Suggestion made for making crossing the street safer
OROVILLE – At their Tuesday, July 5 Oroville City Council has agreed Ed Naillon’s request to fill an empty council seat until the next election.
Naillon, a former city council member, was one of several people who expressed an interest in being appointed to the position after then councilman Jon Neal was chosen to fill the position of mayor after Chuck Spieth passed away.
Jeff Bunnell approached the council to run an idea passed them for making crossing at some of Oroville’s busier crosswalks safer.
“At a meeting of the Main Street group a week and a half ago someone brought up that in Chelan they had these great little things with signs that say take one to cross,” said Bunnell, holding up an orange flag on a piece of PVC pipe. “We are thinking of placing these at three of the busiest crossing locations – the gas station, motel and video store. You hold up the flag when you cross the street and then place it in the holder on the other side.”
Bunnell had samples of the flags, which were sewn by his wife and the containers, also made of PVC pipe, spray painted orange.
“I’m not sure if the state would sanction them on the highway, but Nulton’s Irrigation has agreed to supply the pipe,” he said, adding that the larger pipe that acts as the holder would be affixed to a pole, much like the American Legion does to hold the American Flags.
“In the long term if people like to use them we can probably contact the shop at the school about making metal stands and have some more permanent signs made,” he said. “We have quite a few elderly people, some of which are in wheelchairs an on walkers, and they wait quite a while to cross sometimes.”
Rod Noel, Superintendent of Public Works said he didn’t know of any reason why the city couldn’t allow the signs to be placed on both sides of the street at the three crossing sin question.
“It couldn’t hurt to try,” Noel said.
Councilwoman Neysa Roley echoed Noel’s remark and Councilman Walt Hart made a motion to approve the signs at the three crossings and it passed unanimously.
