Kincardine should tell school board that its math doesn't compute

“If the words don't add up, it's usually because the truth wasn't included in the equation.”

Such is the case with the crosswalks installed beside the newly-renamed and reconfigured “Ecole Kincardine District Senior School,” better known as KDSS.

Back in the summer, the Kincardine public works department worked with the Bluewater District School Board to mitigate safety issues since KDSS was set to become a Grades 7-12 school in September.

In a report to Kincardine council Dec. 2, public works director Adam Weishar explained that municipal staff recommended that a Level 2, Type B crosswalk, with flashing lights and push buttons, be installed. However, the board challenged that recommendation due to the extra cost of $15,000.

As a result, lesser standard (Level 2, Type D) crosswalks were installed at the north and south ends of River Lane beside KDSS.

And surprise to no one, these crosswalks aren't doing the job, especially when there is significant snowfall and the crossings are covered with snow. KDSS principal Mark Ozorio said there have been a number of close-calls and there are concerns about safety.

Subsequently, the school board came hat-in-hand to council Dec. 2, requesting an improved crosswalk and a crossing guard at the site, at the municipality's expense, with an estimated price tag of more than $30,000.

Seriously? To think, these are the people who are in charge of our children's education? And they can't even properly plan and design sufficient safety measures for the additional 200 students and staff, as well as 23 buses, stopping twice per day at KDSS?

Or perhaps there was some method in the board's madness. Perhaps it's the new math, some part of the equation that held a lack of truth by design.

In a report to council (slated for the Dec. 18 budget meeting which was cancelled due to inclement weather), Weishar is recommending that the municipality include in its 2020 budget an interim crossing guard for one hour per day during the arrival time at KDSS.

He is also recommending that the 2020 budget include a municipal-wide Pedestrian Crossing Study to incorporate River Lane and other areas of concern for further review. He said the study would provide the municipality with the framework to assess, prioritize and implement appropriate crossing treatments.

However, if council decides to move ahead with an upgraded crosswalk beside KDSS, Weishar recommends that the school board assist with the cost because the request is driven directly as a result of changes imposed by the board.

The cost for a crossing guard for one hour per day (mornings only) would be $5,500; for two hours per day (mornings and afternoons) $11,000. The cost to upgrade the crosswalk would be $25,000.

At the Dec. 2 council meeting, the school board emphasized that it paid all the costs to install a sidewalk on the west side of River Lane, as well as the crosswalks and the playground, to accommodate the influx of Grades 7 and 8 students.

And it should have incurred those costs. And given its poor planning for additional safety measures, such as a proper crosswalk and crossing guards, it should be on the hook for those costs as well.

Why should the Kincardine taxpayers have to pay for the board's mistakes?

It's a municipal street and there are safety concerns already - and we're only four months into the school year. However, Weishar is correct in saying that changes to River Lane beside KDSS are a direct result of decisions made by the board, not the municipality.

Since safety is paramount, council should move ahead with upgrading the crosswalk and hiring a crossing guard for mornings and afternoons.

But the school board created this mess so it should pay to fix it.