After meeting with neighbors around Eagle Valley Middle School, district officials are revising plans for the community complex there.
"The citizens' biggest issue with the plan had to do with all of our buses at some point being moved to that structure," Superintendent Richard Stokes said.
As part of a proposed
$4.5 million project renovating the school's fields and building a community greenhouse, district officials also planned to build a bus barn.
It would have housed the school's nine buses, but its true function would have been to serve as the structure on which to mount solar panels that would produce the energy to power the school.
However, residents were concerned that future plans would bring all of the district's buses to the area.
"We took that to heart and have gone back to the drawing board," Stokes said. "We're pulling back on that large structure, taking that out of the equation. We're going to scrap that idea, at least at that location."
He said plans will continue to erect 39 wind turbines there to produce alternative energy. He said it wouldn't be enough to eliminate the $120,000 annual energy bill as the solar panels would have, but will help create "electrical efficiency."
Residents aired their concerns during a public meeting at the school on July 29.
Stokes said the people in the area have been helpful to the school district in a variety of ways, including watching out for the school.
"We want to be good neighbors in return," he said.
He will present the proposed changes at Tuesday's school board meeting.
Other elements that will remain the same are changes to the traffic flow, moving the main entrance from Fifth Street to Carson River Road. The greenhouse with hydroponic garden and demonstration center also will remain, as will bike and pedestrian paths and improvements to the fields and parking.
The complex would be open to the public.
Stokes said the energy-saving technologies may be incorporated into other school district projects, including a bond issue that will be sought in 2010.