The site
plans for the new Berea-Midpark High School were approved by Planning
Commission on March 15.
Superintendent Michael Sheppard said the area would be fenced off and ground-breaking would be set for late in March. “We are on schedule,” he said.
The
Commission also approved demolition of the current school and conditional use
of the property. Several code variances were OK’d. They included a height
variance from 40 feet to 66 feet, access driveways from three to eight,
landscaping requirements from 136 trees to 103 and 1,632 shrubs to 1,237, and
parking spaces were reduced from 471 to 442.
The Commission added some conditions to the
approvals. The district was asked to enclose the connections between the three
buildings and to extend the French drains that run east and west to also run
north and south. The sidewalk near the bus drop-off is to be extended. A gate
should be installed along Maple Street. Changes will be made to the south
parking lot to facilitate snow removal; landscaping and the placement of light
poles will be reconsidered.
The
Commission’s job is to look at the exterior plans for buildings and landscaping
and parking designs. The interior plans for the school will be studied by the
Berea Building Department and by the Fire and Police Departments.
Sheppard
said the school district appreciated the feedback from the previous Planning
Commission meeting in February where residents and Commission members voiced
concerns about parts of the design. In response, he said the overall design was
flipped with academic classrooms now located on the east side with athletics
and music on the west. Buses will enter off Bagley. There will be two dry
retention basins to the rear of the school. Civil engineer Ken Bukowski said
the basins would have a capacity of 46,000 cubic feet of water. The recommended
capacity for a 100-year flood is 20,000 cubic feet. “We have ample capacity if
a Noah’s Art event occurs,” he said.
Commission
Chair Matt Madzy said the City would meet with Baldwin Wallace University and
school officials to review several options for Maple Street. The street could
be closed or made one-way.
Concerns
about handicapped accessibility and security will be discussed with safety
forces, including those from Middleburg Heights and Brook Park. With the
increasing incidents of violence and active shooters in schools, Madzy said it
was imperative to make sure the new school is safe.
“We need to
plan and prepare for these things and hope it doesn’t happen in our schools,”
he said.