East Penn School District continues rife with speculation and unanswered questions from parents as the board of directors put off its decision regarding site improvements to Willow Lane Elementary for another two weeks.

The tabled motion, as summed up by board president Charles Ballard, has only to do with rearranging traffic patterns for drop-off and pick-up at Willow Lane, an issue some parents are not convinced will contribute to the litany of solutions and answers parents have requested over the past few months.

The district's engineer, Paul Szewczak of Liberty Engineering, presented a proposed plan for site improvements to the school that would simply reroute bus and car traffic, literally reversing the two as they currently operate. Szewczak's plan showed only minimal construction including some paving to allow for buses to make wide turns on the north side of the school on their way out after pick-up or drop-off.

Currently cars approach from Sauerkraut Lane, pull into the drop-off area, and circle back to exit. Buses proceed down a driveway from Mill Creek Road, turn left and intersect the line of car traffic. Szewczak proposed reversing this and bringing cars in around the south side of the school to drop off on the Willow Lane side in the larger parking lot. Cars will line up between two medians and along the side of the building.

When the engineer was explaining the theory for a safe and efficient drop-off in front of the school, resident and parent Susan Coenin said, "That's not how it is. I'm sorry but that's just not factual."

Coenin explained after the meeting that the current situation in front of the school is "a mess," with parents parking along the pick-up lane, the curb or crossing busy lines of traffic with their children to the parking lot. Coenin has very little confidence the problem will be solved by the proposed plan, and pointed out no one has mentioned anything about educating the parents on the new procedures. There is currently a section on the Willow Lane website outlining arrival and dismissal procedures for the school.

In addition some new walking paths may be added to make the walk from Mill Creek simpler and safer. The walking path currently crosses the driveway three times putting walkers in the way of cars coming in and out of the site. In the coming year, district employees and crossing guards will be stationed at the cross walks. The full project as bid out would cost upwards of $98,500 out of capital reserve.

The board tabled its motion until the next meeting. Superintendent Thomas Seidenberger said the administration has heard the issues and appeals of parents and working on these site improvements has "reduced the issues to only three: traffic before school, traffic after school and bad weather." There is also now an interest in going forward with a walking bus; another parent survey will be generated until March 4.

Board members Julian Stolz and Lynn Donches argued for the benefits of forming a transportation study committee comprising board members, administration, parents (not employed by the district), and members of the Lower Macungie Board of Commissioners. The resolution, submitted by Stolz a week prior, would allow for a dialogue between parents and administration, something Stolz and Donches insist has not happened yet.

"That needs to happen before we go ahead with anything," Stolz said.

Vice president Alan Earnshaw was not in favor, calling attention to the difference between democracy and republic.

"I'm very reluctant to put this to popular vote for people who will just say, 'I don't like that so I'm going to vote no,'" Earnshaw said. "I'm not in favor of giving any group veto rights over the opinion of people we hire" (referring to the engineers).

Stolz insisted, "We're not giving [parents] the veto, we're giving them a voice."

"When we opened the school three years ago I didn't have a committee," Seidenberger said. "I don't know why we need a board member or somebody from the township to sit on a committee to hear Dr. [Anthony] Moyer [principal of Willow Lane] work with parents about pick-up and drop-off procedures."

Seidenberger wants to move forward as quickly as possible. Szewczak estimated the minimal construction, including a possible retaining wall by one of the detention ponds on site as well as some paving, would only require a few weeks. If initiated soon enough the project would be completed by June, July at the latest.

The superintendent said Lower Macungie Township "promised us they'd expedite this request so we're not going to have to go through any red tape."

Seidenberger, Dr. Kevin Bacher and others expressed concern any delays would be detrimental to the project, but after several rounds of discussion the topic was tabled.

Seidenberger also confirmed if for some reason the plan does not go through or something holds the township up, the students will be bused in the following school year.

The next Lower Macungie Commissioners meeting is March 14, and Seidenberger had hoped to have the plans approved by Feb. 25 to bring before the board of commissioners.