons of fuel being placed on the property, which less than 1,000 feet from Cheatham Elementary.

"I have yet to see any plans on evacuation and disaster preparedness, where you have 20,000 gallons of tanks, 800 to 1,000 feet away from a school," said Quail Run resident Daryl Brackett. "Are you going to reinforce the structure of the school? Are you going to put shatter-proof glass? How are you going to get the children out of there if there's a gas leak?"

During a later board discussion about the schematic design of the facility, Christian Herr, associate principal with architectural consultant PBK, said the fuel tanks have been moved to the south side of the facility and will be bulletproof, double-walled and in compliance with all safety requirements through Underwriters Laboratories, an independent product safety certification organization.

"Everyone's going to wonder what's going to happen; can these tanks explode?" Herr said. "These meet the stringent requirements to prevent those kinds of situations from happening."

But the explanation is not likely to stop widespread neighborhood skepticism of the facility's safety. The district and school board have argued opponents' claims that the facility will decrease air quality, increase traffic and lower property values for months, but few have been converted so far.

The board also says it welcomes resident input into the design of the facility, but the offer means little to those who say they will settle for nothing less than the scrapping of the Watters project and formation of a board-resident committee to find other locations for the facility's various functions.

"They said they really do not want a committee," said Swami Sankran, who moved to northwest Allen a month ago. "They just want to have an email address where we can just voice our concerns, which in my opinion just goes to the trash. They don't want a committee of citizens who want to make the right choice."

Sameer Bhatnagar, Quail Run Homeowner's Association president, has been at the forefront of the opposition since the site was moved across the street from his neighborhood. He said his group has not decided what its next steps are now that the facility is likely to go forward but has discussed legal action to stop the plans "at length."

"We're not interested in listening to AISD anymore," he said. "You heard many residents yesterday get up and talk and it all fell on deaf ears."

Tim Carroll, director of public information for AISD, said the district understands that residents will likely not be satisfied unless the location is changed, but that the only viable option for the location is at the property in question.

"The board of trustees and administration have explored numerous land options for the service center location," he said. "Because those meetings regarding land purchases are held in executive session, we understand that it gives the appearance the board has not looked at other options, but that is not the case. In looking at other land options since last October, the school district found them to be either unavailable or unaffordable."

Gary Stocker, board president, said some of the concerns from Monday night's meeting came from relatively new residents who may not be familiar with the long process the board has taken to get to this point, specifically with regard to the environmental and traffic studies.

"The experts have told us that what we're doing is legal, correct, and safe, and if the citizens don't believe that, then that's their right," he said, "but I have to rely on the word of the expert that we've contracted out to provide us with a service."

AISD has compiled a selection of past schematic designs and the contents of its contracted studies on its website, www.allenisd.org. For updates regarding the ongoing efforts of residents to move the service center, visit www.stopthebarn.org.

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