FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - Residents of Cresswell Gardens and Cedar Creek complained to the North Schuylkill school board that the district is not a "good neighbor" due to traffic flow issues.
The residents attended last week's school board meeting and addressed the board and administration about the volume of traffic going through both developments. The major complaints involved school buses and the private vehicles of teachers and staff who use the area streets to get to the elementary school rather than roads through the district property.
The first person to speak during the public portion was Cresswell Gardens resident Kerry L. Kehler.
"I'm your neighbor," Kehler said.
"Nice to meet you," board President Charles Hepler said.
"Thank you," Kehler said. "We have a situation that's been going on for quite some time since you started your elementary school. The traffic problem in Cresswell Gardens is pretty bad. The buses are traveling Pine Street and Maple Street. Back in August of 2005, (former district superintendent) James Franklin, God rest his soul, was at a meeting at the Butler Township municipal building and was concerned about the traffic situation. He made a statement during the meeting promising that the buses would not be running through Cresswell Gardens and surrounding area."
Kehler said the buses travel through the streets causing damage, and litter is thrown from vehicles going through the area.
"The buses don't really have a reason of going through the community," Kehler said. "You have a campus road that Mr. Franklin said would be used (for district traffic). John Leonhardt (retired transportation director) enforced that. When John left, the program fell apart. And you guys promised there would be a traffic study that was never done."
"Wait a minute, about 'you guys.' None of us were here at that time," Hepler said.
"We'd like you to revisit this situation. We thought Mr. Franklin's word was good, but I guess we were lied to after the situation, and now we have a big dilemma down there," Kehler said. "I have a petition with 21 signatures out of 48 houses. People are pretty unhappy about you people. You're not good neighbors."
"Can I ask if this situation was ever approached with former Superintendent (Andrew) Smarkanic over the past four years?" board member Thomas Fletcher asked.
"No, this is the first time tonight," Kehler said.
"So it was never addressed with Dr. Smarkanic?" Fletcher asked, to which Kehler said "No."
"Well, how can we fix a problem if we don't know that it exists?" board member Glenn Weist asked.
"That's why I'm presenting it," Kehler said. "I don't think you're going to fix the problem tonight, but school doesn't start until September. That gives you a couple of months. We don't want your buses. We don't want your school teacher traffic. We don't want your mommies and daddies who take Jane and Sally to school. We pay the highest taxes in Butler Township right down here. We're your neighbors."
Kehler also complained about a sign placed at the intersection on the campus for vehicles to go to the upper or lower parking lots. The sign states that "No thru way traffic" is permitted between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. except for school district vehicles. A similar sign, though smaller, is at the entrances to the Mahanoy Area Education Complex to prohibit drivers using the campus road to drive through without having school district business.
District Business Manager Robert Amos said the sign restricting access to vehicles is required by regulations under the state school code.
"I'm here to get you people to sit down, talk to your bus drivers, talk to your transportation secretary or whatever his or her title is and stop the buses," Kehler said.
"You said that prior to Mr. Leonhardt retiring, you didn't have any problem with the buses and the traffic?" board member Suzanne O'Neill asked.
"We have very minimal problems. He had it under control," Kehler said.
"I spoke to one of the members of the school board who was on around 2005, and he did say that it was agreed that the buses would come through the campus," O'Neill said. "And I guess it was basically followed until Mr. Leonhardt retired. It was enforced and working well. I don't see any reason why we can't sit down and look at it and try to get that situation back the way it was."
Cresswell Gardens resident Mark Monahan also addressed the school board about the matter, especially about the safety issue due to his having three young children, along with road damage due to the buses.
"The bus traffic is destroying the streets," Monahan said. "That is a concern for Butler Township. There is the safety factor. Most of you have seen me after school with my children. We hike and hike, but you can't walk the streets. It's very dangerous if people are rushing. But when you put all the weight of those buses on the streets and the speeds, it has become a dangerous situation. Why was the traffic rerouted through Cresswell Gardens? We have to look at the safety issues because of all the young families in Cresswell Gardens."
Monahan also pointed out that during lunch and break times, there are people from the schools driving around who are smoking and then throwing cigarette butts onto the private properties.
"Literally, after a week, I'll pick up 40 cigarette butts from my property," Monahan said. "There is that respect problem with the trash."
Gene Monahan, who also lives in Cresswell Gardens and is Mark Monahan's brother, had the same complaints, especially the littering with cigarette butts and other trash.
Another Cresswell Gardens resident, Lorrie Ogden, had the same basic complaints.
"I live two doors up from the elementary school, and I am the ashtray for the school district," Ogden said. "I gave up counting cigarette butts. My dog eats them, unfortunately. It's a real problem. As the teachers go by, as the parents go by - right out the window."
Ogden also pointed out that Maple Street, which is heavily used as an access road to the elementary school, is not constructed to handle the heavy and frequent traffic. She also explained that there has been a change in the direction sign at the entrance to the campus at Academy Lane. She said an arrow that directed traffic onto the campus for the elementary school has been covered and replaced with another arrow on the opposite side directing traffic along Academy Lane.
"I can't speak for the board because the board is in charge, but there will be an e-mail going out (to employees) and there will be no smoking in that area," Amos said. "An email will go out to the teachers strongly recommending that they don't utilize Cresswell Gardens to get to and from school."