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School Walkers Face Danger Zone

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By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - It was a foggy morning on Mentmore Boulevard when Amye Cox saw a girl headed to school narrowly avoid being struck by cars not once, but twice within a matter of seconds.

She decided then and there to become involved in changing what she says has been a dangerous situation at Mentmore and Sunlake boulevards near Rushe Middle School and Sunlake High School.

'A lot of the parents who have kids who are walking have been worried from Day One,' Cox said.

Students who live in nearby neighborhoods within the Concord Station development walk or bike across four-lane Mentmore to get to the two schools, both of which are new this year.

Cox has children at both schools, though she drives them. Still, she said she is concerned for the other students because she has been a witness to the dangers they face as they cross the road.

Cox, who has been active over the years in a group called Pasco Parents for Quality Schools and Community, would like to see safety improvements such as a traffic light at the intersection or a crossing guard.

Neither of those solutions is in the works right now.

But several steps have been taken to make the situation better since school began Aug. 20, said Sgt. J.R. Law, a supervisor of school resource officers for the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

'It seems to have improved,' said Law, who also works with the sheriff's crossing guards unit. 'All the residents and people who drive through there are used to seeing law enforcement of some kind there.'

A flashing light originally slated for another school was placed on Mentmore to alert drivers to the school zone. Speed trailers that show drivers how fast they are traveling were placed on Mentmore a few times, and that helped slow traffic, Law said.

Deputies have been brought in on several occasions to direct traffic. Walkers and bike riders were given safety tips. Signs were put up to remind drivers to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

Members of the sheriff's Citizens Service Unit, a volunteer group, have helped direct traffic at the schools on some days.

The number of complaints from parents has dropped as a result of those efforts, Law said.

Cox's goal of getting a crossing guard assigned to the schools might be a long shot.

Historically, crossing guards in Pasco have been limited to elementary schools. They have never been assigned to a middle or high school, Law said.

Even at elementary schools, they are assigned only after the need has been determined by a traffic survey conducted by the Pasco County Traffic Division and the position is approved by the county administrator's office.

Approval of the position doesn't guarantee funding, Law said.

In what has been a tight budget year, the county commission and Sheriff Bob White wrangled over several budgetary issues, including funding for crossing guards and school resource officers. The result hasn't left a lot of wiggle room, said Doug Tobin, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

'If you keep the sheriff's budget to exact numbers, it really doesn't give you flexibility in the school year as new problems crop up,' he said.

Cox said she understands this has been a tough budget year for both the county commission and the school board, and she realizes the solutions she advocates cost money. So be it, she said.

'Let's pass the hat, boys,' Cox said.

A traffic light at the intersection likely will happen at some point, but not anytime soon, said John Boucher, the school district's facilities operations and safety manager.

Construction of Sunlake Boulevard north of State Road 54 isn't finished. The portion that exists was put in by the school district to provide access to the high school. 'When that road is complete, there will be a light,' he said.

Boucher said he has requested the county do a traffic study to determine whether the area meets the criteria for a crossing guard, even though the guards aren't normally placed at middle schools.

Boucher chairs a traffic safety committee that meets once a month and includes representatives from the sheriff's office, county and state Department of Transportation. The next meeting is Oct. 23, and the Mentmore Boulevard situation 'will definitely be on the agenda,' Boucher said.

Although Cox would like to see more done, she praised the efforts so far. 'I think everybody is being proactive and trying to see what can be done to fix it,' she said.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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