Path Without Lights May Be Too Dangerous, Council Says

With concerns about safety, the township council opted to table a resolution July 7 concerning an application for a grant from the Regional Center Partnership to construct a path behind that would help save money on hazardous busing.

According to deputy clerk Hector Herrera, the application would be for $20,000 to build a walking path behind the schools from the Mount Pleasant Villas and Schindler Terrace apartment complexes to the school.

Children will be able to walk to the school on that path.

“We will save approximately $50,000 in hazardous busing costs, and provide a walkway that is based on children living there right now,” he said.

But councilwoman Christine Henderson Rose said she is concerned that the path will not be lit, particularly with children walking on it.

“It needs to be lit,” she said. “Or am I just too cautious?”

The council as a whole decided to table the resolution to give the members an opportunity to look closely at maps and get an opinion from the police department.

Herrera said the application is not due until early August.

“This project will send grammar school children walking through the woods to the back property of the school,” said councilman Allen Kurdyla. “I’m thinking about security.”

Herrera said the path is 850 feet long, and they can get estimates on how much lighting would cost. The path itself, without the lighting, costs just over the $20,000 grant allotment, he said.

Kurdyla said the space behind the school used to be a military academy, so he has been there for fire-related activities.

“There’s a lot of things that go on in that section of the woods,” he said. “I have some questions as far as what’s going to be done because I think it has to be a little more than cutting a path through the woods.”

Herrera said the path will actually go around the woods, but the council tabled the resolution until it can get additional information.