Spelman Crosswalk Update

Due to multiple near misses this year at the Spelman and Huntsman crosswalk that leads to door 4, we have found three parents to serve on our Safety Committee. This group has already met with the Winston Knolls Civic Association, the Orange Hunt Estates Civic Association, and the traffic division of the West Springfield Police Department. They look forward to bringing their safety concerns to VDOT and Pat Herrity's office soon.

The goal of this committee is to make crossing this section of road safe for our students and parents. You may have noticed changes to this area recently. The crosswalk has been repainted a nice bright white and most days after school you can see Slow Down signs with orange flags at the crosswalk. Our biggest improvement has been the temporary placement of the FCPD flashing pedestrian sign along Huntsman Blvd. Please be aware that the committee has informed the traffic division of the lack of enforcement of the 25 mph speed and the no parking area along Huntsman Blvd immediately before the crosswalk. The officers plan to be out at least once a week from now until the end of the school year writing tickets. Parents who habitually use the no parking zone to pick up and drop off their children will be noted.

The ultimate goal of the committee is to get some form of permanent crossing assistance installed at the crosswalk. As of now, we don't know what that will look like. In order to move forward, we need to collect some data about the speed of drivers along Huntsman Blvd. This will require approval from the neighborhood. You may see fellow OHES parents out knocking on your door asking you to sign a petition to conduct a speed study. We encourage you to sign this form if asked. This petition will only allow the committee to move forward with a study of the street. Nothing else. Please contact the committee with any questions or concerns. If you are interested in helping this committee, please contact Keli Jacewitz at kjacewitz@gmail.com. Also, if you see a dangerous situation or are involved in one yourself, please notify the committee so that we can keep track of the types of encounters between pedestrians and cars.