Re: City of Mill Valley aids Homestead Valley and Marin Horizon School Children

-----Original Message-----
From: charlessands
To: XXXX
Sent: Mon, Dec 14, 2009 6:49 pm
Subject: Re: City of Mill Valley aids Homestead Valley and Marin Horizon School Children

Hi JXXX and AXXX,

Thanks for your input. It helps everyone in Homestead Valley appreciate the effort it has taken secure the safety of Homestead Valley Park and Mill Valley Middle School and Marin Horizon School children as they walk to and from their schoosl.

As I wrote in my email below, I hope someone has taken the time to ask the Marin County Supervisors and Marin Horizon School to formally thank the City of Mill Valley for its philanthropic provision of a crossing guard at Miller and Evergreen for mostly Marin Horizon School children that also benefits our Homestead Valley children.

I wonder why the Mill Valley School District doesn’t place school crossing guards where needed for the safety of our school children? That’s a subject for another time.

It’s great that we will have a crossing guard at Miller and Evergreen Aves. for 2009 and 2010 as stated by Susan Lipman in the December Homestead Headlines. What about the following years?

A crossing guard is only the first step , albeit a marvelous and great achievement. And kudos and recognition of their efforts is a great topic for an article in our Homestead Headlines. Wonder why someone hasn’t written one. Volunteers???

I feel strongly that the Homestead Valley and Marin Horizon School children who walk every school day on Evergreen Ave. and Reed Ave. are endangered by having to walk on the roadway by the Homestead and Marin Horizon School vehicles using it. It’s a matter of fact established by Marin County’s traffic consultant that 50% of traffic on Evergreen Ave. in the morning and afternoon before and after school is Marin Horizon School traffic.

The Community Development Agency (CDA) was petitioned in 2003 to require Marin Horizon School to bus all of its middle school children to and from its school site in Homestead to mitigate the significant negative impact of Marin Horizon School’s middle school’s morning and after noon traffic on Montford Ave. and Evergreen Ave.

The CDA failed to include an evaluation of the impact of Marin Horizon School’s traffic on pedestrian use of Evergreen Ave. in the Marin Horizon E.I.S. and propose significant negative impact mitigating measures such as requiring all Marin Horizon School middle school children from outside Homestead Valley to be bused and a 5 feet wide pedestrian pathway be provided on Evergreen Ave.

As I, and many Homestead drivers, use Evergreen Ave. frequently when Homestead and Marin Horizon school children are walking to and from school I’m very concerned for their and my safety.

Mostly Marin Horizon School children frequently walk abreast in groups of 4- 5 down Evergreen Ave. facing traffic while narrowing the available vehicular travel surface width to less than the California Department of Transportation minimum safe standard width for Evergreen Ave. of 11 feet.

I feel strongly that Evergreen Ave., before Marin Horizon School came to Homestead was a safe street for pedestrians and Homestead Valley school children walking to and from school.

With the arrival of Marin Horizon School traffic on Evergreen Ave. has been increased by +-/- 100% due to Marin Horizon School’s educational program and expanded enrollment.

I copy my concerns by email to our Supervisor, Steve Kinsey, the Board of Supervisors and the Assistant Director of DPW for their information and action. I would hope that all who are equally concerned with the safety of Evergreen Ave. traffic and pedestrians will contact them also at:

fmansourian@co.marin.ca.us, bbeaumont@co.marin.ca.us, cmcglashan@co.marin.ca.us, hbrown@co.marin.ca.us,cmurray@co.marin.ca.us , skinsey@co.marin.ca.us, sadams@co.marin.ca.

Best Regards,

Charles



-----Original Message-----
From:
To:
Sent: Mon, Dec 14, 2009 7:39 am
Subject: Re: City of Mill Valley aids Homestead Valley and Marin Horizon School Children


XXXX!

We are grateful that you hung in there and were successful in something others before were not. Thank you !!!!!

-anne b. (mom of two grown children who were terrified to cross Miller for school and one who now is less so)


-----Original Message-----
From: Evergreen avenue resident
To: charlessands
Sent: Sun, Dec 13, 2009 8:20 pm
Subject: Re: City of Mill Valley aids Homestead Valley and Marin Horizon School Children

Charles,
I am the citizen who arranged, via Stephanie Peters, to get the crossing guard. My two children cross Miller every morning to go to both the public Middle School and elementary school. I asked Stephanie to place a crossing guard there nearly a year ago, and I am so grateful to Stephanie and the City of MV for granting my request. I understand your issues with MHS, but I had to chime in on this. My kids are safer, and more kids (public and private attendees) are safer crossing at that very dangerous place.

Kind regards,
(name withheld for privacy)