Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
The proposed Sweet Home Charter School got a green light from the Planning Commission Monday night, which approved People Involved in Education’s request to use the Sweet Home Church of Christ facility at 1825 Long St. for a school.
After a 45-minute hearing, the commission voted 6-0, with Commissioner Frank Javersak recusing himself because he is a member of the church, to approve the request. Commissioner Scott McKee Jr. noted that his daughter attends Sand Ridge Charter School, PIE’s Lebanon school, but said he had not discussed the issues surrounding PIE’s application before the commission.
PIE proposed using the facility, which it will lease, to house a charter school for up to 90 kindergarten through fourth-grade students this fall. Mary Northern, business manager for PIE’s Sand Ridge Charter School in Lebanon, told the commission that the building is “perfect” for what PIE wants to do.
She said PIE has received a $350,000 grant that will pay for any needed improvements to the building and the lot, including a playground area.
Alan Handman, pastor of the church, said the building could “easily handle” 90 students. He said church attendance years ago was as high as 200.
Northern pointed out that the church will benefit, as well as PIE, from any improvements made to the facility.
Jay Cole, a church trustee, urged the commission to approve the proposal.
“I just think this would be a wonderful opportunity to lessen the load, perhaps, of Hawthorne, Foster and Holley schools,” he said, noting that the District 55 School Board had just approved the contract with PIE for the charter school minutes before the Planning Commission’s meeting. “I pray for your acceptance – literally,” Cole said.
Commissioners expressed modest concerns about traffic flow and about a gravel driveway onto the property from Kalmia Street that no one at the meeting could say for sure actually belongs to the church.
Javersak, speaking as a member of the public, said one issue may be how to get school buses onto the property if any charter school students ride buses, which they have a right to do.
Commissioner Henry Wolthius questioned whether traffic flow was really the commission’s concern.
“Most of these issues are not our issues,” he said. “We need to leave that to the building officials.”
Commissioner Mike Adams asked what would happen as the school expands – PIE proposes adding a grade a year as things progress.
Supporters of the request assured the commission that there was plenty of room in the building for the proposed 90 students and Commission Chair Dick Meyers said PIE will likely seek a larger, more permanent building.
Commissioners, on a motion by Kim Lawrence, approved the proposal, with a requirement that if the gravel driveway from Kalmia turns out to be owned by the church, that it be blacktopped.
In another action Monday, the commission granted a 30-day extension to Kathy Rodgers, one of the pastors of the Revival Center at 450 Oak Terrace, at the junction with Highway 228, whose conditional use permit to operate a church in the former Boys and Girls Club building was in the beginning stages of termination by the commission.
City Planning Director Carol Lewis said that conditions for the church to operate at the location had not been met. Those included paving of the parking lot and installation of a drainage system. Though some work has been done, she said, the applicant had failed to get necessary inspections and complete the work.
Rodgers told the commission that she thought she had completed the necessary work and that she had not received correspondence from the city notifying her that she was missing deadlines.
During the hearing she told commissioners that she had never used a Post Office box to which correspondence had been sent.
Adams, who is an attorney, noted that that address came from county records and suggested that Rodgers get in touch with the county Assessor’s Office to correct the problem.
Commissioners expressed concerns about the possibility of automobiles rolling off the parking lot onto Highway 228.
Wolthius and others said they wanted to see an extended bumper or curb the length of the parking lot paralleling Highway 228. Wolthius also questioned a requirement for similar bumpers along Oak Terrace.
“Bumpers are not needed on the Oak Terrace side,” he said. “That was a gravel parking lot for 40 years with no fence.”
Commissioners, on a motion by Adams, voted unanimously to continue the hearing until Aug. 2 and require that the church complete necessary inspections and install a bumper or curb along Highway 228 to complete the conditions of the use permit.