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February 8, 2005
Record-Eagle/Douglas TesnerStudents file out of Oak Park Elementary School and cross Garfield Avenue at Washington Street Monday afternoon on their way home from school. Oak Park Elementary is one of two schools the school board is considering closing. City backs keeping Oak Park openThey say it fits into master planBy Record-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Oak Park - an elementary school nestled in an east-side neighborhood - fits the city plan and should remain open, said city commissioners. The Traverse City Area Public Schools board is expected in the upcoming weeks to vote on closing Oak Park or Sabin Elementary, due largely to budget considerations. Monday, the city commission approved a resolution explaining its support for keeping Oak Park on South Garfield Avenue open. Sabin parent Amy Travis questioned how the city could "pick one school over another." "(Sabin) is no less a neighborhood than Oak Park," she said. Hans Voss of the Michigan Land Use Institute was one of several Oak Park supporters who urged the city to "advocate for its neighborhood." He said it was "absolutely appropriate" for the city to "send a message" to school officials. "Sprawl," Voss said, occurs through "incremental decisions" such as closing neighborhood schools. Other parents and neighbors stressed that nearly 60 students walk to Oak Park. School officials have said no students walk to Sabin, located on Cass Road in Garfield Township. City commissioner Scott Hardy said the city's stance was not about choosing Oak Park over Sabin. "This is ultimately a resolution in support of the goals of the master plan," he said. The resolution states that the "preservation of neighborhood schools is one of the most basic and important concepts" of the city plan, which also encourages a walkable community.
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