Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 15/02) - A pair of Sir John Franklin students want to see the school's baseball field paved over to make more room for parking.

Sir John Franklin students Nicole Drover and Nichole Keating approached the Yellowknife No. 1 board of trustees last Tuesday with a petition calling for the school's baseball field to be paved over into a parking lot. They say parking is a chronic problem for students at the school. - Mike Bryant/NNSL photo

Nicole Drover and Nichole Keating, both in Grade 12, presented the Yellowknife District No.1 board of trustees with a petition carrying the names of 85 fellow students last Tuesday, all fed up with the lack of parking spaces available at the school.

"Right now, there's not a lot of parking spaces for students at Sir John," said Drover, who decided to organize the petition after her vehicle was almost towed away from the school grounds twice last month.

There are only about 25 student and visitor parking spaces at the school.

Many students, said Drover, often wind up parking their vehicles alongside a chain link fence separating the east side of the parking lot from the baseball diamond.

Drover said what makes the situation more frustrating, is that there are no signs along that particular stretch of fence warning people that they cannot park their vehicles there.

Vehicles will be towed

When Yellowknifer visited the parking lot on Wednesday, vehicles were parked bumper-to bumper along the eastern edge of the chain link fence, including Drover's vehicle.

There were also no signs evident on that side of the fence, although there were two posted on the fence opposite the school.

Twice Drover was warned by staff that tow trucks were on their way, and had to rush out to move her car.

Her solution, she said, is to pave over the baseball field and turn it into a parking lot.

According to her petition, many other students at the school agree.

"It's never really used actually," said Drover. "I've seen a few baseball games during the summer, but teachers at the school don't use it."

At Tuesday's meeting, board chair Dan Schofield acknowledged that parking at the school continues to be a problem, but said any decision to pave over the baseball field would have to be done in conjunction with the city.

The land on which the baseball field sits actually belongs to the territorial government, according to city tax assessment records.

Even though the baseball field is on commissioner's land, an agreement reached between the city and Yellowknife's three education authorities calls for joint sharing of facilities and playing fields adjacent to schools.

Field is used

Grant White, the city's director of community services, said the local baseball and softball teams do use the field, but renovations to the school's parking lot last year kept teams off it for much of the summer.

One solution, said city planner Dave Jones, may exist on the other side of the school grounds.

"One of the things talked about was Akaitcho Hall," said Jones, suggesting that the land occupied by the aging facility may make a suitable parking lot once the building is removed.

Principal Mieke Cameron, said she is aware parking at the school can be problematic for visitors and students, but was never approached by the petitioners.

"Parking is limited, even for guests," said Cameron. "but this request for more student parking has never come to me, and in my view, should've at least been presented to student council."

Drover said she never approached student council, however, because she didn't feel they could help.

"All they do is pep rallies and stuff," said Drover.