Board of Adjustment meeting Jan. 19: New Pullman school faces road access woes

This map from the Moscow, Pullman and Palouse telephone directory shows roads on Military Hill in Pullman. In the first and second quadrants, dashed lines indicate potential access roads connecting Greyhound Way and Terre View Drive or Canyon View Drive and Terre View. Road access has been brought up as a concern in the construction of Pullman's new elementary school, as there is one access road in and out of the proposed school site. Kamiak Elementary School is indicated with a star, while the location of Pullman High School on Greyhound Way is marked with an X.

With plans well underway for Pullman's newest elementary school – Kamiak – a concern about road access has been brought up.

Fire Chief Mike Heston told the Gazette this week he is concerned about having only one road to service the school in the event of an emergency.

“I'd like to see a second access to that facility,” he said.

Police Chief Gary Jenkins agreed.

“Currently, there's only one road both in and out of that to provide access to the school,” he said. “If there's any type of emergency one road could be compromised very quickly. Or if there's an incident that involves the road itself, then there would be no access at all.”

Kamiak Elementary School is proposed to encompass approximately 71,000 square feet on a 12-acre parcel at the end of Terre View Drive in northwest Pullman. The elementary school will be able to accommodate up to 450 students.

Pullman School District recently submitted an application for a conditional use permit which will go before Pullman's Board of Adjustment tonight, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pullman City Council chambers. Chief Heston said he would like to see public input at the meeting.

“Be at the meeting to express concerns,” he said in regard to the road. “And have suggestions. What are some alternatives?”

Jenkins also would like to see public input at the meeting tonight.

“Anyone who has any kind of concern or interest or support,” he said. “This does impact the public.”

Heston's concerns about the access to the school include potential congestions and emergencies. The proposed site of the school – land which the district acquired in January of 2015 for $430,000 – currently has one main access point for ingress and egress via NW Terre View. Heston said there is another route, which is on NW Robert. This side street connects to Terre View before the proposed site of the school, but its route runs through several side streets before connecting back to any main ones.

“I'd like to see more direct access,” said Heston. “Responding through residential neighborhoods is not ideal.”

The Pullman Fire Department has a station at the corner of Grand Avenue and Terre View Drive, close to the proposed school site, but Heston expects traffic will increase there as the area gains more houses and from school traffic.

“Extra traffic coming at Terre View by our station is going to add some issues,” he said.

Heston added that though the station is in close proximity to the school, firefighters are not always at the ready at the station.

“We're hardly ever at the fire station,” he said. “It's a misnomer that you're always there. You're more than likely coming from another emergency.”

Jenkins said an emergency situation is one that no one ever wants to have happen, but preparations need to be in place.

“We do have to be prepared for any type of incident,” he said. “Our community is not immune, and we want to be in the best possible position to respond for our community and in this case specifically the school.”

Heston brought up his concerns about the road access via email to Pullman's Assistant City Planner Jason Radtke when information about the conditional use permit application was sent to him.

“Since NW Terre View Drive would be the only access to this new facility, I would like the street to be extended and connected into Greyhound Lane (or other best option). This is due to the potential high life safety characteristics of the new facility and occupants, anticipated traffic congestion on Terre View, response distance from the fire station or when the units are also out of the station and increased traffic waiting at the traffic light in front of fire station #2 at NW Terre View and Grand,” he wrote.

Jenkins responded to Radtke's email with the same concerns.

“It appears that there will only be one access point for ingress and egress via NW Terre View. From a public safety, first responder, and emergency management perspective, one access point is inadequate and potentially dangerous,” he wrote. “Events requiring response from emergency personnel (particularly police and fire), evacuation, patient extrication, parent response, etc., can become instantly complicated if the one access point is compromised. Best practice is to have at least two access points so there is at least one alternate route from the main route.”

Jenkins also brought up extending Greyhound Way as an option for the alternate route. Heston said this route is ideal when compared with other possibilities.

“My preference is Greyhound. It's wider, it's a thoroughfare,” he said.

Greyhound Way runs in front of Pullman High School and ends about half a mile after the high school. There is residential development up to that point, but vacant property behind the residential development could allow it to connect with Terre View.

Another option that has been discussed is connecting Terre View with Canyon View Drive. Canyon View runs to the west side of Pullman High School, and as it sits now, does not connect with Terre View.

Jenkins said extending Greyhound is also his preference, but he knows there may be other options.

“I'm open to hear arguments on both of those,” he said. “Greyhound seems to make the most sense. It's more arterial rather than residential, but I'd be willing to look at different arguments.”

Heston said connecting Terre View and Canyon View is not preferred.

“It's not the safest route to be responding,” he said, noting that it is a residential street with children, pets and several cars parked along the roadway. He also noted snow and ice concerns if an emergency response was needed in the winter.

Canyon View is classified as a residential road, meaning it is meant to serve as a low capacity road.

“It makes more sense to connect Greyhound Way,” said Heston.

Roads such as NW Valise Drive, NW Venture Drive and NW Arcadia Drive near the school site are all impossible to extend, as residential development blocks any potential extensions.

Heston said he hopes the Board of Adjustment considers the road in the conditional use permit at the meeting tonight.

“Not doing anything is not a very good option in my opinion,” he said.

Jenkins said he also hopes the Board of Adjustment takes access into consideration.

“I don't know for sure what action the Board of Adjustment is going to take, whether they're going to just strictly look at conditional use,” he said. “As the police chief, it's important for me to provide information on my area of expertise.”

Heston added that he wants to see the elementary school construction go through.

“My goal isn't to delay any projects,” he said.

He added that he knows that cost is a factor, and he hopes an access road could be constructed before the school opens in 2018.

“If it gets built without it, what's the timeframe that it will get built?” he asked.

Public Works Director Kevin Gardes, in a public works document, stated that extension of Terre View is required to the south end of the school site, pending approval by the public works director. His document stated that if the road is not extended to Greyhound Way, an acceptable fire department turn-around would be required at the end of Terre View.

Gardes said the road will ultimately be constructed, the question is just where and when.

“There will be a second access road built at some point. It may not be built right away or be available right as the school opens,” he said. “We do things in phases.”

If an access road becomes part of the conditional use permit, Radtke said it would have to go through the city's planning commission and public works.

“It would be a separate application for a road construction,” Radtke said.

The Pullman City Council would ultimately have to approve the road, he said.

Pullman district voters last February passed a $23.5 million bond to allow the district to construct the new elementary school. The bond netted a 68 percent approval rate after school district officials cited growing numbers of students along with state mandates to lower class sizes necessitating the construction of another school. Kamiak Elementary will serve as the district's fourth elementary school.