The City of Folsom Traffic Safety Committee Meeting went well. We met Don Butler, who represents the District. He told me to contact Debbie Bettencourt, Deputy District Superintendent, regarding the concerns of Prairie Oaks residents, more specifically those of us who live off of Grover, which connects to Iron Point, on Nichols, Stewart, Gardner, Fratis, and Agostini. Since we haven’t gotten assistance from the school, he suggested that maybe it needed to be taken to the District level. I have already contacted Ms. Bettencourt by email. She's on vacation for two weeks, but I'll let you know her response when I know. I sent her a copy of the petition and the items I presented at the meeting.
Most of you who live on the streets mentioned earlier read the original petition, from that I wrote out a statement of the problem, the argument, and the proposed solutions to take to the meeting. Over 100 resident signatures were gathered door to door by Wayne VanBockern, Janet Kiddie, and me, then taken to the meeting. Other residents sent their petitions by mail or FAX to the City of Folsom. Very impressive people!
At the meeting, it was agreed that in order for the Folsom Police Department to be able to help, residents need permits for their vehicles (I imagine only vehicles that are parked on the street need a permit, not those in the garage or driveway) , and signs need to be posted stating “Resident Parking by Permit Only.” Visitor passes will be given to every household. These permits will cost us nothing. If students continue to park in our neighborhoods, which is clearly in violation of FHS rules according to their student handbook, with permit parking it will be a violation of city ordinance too, and they will be cited by the police.
The idea of permit parking is being taken to the city council, as Officer Sterling wants this up and running before school starts in the fall. He is my contact person, so when there is a meeting, he will let me know.
However, the problem remains with the school, which up to this point has not been very receptive to the idea of enforcing their own rules. All agreed that the school needs to require students who drive to school to register, and place a numbered FHS permit on their windshield, so they can be easily identified. The school must also require students to use the student parking lot.
This registration will not only be helpful to residents when we see vehicles parked in our neighborhoods, or students violating the law, but to police who will cite the vehicle, and to FHS staff who can then provide consequences. This can also be useful to businesses, who may need to identify students who have been a problem in their establishments or out in their parking lots.
The pick up and drop of students by parents is still an issue we are working on. The city has posted No Parking at Anytime and No Stopping at Anytime signs along Grover and on Iron Point. The police just need to be present to cite offenders often and remind them where it is legal to drop off or pick up their student.
We understand that not all FHS students or their parents are breaking the rules, but those that do, are making life in our neighborhoods unsafe, traffic congested, and our streets look trashy, which affects the values of our homes. I believe our concerns were heard loud and clear.
To continue to be updated or for further information, please email me your name, address, phone number, and email address, so we can start a directory of concerned citizens to p.o..w.e.r@comcast.net. I will be on vacation from June 27th through July 10th, so if you don’t hear back from me, please be patient.
I’d like to get a representative from each street in our neighborhood, so if you want to volunteer for that role, let me know. We have someone for Agostini, Gardner, and Nichols already. Thank you all for your support, - Kimberly Montgomery
Our voices have P.O.W.E.R. (Prairie Oaks Working Energetically for Residents)
