Dell Rapids school board member Jeff Traill and Dell Rapids Superintendent Dr. Summer Schultz presented a parking update plan to the Dell Rapids City Council during the council’s regular meeting on Monday, February 3rd. The plan will give the school approximately 70 new parking spots over by the high school and middle school.
“I would term this a shorter term fix for some parking issues. Those of you that have been members of the community for a long time have heard it. We are short on parking at the middle school and high school. We agree 100 percent. Unfortunately it’s kind of a land-locked facility,” said Traill.
Traill said that this plan is more of a five-to-ten year short term fix or enhancement to the existing parking by the schools. The approximately 70 additional spots equates to an average of about one class enrollment every year to the high school. He said that the plan may not be ideal, but it does add spots by a combination of using existing school parking lots and areas as well as encroachments up to or within the city right of way. Because the plan does involve city right of way, this plan had to be approved by the Dell Rapids City Council.
The update will add 20 new spots to the staff parking long on the east side of Garfield Ave, but the majority of the updates will be done over by the middle school and football field area on 13th St. The north and south side of 13th St between Garfield Ave. and Harrison Ave. will remain parallel parking spots as they are today. The northeast parking lot and bus barn area will remain unchanged as of now.
The Dell Rapids City Council approved the plan which will allow the school to be able to add the parking lot updates to the already scheduled school renovations that will begin this spring. Those renovations include changes to the high school to bring modern technology into classroom teaching methods as well as changes to the middle school to accommodate four sections of classes.
Dell Rapids Staff Parking
Dell Rapids Parking by middle school