The owner of a Culver daycare asked the Culver Town Council members Tuesday night to reconsider the direction of traffic during drop-off and pick-up times around the Culver Community Elementary School.
Brandy Pohl told the council members that she recently purchased homes at 454 North School Street and 450 North School Street for day care services. She is going to meet with the Board of Zoning Appeals members next week for a special use permit to operate day care functions in homes originally meant for residential habitation.
She is asking that the traffic ordinance be reconsidered so parents can transport children to the facility traveling north along the street, rather than crossing the street.
“The one-way traffic ordinance on School Street restricts cars from going north from Lake Shore Drive to College Avenue during the time periods of 7:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and from 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. which is school drop-off and pick-up,” explained Pohl.
If the ordinance isn’t amended, Pohl said she may need to look at adding a parking lot at the 454 North School Street location, which is not supported by neighbors in that area. However, the surrounding neighbors do support the day care operations as was voiced during the public input portion of the meeting.
Culver Police Chief Wayne Bean isn’t in favor of changing the ordinance that’s been in effect since 1982.
“We circumvent traffic for a reason,” noted Bean. “It forces people to drop kids off in front of the school in one direction. I promise you you’ll see the cars parking on the east side of the street and those kids will be getting out and crossing the street.”
The Culver Town Council members agreed to hold a work session on the topic prior to the start of their next meeting on Monday, Dec. 30 at 4:30 p.m. ET at the Culver Town Hall.
