New sidewalk at White Pine provides safety, alleviates congestion
Just in time for the school year, White Pine Elementary School has a new sidewalk that will alleviate congestion from children walking and biking on the road. This sidewalk provides a safe drop-off and pick-up area and was generously installed by the City of Richmond.
“This was a monumental undertaking in such a short amount of time,” Principal Shellie Healy explained. “It’s a reflection of how much this community values their students.”
Eight years ago, the city of Richmond started their Safe Sidewalk Plan with a mission to create safe paths that reduced the number of times students would have to cross the road to get to school. Each year, the city saves money to tackle a section at a time. The move of Park Elementary school to White Pine, however, threw a curve ball into the plan.
After the move, it became evident that there wasn’t a sidewalk for kids to walk, bike, or be dropped off or picked up on school grounds. City Mayor Jeff Young and Principal Healy began meeting a year ago to discuss the construction of a sidewalk. The sidewalk was created not only with the purpose to provide safety for the children, but also to help alleviate congestion in the neighborhood surrounding the school. According to Healy, cars would be lined up from the front door of the school all the way down 1st North and 1st West. As there weren’t any sidewalks or crosswalks, parents would be waiting for their children on each side of the road, creating a hazardous area for young children.
To help reduce the financial burden, Richmond City received a Safe Sidewalks Grant which covered a third of the cost. The city then generously funded the rest of the cost from their own Safe Sidewalk savings. As part of the project, the road was widened by 22 feet, the ground leveled, asphalt laid, and a 6-foot wide sidewalk with curb and gutter installed. These changes create enough space for cars to park on both sides of the road and for passing traffic to go through. The sidewalk, in its entirety, is 660 feet long.
“Out of all the sidewalks that we’ve done, when it comes to drop-off and pick-up safety, that right there is crucial. I live on 1st North and saw the cars dropping off and picking up. I would drop off my own elementary students and have them walk, like other parents,” remarked Mayor Young. “Now they have a place to be dropped off. I can pull over and drop my kid off and know he or she will never have to cross the road. Students can get to school safely.”
Knowing that there is now a safe path for White Pine Elementary students to travel to and from school brings peace of mind not only to Mayor Young and the City of Richmond, but also to Principal Healy and the school district.
Thank you, Mayor Young and the City of Richmond, for the tremendous efforts demonstrated to provide safe paths for our students and the community.