Neighbors and parents had their first look at the building and campus for the new Addison Mizner school. But traffic on Southwest 12th Avenue and nearby Boca Square remained the biggest concerns.
June 2 is the last day for the elementary school at 199 SW 12th Ave. Buildings and portables will be razed over the summer, principal Joshua Davidow announced at Monday’s community meeting. Moss is the site’s construction firm.
Students, like Verde Elementary’s now, will attend a temporary school for a year until Addison reopens. Also like Verde, the school will return as a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
PGAL architects unveiled renderings of the two-story building and campus for 1,308 students. Ian Nestler and Kari Botek answered questions, mostly about security and what goes where. Mike Goldstein, the school district’s tech specialist showed futuristic classrooms.
But Boca Square and other neighbors lined up to tell parking horror stories. Gridlock. Illegal parking on driveways. Driving in the wrong lanes. Especially during peak drop-off and pickup hours.
The new school will have more than 2,000 feet for car stacking. Parents were urged to use school buses instead. “We’re identifying solutions and addressing them,” said Zachary Bihr, the city’s municipal services director.
Neighbors also asked about athletics on the playing fields, after-school activities and unwanted lighting.
Former Boca Raton police chief, now school police director, Dan Alexander explained campus security.
School board chairman Frank Barbieri Jr. and Mayor Scott Singer, who championed a new forthcoming grade school here, said a few words.
“You’re finally getting the campus you deserve,” said Councilwoman Monica Mayotte, a former Mizner PTA president.
By Marci Shatzman
