Wright City R-II School District officials issued a response this week to what they say is misinformation being communicated over who is responsible for upgrades to Roelker Road.
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Wright City R-II School District officials issued a response this week to what they say is misinformation being communicated over who is responsible for upgrades to Roelker Road.
The district issued a press release Tuesday, Feb. 4, stating what school officials agreed to help with Roelker Road, the cost of the planned work and why the work has not been completed.
The new high school opened last month and frustration has boiled over due to the road’s deteriorating condition as well as issues causing traffic to back up on the two-lane road during peak periods for drop-off and dismissal.
“The District remains ready to complete the work on Roelker Road that it originally agreed to perform,” the district said in a press release. “The only two things preventing this are beyond its control – the relocation of the two new utility pedestals and a requirement that the District agree to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on work it never agreed to perform and which was never part of the District’s permits. We are continuing attempts to work through these issues with the City. In the meantime, we’re hopeful that this information will provide clarity for our community regarding Roelker Road and why the turn/slip lane has not yet been completed.”
The Wright City R-II School District declined to provide any additional comments or information when contacted Tuesday afternoon.
Wright City aldermen recently voted to go out for bid on an overlay project on the road between the railroad tracks and Fruit Farm Road at their most recent meeting last month. At the time city officials were upset that the school district did not plan to provide any funding for the road upgrades, though Mayor Michelle Heiliger commented the district offered $20,000.
In April 2024, city voters approved a $6.5-million bond issue for road improvements, primarily focused on upgrading Roelker Road.
According to school district’s release, a conditional use permit for the new high school school was issued July 14, 2022, on the condition that the district construct a turn/slip lane on Roelker Road at the north entrance to the new high school at Horseshoe Court, along with a striped crosswalk with a rapid flashing beacon. School officials stated the permit did not require the district to make any other repairs to the road.
When the school district received bids for the high school in November 2022, Wright Construction included a “line item for the Roelker Road work” for a cost of $40,000. It was stated that an estimate of $300,000-350,000 was provided regarding the district’s work on Roelker Road and areas nearby in a July 2022 board meeting.
“This was only an estimate and was not an amount pledged to the City from the District,” the release stated.
On Nov. 22, 2024, Wright Construction was preparing to complete the Roelker Road work when the city presented the district with a memorandum of understanding that “required the District to complete many items that the District never agreed to and which were not requirements of the District’s permits – including constructing an additional turn/slip lane, making repairs to Roelker Road, and installing a lighted crosswalk that would cost tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars.”
Wright City Board of Alderman Ramiz Hakim disagreed with the sentiment, saying it was “categorically false.”
“They were issued a conditional use permit that required those things,” Hakim said.
On Dec. 5, the district stated the city allowed two utility pedestals to be installed “in the footprint of the western half of the turn/slip lane after the District’s plans were approved and construction on the project had already begun.”
The district added it is not their responsibility to relocate these pedestals, as work cannot be completed until they are relocated by the city or utility providers.
The press release went on to say that on Dec. 9, after Wright Construction had completed the eastern half of the turn/slip lane, the city said work on Roelker Road had to be stopped until a memorandum of understanding was signed by the district.
District officials stated they have attempted to discuss these topics with the city throughout December 2024 on numerous occasions.
The R-II district was issued a temporary occupancy permit on Dec. 20, 2024, to allow the new high school to open, one day after the city inspector informed school officials and Wright Construction he was instructed to not issue an occupancy permit since the proposed memorandum of understanding remained unsigned.
Late Tuesday, Wright City Mayor Michelle Heiliger wrote on her Facebook page the city will be flying drones this week to review the flow of traffic and gauge what improvements can be made. She also stated “a group of people is actively working on the plans to widen and resurface Roelker.” The speed limit on Roelker Road also will be reduced to 20 mph between 6 a.m.-6 p.m. or when students are present and additional stop signs will be installed.
