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Central Point officials take steps to help kids By Buffy Pollock CENTRAL POINT � Jewett Elementary students soon will no longer have to worry about walking in the road and dodging heavy traffic on their way to school, thanks to three blocks of new sidewalk and the generosity of two government officials. For the last two years, Mayor Bill Walton and Councilman David Gilmour have donated their city stipends to a fund designated toward providing sidewalks in areas where children�s safety is threatened. Walton and Gilmour said they didn�t feel right accepting a monthly stipend for serving the city. "I don�t think it�s fair to take the money," Gilmour said. "I didn�t accept money when I served on the school board. It was voluntary, and I feel like council should be, too." Council members receive $125 a month; the mayor is paid $250. The stipends are intended to offset expenses incurred while serving the city. "My income is higher than the average citizen in Central Point," Gilmour said. "Based on my income, I have to pay taxes on it and I�d rather let the city keep the entire amount. The federal government would just get all of it, anyway." Gilmour said since there are several places in Central Point where children are forced to walk in the road, he and Walton felt sidewalks would be the best use for the money. "Every morning before 8 a.m., kids are walking in the street by Manzanita with traffic speeding by," Gilmour said. "We decided to redirect the money for sidewalks." At about the same time Walton and Gilmour asked the council to redirect their stipends, Walton was teaching two third-grade classes at Jewett about city government and "how (students) could make a difference." Walton said the students asked him why they had no sidewalks and told him how they had to walk in the street and in people�s yards. The children later wrote about 75 letters to City Hall about their concerns. Since a grant was not available for a sidewalk project, Walton said the stipend money was the perfect solution for Jewett. Over two years, Walton and Gilmour�s stipends totaled $9,000. Each linear foot of sidewalk costs approximately $15. Even though the money had to be accumulated before it could be used, it still made a difference, Walton said. "Every little bit helps," he added. Three blocks of sidewalk between Jewett and a nearby park will be finished soon. Gilmour said the council plans to hold a dedication involving the students to show them what their letters achieved. "Let the kids know because of them it happened," Gilmour said. "It�s one thing to put sidewalks in after a child has been badly injured," Walton said. "And another thing to do it before it ever happens. This is good leadership." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.