School Official Eases Concerns Over Lc Move Welcoming Approach Recommended

Like the proverbial pie people bring to new neighbors, a gesture from the downtown community might ease Lewis and Clark students’ transition downtown, members of the Riverside Neighborhood Council were told at its monthly meeting last week.

Joe Madsen, Spokane School District 81 director of safety and risk management, asked the council to reach out and connect with incoming students.

“It could be as simple as a letter welcoming them into the community,” he said. “I think that kind of an invitation would bode very well.”

Because of the extensive renovation of Lewis and Clark High School, students will attend classes in the Holley-Mason Building, 157 S. Howard, for two years.

The move, though only three blocks north, puts the 1,550-student school closer to the heart of downtown. School district officials are working with city and business leaders to anticipate and mitigate problems, Madsen said.

“This has been a real learning experience,” he told the group.

For example, a simple suggestion for making students’ commute between the two buildings proved problematic. District officials wanted to increase stoplight times to ensure the safety of students traveling between LC and Holley-Mason - about 500 kids a day for physical education and drafting classes.

However, that would almost certainly cause congestion on busy arterials and increase pollution from idling cars, which could violate city and federal regulations.

There are also pros and cons to Holley-Mason, Madsen said.

While the building offers the latest fiber optics, it will not have a kitchen.

LC will need to bring in meals from North Central High School’s cafeteria, he said.

“I’m saying this so you know there is an awful lot of legwork involved,” Madsen said.

About 20 people attended the meeting. They listened attentively as Madsen described the district’s efforts to address potential impacts of the move to their community. They came prepared to ask questions and voice concerns.

“I heard all of Howard will lose its meters,” said Jan Hopwood, owner of Flower Design Inc., 180 S. Howard. “Those meters are important to my business.”

Madsen confirmed that meters will be removed to provide room for three bus loading zones.

Meters are scheduled to be removed on the east side of Howard from the viaduct to Second Avenue, the west side of Stevens from the viaduct to the alley that runs along the northern side of Holley-Mason, and along the north side of Second from Stevens to Howard.

Hopwood said in an interview later that she is hoping increased business from students, teachers and staff will make up for the loss of customer parking.

There were other concerns.

“What about dangerous students? The Bloods, Crips and dropouts,” asked area resident Adelle Almli.

Madsen tried to ease fears.

“That brings up the question, `What is a problem kid?”’ Madsen answered.

It’s hard to quantify, he explained. It’s especially hard to tell which students might be dangerous just by the way they look. The student who looks scary might have the highest grade-point average in the class.

“Sometimes it’s just a tolerance issue,” he said.

If there are problems with students, on-campus security, the roving ambassador patrols contracted by the district and even the principal will be happy to work with neighbors, he told the group.

When Madsen said that students were not going to have a smoking area, the group seemed a little surprised.

“That’s going to be bad news,” one person said.

“We’re caught between a rock and a hard place,” Madsen insisted. State law prohibits schools from encouraging or allowing students to smoke.

After the meeting, one of those attending, Darrel Dougles said he had his questions answered and felt good about the school changeover.

“It’s going to be more of a benefit than a dissatisfaction,” he said.