B Street lighting a hazard

The ASWSU Senate and the Pullman City Council convened Tuesday night as part of their annual joint session.

The two parties discussed multiple issues ranging from transportation services to safety concerns in and around the WSU campus.

Senate Pro-Tempore LaKecia Farmer said she believes it is vital to maintain a relationship between ASWSU and Pullman city officials.

“You can’t get anything done with WSU without getting stuff done in Pullman and vice versa, “ she said. “We can make sure those issues are worked on, not just for our students, but also our Pullman residents.”

Last night, ASWSU brought the issue of safety surrounding B Street to the City Council.

B Street is a common path utilized by WSU students, said Sen. Amita Jain.

It can be difficult at times to navigate the area due to inefficient lighting, which Jain said elevates the danger for those who regularly commute to and from campus by foot or bicycle.

“WSU is one of the safest campuses in the Pac-12,” she said. “Hundreds of students including myself use B Street to go to apartment land every day.”

Jain said as a result of inactive light fixtures, she uses her cell phone screen as an alternative to guide her through the darkness when she makes her way home at night.

Public Works Director Kevin Gardes recognized the problem that  insufficient lighting poses to the community.

Gardes said the lights on B Street are checked routinely. City officials report to Avista when light fixture outages occur.

“We report the outages to Avista who comes down to repair them,” Gardes said.

City Supervisor Mark Workman confirmed that Pullman maintenance teams have performed inspection walk-throughs guided by students.

“It is on our radar and we are well aware that B Street may be the highest traveled side walk in the city of Pullman,” Workman said. 

Mayor Glenn Johnson suggested individuals alert Pullman City Hall when faulty lights are identified. He also said that maintenance operations will reanalyze B Street to ensure the functionality of light fixtures.

Jain said “I want to make sure every light on B Street is lighted for our safety.”