Mount Vernon Schools will be moving forward with a plan for the Mount Vernon Middle School parking lot this summer.

The district approved the funding coming from Local Option Sales and Service tax revenues over the next several years.

The cost is estimated at roughly $1.09 million dollars, but 15 percent of that is contingency, and there are some items like sod, plants and removal of some items that the district could handle on their own which will reduce some costs to the project.

As presented, the bus lane would have space for 10 buses to drop students off near the rear of the Elementary School. Superintendent Matt Leeman said the district runs roughly eight buses at the moment. The plan would allow for queueing of upwards of four more buses as well.

The plan would allow for the removal of the gate at the south end of the Mount Vernon parking lot and making a street that would be a through street.

A sharper curve leading into the middle school parking lot is one of the improvements to help curb speed of vehicles on said street. Another feature is berms that will line the eastern most parking lanes to keep vehicles parking there away from elementary and middle schoolers. Those added features are beneficial for all, reminding people using the lanes this is a parking lot adjacent to schools – slow your speed here.

Another feature being looked at is the addition of more handicap parking spaces near the east entrance of the Mount Vernon Middle School, an entrance that isn’t used as frequently. By having spaces designated for more handicap accessibility, the hope is more will use those spaces during events to help free congestion in the horseshoe parking for additional close spaces needed for handicap accessible parking.

Leeman said the other possibility is extending some parking more to the west by the district offices as well, if bids come in under budget.

Many of the choices reflect a safer way to open traffic flow around the school district during critical times of before and after school, and give more ways to get to the buildings during events in the evening for the community at large.

It will also allow work to begin on the exterior of the middle school once bonds have been awarded for that project later this fall or winter.