Proposed school gets site OK with conditions

Valerie Miller

Friday, Sept. 11, 1998 | 10:51 a.m.

It was report card time for the proposed Lorna J. Kesterson Elementary School at last night's Henderson Planning Commission meeting, but the city's newest elementary school may have to do some last-minute cramming before getting a final grade from the city council.

The Planning Commission voted 6-0 in favor of approving a use permit and architectural review for the 60,042 square-foot facility, but added the condition that the Clark County School District meet with city police, fire and traffic officials to address safety concerns before going before the city council in 10 days.

Kesterson Elementary would be located on 10.2 acres at 246 Marks Street, which lies between Stephanie Street and Gibson Road in the Gibson Springs area of Henderson.

Commissioners, along with police and fire officials, said Thursday night they were concerned about potential safety and traffic congestion at the school.

"Many areas of Henderson close to schools are completely paralyzed at pick-up and drop-off times for students," said Commissioner George Bochanis.

Congestion at these points also could be a safety hazard, because it could impede the access of police and fire vehicles to the school in the event of an emergency, added Henderson Fire Department Chief Fulton Cochran.

The school, which will hold approximately 650 students, will have a designated space for parents to pick-up and drop-off children, said D.L. "Dusty" Dickens, Director of Demographics, Zoning and Realty for the Clark County School District. She added that the school is expected to use six school buses, with a maximum of 90 students on each bus.

"This would be our preferred site for the school because there is a park on the north side, and streets and all four sides to relieve traffic congestion," she said during the meeting.

In addition to the ideal location, Dickens said, the school, which will have 26 classrooms, is required to have two parking spaces for each classroom for a total of 52. Kesterson, however, will exceed that number by having 78 spaces, along with 10 visitor parking spaces.

While commissioners and city officials both agreed that the site for the school was better than most that had been presented before the city, the Commission still favored proceeding cautiously by adding the extra conditions for police, fire and traffic reviews.

"I think the main concern that we are seeing tonight is safety," Bochanis said. "I just don't want to see something that could have been slightly modified causing problems down the road."

Kesterson Elementary School is expected to cost $7-9 million to build and is slated for completion by the fall of 1999.