Renwick St. Crosswalk Passions Flare

Passions were high at the Monroe City Council meeting Tuesday night, June 22, 2021 as speaker after speaker spoke on the need to place a school's name on the pedestrian bridge located across HWY 165 in Monroe, LA. The Renwick St. crosswalk has served the Booker T. community for decades, as it has been a bridge (a real one) connecting two neighborhoods. Many regular pedestrians use it to walk above the busy HWY 165 and many school age kids use it as a predominant access point to attend classes at Carroll High School located on Renwick St. The issue on the city council's agenda was whether the city was going to spend $400,000 to "make repairs and other renovations" to the bridge that is long overdue, and how the crosswalk was going to be represented by the city. Initial plans were for the bridge to be repainted and place fencing and lights on/around it. There would also be a sign that says, "City of Monroe" on it, as the bridge is a "gateway" through the city since Hwy 165 is a major thoroughfare in Ouachita Parish. Carroll High alumni didn't receive that proposal well, as many Booker T. residents and Carroll Principal Eric Davis declare that Carroll's school colors should be painted on the crosswalk, with the sign, "Carroll, Home of the Bulldogs" instead. Everyone agreed that work needs to be done to the crosswalk, and that should include ensuring the walkway is structurally sound and not just esthetically pleasing.

Several people who have used the walkway shared that the bridge often shakes as 18-wheelers and fast vehicles travel under it. The city owns the bridge, but because the state maintains the right of way, federal funding would and could go a long way in bringing the crosswalk into compliance. Several suggested that a study should be done to look for ways to secure more funding, as one speaker said, that one wouldn't do major work to their home that just consisted of fencing, painting, and lights if it needed more repairs. The Renwick St. crosswalk is a significant part of the Carroll neighborhood because of the thousands of children who have walked across it on their way to school. The crosswalk, in one sense, belongs to the school; it is a part of the school's past, and supporters feel that it should be recognized on the crosswalk.

Councilwoman Juanita Woods, representing the Booker T community, claimed that she has been trying to get some form of recognition for Carroll on the crosswalk. She shared a text from LA Senator Katrina Jackson that yielded it could be possible to display the school's colors on the crosswalk. There was also an issue of no Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation on the crosswalk project. City of Monroe Engineering Department leader Kim Golden said that no DBE businesses could be found that are certified to sandblast the crosswalk because of lead paint. Still, supporters said that Carroll's name should be on the crosswalk "to honor" the students who have lost their lives from accidents on the highway. Just before the meeting ended, new officers were elected. District 4 Councilman Carday Marshall moves up from Vice-Chairman to Chairman, succeeding Doug Harvey of District 5. Councilwoman Kema Dawson was selected as Vice-Chair.