School and town officials are pushing to shield a Yorktown school?s athletic field from two busy roads.
The school?s athletic field is next to routes 202 and 35, some of the busiest roads in the area. Officials say no children have ever been injured by a car that came off the road, but they don?t want to risk it happening in the future.
?Everybody knows when they pass by [the field] and the kids are playing,? Yorktown Supervisor Don Peters says. ?Heaven forbid we ever have an accident ? this is going to protect our children.?
The field is used throughout the school year for a variety of sports, so the guardrail will serve its purpose year-round.
?It?s not only for the safety of our students, but also for all of their parents and our other students who come out to watch the teams,? Yorktown School Superintendent Ralph Napolitano says.
The plans call for the town to erect 668 feet of metal guardrail along the edge of the field. Normally, a project of this sort would be completed by the state, since routes 202 and 35 are controlled by the state Department of Transportation. However, town officials say the DOT does not have the necessary funds to complete the project, so the Yorktown Highway Department will take it on.
The project is expected to cost less than $2,000 since the material for the guardrail is being donated.