To the Editors:
The proposed sidewalk from Helen Keller School to Silverman’s parking lot is, in my view, not a priority; whereas, updating or replacing the EMS building really is. I recognize that there are dollars being offered by the state for the sidewalk project, and those are hard to get and hard to pass up.
Still, the Easton share of the project is in the range of a quarter of a million dollars, and that is nothing to sneeze at. I would much rather see any available funding go toward a new EMS building. Grant Monsarrat, who argues as much in his letter of 3/22/21, is on point in my view. Furthermore, I worry about unsupervised middle-schoolers on the sidewalk along Route 59, which is no suburban street, nor is it a country road.
The argument that kids will be safer on a sidewalk suggests that there’s pedestrian traffic already on that stretch from the school to Silverman’s, but, quite honestly, I have seen little (been here for 27 years), though on occasion I do see a kid walking on Route 59, and that scares me. I really think there is no need to spend money to cut trees, rip up the shoulder of 59 and encourage kids to walk up the road (or skateboard down the hill on a sidewalk).
As for biking, I can’t imagine what that would look like since the sidewalk would hardly be long enough. The Helen Keller campus is really a gem: it’s safe, spacious, and accommodating. Our EMS building, on the other hand, is hardly adequate.
Mark V Bisson
Easton
