The battle between appellants and applicant were brought onto the field of
play at the June 21 Sandy City Council meeting.

At issue was the construction of a new Sandy High, and the council was in
position to decide on eight appeals to the planning commission being brought
by Kathleen Walker and Ron Bush.

The appeals were presented, city staff made its recommendations regarding
the appeals, the Oregon Trail School District (applicant) responded to the
appeals, and when the dust had lifted Sandy Mayor Linda Malone postponed
city council deliberations and any decision until the night of June 28 – the day
The Mountain Times went to press.

The postponement was not contested.

The meeting had labored far into the evening.

The grounds for the appeal were that the planning commission’s decision was
wrongly decided, and the applicant did not comply with all standards and
criteria listed in the Sandy Municipal Code.

The battle was joined.

“I’m sorry I have to be here tonight,” Walker said, addressing city council.
“I’ve been involved from the beginning, getting the bond (for constructing the
school) passed. But the process has not been open on the exterior design.”

The appellants disputed the following:
— Pedestrian access
— Use of Cor-ten Steel on the exterior
— Ball field lights
— Vehicle maintenance roads
— Roof lines and use of vertical boards over windows on the siding
— Off-street parking
— Street requirements
— Public utility extensions

Sandy Planning Director Tracy Brown responded to the appeals, giving the
city’s recommendations to the council.

Brown recommended a review of the planning commission’s decision on
pedestrian access in light of certain code requirements (appeal No. 1), and for
council to review applicable code in light of appellant testimony related to
construction of Kate Schmitz Avenue (appeal No. 7).

On all other disputes, Brown recommended the council reject the appellants
appeals.

Speaking for the applicant (Oregon Trail School District), Portland attorney
Brett Mersereau asked all appellant disputes be rejected.

Mersereau put special emphasis on appeals that would force the district to
build a path or road through the middle of the school.

“The major issue for us is student safety,” Mersereau said.

“They are asking these paths be open to the public on school property. I
challenge the applicants to show us a single school in Oregon that allows such
access. The school covers 80 acres. We are not willing to compromise one
student for 24-hour access to our school.”

It is now up to city council to weigh the issues and determine how the district
should proceed in the construction of the new school.