The Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) has plans to create a large parking lot in the area behind Stone School. The proposed parking lot will encompass more than 50% of the green area of the park. Only a small field will remain. As the pictures show, construction has already begun. Only the quick and courageous actions of neighbor Kerry Peterson caused a halt to the construction activity. We must permanently halt this ill-advised project.

There is a large parking lot next door which sits empty during the week.

Ample parking next door

The grass area in the background is all that will remain

This proposed parking lot will consume a large part of the park. The park was not large to begin with, and only the grass area shown on the left will remain. There is perhaps enough space for a youth soccer game, but that is all. In the AA News, Superintendent George Fornero stated that "a large field immediatedly adjacent to the parking lot will remain", but this is quite a misrepresentation. Please, go see for yourself. Just as importantly, the whole park feel will be destroyed. It will become a parking lot with a modest grass field attached.

Furthermore, since Stone School was built as an elementary school, it seems only logical that the AAPS retain the option to use the building for this purpose in the future. Any future elementary school will need playing fields. The meager surface area behind the proposed lot will not be sufficient.

When Stone School elementary was closed in the mid-1980's, the AAPS announced that the playground and park area would remain available to the community. This was reiterated by an AAPS employee in the last year. Why was a major policy change made without any consultation with the community? Is this how the AAPS operates?

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