For over a year, Wiscasset residents have vented on social media about speeding in school zones. They remain frustrated because, while the middle and high schools received new flashing speed limit signs, the elementary school has not.
The current school zone sign on Federal Street outside Wiscasset Elementary School. Photo contributed by Darrell Bryer
“Cars speed around the corner of Federal and Washington at an extraordinary speed. There’s really no excuse,” Cynthia Pappas wrote last week.
The school district purchased two flashing signs last spring and installed them at the high school and middle school, according to Director of Transportation and Maintenance John Merry.
He said the middle school and high school became a top priority after a truck destroyed one of the original flashing signs, leaving that school zone unprotected.
Realizing the elementary school still needed new signs, Merry said the district submitted a grant proposal to the Maine Department of Transportation, which sponsored a program providing new signage to 10 different districts across the state.
Wiscasset was chosen to be a recipient, but the signs remained on backorder for six months. Merry said the signs arrived at the end of December, and he is currently negotiating with a contractor to install them. He said due to the frost on the ground, the installation will have to wait until spring.
School parent Darrell Bryer said he knows the police are doing all they can to prevent people from speeding in school zones, but they can’t be there at all hours.
“If the school resource officer or day shift officer is not on another call, they can be in those areas, but it is not a scheduled assignment,” said Wiscasset Police Chief Lawrence Hesseltine.
In a previous Times Record article, Hesseltine said from Jan. 1 to April 1 of last year, officers stopped 22 vehicles for speeding in school zones during morning hours and 16 vehicles during afternoon hours. Of the 38 vehicles pulled over, police gave citations to four drivers.
Hesseltine said he didn’t know how many have been pulled over for speeding so far this year.
“If people have a complaint about speeding vehicles in any area of town, I encourage them to call dispatch at (207) 882-8202 and report it so it can be documented and properly looked into,” Hesseltine said.
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