Comment: Luther prairie is the wrong location for a new elementary school

(THe following is a Letter to the Editor from Jim Bovee of Decorah):

The siting of the elementary school at the Anderson Prairie is likely the most bone-headed decision the school board could make.

The reason for my making that statement is this.  The intersection at Ridge Road and College Drive is a hazard made complicated now by the students walking from married student housing to the college,  morning and afternoon traffic speeding down Ridge Road and on College drive and the skewed intersection (Pool Street) from the pool parking area and college just a few yards toward town.  In addition, adding special Luther College event times (Christmas at Luther, homecoming, etc.), the passage of Ridge Road between College Drive and just beyond the president's house becomes near impossible.

Adding the elementary school without adequately addressing the traffic concerns could be tragic.

If this plan where to proceed, the following should be done.  Square off the intersection with Ridge Road and Pool Street and put a traffic light there.  Widen College Drive from Locust Road to Pole Line Road, square off the intersection of Locust Road, College Drive and North Street and add a traffic light there.  Create a one-way drive through in front of the elementary school for the dropping off of children by buses and parents.  This is definitely where the widening of College Drive will be needed to allow ingress and egress of large buses.

I should add that we also need to think of the Luther students walking from Baker Village to campus as well.  In time it may prove necessary to build a pedestrian bridge over College Drive.

As for speeding down Ridge Road itself, I can only see increased traffic as parents pop over from Locust to take the shortcut in dropping off their kids.  Perhaps the only mitigation for this problem will be the winter ice during the morning.  I think this is why the Luther president's mail box now appears to be a stainless steel baluster.