ALVA, Fla. — A plot of land at the Intersection of Joel Boulevard and Tuckahoe Road in Alva could be the site for a new high school, but residents are voicing their concerns over safety at a meeting with the Lee County School Board President Tuesday night.
The Lee County School District says it believes a new high school could handle the growth we’re seeing in Alva and Northeast Lee County. Riverdale and East Lee currently serve as the closest high schools, but the proposed location is not without its challenges.
Marcia Denius, who has called the area home for more than two decades, expressed her worries about the safety of the intersection. "We've had a lot of accidents because there's no clearing, you know, you can't see very well. The amount of traffic on Joel Boulevard itself, just with the dump trucks and people going to work and coming from work, it's... I don't know how it could possibly handle parent pick up," Denius shared.
In her time living in the area, Denius says she already see’s the narrow roads getting backed up all the time, emphasizing that the existing infrastructure might not support the amount of traffic a new high school would bring. "We often see a panther that visits this area quite often," she added, concerned that the nearby wildlife won’t mix well with the development.
Denius believes there could be safer places in Alva for a new high school to go up, like near the more than 1,100 home neighborhood development planned on North River Road.
“Build a school along with that project. If the project's already going to go ahead - make room for a school there. Where you've got all the amenities you need, you've got more road access and better road access,” Denius suggested.
The budget for the project is $140 million, and the timeline for construction is still being determined.
