At Monday’s Sparks City Council meeting, residents spoke out against the possibility of converting Wildcreek Golf Course into a new high school. At least four people who live near the course expressed their concerns about increased car traffic, destroying the open space that has been well-preserved over the years, air traffic noise causing a potential disturbance in trying to instruct students, and brought up other potential issues.
“I’m surprised they are considering bussing in 2,500 students without having done a traffic impact study. And with the property being on a floodplain, this is a disaster waiting to happen,” says Sparks resident Darla Lee.
“I feel like the RSCVA and Washoe County (School District) is just springing this on us, like it’s a conspiracy against us. Residents enjoy looking at that open space,” said Sparks local.
At an early May Washoe County Wildcreek Project joint meeting, several local entities including the Washoe County School District, the City of Reno, the City of Sparks, and the County Commissioners approved a Letter of Intent to build a new high school in Sparks to replace the old Hug High School.
The proposed timeline of events called for the property to be transferred to WCSD in August with a December 2018 groundbreaking of the new Wildcreek/Hug High School. If all goes as planned, it can open as early as August 2021.
However, the May 1 meeting prompted a group of residents to launch the Save Wildcreek Group. In an attempt to thwart the project, the Save Wildcreek Group is led by lawyer Steven F. Bus. It recently sent a letter to the RSCVA claiming that the visitor’s authority does not have a legal right to transfer or sell the property and that it falls under a Nevada law to preserve it as an open space/recreational facility.
Although the Letter of Intent was approved, city officials have stated that there is a lot of work to do to address all of the potential problems.
D.D.Dory says
how can anybody think about putting a school inside the Reno airport flight line.
There are a least 50+ airplanes incoming or leaving over the top of Wild Creek every day.
Maybe the money R.S.V.C.A. can squirrel away over the sale can justify killing a few hundred school kids. Or they just don’t care.
But if they go ahead with it they can’t say they didn’t know.
D.D.Dory