Township Commissioners OK Engineering Study Near Kratzer

In response to a resident's concerns about speeding vehicles, the South Whitehall commissioners have approved an engineering study of Whitehall Avenue and Huckleberry Road near the Kratzer Elementary school.

The study will cost $1,900 to $2,200, but the township will split the expense with the Parkland School District, according to information presented at a meeting of the South Whitehall Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, April 20.

If approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and if the study warrants it, the township would install "School Zone" signs to improve safety conditions near the school.

The study follows concerns raised by a resident of the 1700 block of Whitehall Avenue months ago at a commissioners' meeting. He said he was concerned about his children's safety because of vehicles that he said speed along Whitehall Avenue and Huckleberry Road. The resident's children attend Kratzer elementary school.

Township Commissioner Dale Daubert questioned the need to spend $2,200 on the study, when it was obvious that something needed to be done to improve safety.

Assistant Township Engineer Ralph Russek Jr. said "study" was probably not the best word to describe the work that needed to be done to get approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for possible "School Zone" signs. He said a traffic count would need to be done as part of an application process, for example.

The commissioners were unanimous in approving the engineering study after Commissioner Howard Ellsworth pointed out that money aside, the safety concerns were legitimate. "It's our kids," he said.