Tracy Way bus stop controversy has Inter-Lakes board in a bind

A conflicted Inter-Lakes School Board last night postponed making a decision on whether to agree to neighborhood demands and adjust the scheduled school bus stops on Tracy Way and Winton Road until it meets again on October 10.

Parents of school-age children who live on those two rural roadways off Rte. 106 (Parade Rd.) have appealed for relief from a new plan — albeit a revised new plan — they consider to be both irrational and dangerous. Superintendent Phillip McCormack, on the other hand, cautioned board members to make decisions on bus stop locations that amount to a policy that is "equitable and consistent".

"You can't just make decisions based on who shows up at a meeting," said McCormack in reference to the fact about 15 grandparents, parents and children from the affected neighborhood were on hand, lobbying hard for a change.

Earlier, Winton Rd. resident Don Thompson told the board the bus route plan now in effect is "completely unacceptable" to the neighborhood and "has to be changed".

The initiative to table the matter came from Carl Johnson and, after considerable discussion, he was backed by all board members except Howard Cunningham, who seemed to want some questions answered before he took a position. Johnson said he needed more time to totally digest all the information the board had been presented with. "I would be uncomfortable with making a decision tonight," he said, "I need to sort things out."

Winton Road. leaves Parade Road. across from the entrance to Highland Park and runs for only 100-yards or so before it is met by Tracy Way, coming in the north. The street runs toward east for another one-third of a mile before ending in a cul-de-sac.

Tracy Way branches off of Parade Rd. a little further north and travels east until it runs up against the edge of a bluff that overlooks Lake Winnipsesaukee, at which point it turns south to hook up with Winton Road. In all, the loop formed by the two streets is a little over a mile in length.

Both streets are dotted with expensive homes — some very expensive, complete with majestic views of the lake. There are a total of 17 school-age children living there.

For five years, Tracy Way resident Norm Noel reminded the board at the start of the meeting, school busses made the complete neighborhood loop — including a trip to the end of the Winton Road cul-de-sac — letting children out near their houses along the way. In response to the recommendations of a committee that studied the school district's transportation needs and policies for a year, however, some routes were adjusted for the current school year.

All parents received a letter from the school district in mid-August that advised them of changes to the bus route schedule. Tracy Way/Winton Road parents were told the new route would include only two stops for them, both on Parade Road.

A delegation from the neighborhood protested the changes at the August 22 board meeting — arguing that to locate the bus stops on the busy state highway — one at the entrance to Winton Road and then again at the entrance to Tracy Way — was much to dangerous and changes were made.

The Winton Road stop was moved in to the intersection of Tracy Way, and the Tracy Way stop was moved in to the front of a home at 9 Tracy Way. Additionally, a third stop was added in front of 54 Tracy Way, about halfway between the other two. The home at 54 Tracy Way is off a little loop cul-de-sac that used to mark the end of the road.

Last night, Noel told board members the revised plan is "not much better" because it does nothing to alleviate relatively long walks on streets that have no lights and no sidewalks. Also, the woods come right up to the edge of the road in many places and moose, bear, coyotes, and fishers are plentiful.

Thompson said Police Chief Kevin Morrow jogs in the area and carries mace with him because of the threat posed by wild animals. "I defy any of you to walk down that road in the dark with a 40-pound backpack on," he said.

Gabrielle Niffka, who lives in the house at the old Tracy Way cul-de-sac, agreed with Thompson, telling the board she recently watched a bear prowl the exact area where the bus stops and noted they like sit in the trees along the roadway.

In particular, the locations of two of the three new stops infuriate the parents in the neighborhood because they are located near homes where there are no school-age children. "What sense does it make to drop them off where they don't live when the bus drives right by where they do live?" asked Noel.

Noel proposed moving the Winton Road stop east to the end of the cul-de-sac and moving the Tracy Lane cul-de-sac stop west to the top of a hill where the children who get off there live. Also, he proposed one additional stop in the middle of the portion of Tracy Way that runs north and south, where there is a grouping of homes.

"What would it cost to add one stop? asked Noel. And board member Dan Cunningham later asked the same question. "If it cost zero," he said, "Let's do it."

Richard Hanson agreed, saying he was looking for a win-win situation. "I am for increasing the degree of safety to the extent that we can," he said.

At that point McCormack advised the board it was not looking at a dollars and cents decision. The requested changes, in and of themselves, would not cost much of anything, he said, but the transportation study and resulting policy changes "were not a money saving effort". It was about efficiency, he added, but not necessarily monetary efficiency.

Walking significant distances to bus stops — under heavy backpacks — was happening throughout the district, McCormack argued, adding that some students are walking eight-tenths of a mile to get to their assigned stops.

Speaking from the audience earlier in the meeting, Meredith resident Steve Durand sounded a similar theme. He told the the board that what is happening on Tracy Way is no different that a lot of other places and parents carry the responsibility for their children's safety going to and from bus stops. "The bus is a privilege, not a right," he said.

Tracy Way resident Jim Moody told the board he became concerned about the situation when he noticed three young girls walking alone away from the cul-de-sac and realized he, or anyone else could have "snatched any one of them". "That made me scared," he said.

Moody's neighbor, Betty Burns, told the board she thought it was "ludicrous" that a complete list of all bus stops were posted on the Internet, a place where anyone could gather precise information needed for an attempted abduction.