The question from Fredericksburg City Schools Superintendent Marci Catlett during a July 1 school board meeting reflected the somewhat fluid nature of the situation beneath Learning Lane.
“Does this warrant a delay in the start of school?” Catlett asked Don Upperco, the director of operations for the school division.
While that won’t be the case, imminent repairs to failing culvert pipes underneath the roadway will affect traffic at both Lafayette Elementary and Walker-Grant Middle. According to a press release, work could begin as early as next week and will continue into October, with Learning Lane closed for the duration due to safety concerns.
A source familiar with the situation told the Free Press that heavy rainfall this spring caused runoff from an adjacent car dealership, contributing to the rapidly deteriorating state of the pipes and surrounding area. Learning Lane’s intersection with U.S. Route 1 borders Spotsylvania County, necessitating collaboration between the jurisdictions for repairs.
“We have a situation right now, and the city is committed to working with us,” Deputy Superintendent Matt Eberhardt said during the July 1 school board meeting. “The issue is the water runoff. There’s earth that’s failing.”
School board member Matt Rowe (Ward 1) put it more bluntly, saying: “It looks like it’s falling into an ocean.”
Due to the repairs, “access to and from the two schools will need to be from Lafayette Boulevard at Pender Street, Hotchkiss Street, and/or another street,” according to the press release. Upperco said that FCPS’s transportation department is working to update bus routes that will be affected. The city will also hold a neighborhood meeting July 31 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lafayette Elementary cafeteria to discuss the impact of the repairs.
Upperco told the school board that it’s “uncertain whether there will be any fiscal implications” from the project. School and city officials met on July 2 to discuss details related to the repairs, a source told the Free Press. A message left with City Manager Tim Baroody was not immediately returned on Thursday afternoon.
At the school board meeting, Rowe noted that concerns about stormwater pipes in the area had been raised going back years.
“It’s a bit aggravating that it had to get bad enough to this point, where it impacts the school year,” he said.
The first day of school in Fredericksburg is Aug. 6.
