Cape council votes for school sign money

Cape Girardeau wants its children to be healthier, and leaders say walking to school is a good start. To make certain the morning walk is a safe one, the city council hopes to use federal dollars to install flashing signs warning drivers to slow down in school zones.

"There are just so many benefits of kids walking to school," said traffic operations engineer Kelly Green, who wrote the grant proposal to the Missouri Department of Transportation. "There's the health benefit that can hopefully lower childhood obesity rates, there's the environmental benefit from having less vehicles on the road and there's also a traffic benefit because less vehicles means less accidents," Green said.

In order to have the widest-reaching impact, the city is asking the state for money to use on flashing signs in school zones. The signs will be activated between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on school days to alert motorists to slow down to 20 mph.

In future years, the city hopes to reapply for grant money to pay for more sidewalks or a public awareness campaign.

The funding is part of Missouri's "Safe Routes to School" program, which will hand out $2.6 million statewide this year. The council approved a grant request for $103,000. If approved, money will go to put signs at nine public and private elementary and middle schools in the city limits.

The Missouri Department of Transportation will make its decision on the request June 29.

"We wanted the biggest bang for our buck," said Green. "If we chose to use the money on sidewalks it would be much more expensive and probably only affect one or two schools this year."

For example, the city spent $88,000 to install 4,600 feet of sidewalk around Alma Schrader school last summer. Cape Girardeau's sidewalk program spends $120,000 annually on new sidewalks and requires all new residences and businesses to install sidewalks.

Accidents in school zones have been a problem in the city. There were 50 pedestrian or bicycle accidents within 2 miles of Cape Girardeau's schools over the last three years.

The accidents ranged widely in severity. The figures do not indicate if any involved school children.

"I think the flashing signs are going to be great in school districts," said Councilwoman Debra Tracy, "especially if you don't know there's a school there. They'll be automatically coming on during times the schools are open to alert you."

In other action Monday night, the council gave its Resident Appreciation Award to Stephanie Sparks and Stephanie Day of Cape Girardeau.

On Christmas Eve, the two women followed another woman, Jessica Shaw, of Jackson after they spotted her allegedly stealing mail from boxes in their neighborhood.

When Shaw crossed into Jackson the two women contacted police, who found "three huge bags" of mail and evidence that she had allegedly forged at least one check with information found in the mail.

"Any law enforcement agency needs citizens out there to be the eyes and ears," said police chief Carl Kinnison.

"They really went above and beyond."

Sparks said the brazen nature of the woman's actions really got her steamed.

"While I was in the road getting her license plate number she looked right at me, but then she went on and kept doing it," she said.

"She wasn't going to quit."

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245