TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Some half-dozen residents provided suggestions to township officials Sept. 18 to help improve safety and ease traffic congestion during drop off and pick up times at Washington Elementary School.
The school, on School Street off of Pascack Road, serves township students in grades K-5 as part of the K-12 Westwood Regional School District.
Township officials, including Mayor Peter Calamari and administrator Mark DiCarlo, said they would get in touch with district officials to find out the status of plans to expand Washington Elementary School.
Following the meeting, Pascack Press reached out to district business administrator Keith Rosado. Rosado said that no plans had yet been released on the elementary school’s expansion and nothing has been sent to the state education department for review.
Rosado said no timeline exists for disclosing expansion plans for the elementary school, and the district is focused on upgrading its HVAC systems. He said when the expansion plans are released the district intends “to have full community involvement.”
He said the school’s expansion plans are being discussed by the Finance and Facilities Committee, which is chaired by Kristen Pedersen.
On Aug. 28, superintendent Jill Mortimer wrote families with a back-to-school update, which in part noted that “The discussion of expanding Washington School is in response to anticipated residential construction and the related results of the June 2020 demographic study, not as a result of concerns surrounding existing class sizes.”
She said, “Our architect has prepared concept options for expanding Washington Elementary School that include a plan to construct new classrooms along with art, music, media center and support spaces.”
Mortimer said, “The next step is to review the plans with the district administration and board to review the scope of the expansion and obtain feedback. After this step, a budgetary project cost estimate will be prepared.”
Rumble strips; no parking; shuttles are options
At the Sept. 18 meeting, five residents offered suggestions from rumble strips on streets to slow traffic, and no parking on streets during school hours to creating a traffic loop around the school and having a drop-off area and shuttle to ease traffic woes and improve student and pedestrian safety.
Ed Moderacki said rumble strips, which feature milled or raised elements to alert inattentive drivers, could be used on School Street and White Birch Road, to slow traffic. He said maybe PSE&G could install the strips when they repave nearby streets after installing new gas lines. He said the strips “try to encourage (drivers) to drive at a much more safe speed.”
Council President Desserie Morgan told Moderacki she liked the idea.
Jameson Moran, of Wayne Place, suggested making streets surrounding Washington School as “no parking” streets during school hours. Morgan said officials should speak to the police chief and possibly do it temporarily to see if it has a positive impact.
Township attorney Kenneth Poller said the council would need to pass an ordinance to implement a no-parking rule on streets around the school.
Ellen Dogali, Wayne Place, noted there was an unused piece of property on School Street that could be used to help create the loop around the school.
Council vice president Steven Cascio said that using that area and if they were able to acquire some property from a couple nearby homeowners, a loop to drop off and pick up students might be “feasible.”
Morgan said she was in favor of a traffic loop around the school and said the school board needs input from residents on what to do there to improve traffic flow.
Resident Al Gillio suggested using Gardner Field as a “staging pickup” for student dropffs and a possible shuttle to the elementary school. He said it could be discussed more in the Traffic Flow Advisory Committee meetings.
So far, the ad hoc traffic committee has met twice to hear suggestions to improve the efficiency and safety of drop off and pick up times at the elementary school.
Brenda Moderacki of White Birch Road, a resident for 22 years, said the traffic and “driving habits” of others worried her the most during her years around the school. She said she did not think sidewalks would help the situation.
She said during her six years with children attending the school, she was “yelled at, honked at, and flipped the bird because we were in the marked crosswalk to try to get safely across the street” heading toward school.
She said years ago during PSO meetings, when traffic concerns were raised, there was talk then “of putting a loop around the school to facilitate the flow of traffic.”
She said she was happy to see some parking restrictions in place and called the drop off, pick up times “much less chaotic” than when she walked her kids to school.
She added, “Sidewalks will not change driving habits.”
In June, Park Ridge Police Officer Mike Stallone was lauded for swooping in to save a kindergartener who had bolted behind a reversing van to pick up a hair clip during student drop-off.