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Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Valley Central states its case for bond issue
By TED REMSNYDER
With a public referendum vote on
Valley Central’s proposed $22.7 million
bond referendum fast approaching on
Aug. 20, the district administration laid
out its case for the bond measure during a
presentation during last Monday’s school
board meeting. The Traffic, Safety and
STEAM (science, technology, engineering,
arts and mathematics) project would fund
the redesign of the High School-Middle
School complex parking lot, among other
infrastructure upgrades, if voters approve
the referendum in August.
Valley Central Assistant Superintendent
Mike Bellarosa and newly hired Interim
School Business Official Brad Conklin
explained the plan for the public and the
board during the July 22 meeting. At the
board’s previous session on July 1, the
council voted 7-0 to send the referendum
to voters for their final verdict on the
proposal. If approved, the project would
see the high school and Montgomery
Elementary parking lots renovated to
improve traffic flow at the sites.
With the State Department of
Transportation
(DOT)
currently
estimated to begin work on installation
of one or more traffic lights on Route
17K outside the high school lot in the fall
of 2020, the district hopes to begin their
work on the complex in the summer of
2020. “This won’t help us alone if they
put a light here (on 17K), or even if they
put two lights, without us having a plan
on the campus to regulate our traffic,”
Bellarosa said during the meeting. “This
is our plan. What we have currently is
not satisfactory. It’s not safe, and we have
to do our work first so we’re ready when
they come in to put the light in. If we have
our project in place, or at least our project
started, then they’ll have to conform to
what we’re doing to a degree at least.”
The district has an Aug. 13 meeting
scheduled with the DOT to coordinate
construction efforts with the state agency.
Under the current set-up, the high school
routinely sees traffic backed up and
down Route 17K on school mornings
as buses arrive and parents drop their
kids off, a problem the district hopes to
alleviate with its proposed redesign. “The
important facets of the plan is that you’re
separating all of the traffic movements,”
Thomas Ritzenthaler of the CSArch
architectural firm explained during the
meeting. “So the student drop-off zone
is in and of itself its own lane. There is
a drive lane on the opposite side, so that
people who are just coming in to go to the
parking lot can avoid getting backed up by
Town of Montgomery / Crawford
Bus service Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Serving seniors over 60 years of age. Monthly trips outside the township.
Suggested donation of $ 1 each way
AUGUST 2019 SCHEDULE
RESERVATIONS
BEGIN
• Wednesday, August 7 - Target / Galleria Mall, Mdltwn
• Thursday, August 8 - Medical Run* Jul 30
• Wednesday, August 21 - Walmart / Kohl’s, Middletown
• Thursday, August 22 - Medical Run* Aug 13
• Mon., Aug. 26 - Stop & Shop Plaza / Adam’s Farm, Nbgh
• Wednesday, August 28 - Target / Galleria Mall, Mdltwn Aug 20
*The Medical Run pick up will begin 8:00 am. We travel to Middletown stopping at any medical facility on
Crystal Run Road, Middletown Medical, Orange Radiology, Orange Regional.
For reservations call 457-2622. 24 Hour Advance Notice Required.
Call between 9 a.m. - Noon, Monday through Friday.
FOR SENIOR CITIZENS 60 AND OVER.
FIVE (5) PERSONS PER TRIP ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE EACH TRIP POSSIBLE. THIS DOES NOT APPLY FOR THE MEDICAL RUNS.
The Senior Bus is funded by the Town of Montgomery, Town of Crawford, Village of Maybrook, Village of Montgomery and the
Village of Walden. This program is partially funded by an Older Americans Act Award through the United States Administration
on Aging, the New York State Offi ce for the Aging and the Orange County Offi ce for the Aging.
all of the drop-offs.”
The district also noted that 21 traffic
accidents have been recorded in the
vicinity of the high school/middle school
since the Dollar General store opened
across the street on 17K, an issue that
would potentially be lessened with the
traffic lights and improved traffic flow of
the renovation. Students from the schools
frequently visit the store during school
days to purchase food and supplies. “In
my four years here, I think I’ve had more
calls from people saying ‘You really have
to do something with the front of that high
school,’” Valley Central Superintendent
John Xanthis said. “We had one of our
employees get hit this spring. It could’ve
been a lot worse. The car that hit her
actually went airbound. It’s something
that people have been talking about and
we’re doing something with Montgomery,
which people have also been concerned
about. So I hope we have enough backing
from the community.”
Also included in the referendum is a
pool dehumidification system at the high
school that aims to increase air quality
at the site, which hosts swim meets from
across the county. “The pool is really the
jewel of Orange County and we need to
address that,” Xanthis said. “That’ll make
it even a better place. I think all of the
things that are in there are for the better
of the community and the kids. There’s
no fluff in there.”
Also included in the proposed package
is a STEAM classroom and greenhouse
facility that would host classes for
students. A concession and bathroom
stand for the high school football field
could potentially be a stand-alone facility
or connected to the STEAM addition
depending on how the district’s plans
evolve. Including the facility inside the
STEAM building could allow the district
to receive state aid on that portion of
the project. “We desperately need the
bathroom facilities out there instead of
the port-a-potties,” Xanthis said. “I think
that Brad (Conklin) pointed out that we
have a little concession area there, but it’s
not really up to code, and this will give
us a facility where organizations can, for
fundraising purposes, do things and we’ll
make sure it’s the way it should be.”
During Monday’s meeting, Trustee
Continued on page 37
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