The Seven Oaks School Division is set to turn nearly 50-acres of land in the R.M. of West St. Paul into a space for agricultural studies.
The space will also house 40 school buses and a maintenance facility.
The move has caused neighbours to sound the alarm over concerns of unwanted traffic congestion and noise.
"I understand that this is an agricultural learning facility, but I don't understand how buses fit that description," said Corrado Lao, a homeowner living next the proposed site along Grassmere between Pineida and Blackdale Roads.
Lao and his neighbours want the project scrapped and moved elsewhere.
"60 buses plus 90 other vehicles coming down our road at 6 a.m., beeping and flashing lights,” said Dorothy Kleiber.
Kleiber also lives off of Grassmere Road.
“One of our bedroom windows is right outside here, so we will see it all," she explained.
The group of neighbours also said some people received incorrect information about public hearings and project details, while one resident received no notice at all.
Aside from noise and congestion, Kleiber also worries about the physical state of Grassmere Road.
She believes the road can’t handle the extra traffic daily.
"We have a tar and gravel road. We don't even have a paved shoulder. So now we are going to put 200 vehicles on the same road," Kleiber said.
According to the Seven Oaks School Division, only 20 per cent of the land will house the busses and service facility.
The school division also believes the buses will have very little impact on residents.
"We've bought a really large site, 80 per cent of it will remain as agricultural land used for gardening and so on," said superintendent Brian O’Leary.
O’Leary said plantation and fencing will shield the lot from the neighbouring properties.
He also explained the new location for the buses will make it safer to transport about 1,000 students that rely on them in West St. Paul.
"Currently, we are on McPhillips in a really heavy traffic area. We have had accidents with our busses and we'd like to move to a less traffic area," he added.
Given the explanation, neighbours are not satisfied with the current location proposed.
"If you look all around you and you see brand new houses and a nice new community, really they are destroying this community with these buses," said Lao.
He and other neighbours, who moved to the area for peace and quiet have started a petition to slam the brakes on the idea or move it elsewhere.
West St. Paul council approved the proposal as work is set to begin on the lot next spring.
