A key historical reference point in the continued opposition to the construction of a new Quaker Valley High School is the 2006 landslide at the construction site of a Walmart, on the site of the former Dixmont State Hospital in Kilbuck Township.
Route 65 “Dixmont Stretch” and adjacent railroad tracks, September 20, 2006. Click to enlarge – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The slide disrupted vehicle and rail traffic along adjacent Route 65 for nearly two weeks, and ultimately resulted in Walmart abandoning their plans and remediating the site as open space.
As reported here about 18 months ago, those opposing the new high school construction have highlighted the presence of Pittsburgh red beds on the site, as they were present at the Dixmont site. This was likely a direct contributor to one of the largest cases of “we told you so“ in recent memory.
As I reported last month, this attempt to label the proposed high school site as geologically suspect has not been lost on the QVSD. Along with this due diligence, the Leet Township Planning Commission will meet this week to begin reviewing the district’s submission.
Central to those discussions will likely be safety concerns related not only to geology, but to ingress and egress – especially in emergency situations.
For me, the safety of any proposed school facility is a primary consideration, and the safety issues surrounding the proposed high school site have been, and will continue to be, the subject of much discussion.
While pondering this, I started seeing and experiencing locations that appeared to incorporate desirable design features, especially for access. Ironically, the first of these was a Walmart.
Walmart, Economy Borough, Beaver County – Primary access is via Economy Way from Route 65, through Northern Lights Shopping Center. A gated secondary access road connects the store to Conway-Wallrose Road via Sproat Avenue. Click to enlarge.
According to Economy Borough manager Travis Cavanaugh, the idea for a secondary access road came not from an ordinance, but from a member of council during initial planning meetings with the company. Walmart agreed with the idea, and while the secondary road that connects the store to Conway-Wallrose Road is gated off, in an evacuation scenario that impacts Route 65 this capability can be invaluable.
Economy’s Zoning Ordinance, while not requiring this secondary access for commercial development, does have a requirement for Planned Residential Developments –
The principal entrance to the site of a planned residential development (PRD) shall connect directly to an arterial or collector street, as defined by this chapter. In every planned residential development (PRD), a secondary means of access shall be provided that may connect to a local street.
This makes me wonder why such requirements were not required of developers of such large residential subdivisions as Quaker Heights and Sewickley Heights Manor, which only have one way in and out. Review of Leet Township and Aleppo Township ordinances found no language similar to Economy’s that would require such access.
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While this scenario is duplicated in numerous communities in our area and beyond, awareness of the potential for emergency evacuations has become heightened after two tragic incidents over the past weeks – the wildfires that decimated Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, and the gas explosion that killed 6 and destroyed or damaged as many as 10 large houses in Plum Borough.
Ohio Township Community Park and Nature Center – While the site is accessed via Nicholson Road, a gated access road also connects the park to Red Mud Hollow Road. Click to enlarge.
Even with these apparent deficiencies in residential access, we are still seeing recent major development efforts in our area where access into or out of the site from two different public roadways is an integral part of the project, even if that secondary access is restricted in some fashion.
This leads to continued speculation regarding the lack of such a contingency for the proposed high school site. Barring any sudden changes in the preliminary site plans submitted to the Leet Planning Commission, the site is still without one – this despite a consensus expression of concern by Leet public safety and emergency management stakeholders.
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Screen capture from William Jasper YouTube video, posted August 18.
Along with the Planning Commission review are numerous other challenges and benchmarks that must be achieved and/or maintained for the project to continue as the school district intends.
These include the Commonwealth Court appeal of Judge Joseph James’ ruling reversing the Leet Zoning Board’s decision (which required an emergency access road), and financial benchmarks that if not met by the district could trigger public hearings and/or a referendum on the financing of the high school project.
Republican School Board candidate William Jasper continues to put out information about the project via mailers and now a YouTube channel. His latest video, posted last week, is over 9 minutes of the same arguments Mr. Jasper has already made, with some additional information, organized into a seemingly more digestible format. He uses the same graphics featured on his campaign website, which while comprehensive are at times reminiscent of the white boards on The Big Bang Theory.
I’ve stated previously that some of Mr. Jasper’s assertions are a little beyond the pale for me – he seems to have had an opportunity with the video to provide attribution, footnotes, and/or a source bibliography, but only chose to attribute one quotation that I saw.
I also think it’s unfortunate that he put the word TRUTH in capital letters as part of the video title, especially considering the interesting use of that word and style elsewhere.
In keeping with that, Mr. Jasper also seems to put forth some information as fact when it is only his opinion – witness his statement in the video that the appeal of the lower court decision on the Leet Zoning Board denial has an “expected affirmation of zoning approval with existing conditions” (including an emergency access road), with a court ruling expected in January. Aside from his being an appellant in the case, how does he know this will be the outcome, and when?
Mr. Jasper appears to be most salient when it comes to site safety and emergency preparedness issues – he literally has a stake in this game by virtue of his residing near the site, and his status as a litigant.
The rest of his assertions, while appearing to be grounded in economics and other sciences and/or what one might consider common sense, are still ripe for challenge and debate by those in favor of the high school project. When and how that happens, beyond the June Sewickley Herald op-ed from the school board, remains to be seen.
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In thinking about all of the factors impacting the development of a new location for the high school over the years, I’m struck by the apparent lack of coordination and consistency by municipal governments in assuring that contingencies for emergency response and evacuation are properly addressed.
The 11 local governments that make up the Quaker Valley School District largely display an innate desire to remain independent, from the manner in which public safety services are delivered to priorities related to planning and zoning. This anachronistic, parochial approach is increasingly unwieldy and inefficient in the 21st Century.
Some towns have shown foresight by engaging in joint efforts at planning, or leveraging economies of scale to obtain critical services such as police, and participating in organizations such as the QVCOG.
How does this relate to the new high school and its potential challenges? I have a feeling that the school district has been resistant to an emergency access road not only because of the potential cost, but how overall cost may also be impacted by engaging in the bureaucratic processes of another municipal entity. In short, they may not want to have to deal with Edgeworth.
I believe that Mr. Jasper is right about the length of the road that has been traveled already, and how potentially long the road will become, depending upon the activities commencing (or concluding) in the coming weeks and months – perhaps the most crucial time period in the long, fractious history of this project.
I’m beginning to wonder whether there will be a new high school by the time our granddaughter, who starts second grade tomorrow, is ready to attend it.
Enjoy the beginning of the school year.
John Linko 
