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The town of Holland and the county are somewhat less than eager to contribute to a set of flashing crosswalk signs for the new Prairie View Elementary, turning what was hoped to be a four-way split into a possible two-way cost share.
After a lengthy discussion at last week’s town of Holland board meeting, the matter was tabled indefinitely.
“If someone wants to take it off the table, we’ll talk about it again,” said town chairman George Hammes in an interview Tuesday.
Board members questioned the cost, the location and the need for the flashing lighted signs. The signs would be the same as those already in place at other schools in the district and would cost about $12,000 plus installation.
Hammes said that the trail leading to the new school’s crosswalk is snow-covered several months of the year. He said he questions how much the crosswalk on Hwy. HD will get used, whether the lights are justified and what if anything town of Holland taxpayers should contribute.
School district officials hoped the cost would be split four ways between the district, village, the county and the town of Holland. The county Public Works and
Infrastructure Committee met this week and put off a decision to pay the county’s quarter of the cost.
The committee will take up the matter again after 60 days while the county highway department conducts speed and traffic surveys in the area.
That may leave the Holmen School District and the Village of Holmen holding the bag.
“I’m going to have a tough time selling this to my committee,” county supervisor Charles Spiker told the village of Holmen board last week. Spiker, who gives regular reports to the village board, also chairs the public works and infrastructure committee.
The district also is requesting to reduce the speed limit from 55 mph to 45 mph near the school. Village of Holmen Public Works Director Robert Haines said the school district already had ordered the signs and agreed to pay for them with the idea that the municipalities would reimburse them later.
“The school has stuck their neck out a little bit,” Haines said. Village President Nancy Proctor said that in meetings with the school district, officials indicated that the lights would be turned off during those times when school is not in session.
Holmen village board members last week approved to pay 25 percent of the cost of the project.
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