Jim Cracknell at Dresden Area Central School. November 30, 2016. (Photo by Natalia Vega) Jim Cracknell at Dresden Area Central School. November 30, 2016. (Photo by Natalia Vega)
Chatham

Staying Put At Dresden Crosswalk

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent won't be paying crossing guards any more, but that's not stopping Jim Cracknell in Dresden.

He has been a crossing guard at Dresden Area Central School for the past two and a half years and will continue to help kids cross the street safely until new pedestrian crossing devices are installed.

"It's a great job," says Cracknell. "Every time [pedestrians] go across the road they're thanking me."

Jim Cracknell at Dresden Area Central School. November 30, 2016. (Photo by Natalia Vega) Jim Cracknell at Dresden Area Central School. November 30, 2016. (Photo by Natalia Vega)

The municipality had decided back in June to replace crossing guards with pedestrian crossover signal devices (PXO). However, the automated devices aren't expected to be installed until May 2017.

"This road is a highway, it's real busy," says Cracknell. "In the spring and fall, it's unreal for the little guys to go across the road."

As a result, Cracknell says Rob and Erin Burnett who own a couple of local businesses in Dresden, approached him to continue helping students cross the road.

"I'm glad to stay on but on the other hand I don't have my stop sign anymore," says Cracknell. "If a kid decides to go across the road, what can you do?"

Cracknell isn't the only one concerned with the "what ifs" regarding the school crossing.

Kevin Canniff goes to the school to pick up his grandson on a regular basis and says he's not happy with the municipality taking away the crossing guard program.

"I think that it was a bad decision on their part," says Canniff. "I think they needed to talk to a lot more people or maybe they needed to have some kids of their own and let them cross the road here and see how dangerous it is."

Once the crossing devices are installed, Cracknell says he'll stop his crossing guard duties.

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