LEETONIA Street crews tackle work before school year starts

An official said traffic patterns on the village's north side will change when school opens.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LEETONIA -- Village street crews will be busy in the next few days painting new crosswalks and school zone markers on Walnut Street, signs that school is about to begin.
Village Administrator Gary Phillips said a new sidewalk on Pine Street from Washington Street south to Main Street will be completed Saturday, with plenty of time to spare before Leetonia pupils return to the classroom Sept. 4.
Last year, a new sidewalk was installed on Washington Street from Pine Street north, up Walnut Street past the district's new $17 million school and continuing north to Washingtonville.
Phillips said with the sidewalk projects complete, pupils can walk to school from either end of town and from Washingtonville on new sidewalks.
Leetonia pupils were previously at three different buildings, Washingtonville and Orchard Hill Elementary and the junior-senior high.
Big change
Phillips said bringing all the district's pupils together in one building means traffic patterns on the north side will change drastically once school starts.
"It will take some getting used to," he said. "You'll have all the buses coming and going, and all the parents driving their kids to school will be going to one building, so there will be a lot more traffic."
Phillips said the school zone will remain about the same as it was for Orchard Hill School, but it will be clearly marked on the street. There will also be new signs, he said.
He urged motorists to be aware of the increased traffic and new school-crossing zones at intersections near the school.
School officials said there will also be construction heavy equipment in the area as work continues on the staff and visitor parking lot in front of the school.