COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Perhaps no one appreciates the new rapid flashing beacons outside Winton Elementary School more than Jennifer Stilkey and Adelle Bondurant, reports the Coeur d'Alene Press.
The two crossing guards take it upon themselves to be sure students are safe when vehicles are around.
"This will bring the awareness that there's a crosswalk here for these kids," Stilkey said Wednesday afternoon.
She said, with new developments in the area, more drivers are using LaCrosse Avenue just outside Winton. While the majority are attentive to the school zone, a few can be distracted.
The beacons on both sides of the crosswalk are very noticeable.
"You can't miss that visual," Stilkey said of the flashing lights that were demonstrated Wednesday for a crowd of city officials and Rotary Club members. "When the kids hit that, those lights go off. It's more safe for us and more safe for the kids."
Bondurant agreed it will help alert drivers before and after school.
"It's a blessing," she said.
The rapid flashing beacons, or RFBs, cost about $8,500.
The funding for the project came from two Rotary clubs, Coeur d'Alene Sunrise and Coeur d'Alene, Tapley Cabinet Works, Idaho Central Credit Union, TL Properties, Numerica Credit Union and a Rotary District Grant from The Rotary Foundation.
The city installed the equipment and will own and maintain it.
Rotary member Karen Cook said it is the third crosswalk beacon project that Sunrise Rotary has done to improve crosswalk safety for students in the Coeur d'Alene School District. The first two were on Harrison Avenue at Bryan Elementary and on Pennsylvania Avenue at 21st Street for Fernan STEM Academy.
"We want to keep the kiddos safe," she said.
Principal Eileen Blough was pleased.
"We appreciate it so much," she said to the group.
Todd Feusier, Coeur d’Alene Streets Department director, said the city has about 25 RFBs, with many near schools, including one most-recently installed near Skyway Elementary.
He said they are effective and do get drivers' attention.
But even with the flashing yellow lights, Feusier told students they must be alert and cautious when crossing because drivers might not stop.
When students push the button, they’ll hear beeping and see the flashing yellow lights.
"They don't walk until they see me in the middle of the road, and then I motion them," Stilkey said. "They don't walk until I'm there and they know it's safe."
The Coeur d'Alene Press is a KREM 2 news partner. For more from our partners, click here.
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