Traffic around Centennial Arts Academy and surrounding schools is still a topic of discussion for the Gainesville School system.
Although research will likely continue and another report will be issued in May, the school system has some ideas that may alleviate the congestion in the area.
The "most promising" idea is to place "satellite" bus points for Centennial's tuition students.
Parents would drop off their children at a determined point in proximity to the school. The students would then be placed on a bus and transported to the campus, ideally eliminating the heavy parent drop-off traffic that currently spills into the street.
This is also being discussed for Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy.
"We've been practicing with it, but if we can make a location close to where tuition kids live, like Lakewood Baptist Church on Thompson Bridge Road, then parents could bring their kids there and we'd put them on a bus and it will cut down on the cars at Centennial," said Dr. Merrianne Dyer, Gainesville City Schools Superintendent.
The school board tossed the idea around to make it a requirement for tuition students. No decision was made.
The traffic around the schools (Centennial, Gainesville High School and Wood's Mill) has posed not only a convenience issue, but a safety issue as well. Faculty and staff have routinely encountered difficulty with oncoming traffic.
"I can't remember when (traffic in the area) wasn't an issue," said Dyer.
The system has also recommended decals to allow only school faculty and staff to access Wood's Mill from Elephant Trail Road, along with implementing speed bumps, restriping the parking lot behind Centennial and keeping Centennial parents from using the Wood's Mill route.
Those recommendations are for the 2012-13 school year and have not been approved.
The school system will continue to look into the matter and likely re-evaluate it in the board's May work session.
Since broaching the topic earlier this year, the school system has made minor changes.
A streetlight will be placed at the curve by Wood's Mill, drivers have been notified to reduce speed through the area, and Gainesville Police have agreed to provide increased patrols for the first week of the 2012-13 school year.