WRIGHT CITY, Mo. – Safety concerns have arisen following the construction of a new high school in Wright City.
Roelker Road leads you to Wright City’s new high school—a road reportedly damaged by the school’s construction. There are no school zone signs or turn lanes, which are all things Jared Flauaus, who lives across the street, thought the school was going to include with its construction.
“Having two boys now that go to the school, there’s no crosswalk,” he said. “I was hoping by the time the school opened, the road would have been widened.”
Frank Zykan, who attends school board meetings and is running for a spot on the board, added, “They all said they were going to do this work, and I would expect them to complete the work.”
Plus, he recorded a school board exchange at a July 2022 meeting in which a long-time board member asked, “So, are we the ones paying for widening Roelker Road and adding a turn lane?”
The superintendent at the time answered, “That’s my understanding.”
“They were even discussing dollar amounts of the amount of money they were planning on spending on the project,” Zykan added.
The school district declined to talk on camera, relying instead on a news release it posted on the Wright City school district website. It says the school board acknowledges discussing a $300,000 estimate for road work, adding, “…it was not an amount pledged to the city.”
The full release can be read here. It appears to mean that there’s no written contractual agreement that they have to do the work.
So, Wright City is stepping in.
“We’re going to own it. We’re going to fix it, and we’re going to make sure it’s right,” Mayor Michelle Heiliger said.
They were surprised to learn the school construction contract does not include paying for contractor damages to the street or school zone safety.
Could the city fight it? Yes, but she says there would be a cost.
“Trust me, that conversation has been had as well, but how long does that then delay fixing the road and creating a safe space for our kids? That’s what we’re not willing to do,” Heiliger said.
The city’s work has now begun making the road to get to school—what they hoped it would’ve been on opening day.
After we completed this report, the district sent us the following statement:
“The Wright City R-II School District remains fully committed to ensuring the safety of our students, staff, and community as we work to complete our responsibilities on Roelker Road. It is important to note that the district has consistently adhered to the terms of the Conditional Use Permit granted by the City of Wright City in 2022 and was fully prepared to complete the work on Roelker Road that was part of that permit prior to the opening of the new high school.
“Throughout the construction process, the district has demonstrated a willingness to meet the City’s requests. However, new and costly items introduced by the City in November 2024, outside of what was originally required of and agreed to by the district, have created unnecessary complications.
“The district is fully prepared and ready to complete the agreed-upon work, but progress was stalled due to circumstances beyond our control. We have attempted to discuss these issues with the City multiple times to reach a mutually acceptable resolution, even going as far as proposing a joint meeting between the Board of Aldermen and the Board of Education that ultimately did not occur. Yesterday, we were informed that the city no longer desires to discuss this matter with the district and will instead be moving forward with its larger plan for Roelker Road as quickly as possible and without the district’s involvement.
“We remain eager to reach a resolution and encourage collaboration to foster a solutions-oriented approach. For a detailed timeline of events and further specifics, please visit our website.”