City of Ashland Places Hold on School Construction Permit Over Traffic Study Dispute; school board members call for resolution as project delays loom

Ashland, MO – The City of Ashland has placed a hold on the Southern Boone School District’s building permit for its high school vocational-agriculture (VoAg) addition, citing unresolved requirements regarding a traffic impact analysis.

The decision sparked frustration from school officials who say they have acted in good faith to meet the city’s requests and are now facing possible unexpected delays despite prior approvals.

At Tuesday night’s Board of Aldermen meeting, School Board members Jeremy Galloway and Chris Felmlee spoke to the board, expressing concern that the permit hold could jeopardize the timeline and budget of the voter-approved project.

“We were concerned last week to learn that our building permit had been put on hold by the City,” Galloway told the board. “We have been working to come to a fair compromise on the scope of the traffic study, and yet, communication from the city’s attorney ceased as of April 1.”

Galloway expressed frustration that the city requested for the traffic study to include 10 separate intersections at a cost of $25,000 in some locations that are not connected, or even within view of the high school addition. He says the requirements of the city’s traffic study are out of project scope, and the school district should only be required to pay if it pertains to the site in question.

Galloway emphasized that while the school district accepts the requirement for a traffic study before occupancy, applying that condition now, before construction, is inconsistent with the city’s own resolution from February 18, which stated occupancy was contingent on the traffic study—not the issuance of a building permit.

Felmlee echoed the frustration, stating that the school district had already paid over $19,000 for review and permitting fees, had contractors ready to begin work, and received no communication from the city for weeks.

In response, Alderman Rick Lewis acknowledged the issue and indicated that progress was being made toward resolving it. “We should be able to release the building permit soon,” Lewis said, adding that the city doesn’t want to hold up the project, but wants to make sure everything is safe.

City Administrator Kyle Michel stated during the meeting that the school’s proposed traffic study scope exceeds what the city initially required, so he expects to lift the hold soon.

The VoAg building is part of an $11.6 million bond project approved by voters in April 2024 to expand educational facilities on the existing high school campus. Contractors were expected to begin mobilizing during the week of April 28, prompting school leaders to seek immediate resolution.

Superintendent Tim Roth reiterated in previous school board meetings that the traffic study was agreed upon as a condition for final occupancy, not for beginning construction, and emphasized that the school is reviewing what exactly the traffic study will look like, not whether or not it will happen.

The dispute stems from a December 2024 denial by the City’s Board of Adjustment of the school district’s request for a variance to waive the traffic impact analysis altogether. Since then, the district and city have been discussing the scope and necessity of studying multiple intersections that the district argues are unrelated to the VoAg site.

City staff, however, maintain that the traffic analysis is essential due to existing congestion issues near school campuses, citing rapid population growth and the absence of previous studies. A memo from engineer Christina Luebbert stated that while the VoAg addition may have a minimal individual impact, a baseline traffic analysis of the area is long overdue.

As the situation unfolds, school officials are urging swift action to allow construction to begin without further delay. “Our goal is to complete this community-approved project on budget and without spending excess money on items that don’t directly support student education,” Galloway said. “We ask that you remove the hold and allow us to continue work as planned next week.”

The city board is expected to lift the permit hold, pending final review of the traffic study scope submitted by the school’s engineering team.