Crossing guards get kudos for job well done

Bay Village crossing guards were honored at a recent city council meeting. Pictured, from left, are: Joe King, Bonnie Willson, Audrey Weil, Bob Specker, Robin Scobee, Nicki Hazeldine, Mary Frances Steirer, Rose Quarick, Laura Berry, Sgt. Kathy Leasure, Mike O'Boyle and Chief Mark Spaetzel. Not pictured: Leah Seitz, Ron Lorentz, Dick Ormsby, Dianne Mueller, Fred Steele. Photo by Denny Wendell

The Bay Village Police Department held a special recognition ceremony during the Oct. 19 City Council session to recognize the city’s school crossing guards. Police Chief Mark Spaetzel and myself, the liaison between the police department and the school guards, wanted to offer a special thank you for all the hard work they have done over the last several years. 

Our guards perform at an exemplary level to make sure the children get across the street safely while on their way to/from school. This is done every day of the school year, without complaint, but not without its challenges. 

One of the biggest hurdles facing our guards is watching for the countless drivers who are impatient and in a hurry or even the other drivers who are too oblivious to the things that go on around them. I am sure all of our guards have lost count of the numerous times they have had to jump out of the way in order to not be hit. 

Another thing we take for granted is while most of us work in a setting where the climate is controlled, our guards have to remain outside and battle the elements.  

With help from Beth McCloud, I compiled a few statistics to show what they have gone through the past couple years. Weather extremes include record lows (a morning chill of -11 degrees on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, 2014, two of six record-breaking low temperature days that year) and oppressive heat (a high of 96 on Sept. 10, 2013). In 2014, our area saw the seventh-snowiest February with almost 24 inches, and the fourth-snowiest November with nearly 20 inches. All told, that year brought 88 inches of snowfall, far exceeding the average 68 inches.

Overall, 2014 was just a bad year to be standing outside but these guards did it admirably.

“They’re out there in the ice, snow, rain, sleet, hail, just like the post office,” said BVPD Chief Mark Spaetzel, “and they go out there and do their job tremendously.”