TRR photo by Chris Conroy Victoria Fimognari, a Smallwood parent whose child must now walk to the end of her road to catch the school bus, voices her opinion to the Monticello Central School Board. meeting. (Click for larger image)

Going round and round

By CHRIS CONROY

SMALLWOOD — The wheels on the bus go  round and  round and so do the battles of Smallwood residents.

At the August 23 meeting of the Monticello Central School Board, concerned parents and the Bethel Town Board showed up to again question a 2000-2001 school year decision that eliminated Smallwood buses from stopping at some student’s doors. The school district has cited safety issues stemming from Smallwood’s notoriously narrow streets and other factors that make it dangerous to bring the busses through. The parents whose children have to walk those roads and the town board disagree with that assessment.

“The roads in [Smallwood] are pretty good as far as we’re concerned,” said councilman Bob Bonnaci. Some of the roads in question, most notably those at the end of Pine Grove Road including Lafayette and Cliff Streets and Orange Avenue, have had the brush cut back and low-hanging branches removed, he said. “Forty years ago, [the busses] ran a lot of roads that were even narrower than they are now.”

“Maybe in the past we took busses down roads that we shouldn’t have,” said school board member Joe Todora.

“Changes have been recommended and made in many areas in the district,” school superintendent Eileen Casey said. “We’re not going to wait for an accident to happen.” Bethel is the only place, according to Casey, where the town has gotten involved in those changes.

“I understand what the [school] board is going through,” said town councilman Harold Russell, a former member of the Jeffersonville-Youngsville school board. “We as a [town] board will do what we can… but I can’t imagine a five year old walking down [any of those roads] in the winter.”

After nearly an hour of discussion, the two boards agreed that some compromise could be reached. It was decided that during the week of August 27 members of the school board, the town board, the town’s highway superintendent and concerned parents would repeat the bus ride done around Smallwood early in the summer. During that ride, specific areas of improvement will be pointed out. If the town highway department can make the required changes, the school board said, the bus routes may return to what they had been for decades before last year’s changes. Alternately, if it is sensible to do so, the district may consider sending in smaller busses or vans to pick up the children.

“We will meet and see what can be done,” said school board president Richard Feller.

Steve Morey, one of the parents at the forefront of the fight to return the routes said, “I would like to be sure that every alternative be reviewed and considered… My goal here is get the routes back to where they were.”