Thanks to a pair of Dresden businesses, November 30 won’t be the last day on the job for crossing guard Jim Cracknell.
With final day approaching for the Adult Crossing Guard Program in Chatham-Kent, Rob and Erin Burnett, owners of Burn’s Restaurant and Catering and Beyond Gifts & Decor in Dresden, approached Cracknell about keeping his job.
“He approached on Sunday, we got back together about it on Monday, we talked it over and we went from there,” said Cracknell, who has been a crossing guard at Dresden Area Central School for two and a half years.
“Tomorrow would’ve been the last day and that was the way it was headed, but thanks to Mr. Burnett things will continue on except for walking out onto the road.”
Cracknell told the Sydenham Current he enjoys the job of helping keep the children safe.
“The kids are great,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how small they are or how big they are, they talk to you and treat you really good. It’s a great group of kids here at the school.”
Cracknell added: “They would of been on their own. Some of the little kids are pretty small and they like to go. I don’t know why the councillors turned it down, for the sake of a couple months wages to look after the little kids. It looks like Mr. Burnett is more concerned about the kids than what the councillors are.”
Burnett’s stepped up to the plate
Erin Burnett said her husband Rob woke up last week and thought, why don’t they pay for the crossing guard to stay out of their own pockets.
“For the safety of the kids, that’s a highway that they’re walking across,” she said. “So we looked into it with the Municipality. It’s totally legal for him to stand there and advise the kids. He can’t actually walk out and stop the traffic, but most people will recognize him. We talked to him and have a deal with him. The kids know him, the people in town know him.”
Burnett said the feedback they’ve gotten has been fantastic.
“The messages that we are receiving, people are quite excited about it and they think it is a great thing,” she said. “They are not thinking great of the Municipality, but it is what it is. They make rules for all around, not just for specific towns.”
She added: “The community supports us through our businesses, so we wanted to be able to give something back.”
Crosswalk devices are expected to be installed at the location on North Street in Dresden by the end of June 2017.
Councillor happy with the initiative
North Kent Coun. Joe Faas told the Sydenham Current he is happy the Burnett’s stepped up and took matters into their own hands.
“I think it is a good idea,” Faas said. “It’s a positive move. I commend them for stepping forward. Actually, I’ve got a couple of other people that have indicated that they’d be willing to support something like that as well. Our community has always been very supportive and they take initiative to do things, which Dresden has been very strong with.
Faas said he has spoken with the Legal Department for the Municipality, to make sure everything is okay.
He said Tuesday morning he was still waiting to hear back, although he is feeling optimistic that there will be no problems.
Background from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent
How many Chatham-Kent communities have crossing guards?
Seven communities across the Municipality currently have adult crossing guards. The crossing guard locations include:
– Blenheim – Little St. and Talbot St. West: Pedestrian Crossover to be installed by June/17;
– Chatham – Oxley St. and Baldoon Rd.; Lacroix St. and Alexandra St.: Pedestrian Crossover to be installed by June/17;
– King St. W. and Merritt Ave.; and McNaughton Ave. and Country Lane (no longer operational due to student crossing volume): Neither location warrants a Pedestrian Crossover based on 2016 traffic study;
– Dresden –North Street (at Dresden Area Central School): Pedestrian Crossover to be installed by June/17;
– Ridgetown – Cecil St. and Main St. E.; and Erie St. and David St.: Neither location warrants a Pedestrian Crossover based on 2016 traffic study;
– Tilbury – Stewart St. and Mable St.: Pedestrian Crossover to be installed by June/17;
– Wallaceburg – Murray St. and Reaume Ave.: Pedestrian Crossover to be installed by June/17 ; and Lawrence Ave. near Thomas Ave.: Location does not warrant a Pedestrian Crossover based on 2016 traffic study
– Wheatley – Erie St. N. and Richard Ave.: Pedestrian Crossover to be installed by June/17
Why did Council decide during the 2016 budget to phase out the crossing guard positions?
An Adult Crossing Guard Service Review was completed in 2013 and presented to Council in 2014. The service review identified significant challenges in the recruitment and retention of reliable crossing guards. The Municipality aims to recruit candidates who meet the minimum qualifications set by the Municipality and complete the training process. In spite of ongoing recruitment efforts, the Municipality continues to experience ongoing challenges recruiting adult crossing guards. In addition, there are days when crossing guards are unable to provide notice that they will not be attending for their shift(s). In these cases, we are not able to provide sufficient notice to parents which creates potential risk if a parent is anticipating that their child will have access to a crossing guard. The Municipality has been working with the associated schools on an on-going basis to promote vacant positions, as well as to notify students and parents when coverage is not available (when possible).
Based on 2016 budget deliberations, it was determined the service was no longer sustainable and Council directed staff to phase out the crossing guard service at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
The Municipality is not legislated to provide an adult crossing guard program. As well, it is not a service provided to all elementary schools in Chatham-Kent.
On June 6, Council directed that funding be available to provide pedestrian crosswalk devices, as needed, according to the results of the traffic study. What does this mean?
On June 6 Council passed the following motion:
“That funding at an estimated amount of $500,000 be made available to provide pedestrian crosswalk devices as warranted according to the guidelines established in the Ontario Traffic Manual at school crossings currently manned by crossing guards. That this be funded from the capital budget and/or reserves.
“Engineering services is currently conducting traffic and pedestrian counts at each location and the total cost and timing of implementation will be confirmed in August.
“That crossing guards be maintained until Pedestrian Crosswalk Devices can be installed until the month of November.”
Upon completion of the traffic study, a recommendation with the total cost and timing was presented to Council in August. Council approved the pedestrian crosswalk recommendations and administration is currently in the process of securing a contractor to supply and install the pedestrian crossover devices. All pedestrian crossing devices will be installed by the end of the current school year (not prior to the end of the crossing guard service). The Municipality will also be removing the signs and pavement markings at each affected school crossing, following the end of the adult crossing guard program. Please note: pedestrian crossover devices are not a replacement of the crossing guard service and not all current crossing guard locations warranted a pedestrian crossover device (as per completed traffic studies in 2016).
*NOTICE: During the September 12 Council meeting, a Notice of Motion was presented to extend the duration of crossing guard services until such time as the pedestrian crossing devices are installed; however this Motion did not receive the required 2/3 vote to reconsider. Therefore, the crossing guard services will end on November 30, 2016.
How has the Municipality worked to encourage the safety of children in school zones?
The Municipality has an ongoing partnership with the Lambton-Kent District School Board and the St. Clair Catholic District School Board. The Municipality works with the school boards to provide notification to students and parents when adult crossing guard coverage is not available (when notice is possible, due to the recruitment challenges). The Municipality also notified the two school boards about the 2016 budget decision, as well as provided ongoing updates regarding the recent Council directions related to the traffic volume study and the extension of the crossing guard service into the fall.
The Municipality invests $300,000 annually for sidewalk maintenance and improvements to ensure pedestrian safety.
Chatham-Kent Police Service provides helpful pedestrian safety guidelines for residents of all ages. Read more at http://ckpolice.com/pedestrian-safety/
I have questions about the adult crossing guard service. Who can I contact?
Should you require further information about the crossing guard service or Council’s directions, please contact Leanne Segeren-Swayze, Director of Customer Service Division at leannes@chatham-kent.ca or phone 519-360-1998.
– Photo credit: Municipality of Chatham-Kent
Shame on you Chatham-Kent!!!!
I can see some of this is common sense sure. As for the crossing guard not being able to provide notice if they can’t do their duty some days.. due to illness or something like that.. I think the municipality could put anyone that spends the entire day driving around in a city vehicle juts passing time to that position for the day.. I’ve seen it happen.. and still happens everyday… but that aside.. cudos to Dresden.. kids are the future and need to be taken care of..