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Slippery snowbank puts schoolchildren at risk

Feb 22, 2008 | Katie Drake | The Salt Lake Tribune

Banks of frozen snow and ice have made the trek home from school dangerous for students at Hillsdale Elementary in West Valley City.
    The dirty, frozen piles of old snow run from the school, located at 3275 W. 3100 South, west to about 3400 West. The banks are a result of this winter's above-average snowfall, which is pushed off the street by plows clearing 3100 South.
    With no parking strip, the snow is piled directly on the sidewalk and covers the curb, leaving school children no option but to walk on the snow pile less than 3 feet from traffic.
    Jerry Shepherd walks along the crowded banks each day to pick up his granddaughter, who is a second grader at Hillsdale. He has seen two children slip off the bank and fall into the street. The largest danger comes from the high volume of traffic along the sidewalk as scores of children rush home from school each day.
    "You know how kids are," Shepherd said. "They're pushing and they're running and they're shoving."
    Jessie Cisneros, 11, a sixth-grader at Hillsdale said smaller children seem to have the most trouble. The older children are more sure on their feet and often run up on the frozen snow, and smaller kids are often left to fend for themselves in the jostling crowd.
    Jessie also worries for himself. He said it would be easy to "slip and fall and get my head smashed."
    School officials are concerned about the issue, but have no authority since the banks, which have been in place for several weeks, are on private property.
    Hillsdale assistant principal Steve Taylor said school officials have repeatedly asked students to be careful, but have not had much success, since the children consider sliding on the snow fun.
    "I've seen kids jump into the street, I've seen kids fly," said Nancy Jones, who walks along 3100 South to pick up her second-grader son.
    Jones even saw one car come onto the sidewalk. The driver was going too fast when trying to turn, and slid up the ramp of ice.
    West Valley City Code Enforcement has now stepped in. Celia Kenney, the code enforcement supervisor, said the snowbanks are on property situated on corner lots, whose houses face away from 3100 South.
    Code enforcement officers have issued warnings to residents to have the snow cleared off by this weekend or possibly receive citations Monday.
    The snowbanks might also become a community service opportunity. Kenney has contacted the juvenile court, and teens in the program might be deployed to try and remove the ice.
    The knowledge the banks will disappear before spring thaw is good news to Shepherd, who worries that children could be injured on the melting and shifting ice. He is glad someone is finally listening.
    "I don't think anyone's trying to be negligent," Shepherd said. "The main thing is to keep those kids safe."