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Board Wants Signal At Rushe Middle School Crossing

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By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 21, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - An unsafe situation in which student walkers and bicycle riders at Charles S. Rushe Middle School cross a four-lane road has drawn the attention of the Pasco County School Board.

'It is a very dangerous situation for kids,' board chairwoman Marge Whaley said at last week's school board meeting.

Several efforts have been made to make the crossing safer, but school board members urged the district staff to look for better and more permanent solutions.
Assistant Superintendent Ray Gadd told board members the district is continuing to work on the problem.

'I want to assure you we haven't left it alone,' Gadd said.

Rushe Middle is a new school this year and sits next to Sunlake High School, which also is new. The entrance to the schools is off Mentmore Boulevard at Sunlake Boulevard in the Concord Station development west of Land O' Lakes.
Parent complaints about safety started early in the school year. Students headed to the two schools had to cross four-lane Mentmore without a traffic light or crossing guards.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office took a number of steps to make the situation better. Speed trailers that show drivers how fast they are going were placed on Mentmore a few times.

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 on some days, but the school is not a permanent assignment for them.

A traffic light isn't expected to be placed at the intersection until construction on Sunlake Boulevard is completed. The small portion of the road that exists was put in by the school district to provide access to the high school.

Gadd said he is hopeful the road will be finished by the beginning of the 2008-09 academic year.

More safety measures are being explored.

Gadd said the district is looking into whether one of the housing developers in Concord Station can be persuaded to put up a traffic light ahead of schedule. He said a temporary light also is being discussed.

Whaley said she visited Rushe Middle to see the situation firsthand after a parent contacted her. The upstairs portion of the three-story school provides a good view of dangers students face as they arrive at school or leave at the end of the day, she said.

Whaley said she realizes that crossing guards, who are hired by the sheriff's office, are typically assigned to elementary schools, not middle schools. But, Whaley said, there's no other middle school with a situation such as the one at Rushe.

Gadd said the district has asked the county to conduct a traffic study to determine whether the area meets the criteria for a crossing guard.

Board member Allen Altman asked the district staff to try to get a commitment from the sheriff's office to keep the volunteers from the Citizens Service Unit at the school until a light can be installed.

One of the safety measures taken was to place a flashing light on Mentmore Boulevard to alert drivers to the school zone and signal them to slow down.

'The flashing light seemed to help a lot,' said Tina Tiede, the assistant superintendent who oversees middle schools.

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

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