03-26-01 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING MARCH 26, 2001 corner of the park at Wall and Greenlawn will be improved to a large open field for a variety of physical education and athletic teams for students of Adams and is being left open and available for use by all other park patrons. A softball field that is not used often now soon will become one of the best in the park system. A pedestrian path is being built that will connect the neighborhood to the north with IUSB, Mishawaka Avenue and the bus lines. Six (6) new public tennis courts will be used by high school students but will be open to the public. This plan gives the park an opportunity to reuse and reclaim the area where the current seldom used four (4) existing tennis courts are located. A new track to be utilized for the John Adams athletic program will also be available to the public. Additionally, the traffic entering the neighborhood will be significantly reduced. Those who live in the neighborhood and often use this route as a shortcut to Mishawaka Avenue or south will simply take Ironwood or Twyckenham which are capable of handling the cars currently using Greenlawn. Mr. Larry Koepfle, 1605 East Sunnymede Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, advised that he has a daughter that is a senior at Adams and another who will attend Adams next year so he has a vested interest in the planning and completion of Adams High School as it is proposed. He noted that in looking at the numbers, it would seem that the traffic on Greenlawn headed east to Mishawaka Avenue would be the highest. However, the numbers show that fifty -seven per cent (57 %) of the traffic going south on Greenlawn turn west toward Twyckenham. Forty -three per cent ( 43 %) go the other way. Therefore, it seems that traffic is wandering through the neighborhood. With the closing of Greenlawn, traffic will go either to the park or the school as it is intended to do. This plan is a tremendous plus for everyone in terms of facilities that will be available to the neighborhood and the general public. Mr. Dave Shadinger, 1703 Hoover Street, South Bend, Indiana, informed the Council that Adams High School has a very successful girls track team and a very successful summer track program is held at the high school as well. These programs will be affected if Greenlawn is not closed. Without Greenlawn the space needed for the track to be located on site will not be available. Closing Greenlawn also allows for the construction of six (6) tennis courts, which is the minimum number required to hold a tennis match. Without Greenlawn, the high school will lose its tennis courts. Hundreds of students will have to be bused or driven to athletic practice fields across the City. Traffic counts indicate that Greenlawn is a very minor traffic route. Mr. Shadinger stated that the issue of neighborhood support has been raised recently as public meetings and discussions have been held. He stated that he has been at these meetings and is in favor of this project. Currently, students park in front of his house and with the expansion plan additional parking will be put on site. Mr. Chuck Lennon, 1318 East Wayne North, South Bend, Indiana, stated that a hearing was held on March 1" at Adams High School with two hundred ten (210) individuals attending. Forty -one (41) individuals spoke with thirty (30) being in favor of closing Greenlawn and eleven (11) against. Individuals also had an opportunity to discuss the expansion plan at two (2) school board meetings. Mr. Lennon went over some reasons why it is good for the Park Department, the school corporation and the community to come up with this compromise. The policy of replacing the trees, two (2) for one (1) is a strong statement for the neighborhoods. The new tennis court placement will free up park land for more activities. The new track will be available for all citizens to use and to host the large summer program. The new softball footprint will be an upgrade. The new eight (8) foot wide walking path will be lit, landscaped and maintained by the school corporation. There will be one hundred twenty four (124) more parking spaces on the site. Lastly, Mr. Lennon stated that he would ask the Park Department, school corporation and the community to work to revise, renovate, and renew the old pavilion that has been boarded up for many years and make it available for additional covered space for benches and visiting. Mr. Lennon asked for the Council's support of closing Greenlawn. Mr. Michael McClure, 1726 East McKinley Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, indicated that he is a football coach and health teacher at Adams. He stated that he wanted to speak to the morale of the students and the spirit within the school because morale needs to be addressed. Students have the feeling that they just can't compete, not just because of the facilities but because the classrooms are old and dirty and it really does hurt morale. He noted that he can speak to the spirit of the students if this project doesn't happen. Mr. McClure stated that the right thing-to do is to close Greenlawn and build the best project they can so they can compete with other schools.