ROANOKE, Va. – A new Preston Park Elementary School is one step closer to being built.
Developers, teachers, staff, parents and students packed City Council chambers on Monday for a public hearing over a rezoning request for the property.
Speakers fought to rezone Preston Park from an Institutional District to an Institutional Planned Unit Development. The rezoning would allow construction on the new building to happen while students stay in school at the existing building.
Councilman Peter Volosin noted how crucial it was to keep students in the same environment they’re used to.
“When you’re a kid and you’re not able to interact with other kids that are seven and eighth graders, it leads to a disconnect when you do come back together the next year,” Volosin said.
One of the priorities of the rezoning request is for the school to be built farther back from the road. This way it makes it safer for kids to walk to school or from their car to the school. It also allows people inside the school to have a clear vantage point of anyone approaching the building.
Principal of Preston Park Elementary, Eric Fisher, touched on how crucial safety is in today’s world.
“If we are positioned closer to the road, by the time we say someone who may be intending to cause us harm it may be too late. We need every advantage and every second to prepare for what is coming at us,” Fisher said.
City council ultimately voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request.