I’m not happy

And if mama ain’t happy, then nobody’s happy.

At least that’s how it would be in my world.

Also, in Robin’s world, the school district and city wouldn’t think it’s OK to require an entire school full of children to cross a busy street several times a day in order to play outside at recess.

That would be a crazy plan, right?

Not according to the city of Grand Junction and Mesa County Valley School District 51.

Yesterday afternoon, I attended an open house where the school district was sharing with the community plans for the new, not-yet-named elementary school to be built on Columbine Elementary’s campus — which sits between Gunnison and Chipeta and 9th and 10th.

There were six plans displayed and we were asked for our comments.

One included a big courtyard surrounded by classrooms. I asked if that was going to be the location of the playground, as there was no playground noted on the plan. The architect said that they are working with the city on getting the playground moved across Gunnison to Washington Park.

What?

Their plan is to have students walking back and forth across a major artery several times a day?

Gunnison Avenue is a busy street. The idea of my kid being carted back and forth, again and again, day after day, it is terrifying.

One representative from the school board assured me that Gunnison was going to be closed down during construction. Then someone from the city said that only one lane would be closed. I love getting conflicting information, it makes my blood pressure rise so nicely.

Right now, Columbine has a very large field and playground area. But the architect doesn’t have room in the new plan for much outdoor area for the children. Why is that?

Parking.

The staff and faculty have no parking lot available to them at Columbine currently — they must park on the street around the neighborhood. So the architect’s plan is to incorporate a parking lot into the site plan, thereby eliminating a safe playground for the children.

My sympathies to the staff and faculty who are forced to park their cars on the street and walk to the school, but isn’t the safety of the children more important than convenient parking?

It would be in my world and I aim to see that it is in the real world as well.