Students who walk to and from South Elementary School soon will have a safer way to make it to class with the addition of a sidewalk on Linden Drive.
What started as a call from school administration and community stakeholders for flashing beacons at the crosswalk ended with a conversation about creating a sidewalk for children who walk to school.
The sidewalk would help protect children walking uphill across Linden Drive from drivers who have no choice but to blindly cross over the hill at that section in the road.
The estimated cost of the project is $165,000, but with the help of the Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities grant, the city and funding from the Community Development Block Grant, a sidewalk will be added.
Ashley Varner, healthy community coordinator at Capital Region Medical Center, has been one of many vocal advocates for this project. A total of $8,000 will go toward the project from funds she has available through a five-year Missouri Foundation for Health grant.
Currently, South Elementary staff has a Safety Patrol routine to assist with the arrival and dismissal of students. Kurt Mueller, Jefferson City Public Schools safety and security coordinator, said their routine has been a very labor-intensive operation but an effective way to manage traffic safety near the school.
South Elementary is an older, traditional neighborhood school that wasn't initially designed for the high volume of vehicle traffic that occurs today, Mueller said.
"I am very proud of our staff for managing the vehicle and pedestrian traffic so effectively, efficiently and safely because it is less than ideal conditions," he said.
As a result of these conversations, Jefferson City has taken steps to survey the land and input the data into a new Sidewalk Management System, which provides city administrators the ability to assess the needs and the level of priority associated with adding a sidewalk in that area.
In the event of ongoing discussions, property owners in the area have also been included, as the project may affect their property and utilities.
"You can't put a price tag on the safety of our students and the children throughout the community," said Amy Berendzen, JCPS director of school community relations. "The addition of a sidewalk would lend a peace of mind for the teachers and the parents."