On Thursday April 14, Principal MacNaughton shared an email with the community and staff stating that Franklin Ave. would be undergoing a sidewalk project to “…ultimately provide a safer environment for students who walk along Franklin Avenue”. Starting on April 16 From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., construction was mostly ongoing after the start of the school day with a pause during dismissal. The estimated time for the project was about 2 weeks and construction stayed true to that timeline. Many are excited about the arrival of the new addition, “an important improvement for our school community.”

Underclassmen, who normally walk down to the Starbucks, McDonald’s, or Wendy’s after school, seem to be thrilled about this new sidewalk, despite their upset over the inconvenience of actual construction, “The construction was very obnoxious and loud. When you would walk on the sidewalk there was a lot of dust, and because we couldn’t walk on the sidewalk that was being built, we had to walk on the road which was very dangerous,” shared freshmen Elijah Ortiz. Similarly, “The addition to the sidewalk was good but the construction made it very annoying to cross the street,” added sophomore Will Knoth. 

While this construction caused minor and temporary inconveniences for students, many agree that the finished sidewalk has been a positive improvement on Franklin. Although some were disrupted, the benefits that have come with this new project outweigh the temporary nuisances it caused. Now, with the finished sidewalk, numerous students and residents are thrilled with the results, and are elated to finally walk down a safer street.