Stop AAPS from destroying neighborhoods and habitats!

The AAPS is currently speeding through plans to build new school buildings. Many parents and community members voted for the 2019 bond that is paying for these projects.

Unfortunately, the projects themselves do not reflect the spirit in which they were sold to the community. We were told that new buildings were an investment in the future wellbeing of our children. AAPS stated: “the bond will allow us to engage with our communities in new and impactful ways”. So far they have completely failed in this goal.

In the last week site plans have been revealed that have aroused concerns in several interested groups:

• Numerous Thurston parents, including some that work in the actual school, are concerned about the construction site existing right next to active school children for the duration of demolition and building.

• The Thurston Nature Center and surrounding residents are very concerned that several maintained habitats will be demolished. The rain gardens, oak savannah, and prairie would all be leveled for the new building. The new building would also be much closer to the pond and wooded trails which would lead to noise and light pollution, stormwater runoff and other negative impacts on the remaining habitat space, even once construction is completed.

In short, children would be in proximity to active construction and the Nature Center as we know it would be significantly destroyed.

The existing school building is the ideal placement for the site. It allows for a buffer between the school and surrounding residences, it gives the natural habitats a necessary setback from light and noise pollution, and it keeps children’s play areas substantially separated from the bus drop off routes and drivelines. The new site proposal eliminates all of those well-considered upsides.

On Thursday, September 26th, 2024, the very first public neighborhood meeting with developers and community members was held. Many citizens were shocked to find that this was not a forum seeking input from the voters who funded this project, but rather a presentation spearheaded by Gilbane Co., an AAPS contractor. The community was told that the plans are non-negotiable and that AAPS will be moving forward with demolition and construction early in the new year. Hundreds of concerned community members showed up, including current Thurston parents, Thurston alumni, home owners in the immediate area, Thurston staff, Thurston Nature Center members, and interested residents from adjacent neighborhoods. The vast majority expressed both shock and outrage at the current plans and the pronouncement that changes would not be made. According to the presenters, the school district owns the land and they plan to do what they want with it regardless of community objections. This disconnect between the school district governing bodies and the communities that the school district serves is anti-democratic and alarming. Historically Ann Arbor has demonstrated a commitment to education. Supporting AAPS bonds and projects require large amounts of community funding.

As we grapple with the legacy of the pandemic, huge budget shortfalls, and a new superintendent, is it wise to push forward without communication, transparency, or accountability to the communities the AAPS claims to serve? How will this impact public school funding going forward? When the building contractors have packed up and left town, we, the residents of Ann Arbor, are left with division and mistrust between parents and residents and the school board and administrators. Will a fast and secretive construction schedule have been worth the degradation of the community? Some residents are already expressing an unwillingness to support future bonds on behalf of the AAPS. No building, however nicely designed, can make up for a community in which trust has been destroyed.

The goals we share, to invest in the future for our collective children and future generations cannot be decoupled from the stark realities of climate change. For over half a century the Thurston Nature Center has existed within our community. Creating wildlife habitats and maintaining natural areas that reduce the carbon footprint of our neighborhood. Generations of Thurston students, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, Clague Middle School students, and families in the area have benefited from a beautiful natural wildlife habitat that serves as a tangible daily reminder of our responsibility to the earth. The Nature preserve has been recognized for its excellence and commitment at both state and national levels. Though the majority of people have expressed support for new school buildings, they cannot be billed as environmentally conscious projects as currently planned and that is something our community opposes.

We are asking that AAPS reconsider staging options as a way to mitigate several community concerns. Staging will allow for better safety of children during construction by keeping them off site. We ask that the new school building be built where the old building now stands, preserving more of the green spaces and play areas overall. This will reduce permanent impacts to surrounding homes. The entirety of the Nature Center can and must remain untouched. The nighttime lighting from the new building will remain set back from the migratory paths of several important species in the area that rely on the natural areas for habitat. Students cannot learn effectively in a loud, disruptive construction zone, and most importantly the AAPS will demonstrate to the community that they continue to value the collaborative nature of public education.