By Staci DaSilva
sdasilva@kcautv.com
Plans to build a new elementary at the Hoover Middle School site have some folks looking at Sioux City's newest functioning school.
Spalding Park Elementary School opened just this past September. There is one entrance and one exit to the campus.
The exit has two lanes: One is right turn only and the other, you can turn left or go straight.
Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott argues traffic has become a disaster at the site.
When designing the school, the school district used a traffic analysis company to figure out the best way to direct company.
The plan is to use that same company at the new Hoover School. The Mayor thinks that's a bad idea.
Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott said, "When WIT's sometimes getting out at the same time, it's very difficult to get through that intersection then. It's causing us some problems, probably to the extent that we're going to have to rebuild the streetlights there to have turning arrows."
Sioux City Community School District Superintendent Paul Gausman said, "We acknowledge that last night there were some concerns about traffic at Spalding and we have not received those concerns from anyone ever before. And today we've got a team out at Spalding, at the end of the school day."
And that team found out some numbers: it took 14 and a half minutes for all the kids to get off the campus. 62 cars turned left and 50 made it to the Stone Ave and Gordon Drive intersection.
Parents we spoke with say traffic at Spalding is an issue for them.
Tasha Ringer, a parent, said, "It is kind of bad. But I always come a little later so I don't have to rush through all that."
Mike Haire, a parent, said, "If you get up there, you can't get out, I mean, you're stuck here for 15 or 20 minutes. And when you walk across the lot you got to watch out because people almost back over you. They need to make another way to design this."
That's what Mayor Bob Scott does not want to happen here at the Hoover Middle School intersection at Hamilton and 36th.
The school district had presented its Hoover plans to the City Council because of the off site components to the Hoover plans, including change in traffic lights and widening of streets.
The school district does need approval from the City Council to perform those changes and Superintendent Gausman says he is confident they will come to an agreement.
