Hoover school board donates land to city for access roads to Hoover High, sports park

The Hoover school board this morning agreed to give the city of Hoover 3.3 acres so the city can build an access road and parking lot related to the new sports park being built at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.

The school board also granted construction easements on 2.7 acres for the construction of access roads from Hoover High School to the sports park and to Bumpus Middle School.

The net effect is two new routes to get to Hoover High School from Stadium Trace Parkway, in addition to the existing route called Learning Lane.

One of those new routes will go just south of Trace Crossings Elementary School and north of the baseball/softball fields at the Hoover Met Complex. It will connect with Buccaneer Drive directly across from the road next to the football stadium on the campus of Hoover High.

The second access route will be an extension of Buccaneer Drive that connects with Fleming Parkway at Bumpus Middle School.

School officials say it will be helpful to have additional ways to get to and from Hoover High School, taking some of the traffic off Learning Lane.

However, school board member Craig Kelley said he does not want to see the new access roads become thoroughfares for people who are not coming to Hoover schools or the new sports complex. He wants to maintain the roads on school board property as private roads under the school board’s control.

Hoover City Administrator Allan Rice thanked the school board for their cooperation in getting the projects done, saying they should benefit the residents of Hoover greatly. Hoover officials hope to begin work on the access road next to Trace Crossings Elementary immediately.