Scott Singer,
Boca Raton City Mayor“Dear Parents, Students, and Residents:
Here's an update on the news from Friday that should be of relief to many of you. When I wrote a few days ago, I said that this was a work in progress and you had many representatives trying to find the best solution. We've kept working. There now appears to be a viable alternative to moving the track and field at Don Estridge.
On Friday afternoon, School Board Member Frank Barbieri and I had an urgent meeting with the School District's planning staff to examine more alternatives that would NOT involve relocating the track and field at Don Estridge and instead keep it in place. Collectively, we may have found one. We asked the planning staff to draw up plans ASAP that would site the new school away from the track and all of the school's athletic fields on both a temporary and permanent basis, using other parcels of the land owned by the City of Boca Raton. The planners are working on that plan. More information should be available by next week. Due to logistics of roadways, water wells, setbacks, and infrastructure, it is more than just putting a building on a plot of land, which is why the planning staff is hard at work.
The School District sent out another FAQ sheet on Friday, and the second item talks more of the track and field issue. It also deals with questions of traffic and corrects misinformation. Please read it here: https://deht.palmbeachschools.org/news/announcements/construction___relocation_updates. You may want to share it with other families and students.
Please know that Mr. Barbieri and I have heard your concerns and have pushed again to make sure every alternative was considered. We pulled up maps of the area and asked a wide range of questions anew. We understand that the prior plan had many concerns and are working to find better alternatives.
Again, it is the School District and NOT the City of Boca Raton that is charge of school location, construction, and planning. The City's role in this matter was to donate land for the school. Neither I nor my City Council colleagues will make the ultimate determination, but I've been working with Mr. Barbieri and the School District to facilitate the best plan possible.
The School District will continue to update families. While the City has no formal role in the logistics - beyond the donation of land - I'm writing today to supplement the information and keep you informed the best I can.
Mr. Barbieri deserves a lot of credit for his dedicated efforts, as does the District staff. He, the staff, and I cleared our schedules on Friday to meet to discuss all alternatives, and staff is working on new plans.
Again, while the City does not control the matter or decide things, we are here to help address your concerns. We are working with the School District to address residents' concerns and have made more progress since Friday morning. I'll share more information as it is available. Please stay tuned for more information from the School District as they release it. Thank you.”
