A group of parents in the Oxford Woods subdivision are on a mission – a mission to get their children the safest way to school possible.
Clear Lake Elementary parents Linda Simlar and Lisa Baum have been working for the past few weeks to try and find a solution to problems they’ve had throughout the school year in the Oxford Woods walk zone. The two women said they are basically questioning the district’s decision to “take away the busing from that area.”
At the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year, school administrators started enforcing the district’s walking-area policy. This including revising some of the walk areas in Oxford Woods, Oxford Lakes and the Lake Villa Manufactured Home Community. According to the policy, only children (grades K-5) beyond ? of a mile from an entrance to school property will receive busing. Kindergartners, regardless of distance, are eligible for either pick up or drop off at the noon hour only.
Approximately 40 children in the Oxford Wood subdivision became walkers as a result of this policy enforcement.
“It’s just very dangerous,” said Baum. “Children are going to get hit and no one is taking this seriously. I guess when someone finally does get hit – I hate to say that – but maybe then this will get attention.”
Baum and Simlar said they have several concerns with the walk to school for Clear Lake students. First, there are no formal crossing guards around the school. Simlar recalled a mother at the beginning of the school year attempting to direct traffic, but nothing formal available.
Second, both women have seen a drastic increase in traffic for the area. Simlar said the number of cars at the school has “quadrupled” from the previous year.
“It seems like all of the parents in the walk zone are driving their kids to school now,” said Simlar, who admitted to driving her own, especially in poor weather.
The number of vehicles in the area has led to the women’s third and fourth concerns: lack of parking and speeders. Baum said that many parents are parking not only in the “No Parking” zone in the school’s front parking lot, but also along both sides of Drahner Rd. She added that many vehicles also attempt to crowd into the driveway, making leaving and entering from the front very dangerous.
Signs along Drahner Rd. also have the school zone marked as 25 miles per hour, but both Simlar and Baum said vehicles travel much faster past the property.
“With the path so close to Drahner Rd. and the speed the drivers are traveling, an accident is bound to happen,” said Baum.
Finally, the safety path along Drahner Rd., in combination with the lack of sidewalks in Oxford Woods, worries the two mothers the most.
“That path was never maintained this whole winter,” said Baum. “I had to call and complain to Township Supervisor Bill Dunn before anything was done. He later told me that Treasurer Joe Ferrari helped to start getting it cleared.”
The township did bring in community service workers to clear the path on Feb. 15 after the complaint was made. Ferrari said he spent the day with the workers to make sure that they had all of the necessary equipment and that the job was completed.
“They did a wonderful job that day,” said Baum, “but until that day nothing was done.”
Supervisor Dunn stated that the township doesn’t have the budget or Department of Public Works to continually clean the walkway. Also, the township’s safety path ordinance does not require the removal of snow or ice:
“The Township, in its discretion, may decline to keep any or all Safety Paths clear of ice and/or snow during the periods of such accumulation. Any person who shall use a Safety Path during such a period shall do so at his or her own risk, and the Township shall not be liable for any injury or loss incurred by such use.”
“I understand that it’s a safety issue now,” said Dunn. “We need to have a way to get the children to school safely. It’s not a problem every year, but I’d like to get something worked out that if we have to clear around the schools, we can.”
Baum and Simlar though don’t feel this is enough.
“We want the busing reinstated,” said Simlar. “We must be absolutely sure of our children’s safety, no matter the weather or time of year.”
In bringing their concerns forth, Baum and Simlar both spoke with Clear Lake Elementary Principal Jim Schwarz and Assistant Superintendent Ron Franey. The two women said they were not pleased with the answers they received, so they once again contacted Township Supervisor Dunn.
“He organized a meeting for us with Mr. Franey, Lt. Whitefield from the Sheriff’s Department and himself,” explained Baum. “He’s worked very well with us.”
Baum stated that three parents attended the meeting, and were informed that the busing probably would not be coming back. However, all three officials are researching ways to make the walking area safer.
“I have already sent out extra officers to handle the speeders, but there’s nothing we can do about the parking,” said Oxford Township Substation Commander Lt. Al Whitefield. “There are no signs posted there.”
Whitefield and the township have both contacted the Road Commission for Oakland County to see if “No parking, stopping or standing” signs can be placed by the school along Drahner Rd. Also, Treasurer Ferrari stated that he has contacted Winston Myrie, with the Traffic and Safety division of the road commission, to see if a barrier is possible between the safety path and Drahner Rd.
“It will take them a couple of weeks to do the study and see if it’s feasible,” said Ferrari. “And we have to wait and see what’s going to happen with any possible development on the old farm house property.”
The farm house property, located between Oxford Woods and Clear Lake Elementary, has been sold and a development has been planned. However, as Ferrari added, the site plan is currently going through the township’s planning commission.
“There’s no point in putting up a guard rail, when he may help us move the safety path inwards. We just don’t know yet,” Ferrari stated.
Currently, Franey said that school officials are busy gathering the information requested by the concerned parents. Some of the information being gathered includes the number of children riding each bus in the Clear Lake area, the number of individuals using the parking lots, the current bus routes and what other school district’s use for their walk areas.
“I don’t know that they brought any new information to us at this time,” said Franey. “We are researching it though, and it was my understanding that we are going to meet again to discuss our findings.”
Franey stated that he has not received many complaints during the year, just some at the beginning as the change was happening, but school officials would not be against making any changes.
“I don’t see them getting back their buses this year, but I’m not against looking at it for the future,” he said.
During the implementation of the walk zone, the district not only received complaints from parents, but Clear Lake parent Greg Moran circulated a petition listing his concerns with the walk area.
“There was so much chaos on that first day of school,” he stated. “Everyone was lost – nothing had been planned or arranged.”
Moran said that he took his petition to Superintendent Virginia Brennan-Kyro.
“I didn’t take the petition any further, because she told me she would just tell the board exactly what she’s telling me now and it wouldn’t go anywhere,” said Moran.
He did add that a letter of explanation was quickly sent out to parents, and some changes were made to address his concerns.
“She did try to address the issues,” he stated. “I do kind of feel like I’m being screwed out of my taxes for transportation I don’t receive anymore.”
“I just think next time they cut the buses, they should give much more notice and much more involvement. The parents felt that there wasn’t any communication from the district.”
But communication won’t be enough for Baum and Simlar. They are taking their concerns public – the women have been contacting both newspapers and television outlets. Lisa Baum has also made her own video documenting the traffic problems around Clear Lake Elementary.
“I’ll fight this all the way,” said Baum. “We will go to the board. We will get a petition.”
“No matter what they try and do, it’s going to be dangerous,” added Simlar.
Lisa Baum’s video is currently scheduled to be aired on Oxford Cable Television Channel 19 this Fri., March 5, between 7 and 8 p.m.