Radwanski Asks Council To Reject Traffic Study

The plan to build a proposed joint use school on South Hill for about 1,000 students may have cleared another hurdle with Council approving the Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) but it was not without opposition.

Former Prairie South School Division trustee Jan Radwanski appeared before Council and requested that the TIA report be rejected and the City work with the Ministry of Education, Prairie South School Division (PSSD) and Hoy Trinity Catholic School Division (HTCSD) to redirect the funds to redevelop the existing schools. It was an idea Council ultimately rejected.

Radwanski based his opinion on numerous factors including safety, outdated data used in preparing the TIA, out of town trustees deciding what is best for Moose Jaw and not conforming to the Official Community Plan.

“The results of the Traffic Impact Assessment was hampered as you can see in the report. The consultant said the data that was produced by the Coty was ten years old so he called it a limited TIA,” he said. “Which is not in line with the TIA.”

Radwanski said the TIA made mention to the site selection not taking into consideration the Official Community Plan.

“The consultant who did the limited Traffic Impact Assessment also commented that the Official Community Plan was overlooked and wrong assumptions were noted by KPMG.”

Radwanski quoted existing bylaws where he said a facility with 1,000 students would require 125 parking stalls and other traffic measures.

“I think this project is too large for the existing neighbourhood,” he said.

Altering parking requirements for schools has happened in the past. It needs to be noted that in the past the City has quietly altered its parking requirements for schools behind closed doors. HTCSD successfully lobbied Council in-camera to dispose of the disability parking requirements necessary for St Agnes School.

Radwanski saw a better alternative as being to restore some of the already existing schools.

“The joint use school project may need to be altered so that some established schools on South Hill are allocated infrastructure funding…to enhance and rebuild these schools so they can continue to operate.”

Radwansk said the school selection process overlooked the City’s Official Community plan because it failed to select a site that was centrally located to community it served.

He continued to speak about safety being the number one paramount thing for parents and how he saw the amount of buses and other related traffic around such a large school as not being safe.

“Safety should be our number one priority. I ask that you reject this limited Traffic Impact Assessment as required. And Council should develop in conjunction with the school boards a concept plan for a school this size and see whether or not it does fit on South Hill.”

Radwanski said the location selected by the Province has not been one where there has been community feedback.

“This project has been in the meeting rooms of boards since 2016. No public review sessions have been held regarding this particular site.”

“Moose Jaw residents deserve an inclusive and open process on educational investments using $50 - $70 million of money for Moose Jaw educational facilities,” he said. “Existing sites would allow for funds to be used for the provision of schools and not the provision of roads, sidewalks and utilities for a residential neighbourhood.”

Radwanski made a highly controversial claim that the actual school decision was being made by people from outside the city. He said for the first time in its history local people but others outside the community had a say in the schools location. He said out of the five Moose Jaw based Trustees on PSSD’s board two had either recused themselves or voted against the proposed location. He had voted against the school.

In questions from Mayor Fraser Tolmie he admitted the majority of Moose Jaw based board members had voted in favour of the new school’s location.

Rpbert Bachmann, chair of the PSSD board, said Radwanski had numerous opportunities to have his views heard while Radwanski was a member of PSSD’s board.

“The process was certainly not one Prairie South pushed forward…It is something that has been part of Holy Trinity, Prairie South and the Ministry of Education all working the City have.” Bachmann said.

“This report that is before you very clearly states a positive impact. The report does not communicate any major issues.” he said.

Joann Blazieko is chair of HTCSD and said their board had voted in favour of the new school.

“The place that was picked it was a surprise to us as well. We are hoping it will go forward and we will get Council’s approval for it,” Blazieko said.