Dallastown PA School Board Creates Unsafe Conditions on Merrin Road

Mark Clark
| York Daily Record

The Dallastown Area School Board recently approved construction of a new ramp at York Township Elementary School that will connect to Merrin Road in York Township. The purpose of the ramp is to provide access for students to drop off.

Merrin Road is currently a small residential street serving 24 homes. The road ends at a recreation area in back of York Township Elementary School, with no vehicular access.

When our development was built in the late 1950s, driveways requiring short and turning points were never considered. With the slopes and short distances, it prevents the construction of turning points on most residents’ properties. This requires virtually every vehicle to reverse onto the road. With the minimal use of our street, this has never been a problem.

It is also very difficult to drive onto Leader Heights Oais at the moment and sometimes many of us turn right and take a road on the other side (to turn left) towards South Queen Street. It is also unsafe to drive onto Merrin Road especially during rush hour (reportedly the time parents will use our street) when there is a standstill of traffic heading east and turning left onto Merrin Road with vehicles going around a blind bend in the road. Our son was hit from behind when he turned east onto Merrin Road.

It has been reported that the use of school buses has not been ruled out, nor has the creation of a single road to the school and not an exit on the school grounds. It would be impossible to prevent vehicles from leaving the school because if one of these parents thinks they can get out quickly, they will come back this way. Also, this would be closer for drivers going to I-83. Also, there has been no discussion about installing a gate that can open and close during the hours that it is not in use. These are just options that I do not find acceptable for our safety.

I personally believe the school board found the cheapest solution and never considered the safety of our small community and parents/students entering/exiting Merrin Road. Plans are currently underway to rezone the Myers farm to residential and commercial which would make driving in and out of our small neighborhood even more unsafe (if approved). York Township staff has already approved the ramp/access permit, but the township ramp ordinance contains a statement about creating unsafe conditions that would not allow a ramp/access ramp. Could this lead to future litigation?

Also, no one ever brought this to our attention until the afternoon of July 25th, with the meeting that evening. That is when the school board voted to proceed with the construction and awarded the contract for the construction. Only two residents I know were outside and told us about the meeting. It was nice that a board member drove up and down the road, but that was totally unacceptable. The school principal was supposed to discuss this information with residents of Merrin Road, but that obviously never happened. Shouldn’t this be considered an access road?

Any help that can be given to slow this construction down and come to a better solution with all issues answered is very important. Time is of the essence as construction begins in 2 weeks +/-. Our school going students walk this way to the bus stop at Leaders Heights Road which contributes to unsafe conditions. Could this also lead to a lawsuit?

All residents need to know that the superintendent and board have not been transparent about this project. What else has been done that none of us know about?

These comments are my own and do not represent the entire community.

Mark Clark lives in York Township.

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Dallastown PA School Board Creates Unsafe Conditions on Merrin Road

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