Dothan High required to get development plan approval for trailers

By Debbie Ingram

Published: July 23, 2008

Ooops.

Dothan City Schools officials put the trailer before the pickup recently by placing 10 portable classrooms on Dothan High School grounds without going through the proper channels with city planning and zoning staff.

“They did everything they did on their own. At their risk,” City Planning Director Todd McDonald said.

Because of the school schedule and students returning to classes on Aug. 6, DCS Finance Director Mike Manuel said the district had to move forward.

“We didn’t know we were supposed to go through this process,” Manuel told members of the Dothan Planning Commission Wednesday morning. “We are taking the chance y’all would approve this.”

Earlier this month, school officials received a special exception to place the portable classrooms in a parking area out front of Davis Gymnasium on South
Oates Street. The exception allows the rented classrooms to stay on site for a maximum of 24 months while the district refurbishes the arts and sciences building.

PC members did approve the classrooms’ placement on 25 acres of school property, which is zoned industrial. McDonald said the law reads that any building changes on a major thoroughfare have to be approved by the Planning Commission.

“They came to us in mid-July and we realized the ooops then,” McDonald said.

Manuel said later that the district has put portable classrooms on school grounds before and never had to go through this process.

Power to the portable trailers could be turned on this week. All classrooms will have portable fire extinguishers and smoke detectors and be hooked to the school’s intercom system.

“We want to keep kids safe while they are out there,” Manuel said.

The trailers will create some access and parking problems for students and staff, but officials said the inconvenience would be well worth it to renovate an old facility that is in severe disrepair.

Manuel said students might also park at nearby Doug Tew Community Center.

“It will really only be an inconvenience during basketball season,” Manuel said.