School Security Issues

Since the tragedy in Connecticut in December, everyone is aware of the need for safety in our schools.  While writing my blog in January concerning handicap access to the school, I realized that there isn't adequate security at the Edgemont Junior/Senior High School.

The main entrance does have offices where visitors are supposed to sign in. However, anyone can bypass the office and freely enter the many buildings on the school campus.

The back entrance to the school is of even more concern. There are no offices or guards to watch who enters the campus.

This is an issue that should be discussed at the school. Newtown had locked doors, which had tragic results. Our school has much less than that.

Welcome International Readers

When I check the statistics for my blog and see where people are from who 
are reading it, I've always been amazed at the number of non-US visitors.

I would hope you enjoy having a look at a small American town and thank you
for visiting.

приветствие
willkommen
bienvenu
benvenuto
välkommen
welkom
привітати
sveikt
환영받는
sambutan

Traffic Advisory: February 11 - February 22

Starting this Monday night, February 11 thru February 22 on weeknights, the Bronx River Parkway's southbound lanes will be closed from Crane Road to Christie Place. As I blogged last May 10, the Crane Bridge is being replaced by the county in a 39 million dollar project. The existing bridge, build in 1924, was deteriorating and needed to be replaced or repaired.  

On the above dates, from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am, a large crane will be on the parkway in order to install 25 foot high concrete forms for the new bridge.

In March, the same closures will be repeated in order to remove the concrete forms.

Sometime in April or May, 12 more beams will be installed over the Metro-North Railroad tracks. The closures for this work will be forth coming.

To find out more about the project you can visit:

http://publicworks.westchestergov.com/crane-road-bridge

One of the Most Dangerous Corners in Westchester

The intersection of Fort Hill Road and Ardsley Road in Edgemont is one of the most dangerous in Westchester.  Over a period of  ten years, the neighborhood has tussled over whether a traffic light should be installed.

On Sunday, October 14, a blinking red warning light was connected to the wire grid. The light was not activated until three weeks ago after a  large accident occurred. The flashing light greatly enhances the visibility of the approaching  four-way stop signs compared to the poorly visible stop sign which you can see in the photo below.

I decided to find out just how many accidents have occurred at this intersection.  I spoke to Sergeant Foltin, Commanding Officer of the Traffic and Safety Unit of the Greenburgh Police Department. Here are the statistics with the year and number of accidents:

2006    17
2007    15
2008    32
2009    13
2010    20
2011    18
2012    15
2013      3

As you can see, a solution was needed.  However, based on the fact that since the light was activated there have already been three accidents, has the light helped?  At this rate, there will be over 36 accidents in 2013.

Edgemont High School Handicap Access

Edgemont High School is built on a California or an open access campus, instead of one large collegiate gothic style building. There are five different buildings that hold classes. A major problem the school has is handicap accessibility.

When entering the campus by way of the main offices, the only way to get to any of the classes is via a large number of staircases.  The only wheel chair access is by way of the back entrance to the school via Old Colony Road.

There are two sidewalks from the parking lot. One sidewalk goes down a sloped hill but has 3 steps.  The only way to enter the campus in a wheel chair is by entering the E building, which has an elevator that takes you to the lower level of the campus.

Wheel and Deals

Central Avenue is the road that divides Edgemont in two halves. Why is this road in that location?

Central Avenue was originally going to be a thorough fare that connected New York City with the state capital in Albany.

The contract for this road was handled by one of the most renowned corrupt politicians in New York history, William Magrear Tweed, better known as "Boss Tweed."

It has been alleged that the towns that wanted the road gave bribes and kickbacks to Mr. Tweed's organization in order to bring commerce to their towns.

Central Park Avenue was completed in 1871, but never reached Albany. The road was only reached as far as White Plains, ending at the present day location of  the Westchester County Center.