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The city of Chillicothe plans to erect two iron gates, on a trial basis, to block certain traffic near Chillicothe High School during periods of high volume, with the intent to improve safety immediately before and after school.
Council members Monday evening gave their blessings with a 3-2 vote on this proposal which was introduced by City Administrator Ike Holland. Voting in favor of the gates were Councilman-at-Large David Moore, 1st Ward councilman Reed Dupy, and 4th Ward councilman Pam Jarding. Second Ward Councilman Wayne Cunningham and 3rd Ward Councilman Tom Douglas opposed the measure.
The gates will be fabricated by city staff and are planned to be erected in the coming weeks. They are to be placed south of Missouri Route 190: one at Tomahawk (near its intersection with 190), and the other at West Mohawk, (east of Tomahawk and at its intersection with Tomahawk). The gates would be under the control of the police department and would be used only on school days.
The gates would be used on a trial basis for 90 days, and the city would seek input from community members and school officials regarding results.
Advantages to using the gates, Holland said, would be to provide effective traffic control with a low cost approach. The gates would not endanger a police officer and they can be effective in hazardous or inclement weather, he said. They would be operationally effective and would not reduce police patrols during school hours.
Holland said that this recommendation is supported by himself, as well as the city engineer, police chief, fire chief, MoDOT engineers and the school district administration.
The council discussed at length but took no action about placing stop signs on Hornet Drive at the two entrances/exits to CHS. Council members raised concerns about the stop signs, stating that they would be an inconvenience to area residents who regularly travel the road, especially during non-school times. Instead, they gave supporting comments toward lowering the speed limit along Hornet Drive to 15 or 20 mph. No one representing the school district attended Monday night’s meeting and the council decided to table the matter until a later date.
Holland also talked briefly about a long-term solution that would have more public entities involved. His proposal is to seek a second primary road access to the school and the new football field. The city would work with the county, Missouri Department of Transportation, the school district, Education Foundation and grants to build an east/west road connecting Highway 65 to Hornet Drive north of the high school.
The city of Chillicothe plans to erect two iron gates, on a trial basis, to block certain traffic near Chillicothe High School during periods of high volume, with the intent to improve safety immediately before and after school.
Council members Monday evening gave their blessings with a 3-2 vote on this proposal which was introduced by City Administrator Ike Holland. Voting in favor of the gates were Councilman-at-Large David Moore, 1st Ward councilman Reed Dupy, and 4th Ward councilman Pam Jarding. Second Ward Councilman Wayne Cunningham and 3rd Ward Councilman Tom Douglas opposed the measure.
The gates will be fabricated by city staff and are planned to be erected in the coming weeks. They are to be placed south of Missouri Route 190: one at Tomahawk (near its intersection with 190), and the other at West Mohawk, (east of Tomahawk and at its intersection with Tomahawk). The gates would be under the control of the police department and would be used only on school days.
The gates would be used on a trial basis for 90 days, and the city would seek input from community members and school officials regarding results.
Advantages to using the gates, Holland said, would be to provide effective traffic control with a low cost approach. The gates would not endanger a police officer and they can be effective in hazardous or inclement weather, he said. They would be operationally effective and would not reduce police patrols during school hours.
Holland said that this recommendation is supported by himself, as well as the city engineer, police chief, fire chief, MoDOT engineers and the school district administration.
The council discussed at length but took no action about placing stop signs on Hornet Drive at the two entrances/exits to CHS. Council members raised concerns about the stop signs, stating that they would be an inconvenience to area residents who regularly travel the road, especially during non-school times. Instead, they gave supporting comments toward lowering the speed limit along Hornet Drive to 15 or 20 mph. No one representing the school district attended Monday night’s meeting and the council decided to table the matter until a later date.
Holland also talked briefly about a long-term solution that would have more public entities involved. His proposal is to seek a second primary road access to the school and the new football field. The city would work with the county, Missouri Department of Transportation, the school district, Education Foundation and grants to build an east/west road connecting Highway 65 to Hornet Drive north of the high school.
“This would greatly reduce traffic count on Hornet Drive and 190 intersections,” Holland said.
The administrator said that he would like to start dialog at this time so that the other public entities could include funds in their budgets to move foward on the idea next year.
Holland noted other ideas for consideration, and added comments:
• Four-way traffic control devices, estimated at $300,000 (costly).
• Four-way stop signs. Traffic numbers do not support stop signs, nor does MoDOT.
• Traffic control by police officer. This would reduce patrol officers on duty of other calls, risks the life of the officer on a regular basis, especially in wet, slick, foggy, freezing weather conditions. He said this option would take a substantial amount of money in new safety wear, rumble strips, and flashing equipment. Additionally, the school has stated that it would not allow its school resource officer to share the duty, nor would the county recommend a county sheriff to participate. The entire financial and manpower costs would be put on the city.
• Round about traffic control placement. This would be a long-term solution, that would cost between $300,000 and $400,000.
