Wallkill Valley Times Dec. 20 2017

T IMES WALLKILL VALLEY Vol. 35, No 51 3 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017 The Valley Central School District administration is taking the initiative to try to get a traffic light installed at the Middle School/High School campus on Route 17K after the district learned that the project was not included on the state’s priority list for this year or next. While the New York State Department of Transportation has already studied the issue and approved a light at the school complex, the funding for the project has been delayed indefinitely. The state has also informed the district that it must prepare a study on the traffic flow in the high school parking lot before the light project can move forward. In hopes of procuring the money for the project, the district has posted a template letter on its website, and is asking residents to send the note to their representatives (including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Assemblyman Brian Miller and New York Budget Director Robert Mujica) requesting that the state ONE DOLLAR Bushmen blast M-W Page 36 www .W allkill V alley T imes . net Valley Central pushes for 17K traffic light By TED REMSNYDER 3 fund the traffic light. “They approved it but it’s not in this year’s budget,” Valley Central Superintendent John Xanthis said of the project. “The timing of this is critical, because now they’re going to start doing a new budget and we’re trying to put pressure on and write letters to let them know this is still a huge problem down here and hasn’t gotten better over the last couple of years. It’s gotten worse. Cars are Continued on page 3 W interscape Community partnerships Pine Bush principals discuss outreach programs By JASPREET GILL [email protected] Pine Bush school district principals spoke about their family engagement and community outreach programs during last week’s board of education meeting. “What we do can’t be wrapped in a box and doesn’t have a pretty ribbon on it,” said Circleville Middle School Principal Lisa Hankinson. “It’s just people everyday doing what we do so well.” H a n k i n s o n spoke about the various community partnerships the Circleville Middle School is involved TIMOTHY MAINS with, including Orange SUPERINTENDENT County Mental Health, OF SCHOOLS Boys and Girls Club and Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council. This year, 39 families were helped on Thanksgiving by the school. The school’s health office and student council members collected food from community providers, staff and students. Hankinson said that 90 students will receive toys for the upcoming holidays and a total of 52 families will be helped with a food basket. Donations run yearly for Circleville Middle School. “ A ll of this doesn’t happen by accident” Photo provided Wallkill resident Michael Brown shared this photo he took of the new Stewart Crowell Bridge in Wallkill after a recent snowfall. Continued on page 3 SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL