Four Local Partners Team Up to Improve School Zone Safety in Colby

As students and parents prepare for another school year, drivers around Colby Grade School and Colby Middle School will notice something new: flashing radar speed signs reminding motorists to slow down through critical school zones. But these signs aren’t just another piece of city infrastructure — they represent a coordinated, grassroots effort by four community organizations united in their commitment to child safety.

The project was sparked by a familiar concern: traffic congestion and speed near school entrances during busy drop-off and pick-up times — particularly on Highways 24 and 25, locally known as 4th Street and Range Avenue. With grain trucks, wind tower equipment, and daily commuters flowing through these major corridors, the safety risk for young students crossing the roads has become increasingly concerning.

Longtime Rotary Club member and local advocate Mike Tubbs noticed the danger and took action.

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“Every morning around 8:00, there’s a flood of traffic at those intersections — it's just unbelievable,” Tubbs said. “I kept thinking, ‘We’re going to see a kid get hit if something doesn’t change.’ So I started asking: what can we do?”

Tubbs brought the idea of installing radar speed signs — which show drivers their current speed and encourage them to slow down — to the Colby Rotary Club as a proposed project. Having seen these signs work effectively in other nearby towns, he believed it was a solution that could work here too.

Tubbs wasn’t new to this kind of collaboration. Just a year earlier, he had partnered with then-PTO member Kristina Hills to improve a second-grade pick-up zone at the Colby Primary building. Together, Rotary and the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) tore down a dilapidated shelter and built a brand-new steel structure to protect kids from harsh weather.

That successful partnership led Tubbs to reach out to Hills again.

“When Mike brought up the idea, it made total sense,” Hills said. “That stretch of 4th Street is wide open. There’s no stoplight. And you’ve got so many kids crossing every morning and afternoon. We all agreed — something had to be done.”

PTO voted to contribute. Then, Tubbs reached out to Colby Public Schools Superintendent Katina Brenn, who quickly offered support on behalf of USD 315. He also approached Thomas County Attorney Chris Rohr, who committed county funds to the cause. With four partners — Rotary, PTO, USD 315, and the county attorney’s office — the $14,640 project was split four ways. Each organization essentially funded one sign.

“It was just an ideal team effort,” Hills said. “And the city of Colby helped too. They donated the labor and resources to install the signs, which are hardwired into the city’s power grid. That saved thousands more.”

The result? Four radar-equipped flashing signs installed at key school zone entry points: two along 4th Street and two on Range Avenue. The signs have been mounted but will remain off until the start of the school year in mid-August.

“Our goal is to have them turned on about a week before classes begin,” Tubbs noted. “That gives drivers time to adjust and take notice. We’re not trying to be punitive — we’re just asking people to slow down and stay alert around our schools.”

For Hills, a parent herself, the project hits close to home.

Tubbs emphasized that the collaboration stands as a model of what rural communities can accomplish when organizations work together.

“This wasn’t a state-mandated change. It wasn’t a city budget item,” he said. “It was four local groups coming together because they care about the same thing: the safety and well-being of our children.”

As the lights begin to flash and buses begin to roll again, the message is clear: Colby cares. And when it comes to keeping kids safe, this town is ready to slow down — together.