Bus boosts student safety
Clyde River takes delivery, anxiously awaits operator
Casey Lessard
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 13, 2014
KANGIQTUGAAPIK/CLYDE RIVER
Their children walk for half an hour to school in the dead of winter, and have to keep an eye out for polar bears all the way.
It's no wonder, then, that parents in Clyde River are eager to see a new school bus start shuttling students to and from Quluaq School.
The 12-seat bus, which has two spots for special needs children, arrived on a sealift this past summer. The plan is for it to serve three zones - central, north and south, principal Ron Pate said.
"It's going to be better because children aren't going to be as cold and won't have to walk as much," said Kalluk Darlene Sanguya, whose son is in Grade 3 at the school.
They are among those families who live the farthest from the school.
"When we walk up there, it's a half-hour walk to home, and there's a lot of children in my area," said Sanguya.
Hamlet officials agree.
"It's needed," said chief administrative officer John Ivey. "Particularly here. That walk up the hill has been an expressed concern since I've been here. This will provide some security."
The school has used a van to transport special needs students, but other students had no access to transportation to and from school. The new bus, worth about $85,000, will likely do three runs. It won't be able to accommodate all 344 students at the school, but will serve those needing it most.
"I call it a lifeline," Pate said. "It's a link between home and school, something they've never had before."
And he believes attendance will improve as well.
"Some of them walk quite a ways," he said. "Right now they're getting here on their own. We're not doing too bad attendance wise, but I think attendance will go up because of the bus."
The only delay is finding a contractor to drive the bus. Ivey said the hamlet has committed to being the last resort service provider if no local businesses put in a bid. The tender closed last week.
"I believe we're the only organization bidding on it," he said. "We've been really reasonable in our quote. We just want to get the bus running. I'm getting pressure to get the bus on the road. We're going to provide housing no matter who is awarded the contract to operate it. We've committed to seeing that it's stored in a proper heated garage."
And for those who aren't going to take advantage of the service, the hamlet is working to improve walking conditions with the installation of new street lights. Ivey hopes they'll be put in next year.
