Raymond Court Parents Voice Safety Concerns
By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

Tension has risen between the Garden City Board of Education and residents of Raymond Court over the hazardous conditions students face when walking along Stewart Avenue from their home to their respective schools.

Currently there are six children who attend Stewart School (six next year), two who attend Hemlock (one next year), and six who attend the middle school and high school (four at each school next year). Raymond Court is a dead-end street located near the border of Garden City.

In the latest face-off between parents and the school district at the April 16th School Board meeting, two residents, who asked that their names be withheld, accused the Board of being more concerned about the cost of a bus instead of focusing on their children's lives. School Board President Kenneth Monaghan disagreed, and said that the district and Board are trying to determine the best way to get students off the sidewalk. Even though parents are pushing for a bus, the district claims it is not necessarily the best solution.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen recommended that a separate path be installed inside the fence from the baseball field to the playground. He will report back to the Board with more details, including a time frame and cost.

At the March 19th School Board meeting, parents claimed the sidewalk is not cleaned, floods easily and is often covered with acorns. Snow and ice from an early March storm created another hazard.

Parents requested that their children be bused so they don't have to walk along the busy road. In 2005, according to parents, there were 43 accidents at the intersection of Clinton Road and Stewart Avenue.

At the April 11th School Board work session, Dr. Feirsen explained that a bus would not be feasible since Raymond Court is a dead-end street so a bus would be unable to turn around. Even if it could, he continued, the district would recommend that a traffic signal be installed at the intersection of Raymond Court and Stewart Avenue so that a bus could turn safely. He estimated the cost of a bus in the first year to be $95,000, and $40,000 to $45,000 the following years.

A van currently picks up Raymond Court students bound for Hemlock after the Stewart run. Adding students who live on that street and are going to Stewart would require starting the run one hour before school starts, explained Dr. Feirsen. In the afternoon, buses go to the middle school after Stewart. He said adding Raymond Court students would require dismissing them early so the vehicle would have enough time to get to the middle school.

Dr. Feirsen said the district explored the possibility of using the village recreation department's nearby parking lot. The idea was dismissed since a bus would not have enough room to turn around and a traffic light with a left-turn signal would need to be installed on Stewart. The parking lot is narrow, intended for passenger vehicle use and covered with gravel, which tends to flood in inclement weather.

Even though the Village of Garden City is responsible for part of the sidewalk, the district has cleaned the area several times. Puddles along the sidewalk are caused by the trees which provide a natural barrier along the roadway. The district will contact Nassau County to address a drain that is not working properly. Dr. Feirsen said he contacted the Village and was told the area is cleaned twice a week in good weather and more when it snows.

The district is aware that there was an issue with the storm because the snow from the FedEx property was plowed across Stewart Avenue to the sidewalk. The district has contacted the property owner to ensure it does not happen in the future.