(A concerned local resident penned the following letter addressing hazardous traffic conditions on SR 467 (36th Avenue) near Belleview High and Middle Schools. Along with the letter, 152 photos documenting various public safety threats along the roadway were sent individually to each member of the Marion County Board of County Commissioners, the Marion County School Board, and several other local and state officials.)
To Whom This Should Concern:
Eight weeks ago, a twelve year old student was struck with a hit and run driver while leaving Belleview Middle School on S.R 467 also known as 36th Avenue in Belleview, Florida. History shows this is not the only student to have been injured in the past on this roadway. This also marks a tragedy of the highest level due to the complacency and dereliction of the authorities in office in Marion County, Florida.
Over the course of years of phone calls, letters and complaints to request help to prevent the injury of a child, the discussion ended with “The county has no funds “and/ or “this is not on our priority list this year” by a county official.
From 3 p.m. until 4 p.m. every school day, 3356 students ranging from 12 to 18 years of age are dismissed either to buses, private vehicles or they must walk along a 20 foot wide two-lane road.
This road with no sidewalks means one of two things: (1) students walk in the overgrown and weeded ditches, or (2) students walk on the sides of the asphalted roadway. What makes this so dangerous is the proximity of the vehicles to the students as they are as close as 2 feet of the vehicles.
Enclosed: Please find a thumb drive giving evidence of the absence of any type of adult accountability by any member of the schools, the county, or law enforcement. You will see a map of the location, newspaper articles and pictures of students texting, talking and otherwise, oblivious to their surroundings, as they put themselves into the “bullseye of vehicles”.
These photos will stun you as you witness the imminent danger to every child. You will also be an eyewitness to drivers making U-turns and backing from driveways into the tight two-lane road.
What you will not see are any sidewalks, any adult supervision, any crossing guards or crosswalks, any school administration or any law enforcement.
In closing, I understand that this situation is new to some in receipt of this letter, and I ask that you please investigate the policies and infrastructure impacting Marion County, Florida. For those who are aware of this situation-including the Marion County School Board, The Belleview High and Middle School administrators, The Marion County Commissioners and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, I implore you to fulfill your duties and remedy this situation. Failure to act upon these conditions when it is fully evidenced constitutes willful negligence and a dereliction of official duties. It is my sincere hope that action is taken before another Marion County tragedy occurs.
Kathryn Sumner
Photos provided to officials show SE 100th Street, a side road near the schools, that becomes a parking lot during peak hours. (Photo provided by Kathryn Sumner)
In a letter to local officials, Sumner wrote “This road with no sidewalks means one of two things: (1) students walk in the overgrown and weeded ditches, or (2) students walk on the sides of the asphalted roadway.” (Photo provided by Kathryn Sumner)
With no crosswalks, supervision, or sidewalks, students on SR 467 walk a fine line between school and tragedy every day. (Photo provided by Kathryn Sumner)
Several photos show that dismissal time means scooters speeding alongside sedans, a risky mix that’s become the norm. (Photo provided by Kathryn Sumner)
A photo shows chaotic traffic conditions, involving pedestrian students walking nearby moving traffic and business parking lots blocked by parked vehicles. (Photo provided by Kathryn Sumner)
152 photos tell the story: conditions near Belleview schools have turned a daily commute into a dangerous gamble. (Photo provided by Kathryn Sumner)
