Crocker Farm access road yesterday (playground top left)
Work has begun on expanding the parking lot at Crocker Farm Elementary School to add 30-35 new spaces, and a couple of maple trees paid the ultimate price.
Crocker Farm four years ago (trees planted in 2002 renovation)
The renovation work is not necessarily linked to the school grade reconfiguration plan that would make Crocker Farm an early childhood education center (preK-1st grade).
The school currently is at capacity and expanded parking was identified (and the money appropriated) back in 2012.
Crocker Farm School, built 1974 but renovated 2002 to a total of 90,800 square feet
In addition work on the new ($240K) ADA complaint playground has also commenced:
how many parking spaces will be added with the construction? thanks.
ReplyDeleteCF is too crowded. Ms Geryk seems to think that is ok. She could fix the problem but isn't. Students are choicing out because of it. We did. As always WW has the best deal going. I just don't understand why?
ReplyDeleteI'm told 30-35 new parking spaces will be created at a cost of $70K
ReplyDeleteAnd that construction has also begun on the new ADA compliant $240K playground.
What the hell does this have to with a good education? A parking lot makes smarter kids???
DeleteAgreed, the huge amount of parking v. tiny play space is striking
ReplyDelete$70K and $240K are a good deal compared to what the new Ikea Elementary School is going to need.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be like a game of Tetris when more than 20 busses need to cover all of Amherst, coordinate drop off and pickups at both Crocker Farm and Wildwood every morning, then repeat again in the afternoon.
Perhaps a roundabout in the Wildwood parking lot?
Then.... what will it cost to make the new school playground ADA compliant? Anyone? Tumbleweed tools by from the Central administration....
The list of things Ms. Geryk seems to think are OK grows.
Because they are subject to laws. Home Rule is popular in Massachusetts, especially in Amherst, but we are actually quite limited in what we can do. Any resident in Massachusetts can send their child to any school and every school in Massachusetts must comply to the same rules. And a large part of school funding is in the form of state "grants", i.e. your income taxes coming back to you, in the form of funding. Much of this funding is for specific uses, such as parking.
ReplyDeleteCrocker Farm Schools was built in 1942, and it was paid off by 1972. For 34 years, we got a school that paid for by other people, people who came before us. Of course, we are going to have to fix stuff, nothing is 'free'. The Chinese Immersion has a brand new facility, why do you thing people would not prefer that? Everything has a price, especially 'free'.
But, once the school was paid for, we should begun setting money aside for the next school. Like, in a special savings account. But Town Meeting voted that down. I forget the reason why, does anyone remember why we did that? Aren't we smart? Aren't we just the world's smartest people?
Larry, do you happen to have a copy of the final design plan for the playground? I noticed they have chopped down the 2 trees that provided shade for the kids playing. All I can find is the "concept design" which called for the lager of the trees to remain.
ReplyDeleteSmart has nothing to do with common sense. That's what lacking in Amherst.
ReplyDeleteWhy are teachers allowed to park for free? Everyone else has to pay?
ReplyDeleteAnd why are teacher parking lots right next to the school instead of some distance away?
Why aren't the teachers coerced to use the PVTA like everyone else is?
Crocker Farm has both the biggest & the smallest class sizes K-6 in the Amherst schools, ranging from 13-14 for one grade to 23-24 for another. The average class size is about 18-19.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of overcrowding at Crocker Farm is real and the school lost its community room (used for community & IEP meetings) last year when it was turned into classroom space, out of necessity because no other space was available. At CF, there are currently 19 K-6 classrooms & no room for any more, if any more are ever needed.
Some families who have moved into the CF area, including families who have bought homes near the school have been told that because of class size constraints they will be unable to enroll their children at CF and that their children will need to go to Fort River instead.
Some parents have raised the issue of CF overcrowding at community meetings, but so far the district has done little in terms of considering changing some of the CF area boundaries to eliminate the overcrowding. If the new elementary school building is approved, there will be re-districting when it opens but with that building not set to open until the 2019-20 school year, 2020-2021 for Crocker Farm students, I would hope that something could be done sooner than that to address the current CF space constraints.
Is the construction going on while summer school is in session there?
ReplyDeleteA lack of response by the central administration to parent concerns? How unusual!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever driven by the parking lots at WW or FR when school is in session? How about finding a parking spot at a large school function like a music concert, Parent Night or Sixth Grade Graduation? How many parking spaces will the proposed "Megaschool" need? Remember, there will be a lot of faculty at this school and they all arrive by car. Perhaps... another parking garage? "Ching, Ching." Do I hear more money will be needed to solve the school parking problems? The current lots at the WW location will not be enough.
ReplyDeleteParking and vehicle access at MegaSkool is going to be a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteI guess buses will be transported by drone...
Isn't it hard to see how anyone can spend $225K on that tiny triangle of land?
ReplyDeleteThe schools can cut trees to pave for cars but a home owner can't?
ReplyDelete