Cary Dist. 26 board to vote again on plan for bus parking at former school site
Cary Elementary School District 26's plan to create a transportation center at the old Maplewood Elementary School remains undecided after the board of education's tie vote on the plan.
The proposed Maplewood Transportation Center would create 40 bus parking spaces, a fuel pump, a building and car parking spaces, school staff said during an Aug. 21 board meeting. If approved, construction could start this fall.
The school board was deadlocked 3-3 on the plan when they voted last month, with one member absent. The board will host a special meeting to vote again at 6 p.m. Wednesday, in the band room at the Cary Junior High School, 2109 Crystal Lake Road.
District 26 has tried to sell the former elementary school multiple times. Most recently, a pitch last year to create more than 250 rental units at the site fell through. The site is within the downtown tax increment financing district that the Cary village board approved in August.
The village board is considering a new road aimed at increasing accessibility to downtown. The proposed project, called the Maplewood Extension Project, would extend Industrial Drive and run from Cary Algonquin Road to High Road. It would run parallel to Route 14 and south of the train tracks, which would cut into District 26's plan for the Maplewood Transportation Center.
If the village's road plan goes through, changes would have to be made to the transportation center plan, said David Shepherd, District 26 director of finance and operations.
Superintendent Brandon White said in a phone interview that he would like to see the transportation center plan move forward despite the recent TIF approval.
"We're always open to collaborating and we look forward to collaboration with the village," he said.
The Maplewood Transportation Plan has met opposition from Cary-Grove Youth Baseball and Softball organizers because it would lead to the removal of the organization's concession stand, storage shed and a baseball field.
"Aside from the financial and logistical challenges of losing access to Maplewood present, the loss of community may be the hardest thing to overcome," Dave King, Cary-Grove Youth Baseball and Softball vice president, said in a news release.
Bob Johnson, Cary-Grove Youth Baseball and Softball president, said the organization will adapt and continue to work with the school district if the transportation center plan passes.
"My membership would just appreciate being acknowledged and included," he said.