Wallkill Valley Times Nov. 21 2018 | Page 2

2 Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, November 21, 2018 IN THIS ISSUE Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Crossword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . 8 Maybrook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Montgomery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Pine Bush. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Police Blotter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 School News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Service Directory. . . . . . . . . . . 27 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Walden.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Wallkill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 PUBLIC AGENDA TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20 Walden Village Board of Trustees, 6:30 p.m. Village Hall, 1 Municipal Square. Montgomery Village Board, 7:30 p.m. Village Hall, 133 Clinton Street. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 Village of Walden Planning Board, 7:30 p.m. Village Hall, 1 Municipal Square. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27 Pine Bush Board of Education, 7 p.m. Circleville Middle School. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 Village of Montgomery Planning Board, 7:30 p.m. Village Hall, 133 Clinton Street. HOW TO REACH US OFFICE: 300 Stony Brook Court Newburgh, NY 12550 PHONE: [phone], FAX: [phone] Emails may be directed to the following : ADVERTISING [email protected] CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS [email protected] TO REACH THE EDITOR [email protected] FOR THE SPORTS DEPARTMENT [email protected] PUBLIC NOTICES [email protected] WEBSITE www.timescommunitypapers.com The Wallkill Valley Times, (USPS 699-490) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh, N.Y. 12550, with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, N.Y. Single copy: $1 at newsstand. By mail in Orange, Ulster or Sullivan Counties: $40 annually, $44 out of county. Periodicals permit at Newburgh, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wallkill Valley Times, 300 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, N.Y. 12550 Pine Bush parents complain of overcrowded school buses Continued from page 1 However, students were forced to sit three to a seat, causing them to put their feet and hang their bodies over the aisle and crowd the bus. Pacella said he did see students enter and leave the bus on one particular morning because the bus was too crowded. Placco’s route received a 72-capacity bus in response to complaints. However, this still hasn’t fully resolved the problem. Placco said her son did not take the bus on Nov. 13, after the route was granted a larger bus, because there was no room for him to sit. She drove him and two other students who were also denied seats to school. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends three elementary students and two adult high school aged students to a seat in a typical 39-inch school bus seat. The school bus manufacturers determine the maximum capacity for a school bus. School bus seats are designed to envelope a student so they are protected without the use of a seat belt. If a crash were to occur, the student would be protected by the seat back in front of them. If any part of the student is outside the seat, the student wouldn’t be fully protected, according to the NHTSA guidelines. Placco said past sixth grade, three children to a seat is unrealistic, especially when children bring instruments and sports equipment on the bus. Pacella said students shouldn’t be bringing equipment on the bus, or, if they have to, they should stow the equipment underneath the seat in front of them. “We also prohibit instruments and equipment be brought on because they can be projectiles in the worst-case scenario of an accident,” Pacella said. Placco said she is unsure how that rule could be enforced, and students need to take band and sporting equipment back and forth from school to be able to participate in after-school activities. “They need to bring this equipment with them, so now you’re saying you can’t take it on the bus, but you guys offer all these programs that call for them taking this equipment,” Placco said. Realistically, Pacella said the school district would prefer to have no more than 40 to 44 high and middle school students on a 66-capacity bus. “We try not to assign three to a seat at that level,” Pacella said. Pacella said Transportation Director Kurt Wickham, who the district recently hired, will redesign the bus routes. The school signed a contract with the Arthur F. Mulligan/Birnie Bus Company on March 6, dropping First Student Bus Company. The new bus company began service this school year. Mother of a Pine Bush student Elizabeth Wesner, said her daughter, who is on the same route as Placco’s student, saw students sitting on backpacks in the aisles. Wesner said her ninth-grader has had the same bus stop since Kindergarten and overcrowding has become an issue only within this school year. “I think it’s ridiculous,” Wesner said. “The kids shouldn’t have to fight at the bus stop to make sure they’re one of the first ones on the bus to ensure they have a seat.” Her daughter’s bus stop has grown to include nine children, Wesner said. Last year, she was the only student at that stop. Wesner said her daughter has asked her to drive her to school because of the overcrowding. While this is an inconvenience for her, Wesner said she would in the winter because she is concerned for her daughter’s safety should she get into an accident. This is only a problem in the morning, Wesner said. Many students involved in after-school activities don’t ride the bus home. Barbara Walch’s youngest child graduated from Pine Bush in 2017. She said overcrowding has been a problem for a long time, going as far back as to when she was in high school. While this isn’t new, she said overcrowding is disappointing and dangerous. Walch provided pictures taken in the spring of 2017, before the school contracted with the Birnie Bus Company, that show students sitting in and crowding the aisle. Crawford to open small business center Continued from page 1 “Every strategic alliance is a good one. Having the ability to share strengths and resources while working towards a common goal, and at the same time remaining independent entities is a win- win situation for the entire community, especially our local businesses.” Located at 91-B Main Street in Pine Bush, the center will also attract new businesses by offering assistance to accelerate the process of opening a new business in town. Town Supervisor Charles Carnes said it will act as a resource for business owners with questions involving town government. “We want to open a line of communication with current and prospective business owners. It’s not always convenient for folks to come in to Town Hall to track down heads of departments for meetings,” Carnes said. Ragni said it will also act as a local tourism hub, featuring literature on nearby destinations, links to maps and information about local businesses, restaurants and events, and coupons, specials and samples. Like many municipalities in the area, Crawford has struggled with empty store fronts and business retention. A 2014 Hudson Valley Patterns for Progress survey, which informed Crawford’s Community Development Plan, found business owners and residents would prefer a more streamlined process for opening a small business and a desire for more local retail businesses and restaurants. Co-owner of All Things Delicious, Doug Drossell, said the business center sounds like a great idea. He hopes the center will attract more people to Pine Bush and he looks forward to bringing business ideas to the town. “It shows that the [town of Crawford] is on board with how businesses grow in town,” Drossell said. The center will also host a welcome station and pop-up market from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24, also known as small business Saturday. The welcome station will hand out free tote bags and have information for all the sales, promotions, specials, samples and coupons for small businesses in town. Ragni will be present to meet shoppers and provide directions and information. The center will officially open for business in early January. To learn more, contact Ragni at d.ragni@townofcrawford. org or visit the Crawford Small Business Center and Tourism Office on Facebook.