There's a fence beside the upper playground area of Nicely Elementary School in Greensburg -- thanks in part to a neighborhood man who has been on a mission to make the area safer long after his own children have grown.

Robert Koveleskie, who has lived on McLaughlin Drive for more than 35 years, badgered local officials to erect the fence and put up a stop sign in the school zone. He formed an organization called Slow Down For Children and helped petition state legislators to raise the fines for speeding in school zones from $35 to up to $500. All within the past seven or so years.

	Robert Koveleskie, who has been a champion for school safety and who formed an organization Slow Down for Children Inc., says his new mission is to get a safe fence around Nicely Elementary School. Click photo for larger image.

This fall he began a new campaign -- to push the school board into erecting a new fence around the lower playground area of the same school -- and he feels the directors aren't listening.

After all, over the three-plus decades he's lived there, six cars have careered into the school yard, luckily hurting no children. With new housing developments going up in the area, traffic is increasing and so are the chances of similar accidents happening.

"You don't mix that kind of traffic with children," he said.

All three of his own children, now grown, went to school there and even then, he said, he and his wife watched carefully as the children crossed the street to go to school.

So far, the school board has rejected Mr. Koveleskie's pleas for a new fence in the lower school yard for a number of reasons.

Board President Trudy Ivory said the need just isn't there.

The use of the lower yard is limited, Ms. Ivory said. It's only used a few months in the fall and later in spring. It's far enough from the road so children aren't playing next to traffic. The fence bordering the field that exists now, a post and cable system, reminds children to stay back.

Plus, she said, teachers always supervise children while they're outdoors.

"The consensus is, that area is safe," she said.

Ms. Ivory said Mr. Koveleskie does deserve credit for pointing out the need for the black, wrought-iron fence the district did eventually install at the upper end of the school yard, at a cost of $10,000.

But neither she nor other members of the board think the lower yard needs a new fence.

Very visible flashing school zone signs and police enforcement of the 15 mph speed limit during the morning and afternoon arrival and departure times has slowed things down, she said.

Mr. Koveleskie agreed that Greensburg Police Chief Walter Lyons has been a "tremendous help" in slowing down traffic on McLaughlin and making it safer.

"He has really done a lot for us," Mr. Koveleskie said.

Chief Lyons said school zones in general, including not only the McLaughlin area but also Main Street and South Greensburg school zones, are a priority with him and have been since he became chief in 2003.

He also agrees that Mr. Koveleskie brought some problems on McLaughlin to light.

"There's value to his claim. People speed through school zones," Chief Lyons said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Koveleskie, and his wife, Judith, continue to put out a Slow Down For Children newsletter and get outdoor signs and bumper stickers printed for use locally and by parent groups who contact the organization through their Web site, www.slowdownforchildren.org.

They, for the most part, are the organization and they mostly finance it, supplemented by a few donations.

Mr. Koveleskie, who would not reveal his age, saying only he is "a senior citizen," would like nothing better than to devote all of his time to his home office-based career as a corporate financial consultant. He is also a songwriter, a hobby he's had for years, he said. Mrs. Koveleskie is a librarian at Seton Hill University.

He figures it would cost around $18,000 to put an adequate fence around the lower play yard, not a lot of money in a school budget. He rejects Ms. Ivory's explanation that the area is safe.

"You can make a thousand excuses but it won't take away the need," he said.