October 14, 2008
Follow-up to Meadowdale Middle School Community Comments from Meeting Announcement
TRAFFIC
Neighbors have expressed concern that having a single entrance on 168th would create congestion
for residents on 63rd Ave W. and Eastbound traffic. Our initial traffic study did consider these issues,
but we are revisiting them in light of these specific instances. The District has forwarded this matter
to our traffic consultant and our environmental consultant to review. We will be preparing a more
comprehensive traffic report based on the proposed schematic design. There will be a formal process that
conforms to the requirements of the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA), and the District will be
notifying neighbors and involved parties.
A principal reason for the proposed location of the vehicle entrance/exit is to separate Middle School
traffic from pedestrians and vehicles traveling to and from Meadowdale Elementary School. Parents and
staff have expressed a strong preference for keeping Middle School vehicles to the East of the Elementary
School crosswalk and parent drop-off. Another factor in the location is the desire to preserve the grove
of mature firs along 168th. As mentioned above, we will re-examine the effect of consolidating the traffic
from three entrances to one.
It may be helpful to clarify existing traffic operations at the Middle School for neighbors who do
not use the facility on a regular basis. The three entrances on 168th are currently the only legal vehicle
access points for the entire campus. At present, all traffic must use these entrances, and travel on
168th to reach them. The driveway on Olympic View is an exit only. Several years ago the City of
Lynnwood and the School District agreed to restrict the Olympic View driveway to exit only, and it has
operated in that fashion for some time.
The reconstruction of Olympic View Drive that is now underway will further restrict the use of this
driveway. The project will move the pedestrian crosswalk to the Northeast side of the school driveway
and install a pedestrian island in the middle of the street. Left turns from the school driveway will be
blocked and prohibited. The only choice for traffic using the Olympic View driveway will be to exit
by turning right. Thus, the utility of this driveway for traffic traveling to the school building will be
extremely limited.
Another factor to note is that this school year the District has changed the start times for both
Meadowdale Elementary and Middle Schools. The Middle School now starts at 8:00 AM, and the Elementary at
8:40 AM. Also, we are encouraging middle school students to use school buses. We will be studying traffic
counts for the effects of these changes.
CONSTRUCTION DISRUPTIONS
Another concern for neighbors is construction disruptions. The School District has constructed a
number of recent major projects, including several in the Meadowdale vicinity, e.g. Meadowdale Elementary
School and Maplewood K-8. The following are some of the construction concerns we have heard from
neighbors: noise, dust, construction worker and delivery traffic and on-site parking, traffic delays from
road construction, aesthetics of construction trailers and equipment. Our project planning will address
all of these concerns and more.
By locating the new building in the Northwest portion of the school site, we are keeping most of the
construction far away from our neighbors. The site is large enough to minimize any off-site parking,
storage or other impacts. We have hired a contractor who has an excellent reputation for maintaining a safe,
clean, orderly work environment and responding promptly to community concerns.
During construction, the District will have full time staff assigned to oversee the work. We will
provide neighbors with contact information prior to the start of construction so that you can let us know
right away if there is an issue.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Edward J. Peters at 425-431-7170 or via
email at: peterse@edmonds.wednet.edu.
