TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—The construction of a loop around George Washington Elementary School for cars to enter and exit while dropping off or picking up students “seemed to gain the most interest” at the first meeting of an ad hoc sidewalk committee, said the Township Council president.
Council President Desserie Morgan told council members on May 15 that a loop where cars could pull up and drop off K-5 elementary students at the doorway to Washington School appeared to be one of the better options to ease traffic flow, congested parking, and make the process safer for students and parents. The ad hoc committee’s first meeting was Tuesday, May 9.
Officials said they would know more after the next meeting when more details about future Washington School expansion plans were likely to be revealed.
During a brief discussion and referring to several graphics, Morgan noted that the proposed loop concept could provide up to 90 cars at a time in the loop to drop off students, nearly five times the current capacity for dropoff and pickup. The chart noted a loop provides about 85 additional cars on site rather than parked on congested side streets.
Moreover, it removes cars from neighborhood streets to provide open access for emergency vehicles to get through.
Morgan said the Westwood Regional School Board is “very aware” of the proposed plan and has plans to expand the current school. She said she is hopeful that the regional school board and school administration asks for input from the council and committee “so we have done our due diligence and are heard.”
She said the meeting had “really good, thorough discussion and several solutions suggested.”
The Sidewalks Committee, formed in April to address congestion around the elementary school, is composed of Morgan and councilman Tom Sears, plus residents and parents from the neighborhood, school organization officials, Westwood Regional’s interim superintendent, the elementary school principal, local police chief, mayor and township administrator.
Officials said the interim superintendent, Kenneth Rota, suggested that the committee wait until superintendent Jill Mortimer returns in July from a medical leave and can address the issue.
Morgan said that while the addition of possible sidewalks helps with safety concerns, it “does nothing for traffic backups” during drop-off and pickup times. She said one suggestion included a possible reallocation of students between Jessie F. George and Washington elementary schools.
Sears said the problem was the “volume of cars and students within the area” during drop-off and pickup and that the committee hopes to hear more about school expansion plans.
Mayor Peter Calamari said he forwarded meeting minutes to Rota to share with appropriate school district administrators. He said he hoped to meet soon with the township engineer and police officials to rank ideas suggested at the meeting to see what might work better or be implemented faster to ease congestion.