PARENTS, SCHOOL, COMMUNITY LEADERS FINALLY WIN CAMPAIGN FOR NEEDED SAFETY MEASURE There’s a new crosswalk at Ocean Beach Elementary — and this time, no one’s taking it away.
The twisting, turning tale of the now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t crosswalk at Ocean Beach Elementary is finally over. And like a well-told story that precedes kindergarten naptime, the ending is happy and satisfying.
Dozens of grateful parents, community leaders and citizens — as well as a few television camera crews — showed up bright and early to the official ribbon-cutting Oct. 1 of the mid-block crosswalk to observe the event.
Most gathered to offer thanks to the group of volunteers who rallied community support to make it happen. And more than a few, undoubtedly, planned to cast a watchful eye to make sure this crosswalk — unlike the one it has replaced — stays right where it is.
Ever so briefly, there was a crosswalk at the site several years ago in the middle of the 4700 block of Santa Monica Avenue, which allowed students to cross from the north side of the street to the 100-plus-year-old school on the south. It also connected two kindergarten classrooms on the north side to what those students call the “big school.”
But, in an incident that could be a case study for bureaucratic gaffes, a city crew came back within days to undo the crosswalk and pour black paint on top of the yellow lines. City officials said they had no choice when someone realized the site lacked a streetlight, which by law must accompany a mid-block crosswalk.
Public pressure finally paid off when the streetlight was installed in January, followed by a new crosswalk late in the school year.
When he arrived on the job two years ago, school principal Marco Drapeau found the crosswalk was one of the first matters on the agenda. “There was a file this thick waiting for me in my office when I got here. We had a lot of people working on this a long time,” he said.
Many of those people were on hand for the commemoration. There was Suzy Reid, a mother who serves in leadership roles on the school’s Site Governance Team and School Site Council, who succeeded in enlisting the support of the Ocean Beach Town Council last year. So was Nicole Burgess, a pedestrian-bicycling activist who helped secure a state grant to buy safety equipment for the crossing guards.
It was also a special day for Joseph “Moondoggie” Piña, who stepped forward to volunteer as a crossing guard three years ago after the school canceled its Safety Patrol. (Students who used to work as crossing guards were deemed too young when the school changed to a kindergarten-through-fourth-grade configuration.)
“I went to a meeting and asked why there weren’t crossing guards, and (former principal) Maggie Johnson said, ‘Oh, are you volunteering?’” Piña said.
After a week of trying to control speeding cars, illegal U-turns and double parking, Piña had second thoughts.
“They just issued me a vest and put me out there. It was total chaos. I was out here getting run over. I didn’t want to come back the next week,” he said.
Just when his morale was at an ebb, a second volunteer — Wayne Simard – stepped forward, and the two realized they made a good team.
“He’s the good cop, I’m the bad cop,” Simard said. “He was like, ‘We have to be friendly. Use the nice voice.’ I’m like, ‘I’m from Boston. Don’t mess with me.’”
Since then, other volunteers — Joe Grau, Julie Frieburger, Matt Wood, Caleb Webb and Jack Shaw — have stepped forward, but Piña and Simard are the two who maintain the highest visibility.
“It’s very important to listen to Moondoggie and Mr. Wayne,” police officer Amber Banning said at morning assembly. “They are out here to keep you safe.”