CROTHERSVILLE
People lining up in their vehicles along a street to pick up children from Crothersville Elementary School may have to find a different place to wait.
Jim Martin, a 10-year resident of Main Street Circle, recently told the Crothersville Town Council that people speed in the area to get a spot in line, block driveways, turn around in driveways and leave trash and cigarette butts on people’s property.
When the housing addition was constructed it was considered private property, so the street never was accepted by the town.
Because of that, town attorney Jeff Lorenzo said the town is not responsible for maintenance and paving of the street, but speed limits can apply and be enforced.
According to the town ordinance, if there is no posted speed limit on a street, it’s enforced as 30 mph. Martin said 30 mph is too fast for Main Street Circle.
The council gave Lorenzo approval to draft an ordinance to post 15 mph speed limit signs on Main Street Circle along with signs that read “No parking or standing. Residential use only.”
The ordinance will be introduced during the council’s next meeting, set for 6 p.m. July 11 at Crothersville Town Hall.
The penalties would be $50 for a parking violation and between $75 and $125 for a speeding violation, depending on how much a motorist exceeds the posted speed limit.
“I just want some kind of answer because this is getting ridiculous,” Martin said. “Somebody is going to get hit and killed. We had 10 kids there when we moved in. Now, we’ve got in excess of 20.”
Martin said he has discussed the issues with school officials. When picking up a child, the school requires a person to be in a vehicle in the line.
“I would like to know who in the world gave those people permission to park on my property to begin with,” Martin said. “We’ve lived there for 10 years, and the last three years have gotten worse and worse. If you go out and say something to somebody, they act like they own the place. … I know they are only there for maybe a half-hour or 45 minutes at the most, but they don’t have any business coming down there and making a nuisance.”
Also during the council meeting, town resident Rita Brandenburg expressed concerns about speed limits on other streets.
The town ordinance states most streets have a 30 mph speed limit. The exceptions are school zones and Industrial Way, which both are 20 mph.
Brandenburg said 30 mph is excessive in residential areas within town limits, especially considering at least two people, including her father, have been hit by speeding vehicles.
“My concern is with children being out playing,” she said. “We’re encouraging families to move into the area, and these are all residential areas. … We should not be driving at a 30 mph rate.”
Councilman Bob Lyttle said he thinks the posted speed limits are fine, but he suggested police officers try to monitor areas known for speeding and report the trouble spots to the council.
“It doesn’t take too many that gets caught, and it will get the word out,” he said.
Councilwoman Danieta Foster said speed limit signs work when police are nearby.
Brandenburg said she realizes police officers can’t be everywhere every minute, but she would like to see as much enforcement as possible.
“For the size of the town and the budget we have to work with, our guys do a tremendous job. They really step up and get a lot of things done that a lot of other communities look the other way on, and I’m very proud of that,” she said. “But it’s one of those things that to be able to enforce it, we’ve got to have something there for them to enforce.”
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What: Crothersville Town Council meeting
When: 6 p.m. July 11 (meeting moved a week later because of the Fourth of July)
Where: Crothersville Town Hall, 111 E. Howard St.
Who: Open to the public and press
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