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Photograph courtesy of Rick Kitson
Sisters Emily (left) and Molly Williams give big smiles after the official opening of a newly repaved section of sidewalk on McClellan Road in Cupertino. Emily, 10, wrote letters on behalf of her sister Molly, 16, to expedite getting the sidewalk repaired. Molly uses the area in her wheelchair to get to Monta Vista High School.
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Walk of Life
City builds a new section of sidewalk for girl in wheelchair
By Amy Jenkins
All Molly Williams and her family wanted was a safe way to get her to and from school, but they had to wait more than a year for their wish to come true.
The 16-year-old lives only 11/2 miles from Monta Vista High School, the school she attends. She says she and her family liked to walk to school, but it was had been dangerous because there was a 4-foot section of sidewalk missing on McClellan Road. It was especially dangerous because Molly has cerebral palsy and uses a powered wheelchair.
In order for Molly to cross the gap in the sidewalk, her parents had to physically lift the 300-pound wheelchair onto the curb. If she rode alongside the sidewalk instead, it would be very dangerous because she would be in the street near traffic.
"That road is like Cupertino Grand Prix," says Molly's father, Charles Williams, who has lived in Cupertino with his wife Toni for 21 years. "Everyone drives at least 50 miles per hour."
So Charles called the city of Cupertino in September 2000 to request that the sidewalk be repaired. That was Molly's first year at Monta Vista. When nothing happened, Molly's younger sister, Emily, 10, got interested in helping her sister and began writing letters in April 2001 to the city government and to the San Jose Mercury News. It wasn't until October 2001 that the city began construction of the sidewalk.
"This was a civics lesson for the kids," Charles says. "It took a long time to get this going because of bureaucracy, and the city wanted to make the project part of a safe schools program. The city was responsive but they could only move at a certain rate."
According to Rick Kitson, public information officer for the city of Cupertino, the project started out simple but became complex. The city received funding through the Safe Routes to School program, but that only paid for the planning. City officials thought the project was important, so the city funded the remaining amount, he says. The total cost just exceeded $30,000.
Kitson says other delays came from the fact that the area is on a corner of a heavily traveled street. Hence, they had to make sure not to hinder the drainage sewer system from the street and ensure the safety of the heritage tree.
The tree in question is a 100-year-old oak tree where the new sidewalk needed to be built. Cupertino law says trees beyond a certain size can't be moved, Charles says. The city had to work with an arborist to make sure not to stifle the roots, ensure the roots couldn't break through the sidewalk, and guarantee the tree could be aerated. The sidewalk ended up being built with concrete and asphalt around the tree.
"The engineering became very complicated and it looks like a monument because the sidewalk is elevated and the tree has a steel frame around it," Charles says. "The tree is happy I've been told."
Kitson says although no one requested the sidewalk before the Williams family, he sees people using it when he passes by. Now the only section of McClellan Road without a sidewalk is on a curve that is county, not city, property.
"In addition to its importance to the city, what I appreciate is what it means to Molly and her family and that Molly can now go to school by herself," Kitson says.
At a recent city council meeting, Mayor Richard Lowenthal said participating in the sidewalk's opening "was the finest moment I've ever had as a council member or in any way serving the city of Cupertino."
Construction began in October, and the project completion became official with a ribbon cutting by Molly on Dec. 11.
Photograph courtesy of Rick Kitson
This 4-foot section of sidewalk on McClellan Road, was recently redone thanks to the efforts of Emily Williams, 10, on behalf of her sister Molly.
The sidewalk may have been spurred by the Williams' family, but it benefits more than Molly, Toni says.
"We see kids on skateboards, pedestrians and people with strollers using the sidewalk," she says. "De Anza has a large population of disabled people who live in the area and have to cross McClellan as well."
Charles says the sidewalk helps connect the two sides of Cupertino. One side of the railroad tracks used to be Monta Vista but became Cupertino years ago. He says the project helps unite the community because people can travel across McClellan easier.
Molly says she is happy the project is finally completed. She often takes a special education school bus to school that has a lift for her wheelchair. But when she is not able to catch the bus, the bus has problems, or they feel like walking to school, she now has the option to do so safely.
Last summer Molly volunteered for Palo Alto Veteran's hospital where she was a pharmacy aid. She has read and played games with children in the preschool she used to attend. She also volunteered at Cupertino Parks and Recreation where she was a camp counselor for a day camp for 7- to 13-year-olds. Molly could have used the sidewalk at the time because she had to ride her powered wheelchair to work. She says it would have been hard if she took her manual wheelchair because she couldn't run around with the kids.
"Molly would stop traffic riding her wheelchair in the road," Charles says. "It was either the tree or Molly and they both won."
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
