Residents in the affluent Erdiston Drive, St Michael community are adamant they do not want the back gate to Erdiston Teachers’ College opened again.
Last week this column highlighted that some parents whose children attended Erdiston Nursery, located at the compound which also houses the college, were pleading with authorities to reopen the gate for periods in the morning and evening. This was so they could get to the nursery easier instead of having to walk for almost an hour along Pine Road to get there.
The gate which was previously utilised as a pedestrian access, was closed in 2016 for security reasons, according to college officials.
On Tuesday, residents of Erdiston Drive fired off a letter to this column insisting that the gate must remain closed. They said they did not want criminal activity and “unruly, noisy schoolchildren” passing through their neighbourhood.
The letter read: “With regard to your article on Page 12 in the NATION newspaper of Monday, 29th January, 2018, regarding security and other issues at Erdiston College, there is another side to this story.
“In the nearly two years since Erdiston’s (pedestrian-only) back gate in April of 2016, the nine households that reside along the length of Erdiston Drive enjoyed an immediate and substantial drop in crime when the gate was closed. We almost celebrated!
“• We do not miss the constant flow of strangers [through] our neighbourhood.
“• We do not miss the unruly, noisy teenage schoolchildren passing [through] at 2:45 p.m.
“• We do not miss the dogs barking as Tom, Dick and
Harry pass [through] at all hours of the day and night.
“• We do not miss the constant criminal break-ins and loiterers!
“• We do not miss early morning attacks and bag-snatchings!
“• We do not miss seeing Erdiston College’s TV sets and other gear being transported on foot to Brittons Hill at 2 a.m.”
The letter concluded: “We hope and pray that management at Erdiston leave this gate closed because local residents do not want a return to previous conditions.”
It was signed – “Erdiston Drive residents – all nine households!”
Apart from Erdiston College and the Erdiston Nursery, the complex also houses Erdiston Special School and New Horizon Learning Institution, both of which also cater to children.
While Dr Leah Garner, chairman of the college, confirmed that the gate was closed due to criminal activity, she said the college would make a decision in the best interest of all the schools which utilised the complex.
“We have made some suggestions to the relevant persons that would help alleviate some of the problems that the schools are having because we have taken into consideration that the complex is just not Erdiston, it is a family of schools together, and whatever decision made, we must encompass the safety of all persons on the grounds.” (MB)