ADAMS - Following weeks of debate, town and school officials have decided to launch a public service campaign informing residents about the dangers of passing school buses.

At Wednesday's Board of Selectmen meeting, Adams-Cheshire Regional School District Superintendent Alfred W. Skrocki and Police Chief Donald Poirot announced their intent to collaborate with public access Channel 15 to air a series of educational videos about the risks of passing school buses when their lights are flashing.

"We're taking a more coordinated, concentrated effort involving the school system, the bus company, the Police Department and town officials," said Skrocki. "We put together information regarding safety and the role everyone plays in preventing incidents."

The superintendent's comments came after more than 70 Howland Avenue residents signed a petition urging the town to consider the safety of children forced to walk in the street because of snow-covered sidewalks. Shanda Lafave-Modena, the most vocal resident, said cars speeding past stopped buses on the roadway poses another danger for children.

In response to residents' concerns, more police were asked to patrol the Howland Avenue area during school pickup and drop-off times and offenders were stopped when caught passing the bus.

"This has been a show of police support on Howland Avenue," said Poirot. "Concerns of public safety affect the entire community and this shows that when problems are brought to the attention of the right people, it gets addressed."

The informational videos will be shown several times a year during what Skrocki called "key times of the year" and the public service announcements are aimed at "reminding people of the dangers."

"This issue wasn't something we took lightly. We put in a good effort to get down there and address this issue," said Selectmen Edward MacDonald.

Despite reports that more than 100 citations had been issued to school bus passers, police Sgt. David Clark said on Thursday that number was "completely inaccurate, extremely incorrect."

"We issued 164 citations last year in the Howland Avenue area for all kind of violations. That includes speeding, operating under the influence of drugs, operating under the influence of alcohol, etc.," Clark said.

Clark said he did not know the exact number of citations made in the past two weeks for passing stopped school buses.

Asking for Town Input

At Wednesday's meeting, the Selectmen endorsed a letter from the Fire District concerning its expansion, despite the protests of Selectman Donald Sommer.

Currently, 146 households lie outside the Fire District and receive fire protection without paying the fees. The Prudential Committee is looking to the state Legislature to allow it to expand the district to include those outlying households.

Sommer suggested postponing the letter's endorsement until the affected residents could hold a public hearing with the Prudential Committee. Concerns about street lighting needed to be addressed, he said, and a dialogue between the residents and the members of the committee would clarify some of the confusion. His motion failed to receive a second but the Selectmen did agree to hold a public hearing for those households at its next meeting.

"I think there are some problems and those 146 households deserve to have their voices heard," Sommer said.

The Selectmen also voted unanimously to put an article on the town meeting warrant concerning sewer inspection after a Crandall Street resident detailed sewer problems he'd had at his home over the last several years.

Norman Biron requested that the town require a member of the Department of Public Works inspect work to sewer lines done on private property before the area is patched up.

Biron said he had repeated sewer problems totaling more than $6,000 in damages after a contractor failed to completely replace old sewer lines under his driveway. After several sewer backups, someone from the DPW discovered that six feet of sewer line was left untouched, causing major backups on Biron's property.

During his presentation, Biron said he wanted to ensure that other townsfolk didn't have to deal with the same issues.

"There should be some sort of mandate to make sure that contractors are using the right materials, that they're protecting the environment and that they're not damaging the town's sewer lines," Biron said.

Under the current sewer bylaw, no one is required to inspect sewer work done by private companies. Biron said he hopes the warrant article will change the town's approach.

"I just want to make sure others aren't put in the same position I was," he said.

Other Business:

• MacDonald invited Time Warner Cable to make a presentation at the Selectmen's first meeting in February after several townspeople complained of poor high-definition service and scrambled channels.
• Town elections for a three-year Selectmen seat and positions on the Parks Commission and the Planning Board (among others) are available.
• A fiscal 2008 Community Development Block Grant public hearing will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 7:05 p.m. at Town Hall.