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CLEMMONS — As the 2024-25 school year approaches the Labor Day holiday weekend, the traffic flow around Clemmons Elementary School continues to improve after the implementation of new one-way movements.

In fact, Lt. Jody Chatham of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said in Monday night’s Clemmons Village Council meeting that Principal Wendy Brewington and school officials told him that last year it would have taken 45 to 50 minutes for release and pickup and in his last check it took only 18 minutes.

“That’s phenomenal,” said Chatham, who added that the Sheriff’s Office has now “officially moved away from Clemmons Elementary but still has deputies in the area in case there’s an issue.”

Brewington recalls on the first day of school, Aug. 12, when there were some communications problems involving stacking, but things steadily got better as the week went on. She noted a record time vehicle traffic movement by that Friday, Aug. 16,  

“We started the car rider line at 2:20 p.m., and finished at 2:42 p.m., which was a record for us,” she said of that day. “That morning, everyone was unloaded by 7:55 a.m — right on time for the start of school.” 

Brewington said that she wanted to thank Clemmons officials Mike Gunnell (village manager), Amy Flyte (assistant manager) and Shannon Ford (marketing communications director) along with Chatham (and other Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office personnel) for helping with the traffic improvements.

“It truly takes ‘a village’ to make it all work,” she said.

The council, took action in its July 8 meeting to implement new one-way movements at Clemmons Elementary along James Street from Cook Avenue to Stoney Drive and making Bingham Avenue one way from James Street to Stadium Drive — along with additional signage.

Mayor Mike Rogers said, in responding to concerns from a citizen in improving traffic in the vicinity of the school, “We will continue to monitor and make adjustments/changes as deemed necessary. Manager Gunnell has been ‘boots on the ground’ and around the area monitoring and personally seeing the flow of vehicles. We take our roles as your local representatives seriously and welcome constructive suggestions that will make our community the place we are proud to call our hometown.”

As for West Forsyth, where the village took action involving the sheriff’s office in the spring to help with traffic flow on Lewisville-Clemmons Road with a plan involving no parking or stopping during pick-up/drop-off at the school, Chatham said that things were going OK.

“We’ve had had a few issues and a lot of complaints from people against us because we make them move on and not park in the middle of Lewisville-Clemmons Road, and they don’t have any place else to go,” he said.

Gunnell said that the Sheriff’s Office deputies would be out there until Sept. 9 helping move people along, but after that they will only be there to issue citations.

Chatman added that he talked to a parent, saying “this was a trial period for the first three weeks of school and on Sept. 9 we’ll have to do what we have to do to keep the road clear. So they’ve been warned.”

When asked about any possible solutions going forward, Gunnell said that the solution is internal.

“DOT has a program we’ve talked about before where can ask some of the schools who have problems like West that they will look at them and there are funds available to make changes to the school if everybody can come to an agreement,” Gunnell said. “The Village of Clemmons applied for West Forsyth to receive a study and receive some of those funds. We sat through a meeting with DOT representatives, and they had a possible solution that was presented to the school administration. 

“So they’re waiting for some feedback from the school system where this may move forward. It all depends on how much money it takes to correct the problem. So we’re hoping that this may be a solution for West Forsyth.”

Also in Monday night’s meeting, the council revisited a lengthy debate from the June 10 meeting on placing medallions on the bridges spanning I-40 at the Lewisville-Clemmons Road and Harper Road interchanges.

At that time, it involved putting up to 12 of them at a total price of $30,000, or a cost of $2,500 each, but Flyte said that the number came down to eight medallions at the same cost of $2,500 each for a total price of $20,000 — with money coming from the General Fund.

“Tonight, we’re looking to get consensus to approve the number of medallions or just drop the topic completely,” Flyte said. “All, nothing, something, whatever you like.”

In the first meeting involving the matter, council member Bradley Taylor, who pointed out this was a topic included in a section in the Community Compass on greenways, made a motion to go with 12 medallions with council member Michelle Barson joining him in favor and council members Mary Cameron, Mike Combest and Randy Wooden opposed. 

Then Rogers said the motion failed to carry and suggested moving it to a future meeting for more dialogue.

Again, in Monday night’s meeting it came down to a similar stance with Cameron, Combest and Wooden opposed, Barson saying that this time she was between “all or nothing” instead of in favor as she previously was and that “it sounds like it’s consensus to not do anything.” Taylor said he was in favor of doing four medallions at a total cost of 10,000 but still in favor of seeking some kind of compromise. The ultimate verdict was a consensus for doing nothing.

Combest read a statement on why he was against the council spending money to install medallions.

“The simple reason is there is no evidence that this money will generate any return on investment — and there are far better ways to spend our neighbors’ tax money than on projects that we might find personally inspiring or enhancing,” Combest said. “It could be spent to recruit or retain staff, repairing roads or filling potholes.”

In another business item on Monday night’s agenda, the council approved three culvert replacements (North Lakeshore Drive, Bridle Path and Parkdale Drive) that were lump sum projects, accepting the low qualifying bid of $476,000 from North State Water and Sewer.