How a proposed fence between Creswell schools and the community became a controversy

A proposal to build new fencing outside Creswell High School and the nearby Creslane Elementary School is causing a stir with the neighbors.

The Creswell School District, which has its offices located on the same property, is planning to build two new fences along the east and west property lines of the schools, the east side of which would butt up against surrounding neighbors' backyards.

Neighbors along Sixth Street reportedly received notice in mid-October that construction would begin on the fence on Oct. 25.

Currently, the properties are separated only by the neighbors' fences and many can access the schools' fields through their back gates.

On Nov. 2, CSD also held a community forum about the situation at the request of neighbors. About 30 community members attended that forum, which was held at Creswell Middle School's cafeteria.

Tension at the forum

The community forum was led by CSD Superintendent Mike Johnson, who presented reasons for the fencing, including a 2018 security assessment from the Lane County Sheriff that recommended perimeter fencing for safety and security.

Some fencing had been created already, but there are gaps in several places. Johnson said that if some threat arose and a student or staff member was injured, the Sheriff's Office told him that CSD could be liable now that they have the funding to work on the fence.

Johnson said that putting in a fence would reduce the number of access points to the schools, allowing the district to more easily monitor who is coming in or going out of their properties.

"Voters, parents, mothers expect that we're going to make schools safe for kids and protect the facilities from vandalism," Johnson said.

After Johnson's presentation, tensions rose in the cafeteria.

Some community members questioned what CSD meant by school safety, whether that meant student and staff safety or if it meant protecting the buildings from vandalism and littering. Several community members said if they had known this was what the bond measure would be used for, they would not have voted to pass it. A few threatened to vote against future bond measures.

More and more questions came from the audience until Johnson cut them off, urging attendees to write their questions and suggestions on the prompt posters around the room.

Seraph Cortez, a Creswell community member, had concerns that went unanswered during the forum. She said she wanted to know what would happen to the community access to the district's track and what would happen to the natural wetlands in the area.

Cortez said this space is an important community resource.

"The area, environmentally, that concerns us the most is this strip that they talk about along the property line where it's a complete wetlands area," Cortez said. "We have the park, we have beautiful sculpted areas, but we don't really have community-access wildlife areas. So I think that having that available to the community is such an amazing resource."

Cortez said she agreed there could be improvements to ensuring school security, but suggested alternatives such as additional security cameras.

"I absolutely understand the frustration, but I feel like this specific comment with the bond measure being about parental concerns for safety ... I feel like there were other suggestions ... that felt like much greater uses of the bond money resources than this," she said.

Creswell Mayor Dave Stram, who was present at the forum, gave a statement on the issue.

"As a citizen, I was glad to hear the report given by Supt. Mike Johnson, and then write down my suggestions on the white papers hung on the walls," Stram stated. "Now I trust that the school board will take into consideration the concerns of school district members and make a good decision."

Community is split

During the most recent school board meeting on Nov. 8, eight community members spoke about the fence during public comment. Two were in favor, five were against and one was "on the fence." About a dozen community members attended in person, which was a significant turnout for a CSD board meeting.

Brandi Wittenborn, who coaches soccer at Creswell High, was in favor of the fence construction.

"What the solution is, I'm not sure," Wittenborn said during her comment. "But unfortunately for some of us, I want the fields gated and I want our schools gated for safety purposes."

Wittenborn said she picks up trash daily from the school fields, specifically finding broken bottles, used needles and condoms. The goals have been destroyed multiple times by vandalism and parts of the fields have been spray painted or burned.

She said people come on and off school property when they please, even during school hours or during sports practices, some even walking their dogs off-leash. Wittenborn said this is a huge safety concern.

Wittenborn came to Creswell 26 years ago, after living in larger cities her whole life. She said the lack of fencing at CSD had been a shock to her.

"There's definitely some things going from a big community to a little community that I thought was a little backward," Wittenborn said.

Wittenborn also said that young people regularly "jump" the fencing that does exist. For example, some of the fencing at Creswell Middle has been broken down by students.

"I'd hate to be one of those schools that are shot up or someone comes onto your property because we didn't take proper measures when we can," Wittenborn said. "We finally have the resources through the bond and the other grants that we've applied for in order for these things to happen."

Others disagree that a fence would solve these issues.

Julie Herren, a CSD parent and Sixth Street resident, spoke against the fencing during public comment. Herren worried that the fence would create an inaccessible area between the private fencing and district fencing where blackberries and other invasive species would grow unchecked. She said there had already been a historic problem with the district not maintaining that area, leaving those neighbors to fend off these plants from their yards.

While she acknowledged the concerns about vandalism and littering, she said it would be unfair to block the larger community from accessing the schools' fields.

"There must be a better way than fencing and fences," Herren said. "Littering and vandalism are always going to be issues with school property. But I believe there are other ways to monitor and protect these spaces while not shutting out responsible users. It is the folks that live nearby consistently using the property that are also picking up litter, other people's dog poo, helping them maintain the grounds and providing a form of neighborhood watch."

Herren said she had also attended the community forum with an open mind but felt that there was no room for true discussion or input.

"I urge the school board to consider the impact of the current fencing proposal on the neighbors and community and examine the true goals behind this endeavor," Herren said.

Details about the fencing

For now, the fence is still up in the air. Despite reports that the fencing was initially planned for installation in October, the district concluded that there has been a mix-up regarding property lines.

Johnson said "the markers were not to be found" during November's board meeting. He added that the Bond Oversight Committee unanimously agreed that it would be appropriate to use bond money for this project. He is also still compiling data from a survey sent out to the Creswell community about the fencing, which will be presented at a future board meeting.

For now, CSD is prioritizing the east and west boundaries with 6- to 8-foot high fencing that would span approximately 1,300 feet along the property on each side. Each side would cost about $26,000, according to Johnson.

When asked about why the east and west were the priority over the north and south, CSD stated that the east/west fencing will "distinguish a boundary between the district’s property and that of adjoining privately owned land as a first step to improving access control at those two schools." The district added that the north/south boundaries are obvious, from Niblock Lane to A Street.

For Creswell Middle School, there is already some exterior fencing, but CSD plans to complete it in the future. However, the "most pressing concerns for the community and staff" are the safety and security at the larger elementary/high site.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Creswell school fence proposal becomes community-wide controversy