Traffic, School Changes Eyed By CBR
Improving safety on local streets, the planned construction of a new public school on the former site of St. Aloysius School and a respite center for caregivers of senior citizens were hot topics during the Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR) meeting last Monday night, Apr. 30, at St. Aloysius Church.
Michael Hetzer, CBR vice president, noted that the organization would also seek measures to slow down traffic along the “S curve” of Grandview Avenue between Amory Court and Stanhope Street, adjacent to Grover Cleveland Park.
“Cars fly around there,” he said, stating that the location is certainly difficult for senior citizens and children to cross. Hetzer stated that he reached out to Community Board 5’s Transportation and Public Transit committees so seek a speed bump or an all-way stop along Grandview Avenue nearby.
A Ridgewood resident also requested that a traffic control device also be installed along Willoughby Avenue between Seneca and Onderdonk avenues, pointing out that motorcycles and other vehicles move at high rates of speed along the strip.
Moving on to other traffic concerns, Ridgewood resident John Perricone suggested that one of three bus stops along Stanhope Street near Grover Cleveland Park be removed to allow for additional parking spots for area residents.
The three stops, he said, are located about a block apart from each other, with one located near Grandview Avenue, a second by Fairview Avenue and a third located close to Woodward Avenue.
Local residents suggested that the bus stop near Grandview Avenue and Grover Cleveland Park remain, noting that it is located in close proximity to Grover Cleveland High School and offers a greater sense of security to riders.
Hetzer stated that he would forward the request to Board 5 and ask for their input regarding the bus stop situation.
New school on the way?
The new public school which the School Construction Authority (SCA) plans to develop on the site of the defunct St. Aloysius School should serve as an annex to P.S. 305, according to the school’s principal, Lynn Botfeld.
P.S. 305, an early childhood education center serving students from pre-kindergarten through third grade, shares the same zone with nearby P.S. 81, Botfeld explained. Once students graduate from P.S. 305, they move on to P.S. 81 for two years, then graduate from there and are sent to a local middle school.
Making these multiple transitions is difficult on the students, the principal said. Though the SCA wants to build a separate public school on the St. Aloysius site, Botfeld noted that the project presents the opportunity to expand P.S. 305 up to the fifth grade and eliminate one of the transitions.
Even so, she conceded that the annex idea doesn’t seem like it will happen. Nonetheless, she noted that the school and District 24’s Community Education Council (CEC 24) will have conversations with Department of Education officials about the project in the months to come.
As previously reported, the SCA has yet to finalize the purchase of the former St. Aloysius School. Should the deal move forward, the existing structure would be demolished and a new school will be built in its place; the process is projected to take several years to complete.
Once the school project starts, it is expected that the DOE would rezone the areas of the new school as well as P.S. 81 and P.S. 305. Dorie Figliola, a representative of Assemblyman Mike Miller, suggested that the P.S. 305 community become active in the rezoning process and make sure that their voices are heard.
A break for caregivers
Roseann Rosado of the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council’s respite center informed residents about the program which provides day and overnight care to senior citizens with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
The primary mission of the program, Rosado explained, is to offer care for patients and allow their regular caregivers personal time to work or relax. The center located at 59-04 Decatur St. can handle up to 16 clients during the day and provides meals, exercise, arts and crafts and other programs.
The respite program also offers overnight stays for up to three seniors at a time, charging a $100 contribution per night, Rosado said. The center also helps caregivers link up to various support services and grants to cover the cost of participation in various programs.
For more information, call the center at 1-718-366-5591.
Thanks from Cleveland
CBR President Ann Maggio read a letter from Denise Vittor, principal of Grover Cleveland High School, thanking the group for it support of the institution, which the Department of Education had previously planned to close under its “turnaround” reform model. As reported in last week’s issue, the DOE opted at the last minute to allow Grover Cleveland to continue operating as is.
The Citizens for a Better Ridgewood’s next meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the basement of St. Aloysius Church, located at 382 Onderdonk Ave.
