Mid Hudson Times Jan. 31 2018

T IMES MID HUDSON Vol. 30, No 5 3 JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 6, 2018 New marks for wrestlers 3 ONE DOLLAR Mission flag Page 18 Page 36 SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR City lays Schumer to CSX: fix RR crossings plan for street paving By SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is calling on CSX Corporation to fix two deteriorated railroad crossings in the Town of New Windsor. The two intersections are riddled with tire-eating potholes. “These deteriorating rail crossings in New Windsor routinely cause minor accidents and it is only a matter of time before something more severe happens,” Schumer wrote in a press release on Jan. 24. By SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] The high-traffic intersections are located at Union and Erie avenues, and Old Temple Hill Road and Route 300, the second busiest road in the county. The town is asking for a permanent, concrete crossing to be installed at both busy junctures. It was non-stop traffic at the Route 300 crossing on Monday. Drivers barreled downhill toward the Union Avenue crossing that day, hitting the breaks just seconds before making a rough pass over the tracks. Schumer penned a letter to CSX President and Chief Executive Officer James Foote earlier this month. “Recent reports from the town indicate the crossings are causing accidents related to popped tires and severe automobile damage, as well as risks to cyclists using the crossing,” Schumer wrote. “As traffic continues to increase on these roads, it is important for CSX to meet with New Windsor officials to develop a permanent and long-term solution for these decrepit and dangerous crossings.” Continued on page 4 A good day for racing The City of Newburgh will lay down a multi–year plan to pave the city’s ailing streets. The long-term blueprint will focus on the city’s most deteriorated roads and attempt to coordinate the paving with mandated work on infrastructure. “We’ll stretch it into 15 years,” city Department of Public Works Superintendent George Garrison said at Newburgh City Hall last Thursday. Streets scheduled to be paved this year are in the city’s east end. They include Grand Street, Liberty Street, Forsythe Place and Montgomery Street. The entire length of these streets will be paved, except Grand Street, which will be paved from South Street to Marine Drive. The work will be paid for through funding from the New York State Department of Transportation and the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS). Approximately $700,000 in CHIPS funding is available to pay for street paving this year, Garrison said. “The way the CHIPS money works is we do the work, we pay upfront for it... then we get reimbursed Continued on page 3 Carl Aiello Saturday was mild, but there was still enough ice on Orange Lake for ice yachting. WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM