- Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:20 am
#312363
Parkside parents on guard for children
Published: Tuesday, March 2, 2010
By KENN STARK
Times Correspondent
PARKSIDE — Borough officials contend that all students are safe and all crossing guard posts are covered and backed up, but one Parkside Elementary School parent, whose children cross Edgmont Avenue twice a day, is not so sure.
Lisa Burke’s family lives on West Forestview Road, the same street that serves as the main entrance drive to the school on the eastern side of Edgmont Avenue.
Burke has come before council numerous times in recent years to state concerns or air complaints about crossing guards being occasionally late or absent from their posts. She used her most recent visit to council to hand out literature from the National Center for Safe Routes to School and to volunteer to spearhead a Parkside program.
The crossing guard post at Forestview and Edgmont is one of three guarded crossings for Parkside students. The others are located at Tom Sweeney Drive and Upland Road and at East Elbon Road and Blossom Avenue.
When Burke asked borough council about back-up personnel for each crossing, she was told substitute duty was covered by Mayor Ardele Gordon and Police Chief John Egan. But if all three crossings required a backup on the same day, the math would not add up.
The Edgmont Avenue crossing had been covered by police Officer Mark Marchesi during the morning rush hour for most of the past year.
The extra cost of placing a patrolman on the corner was justified in the short run, as a seasoned veteran was needed to replace crossing guard Fran Edwards. Edwards had covered the bustling Edgmont/Forestview intersection for 25 years, before retiring in 2008.
As of January, Art Smith is now the full-time crossing guard at the Edgmont Avenue post. Council President Shirley Purcival noted that the borough has received no complaints about Smith’s performance since he started working at the busy crossing last year.
Purcival insists the recent change from a part-time police officer back to a full-time crossing guard was not a budget-driven choice. She concedes that the borough will save about $500 this year by just using crossing guards.
“The children are our first concern. This was not just about the money,” Purcival said.
Purcival said her research had found that Delco communities responsible for crossing students on Chester Pike and MacDade Boulevard do not utilize police officers for the task, but all use crossing guards.
Council Vice President Frank McCollum was quick to note that the lack of a police officer standing on the corner does not mean that there is no police presence at the Edgmont Avenue school zone, which is notorious for speeding violations.
On this point, Burke and borough officials agreed — there is too much speeding and stop-sign running within the borough. Aggressive and careless driving is a threat to public safety on every street, all parties lamented.
Burke quoted statistics that have found that a child struck by a vehicle moving at 15 mph has a 95 percent rate of recovery; a child struck by a vehicle going 20 mph has a 50 percent chance of recovery; and a child struck by a vehicle traveling more than 50 mph “is a fatality.”
To truly make a difference, stepped-up police enforcement needs to include residents reporting license plate numbers and witnesses who will testify against offenders in court, according to Egan.
“It happens on my street. It happens on all streets. But if we’re not proactive and willing to step up to the plate to help when the police are not there, then we’re as much to blame as the person running through the stop sign,” Purcival said.
Published: Tuesday, March 2, 2010
By KENN STARK
Times Correspondent
PARKSIDE — Borough officials contend that all students are safe and all crossing guard posts are covered and backed up, but one Parkside Elementary School parent, whose children cross Edgmont Avenue twice a day, is not so sure.
Lisa Burke’s family lives on West Forestview Road, the same street that serves as the main entrance drive to the school on the eastern side of Edgmont Avenue.
Burke has come before council numerous times in recent years to state concerns or air complaints about crossing guards being occasionally late or absent from their posts. She used her most recent visit to council to hand out literature from the National Center for Safe Routes to School and to volunteer to spearhead a Parkside program.
The crossing guard post at Forestview and Edgmont is one of three guarded crossings for Parkside students. The others are located at Tom Sweeney Drive and Upland Road and at East Elbon Road and Blossom Avenue.
When Burke asked borough council about back-up personnel for each crossing, she was told substitute duty was covered by Mayor Ardele Gordon and Police Chief John Egan. But if all three crossings required a backup on the same day, the math would not add up.
The Edgmont Avenue crossing had been covered by police Officer Mark Marchesi during the morning rush hour for most of the past year.
The extra cost of placing a patrolman on the corner was justified in the short run, as a seasoned veteran was needed to replace crossing guard Fran Edwards. Edwards had covered the bustling Edgmont/Forestview intersection for 25 years, before retiring in 2008.
As of January, Art Smith is now the full-time crossing guard at the Edgmont Avenue post. Council President Shirley Purcival noted that the borough has received no complaints about Smith’s performance since he started working at the busy crossing last year.
Purcival insists the recent change from a part-time police officer back to a full-time crossing guard was not a budget-driven choice. She concedes that the borough will save about $500 this year by just using crossing guards.
“The children are our first concern. This was not just about the money,” Purcival said.
Purcival said her research had found that Delco communities responsible for crossing students on Chester Pike and MacDade Boulevard do not utilize police officers for the task, but all use crossing guards.
Council Vice President Frank McCollum was quick to note that the lack of a police officer standing on the corner does not mean that there is no police presence at the Edgmont Avenue school zone, which is notorious for speeding violations.
On this point, Burke and borough officials agreed — there is too much speeding and stop-sign running within the borough. Aggressive and careless driving is a threat to public safety on every street, all parties lamented.
Burke quoted statistics that have found that a child struck by a vehicle moving at 15 mph has a 95 percent rate of recovery; a child struck by a vehicle going 20 mph has a 50 percent chance of recovery; and a child struck by a vehicle traveling more than 50 mph “is a fatality.”
To truly make a difference, stepped-up police enforcement needs to include residents reporting license plate numbers and witnesses who will testify against offenders in court, according to Egan.
“It happens on my street. It happens on all streets. But if we’re not proactive and willing to step up to the plate to help when the police are not there, then we’re as much to blame as the person running through the stop sign,” Purcival said.
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