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Politics & Government

Linn-Mar Student Expresses Concern for Younger Sister to City Council Members

The Linn-Mar student told Marion City Council members he worries about his little sister facing potentially dangerous traffic conditions at an intersections near Novak Elementary.

Marion residents say traffic around Novak Elementary school is a safety hazard for the young students that attend the school.

Ben Christensen, a sophomore at Linn-Mar High School, told Marion City Council members on Thursday that he’s concerned about traffic near Novak Elementary, where his sister, Eve, goes to school. In particular, he thinks traffic at the intersections of 29th Avenue and Third and Fifth Street is dangerous.

“I personally feel that there’s a safety issue here,” he said from the podium at the recent City Council meeting.

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A sharply-dressed Christensen, who interviewed the Marion City Manager prior to the meeting for information about the issue, presented three possible solutions. His suggestions included installing stop signs, installing a traffic light, or adding a pedestrian signal.

City Council members accepted Christensen’s suggestions for further analysis, and agreed to put the issue on the agenda for their Feb. 19 meeting.

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In the meantime, city officials said they will submit the information to the Marion Traffic Advisory Committee to reassess traffic in this area and analyze possible solutions.

Council member Craig Adamson said he has two children who go to Novak, so he understands Christensen’s concern.

But he also commented that the Linn-Mar School District recently spent money on a new pool. Both Christensen and city officials said there had been a struggle in the past over whether the city or the school district should pay for the traffic solution.

Later in the meeting, City Council members heard a public hearing regarding revoking the licenses of two massage parlors involved in a prostitution sting in Marion. The swearing in of new Marion Police officer Jimmie Hunter was postponed due to weather.

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