Residents raise concerns over school bus safety

During the July 16 board meeting, the Town of Woodbury heard concerns over school bus and traffic safety.

Concerns were raised after a seven-year-old girl was fatally struck by a school bus while crossing a street in Monsey on July 8.

Referencing the accident, Highland Mills resident Jimmy Ng voiced fears that a similar tragedy could happen in the town. He claimed to have witnessed an instance of reckless driving involving a school bus, which he said had backed up on Jones Drive to make a broken U-turn onto Ridge Road.

“You don’t live in Woodbury without knowing that these buses are an issue,” Ng said. “I don’t want to be here the day after something happens in Woodbury...The school buses that are supposed to be transporting our children safely are the danger.”

Addressing the concerns, Town Supervisor Jacqueline Hernandez advised residents to email her directly concerning school bus incidents with the name of the bus company and bus number. She said the information would assist the board when contacting the dispatcher of the bus company about an incident.

Woodbury Police Chief Kevin Watson also reassured residents that the police department is aware of speed and traffic violations involving school buses. He added that the department has knowledge of the manager of the companies and can contact them about incidents for residents.

In addition, Highland Mills resident Jacob Fried expressed concern about speeding cars, specifically in the Brigadoon development. He suggested adding speed bumps or rumble strips to reduce the speed of cars in the area.

In response, Hernandez explained that an issue with implementing speed bumps is the impact on snow removal during the winter months. She added that Watson was able to secure a surveillance system to track speeding in areas across the community, allowing the department to monitor and find areas of high speed traffic.

Lieutenant Kevin Phillips and K9 Zeke recognized

During the meeting, state and local officials held a ceremony to recognize Lieutenant Kevin Phillips, who retired after devoting 30 years to protecting and serving the community.

“On behalf of the town board, words will never express what you have provided to Woodbury,” Hernandez said. “When we think about service and we think about the things that you do, typically it’s 20 [years of service] and out. You went 30 years of dedication putting your life on the line.”

To honor Phillips’ years of service, Matt Fascaldi, on behalf of State Senator James Skoufis, delivered a State Senate proclamation to Phillips. In addition, Assemblymember Christopher Eachus provided Phillips with an Assembly Citation, commemorating him for his role in helping to establish the department’s Tactical Response Unit and responding to national tragedies, including the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina.

In addition, officials also celebrated the retirement of K9 Zeke, who has served on the force since 2017. Zeke was a full-time K9, trained to assist the department in searching and detecting explosives.