(file photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

In the chambers

Stunting a concern at NBCHS parking lot

May 27, 2022 | 9:00 AM

North Battleford Mayor David Gillan is hoping drivers in the parking lot at a local high school will be respectful and follow safe driving practices after hearing some recent concerns.

He raised the issue at this week’s council meeting.

Gillan said the city received some calls from Caleb Village retirement home, that is located close to the property, about many cases of drivers stunting and speeding in the back parking lot of North Battleford Comprehensive High School (NBCHS) that is close to their property. The issue of littering was also raised.

“I saw it myself just the other day; a young person coming out at 3:30 [p.m.] and creating such a smoke from burning his tires in the middle of a busy parking lot,” Gillan said. “I thought: It’s so dangerous.”

Gillan was also upset about drivers throwing garbage onto the school parking lot.

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“I saw it; they just throw it right out the window of their vehicles, right out onto the parking lot,” he said. “It’s just unacceptable. That’s blowing all over the community.”

The mayor added the city’s employees then need to pick up the garbage when it scatters everywhere in the area, and over onto the adjacent property.

“I thought: That’s creating work for us too, this nonsense,” Gillan said. “There has to be some respect for the school, the property.”

Gillan wanted to know what the city could do about the issue, and what the high school could do as well in managing their parking lot.

“[With] everyone speeding, getting into their cars,” he added. “This is just an accident waiting to happen.”

City manager Randy Patrick said the parking lot is on the school’s property and the school does have an obligation to maintain it.

“We’ll give them a call and ask how we can cooperate, to see what can be done that way,” he said.

The issue of noisy mufflers was also discussed.

Patrick said the Community Safety Officers (CSOs) can look into doing seasonal muffler checks in the community, which might help.

Coun. Len Taylor recommended neighbouring property owners reach out to NBCHS administration and say how the issue is affecting them, whether it’s the noise or the amount of garbage that blows into an adjacent parking lot of an apartment building or a home.

“It’s just the good neighbour policy again, and ensure your own property is protected,” he said. “I don’t even know how the CSO drives through the parking lot of the Comprehensive High School at 3:30 in the afternoon when everybody else is trying to get out of the parking lot.”

Taylor said if anyone was speeding coming out of the parking lot onto the city street the CSOs would be able to catch them right away.

“I see the CSO cars out there fairly often,” he said.

Coun. Ross MacAngus said the challenge with having CSO vehicles parked beside the school to catch potential culprits is that “kids see those things a mile a way.” But he noted CSO cars with ghost decals can be effective since they are less noticeable.

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW