Lately, there have been many changes at Cookeville High School. The most recent is the addition of a pick-up and drop-off route. Since the beginning of school, CHS has had some traffic flow problems because of the construction on Washington Avenue and the misuderstanding about the parent drop off routes.
On September 17, 2001, the County Commission voted in favor of giving the school temporary use of the old airport runway. Since then, a plan has been devised and put into effect.
According to CHS principal Wayne Shanks, "It was necessary to come up with a parent pick-up and drop-off route in addition to the one already in place. It was obvious that CHS was heavily congested around the Fisk Avenue and Brown Avenue area. The traffic infrastructure to CHS was studied by county and city officials. Through this review process, it was determined that the runway could be a natural entrance and exit to campus."
The new route has now been set up and put into action. All parents who take their children to school or pick them up are encouraged to use this route. The entrance to the campus is off of Whitaker Springs Road, which runs from North Washington to Fisk Avenue. The road leads directly to the runway of the old airport. Drop off is at the end of the runway nearest the school. Students are then asked to walk along the sidewalk and enter the building at the front door.
"There is one stipulation, no through traffic will be permitted onto campus," according to Shanks. "any vehicle that enters the CHS campus by way of Whitaker Springs Road must also exit onto Whitaker Springs Road."
School officials are not sure how much relief this new plan will provide. However, they believe that it is an option worth trying. Shanks said, "This is just a temporary solution. Depending on its effectiveness, this plan will be in effect through the completion of the construction on Washington Avenue. It is my understanding that the construction is going to be approximately two years. However, we are excited about the opportunity to try this new route."
Principal Shanks would like to thank a number of people in the community for aiding in the execution of this plan, including: "Jim Shipley of the City of Cookeville and his staff for reviewing the traffic issues, the county commission for giving CHS an opportunity to pursue what we hope will be a positive solution to the traffic flow problems, and Red Lamb, road supervisor, for making the connection from Whitaker Springs Road to the runway possible."