Prince William County Public Schools deferred an appeal for a new middle school because of concerns over transportation and the environment.
The school board asked for a 60-day deferral to review the proposal for the school on Davis Ford Road with Coles Supervisor Martin Nohe.
“There are citizen concerns that have been raised that may be legitimate concerns. I’m sure there are answers, but we haven’t gotten them yet,” Nohe said.
The proposal changed from May’s Planning Commission version to include a raised concrete median in front of the school’s driveway, said Maureen Hannan, a PWCS planner. The median would separate oncoming traffic and establish an extended turning lane for school buses to line up without disrupting traffic, she said.
The school would not open until 8:30 a.m. to avoid affecting morning commuters.
The proposed 57-acre site is currently being used for a wastewater treatment plant, which was built in the late 1970s.
Soil testing for metals and groundwater monitoring are conducted regularly on the site, said Chuck Weber, director of engineering and water reclamation for the Prince William County ServiceAuthority.
When a plant shuts down, the authority works with the state’s environmental agency to dismantle equipment, remove tanks, remove sediment from holding ponds and perform final testing, Weber said.
Planning commissioners and residents were uneasy about building a school on the property, which has dramatic slopes.
Both Woodbridge High School and Benton Middle School have fields that sit further below the school, Hannan said. “This isn’t something that is unusual.”
More changes to the proposal could result from the meeting between Nohe and the board, Hannan said.
Davis Ford Middle School
» 135,000 square feet
» Serving 1,200 students
» Open in 2009
» Appeal to Supervisors in September
