Traffic around Ring Elementary School, Washington Middle School and Jamestown High School have replaced Persell Middle School at the top of the list for City Council members.

Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large and Public Safety Committee chairman, reiterated those concerns during a recent City Council meeting. The confusing school zone speed limits near the Ring and Washington schools on Buffalo Street have been discussed on and off again for years, as have concerns about traffic around Jamestown High School.

Russell wants to continue the conversations about both, particularly improvements near Jamestown High School. Traffic is congested at pick up and drop off near the high school as well as in front of the post office on Third Street as parents try to avoid Second Street. Russell thought any change would have to involve the state Transportation Department because part of Second Street is a state road, but Mark Roetzer, city public works director, said the state’s ownership of Second Street doesn’t begin until the intersection of Second Street with Foote Avenue.

“It seems to be lacking,” Russell said. “I think there’s members of the school district that would love to see a crosswalk right there out of the front doors of the school. Obviously you’d have to replace all of the curbing and (install) handicapped accessible curbs right there. I kind of joked that I think you could put five crosswalks right there and some of the students still wouldn’t utilize any of them, they would pick a spot where there’s no crosswalk. So, maybe we can look into the signage there.”

City resident Doug Champ has broached the Ring Elementary and Washington Middle School zones with council members repeatedly in the past. Russell said the school’s resource officer has expressed concerns, particularly with a now-vacant church that is being used as an auxiliary drop off area by some parents.

Brent Sheldon, R-Ward 1 and Finance Committee chairman, noted there had been talk of moving the stop light near the school to Newton Avenue and having that be the place where most students cross the street to get to school. The cost, at that time, was about $100,000.

“Also, I had received a phone call from officer Alexis Carlson of the Jamestown Police Department who continues to echo concerns about the traffic and the safety in front of Ring School and that blind corner down there,” Russell said. “There’s a new principal at that school who has a lot of concerns about kids crossing down there. Evidently with the church being closed now the church is allowing parents to park in that parking lot across the street and parents and kids as a result are not using the crosswalk there and they’re just crossing the street below that. So that was a new concern of theirs being able to utilize that parking lot and also the blind corner there and some truck traffic coming from the DPW building there.”

Another issue is a 30 mile an hour speed limit decreasing to 20 miles an hour near Ring Elementary School, then going back to 30 miles an hour before another decrease to 20 miles an hour near Washington Middle School. City Public Works Department officials have said in the past that the state won’t allow a school speed zone longer than 1,300 feet, something reiterated by Roetzer last week.

“I guess what Mr. Champ is indicated to me, and he agreed with you, what he was saying, is the state realizing there are two schools that close together?” Russell asked. “I could see if there is one school there and you could only have so much footage, but because you have two there together would they allow the two to be connected? That’s what I would like to know. It’s a very unique situation that they’re so close together. Could they be combined because they’re so close together? It really is a silly setup to have a 20 and a 30 and a 20. I think it would possibly help quell some of those issues down at Ring School if it was one school zone.”