Mineola School Board Orders Cross Street Traffic Study

Following an outcry of with a of the , the Mineola Board of Education commissioned a traffic study to determine the impact renting the building to Glen Cove-based would have on the Williston Park community.

“If the study demonstrates the schools – including St. Aidan’s – will be safe, then the opposition to rent to Schechter should end,” Mineola Board of Education President Terence Hale said Thursday night during a special meeting at the .

To conduct the study, the board commissioned Robert Eschbacher of Hauppague-based VHB Engineering, a firm specializing in traffic studies, who would meet with representatives from both schools to determine the level of activities currently operating at Cross Street as well as Solomon Schechter, the number of faculty, staff, students, buses, operating times, etc.

“That quantitative evaluation will give us an idea on how the traffic is going to change, both in terms of character, private vehicles, passenger vehicles, versus buses, the hours in which they would come and go and how this would interact with other things that are taking place in the immediate area,” he said.

The evaluation would also include current parking conditions including traffic signs, parking restrictions, demand during daytime hours due to the nearby commuter lot for the Williston Park train station as well as pick up conditions and drop-off and how those would change if Solomon Schechter were to become the tenant.

Eschbacher would begin the initial study this week to determine how large a radius to survey and observe the amount of activity during a standard school day. “We want to make sure we’re seeing what typically happens day in and day out,” he said. “There will be a number of visits out there.”

The study would be completed within three weeks and would also recommend solutions to any situations that the firm discovers.

A list of recommended changes could range from changing parking regulations, turning restrictions or even a traffic light, but Eschbacher said he would not know the exact details until the study was done “and identifying the possible problems that may come along.”

If a new traffic signal were called for, it could take up to six months since Hillside Avenue is a state road. Another step would be to lengthen turning lanes or changing signage, which could be done on either the county or local level.

“That’s something that could be done before school starts in September,” he said.

Hale specifically requested that the St. Aidan’s parking situation be studied as well as any potential impact, as well as input from the Village of Williston Park. “What outcome must the study produce to satisfy their concerns?” he said.

Trustee John McGrath questioned why a traffic study was even necessary if reports were true of the lease being a “done deal,” thereby rendering the study just an exercise unless it was a “determining factor” in signing the lease.

“I haven’t signed a lease,” Hale said, “so it’s not a done deal.”

A point of contention between legal representatives from both the school district and village was raised as to whether the school district can go forward with the lease without conducting a traffic study.

“The village is still asserting that without a traffic study, nothing will go forward,” Trustee William Hornberger said.

The private Jewish school has already announced plans to move from their current building in Glen Cove and “without a signed lease, they’re in limbo and its really not fair,” Dr. Nagler said.

Solomon Schechter principal Rabbi Lev Herrnson said he had spoken to community representatives and was “very concerned” and “very committed” to the issues residents had raised concerning the safety, traffic and fields. Because the school is pressed for time, he proposed moving forward on a lease subject to the results of the study.

“If the study says that its not doable, then the lease is off and that would give us a great deal of comfort because we’ve already expressed to the community that we are committed to working it out,” he said.

Williston Park residents have raised concerns over use of fields specifically during the spring and summer months for the little league as well as reports of a large increase in bus traffic on local streets, specifically Meagher Place because of the ambulance corps and the village library. At a previous meeting it was said that up to 53 buses may be at the school in the morning and during dismissal, causing serious safety hazards and quality of life issues.

Herrnson said that the school’s current bus count is one long bus, 27 short buses and eight minivans, adding that the number of buses fluctuate and tend to go down as school districts find efficiencies of transportation.

“We also believe because of the centralized location that cooperating districts will be able to make deals with other districts much easier than they do now so we’ll have fewer buses that are more full, more seats occupied,” he said.

“The fact that there’s only one long bus, not 27 long busses what I heard and 36 (mini buses) you had over 53 vehicles coming in from Solomon Schecheter is ludicrous,” Hale said. “I’m happy that they’re half buses and I’m happy that there’s a van; those can be easily manipulated throughout our streets and in and out of our parking which will be provided.”

The start time for Solomon Schechter is projected to be at 8 a.m., the same as St. Aidan’s, which could cause a traffic jam in the morning as well as during St. Aidan’s CCD and any late bussing for Schechter. Different times could also be recommended in the study.

Eschbacher said that the “most critical” time is dismissal because “everybody tends to be there at that time waiting for the children to come out” whereas morning drop offs tend to be “staggered.”

Herrnson also proposed that all vehicles headed south on Willis Avenue could turn onto Winthrop Avenue and drop off in front of the school, while all vehicles traveling north turn onto Meagher Place and drop off in the parking lot.

He added that Solomon Schechter is considering a revised policy for next year, allowing only seniors who live more than 15 miles away to drive, and has investigated using a private lot and also spoken to Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar about the possibility of using some of the municipal lots. Solomon Schechter has about 60 permanent staff members and according to Herrnson less than 30 upperclassmen drive to school.

In terms of field usage, Herrnson said that “we can’t satisfy all of the needs, but I do believe we’ll be able to satisfy some of them.”