A Letter from Rochester Community Schools Superintendent Robert Shaner
Robert Shaner
Dear RCS Families,
As you may be aware, the Oakland County Road Commission will be repaving Livernois Road, between Avon Road and University Drive, from June – November. The RCS Transportation Center and a large portion of our buses housed at the facility off Livernois Road will be impacted by this construction.
The transportation center was scheduled to receive improvements this coming year. In order to maximize efficiencies, the transportation renovation schedule has been adjusted to coincide with the Livernois road work.
The management of our transportation operation is multifaceted, and the road construction adds another layer to the process. We have been working to identify an alternate location with enough space to park 120 buses and 150 employee vehicles. Ensuring a safe and secure environment was also an important consideration to protect our students and the community’s investment in our buses.
Based on the logistics of managing the transportation center, we are currently preparing to temporarily park a portion of our bus fleet at Hart Middle School from April – October. The remaining buses will be parked offsite at an alternate location.
The district started working on locating an external site to house our bus operations in October 2018. The work included coordinating efforts with the city and county to ensure our logistical concerns were addressed during the repaving of Livernois Road, meeting with numerous property owners in the greater Rochester and surrounding areas to explore possible secured parking lot leasing options, and coordinating efforts with building leadership to determine the potential impact on school operations.
We appreciate our community’s patience and support as we navigate through the details of this temporary inconvenience. Additional options that we are exploring include staging buses off school sites and utilizing traffic guards for athletic and major school events and potentially providing shuttle bus services.
Great thought and care went into determining which facility would be used for the temporary parking. School safety and security was our primary concern, which included considering traffic patterns as the buses enter and exit the facility.
Fencing installation at Hart Middle School began on March 18 to secure the area where the buses will be located. This means that parking in the lot closest to Sheldon Road will be inaccessible, starting after spring break. It is recommended that visitors and guests use the Stoney Creek lots facing Hart for track meets and after-school events. The fence installation at Hart will be completed by March 29.
For questions or concerns, please contact your school principal or use the Talk to Us feature on our website.
Also Read: Adams High School Traffic Update
As we work through the logistics of this situation, we will keep you abreast of any updates. Additional communication specific to your son or daughter’s school will also be forwarded from the principal.
Thank you for your support.
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I live on Cross Creek road and people drive through the street as if its a highway. I am very concerned about the safety of the kids who walk to school and the traffic flow. My daughter walks to school everyday. How are you going to ensure the traffic flow on cross creek road is safe. I do not like the idea of a lot of busses cutting through our sub as a cut through. Its already scary during school hours. How will they exit from the fense out of Hart ? I do not want them through Cross Creek road.
I live in Cross Creek, just off the boulevard and the through traffic of people avoiding the Tienken intersection is impossible. No cuts for the buses. Find some other way to get to your schools. STAY OUT OF CROSS CREEK!