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<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; Plans to construct the Dallas Intermediate School must first address the district&#8217;s current parking situation, according to the Dallas Township Planning Commission.</p><p>The commission wants the district to identify current parking spaces and present a &#8220;show and tell plan showing prior parking lot uses&#8221; for the proposed school, said William J. McCall, the attorney for the township board.</p><p>The commission brought up the issue of school faculty, staff and parents parking in a lot off Conyngham Avenue, across from Wycallis Elementary, at an informal meeting in October, Superintendent Thomas Duffy said.</p><p>The lot, consisting of a field and wooded area, is owned by Nancy Kanjorski, according to county records.</p><p>After this week&#8217;s meeting, McCall and Planning Commission members declined to comment on why the parking was brought up at the district&#8217;s first presentation of school construction plans.</p><p>On Wednesday, Duffy said the district had used the lot for parking for about 20 years.</p><p>&#8220;There were 12 to 20 cars parked there on a day-to-day basis,&#8221; Duffy said.</p><p>He acknowledged the district does not own the property and having faculty, staff and parents parking in the lot and crossing Conyngham Avenue with children created an &#8220;unsafe situation.&#8221;</p><p>On Nov. 1, the district installed several no parking signs in the right-of-way between the lot and Conyngham Avenue to deter people from parking.</p><p>&#8220;We made moves to eliminate parking in that area,&#8221; Duffy said. &#8220;Thank goodness our stakeholders are abiding by that currently.&#8221;</p><p>Also, Duffy said the district would implement a campus traffic control coordinator position to keep traffic flowing during the morning and afternoon hours when elementary students are arriving and departing campus.</p><p>The parking issue is just one step in the process the district needs to work through to acquire necessary permits and approvals to build a two-floor, 57,371-square-foot school off Conyngham Avenue, next to Wycallis Elementary.</p><p>The district is seeking a conditional use variance, which needs to be reviewed by the Dallas Township Supervisors and then the Zoning Hearing Board, said Vito DeLuca, the solicitor for the Dallas School District.</p><p>&#8220;We have done a stormwater management plan, land development plan, and submitted a drainage plan to the Luzerne Conservation District,&#8221; said Justin Hoffmann, a professional engineer at Kiley Associates LLC representing the school district. &#8220;All those applications are out and in the process of being reviewed.&#8221;</p><p>A sewage exception was filed with the Dallas Area Municipal Authority and the state Department of Environmental Protection, he noted.</p><p>&#8220;I actually spoke with DEP today (Nov. 14) and they said that a letter is forthcoming,&#8221; Hoffmann said.</p><p>The proposed school will house third, fourth and fifth grades. Kindergarten, first and second-grade students would be located at Wycallis.</p><p>Project plans include a one-way road leading to a new faculty parking lot and student drop-off area behind the planned school.</p><p>Wycallis and the planned Dallas Intermediate School will share a bus pad area off Conyngham Avenue.</p><p>The building&#8217;s price tag is estimated at $18.5 million and will be funded by a bond agreement with PNC Bank, according a plan submitted by Alloy 5, the district&#8217;s architectural firm.</p><p>The school board, its engineer and architect plan to address the parking issue with the Planning Commission at a meeting 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Dallas Township building.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Justin Hoffmann, an engineer with Kiley Associates LLC, standing, listens to discussion among Dallas Township Planning Commission members about parking concerns in the Dallas School District. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_PlanmeetORG.jpg</photo0><caption0>Justin Hoffmann, an engineer with Kiley Associates LLC, standing, listens to discussion among Dallas Township Planning Commission members about parking concerns in the Dallas School District. </caption0><photoCredit0>Eileen Godin | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Eileen Godin</p><p>egodin@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Dallas Twp. Planning Commission requires parking review for new school plans