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06/23/2005: "SJI School Expects to Start Site Work On Fields"

Area for proposed athletic fields

Michael Soltman, Superintendent of the SJISD (San Juan Island School District) believes the District will be able to obtain the necessary clearing and grading permits to start site preparation for athletic fields to be constructed on school property. The permits will allow Don Galt to obtain donated gravel from LaFarge, and the labor required to place it on the site. While the impetus is the fields, the end goal is development of the site for possible construction of new buildings; however the expansion of the project to include buildings is not now necessary, or required, by the Districts needs.

According to Dr. Soltman, "the permit will allow alteration of 35% of the total acreage including:

excavation of 8,400 cubic yards of topsoil,
hauling 6,054 cubic yards of sand fill to the site,
hauling 4,500 cubic yards of pit-run for the road and parking, and
excavation of 11,000 cubic yards of cut and fill to re-grade the fields.

The fields will be leveled, which will require from 2 feet to 4 feet excavation and fill at each field. Road and parking areas will not change elevation. A total of 10.5 acres will be affected. Fill for the playfields will be dozer compacted; roads and parking roller compacted.

As part of the project a fence will be erected around a portion of the Fox Hall property. The rest of the project will be put on hold until a Conditional Use permit is obtained from the Town. It is expected the permit hearing will be held at the end of summer, at the earliest. This will be the time and the opportunity for input from the public as to what the project should look like and what conditions should be imposed. Such areas as hours of operation, lighting, and sound systems are but a few of the possible areas that will be addressed by the Town, but the major topic is expected to be how the land can be accessed with the least negative impacts on the neighbors that surround the school land.