Abilene's Safety City for 40 years has been about youngsters and community effort
"It's about the kids."
There were many speakers on a pleasant late Tuesday afternoon at Safety City, thus many acknowledgements and shout-outs. But Jacyees member Jerry Love summed up the celebration in four words.
As did Arrow Ford's Seaton Higginbotham. And Fire Chief Cande Flores.
"It's all about community," both said, at separate times.
Getting a LIFT when needed
As night came on and the lights at south-side facility began to glow, 40 years of community service was celebrated at what officially is Melvin Martin Center for Children's Safety.
The retired police chief and his wife, MaryAnn, were there, along with others who more than four decades ago saw a need for educating youngsters on how to be safe on streets.
The project has evolved over the years, exceeding expectations when it opened in 1981.
A historical marker was unveiled after a ribbon was cut for the remodeled Arrow Ford location there. Arrow Ford has been a local business partner since it started.
And speaking of partners, the dealership partnered with the Abilene ISD's LIFT (Leadership and Innovation in Future Technologies) to construction a kids' version of its facility for big kids. LIFT Director Jay Ashby said carpentry and metal work were done at the southeast Abilene campus by students.
"The hardest part was getting it out of the shop and over here," Ashby said.
The Arrow building is a replica of its North First Street site. It joins others that included a McDonald's, the Paramount Theatre (which never stops showing "Cars") and even banks and credit unions.
A ribbon-cutting was held at the mini dealership Tuesday.
Safety City is where mostly third-graders come to be taught, well, safety in the city. How to ride bikes safety, and to look for cars before crossing streets.
AISD Superintendent David Young lamented that his family moved to Abilene when he entered the fourth grade.
"You know what that meant," he said. No Safety City experience for him.
Young said entrusting the project to students allowed them to puff their chests with pride.
"It was a real-life application of what they are doing in school," he said.
Open to all this time of year
And that is one reason why the facility is opened during the holiday season for tours, allowing those who pass by and wish they could go in a chance to do so.
This year, the Abilene Fire Department has taken over what is called "Night of Lights at Safety City." It opens Thursday and continues this weekend through Saturday, resuming Dec. 15-17 and 22-23. Hours are 6:30-9 p.m. Santa and Sparky the Fire Dog will be there as well as fire trucks and opportunities for photos.
Admission is free, as will be hot chocolate and cookies.
Fire Chief Cande Flores said interacting with the public during a fun time is important. Often he said, firefighters see people are on their bad days.
Saving lives
Safety City, through the years, is toured by students not just from Abilene but from area schools that cover 27,000 square miles.
About 7,000 third-graders come each year. Over 40+ years, that's at least 280,000 kids, or more than twice the population of Abilene.
It was noted by several speakers that there's no telling how many lives were saved by educating youngsters to do simple things such as looking both ways before crossing a street or obeying traffic laws.
Abilene Police Department Lt. Craig Jordan said a third-grader's visit is "a day they will remember for a lifetime. And remember what car they drove."
Miniature vehicles, such as a police car, ambulance and fire truck, are used on site.
Jaycees take the keys
Martin said it was APD's Roger Dickey who first saw a sort of safety city when on out-of-town business.
He brought up the idea to have one here, though something grander than simply using a marked area on an asphalt parking lot somewhere in town.
After several civic groups passed on the idea of participating, the Jaycees jumped on board. Love and other longtime Jaycees attending Tuesday recalled their initial reluctance, hearing other groups were not getting involved.
But ultimately, they connected on pitches made by Dickey and Officer Craig Fullerton.
"They took it and ran with it," Martin said.
The plaque that honors the Jaycees' commitment states "the rising number of children involved in traffic, bicycles and pedestrian accidents" spurred the project, beginning in 1977 with discussion of a safety city idea.
The club's venture earned it state and national recognition as a service project.
The site at the north end of Rose Park was chosen. Fair Park Auditorium, which was host to wrestling and, once, a young singer from the Deep South named Elvis, had been torn down.
Instead of only trying to raise money for what was believed to be a $600,000 project, community partners were found. One was Bailey Bridge, which built the overpass at the site on its own dime. That happened with the concrete streets, too.
Higginbotham noted many how-can-we-help offers as the project came about over the years.
Team effort
Through those years, the Jaycees and their Jaycees Foundation ran the show.
But, Martin said, a turning point came when the idea to create a board was presented by then-City Council member Laura Moore. That took Safety City to a new level. Yvonne Batts was earmarked to lead the first board, he said.
Two "big" buildings were added – police and fire stations.
On site, APD officers Rick Woodard and Richard Valdez ran the facility, with DPS trooper Sparky Dean joining the team. Upkeep of the facility has been a constant, too, Martin said.
In 2017, a Christmas event at Safety City was offered for the first time, led by the Kiwanis Club of Abilene and, in particular, Nancy Miller, Martin said.
Now, the fire department is in charge.
"I am so proud of them," the former police chief said of the team in red. "I am so proud of our little city."
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Safety City for 40 years has been about youngsters and community effort
