Darbie O'Donnell Advertisement

It may sound surprising but as a local Pahrump youth recently proved, you don't have to be an elected official to spur positive changes in your community.

When Darbie O'Donnell, 12, grew concerned about the vehicles rushing past kids waiting at the bus stop near Linda and Fairbanks streets, she decided it was time to take action.

She insisted her mother, Deanna O'Donnell, a reporter for Channel 41, call the Nye County Sheriff's Office and request a deputy to patrol the area to slow down the passing cars.

Although a deputy was stationed, overall the officer's presence had little effect.

Darbie knew firsthand how treacherous waiting for a bus on an unpaved road with no sidewalk could be.

"At my bus stop the kids play football while they wait," she explained. "People just drive by and go really fast."

Not wanting anyone to get accidentally hurt, Darbie and Deanna took advantage of the election year and began to attend candidates' "meet and greet" functions.

They explained their concerns to just about anyone who would listen, candidates and already-elected officials alike.

It wasn't long before several members of the Pahrump Town Board and Sean Brooks, town board candidate, had their interest perked and began working on a way to solve the problem.

By the time the town board's last regular meeting rolled around July 22, the issue was on the agenda, sponsored by Brooks and board member Dan Sprouse.

Although the board didn't take action at the meeting, the resulting discussion and research presented by Brooks brought to light an often overlooked issue facing this rural town.

Brooks proposed changing the speed limit to 25 mph for all the streets surrounding a block where a bus stop is located and additionally proposed removing the bus stops on Highways 372 and 160.

The limit would include all streets except those on which the speed limit is 55 mph or higher.

Brooks pointed out that speed limits exist for areas where there might be pedestrians , such as parks, residential neighborhoods and school zones, but questioned why there were no limits placed on areas where kids were required to stand.

"I understand that when a bus stops to pick up children, passing cars must also stop," Brooks said. "But what about the time before that, when kids are waiting for the bus? ... Why can't we slow our speed when we know there are pedestrians waiting on the side of the road? The children waiting for the school bus have nowhere to stand but in the dirt and on the side of roads."

The candidate also noted statistics from the state Department of Transportation that cited pedestrian accidents as the largest killer of children ages 5 to 9, often due to kids "darting out" into the street without looking left or right.

Sprouse pointed out the town has an ordinance allowing the board to set speed limits, but board member Don Rust questioned whether the authority doesn't really lie with the county.

As a result, a motion to amend the town's speed limit ordinance was tabled until further information can be gathered.

All board members, however, expressed an interest in working in conjunction with both the county and school district to address the matter.

Brooks' proposition received a lot of support from meeting attendees, including Nye County Commission candidate Harley Kulkin.

"The speed limits are far too fast," Kulkin said. "I feel that most of the streets in Pahrump should be 25 miles per hour, with the exception of Homestead and Bell Vista, which could be 35."

In fact, Kulkin said he has contacted NDOT before about the bus stops on Highway 160 when he saw his kids crossing the highway to get on the bus.

"I've never seen so many bus stops as I have in this town," he continued. "When I was a child growing up in L.A., if you were within five miles of a school you walked or rode bicycles."

Resident Dave Stevens, as usual, made no bones about his feelings on the matter.

"I support this speed limit," Stevens said. "But you're going to have to hire another dozen sheriffs to enforce it. We need more police in this town. There's more wrecks in this town than any place I've ever seen. This town, just about the whole town, is a speed trap."

Darbie hopes some action will be taken to address the issue but said she is glad it was at least addressed at the board meeting.

"I think it'll help because people can get hurt," she said.