(Washington, DC)  --  U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-Concord) says construction of Lakeside High School could begin immediately under a compromise construction plan tentatively approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).  The school board could address the plan at tonight’s meeting.

 LaTourette said the plan will allow the district to proceed with construction of the high school campus, including a football stadium and a needed slurry wall, which will assist with drainage and protect wetlands on the 123-acre site.  LaTourette said the district agreed to move two softball diamonds and a soccer field to another location on the parcel, and will reconfigure the placement of two baseball fields and a practice field to avoid damaging potential bat habitat.  The compromise plan will also preserve space for a future middle school, which has always been included as part of the master plan for the Lakeside campus.

 “This is a win for the district, a win for the kids who will attend this beautiful school, and a win for the bat,” LaTourette said.  “This one bat has certainly caused a great deal of grief, but at the end of the day we found a way to protect the bat, save the school and salvage the construction season.  The school should open as planned in the Fall of 2006, and the district won’t lose its middle school site either.”

 Work at the school was halted more than a month ago after a routine bat survey located a pregnant Indiana bat off school property.  The Indiana Bat is an endangered species at the federal and state levels.

 LaTourette said a bat emergence study will be conducted tonight and tomorrow night at the site to detect if any bats leave three potential roost trees located near the planned baseball diamonds.  If no bats emerge from the trees, the trees will not be considered roost trees.  If bats emerge from the trees, officials will try and ascertain whether they are Indiana bats or brown bats, which are common and not endangered.  With either outcome, officials should be able to remove the trees by mid-September, when bats leave the area to hibernate for the winter.

 LaTourette intervened on behalf of the district shortly after the bat was discovered on June 17, and has been working diligently in Washington, enlisting the assistance of the Deputy Secretary of Interior, Steven Griles, and the Deputy Director of FWS, Matt Hogan.

 “The folks in Washington recognize that holding up the construction of a public school is a whole lot different than cases where Indiana bats have threatened mining or logging projects,” LaTourette said.  “This community tried for 39 years to get a bond passed to build this school, and this bat could delay the school’s opening and cost the district millions of dollars.  From day one, I’ve made it clear that delaying the opening of the school by a year was not an option.”

 LaTourette said when he first began discussions with FWS, the options offered to the school district were unworkable:  go to a formal consultation process, which could take at least six months; or, move the school and avoid disturbing a huge portion of the site that contained trees that might be suitable bat habitat.  The second option could have prompted the loss of space for other school facilities, like ballfields, a stadium and the middle school.

  LaTourette said if no construction was allowed this season, the school opening would have been delayed by a year or more, costing the district at least $1 million.  The current delays have cost between $3,000 and $4,000 a day.

 “I wanted an outcome where the school wouldn’t be  moved and construction could move forward this season, and I didn’t want the district to be in a position of giving Fish and Wildlife a foot and having them try and take a mile,” LaTourette said.   “You walk a tightrope when you deal with endangered species, and there’s not a lot of wiggle room in the law.”

 LaTourette said he is proud of the school board and Superintendent Dr. William Licate for standing up to FWS and forcing the agency to consider alternatives.  LaTourette said he’s always believed the district has tried to be flexible, citing offers to adjust construction plans to avoid potential bat roosting trees, and a proposed donation of 18 acres owned by the township as additional bat habitat.  LaTourette said the Saybrook Township trustees deserve praise for their efforts to help remedy the situation, and their generous offer of adjoining land.  LaTourette said many people worked long and hard to reach a favorable outcome, including construction manager Bob Strickland and engineer Tim Van Echo.

 “This has been a frustrating experience with many ups and downs and a lot of head-butting.  A week ago, the district feared it would have to give up the middle school site to appease Fish and Wildlife, but I encouraged folks to stand firm and demand flexibility,” LaTourette said.  “At the end of the day, both sides gave a little to protect the bat, but the district will get what it needs –  a new high school that will open on time, and room for a middle school sometime down the road.”