Pictured is Persell Middle School, where the replacement of a guide rail is continuing to be a topic of discussion for both the city council and school. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

After multiple discussions regarding concerns about the guide rail that used to sit in front of Persell Middle School being removed following the renovations of Baker Street — and one accident in early January — the Jamestown City Council is in talks with the Jamestown Public Schools to figure out the best and safest way to replace it.

During the latest City Council work session, Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large, asked for an update on the status of that, and Mayor Kim Ecklund said they had talked with the school on the Thursday before the meeting.

“Mark (Roetzer, public works director), presented the school board with two options, and I believe at this point Mark is preparing some numbers, some more defined numbers for them,” Ecklund said.

The estimated cost for the project is now $27,000 to $30,000. Russell said he was originally told $12,000 to $14,000, asking why the price has escalated. Roetzer said the potential plan is to change more to the area than just the guide rail.

“After looking at our options, the plan that we think is best is to remove the sidewalk that’s there and move it back,” Roetzer said. “So, you’re creating more of a buffer and then you’d still have more room to put the guide rail in.”

Additionally, Roetzer said the school did not like the idea of removing the sidewalk completely, thinking it would bring the public up onto their property more. The idea would be to pull it back so it is more defined but still far enough away from the school area. It also moves the guide rail and sidewalk physically apart.

“The guide rail doesn’t necessarily always stop a car,” Roetzer said. “It moves it and the guide rail moves and if the sidewalk is right on top of the guide rail, you can’t guarantee someone is not going to get hurt.”

Roetzer said as of right now the city is still in talks with the school about the project.

During the most recent Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Kevin Whitaker said the talk between the city and the school went well and the plan should be moving ahead relatively soon.

“I think things went really well,” Whitaker said. “We discussed some options. We talked about some possible plans. They (council members) were very receptive. I know that they care a great deal about student safety. We’ve had a couple of incidents of cars over the curb, and they (council members) are looking to address that. So things went very well, and I would look to see some things start to happen soon.”

– Michael Zabrodsky contributed to this report.