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Brief History
Longview Safety City came into being in 1991 as an innovative way to teach school children the rules of bicycle, auto, and pedestrian safety. It opened in 1991 but there was a five year planning and building stage. Safety City is a child-sized city of Longview, including 16 small buildings, child-sized roadways, intersections with working traffic signals, a railroad crossing with a signal and an overpass. It is located on a 1 ¾ - acre tract in the heart of Longview’s municipal complex, across the street from City hall, the Police Department, and the city library.
The $250,000 needed to develop Safety City was obtained completely through local support, primarily in two kinds: donations of money, material and labor to construct the buildings and roadways; and paid sponsorship of one to four sides of each building.
The mission of Safety City is to provide interdisciplinary social studies-science curriculum and a hands-on environment at the Safety City site to implement the curriculum study. Through this curriculum, children have the opportunity to develop a healthy respect for accident prevention and community laws. Activities are targeted to kindergarten and fourth-grade students. Safety City has worked with the Longview, Pine tree, Hallsville, White Oak, and other area Independent School Districts to schedule class visits. Before a school visits Safety City, teachers cover age-specific curriculum developed by Safety City, so that the most effective use of the children’s time on the course can be achieved. Safety topics covered include: bicycle, auto, pedestrian, electrical, nature and fire as well as anti-victimization and substance abuse.
In the fall, schools schedule their fourth-grade classes to visit Safety City; in the spring, it is the kindergartners’ turn. Fourth graders drive lawnmower engine-powered miniature cares, while the kindergartners cruise the roadways on bicycles, pedal cars and Big Wheels. When not on a vehicle, the students are evaluating their schoolmates on their observance of safety rules.
Safety City also works with the Longview Police and Fire Departments to provide summertime evening safety-oriented activities for children of all ages.
During its decade of existence, Safety City’s goals have expanded to include a wide variety of safety topics. An exciting development is the anticipated inclusion of the City of Longview’s Fire Safety Trailer on site. This Fire Department-staffed demonstration of fire safety techniques, which currently travels among school campuses, would find a permanent home at Safety City.
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