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Community Corner

Civic Prez: Back To Drawing Board For Leviton HS Backers

Little Neck Patch reader cites transportation, noise and pollution issues as reasons former manufacturing site should not be considered for new high school

Judy Cohen, president of North Hills Estates Civic Association, wrote this letter Dec. 16 in response to Little Neck Patch's story on persistent talk of a located at the former Leviton Manufacturing Co. site on Little Neck Parkway:

I don't think that city schools, with their fiscal problems, would consider opening another High School right now, which is just as well.

No, we don't think that it would be a good idea to use the Leviton site for that purpose.

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First, I agree with the article where they mentioned transportation. Without the Q79 bus, it would be impractical to use the site for innumerable children, teachers, and other employees and visitors. Car traffic would be tremendous. Remember, older teens can also drive. So in addition to the regular employees of any school, the lack of bus transportation would increase the number of student vehicles that would need to park on our local streets.

Anyone who lives close to a school can tell you how difficult it is to live on a school block at dismissal time. Cars idle, double park, and, sometimes, there are accidents. Years ago, at a school where I taught, one of my students was struck by a car at three o'clock. She had a broken leg, even though the principal was outside trying to direct traffic! Fortunately, the car was moving slowly, or the injuries could have been even worse.

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Second, the other impacts of a high school on our community would not be pleasant for the residents. We would have more bus traffic. As it is, neighbors on a street right behind Leviton are already complaining about bus traffic from the combination of the local schools and the Samuel Field Y. They are aggravated about the noise from those buses, and concerned that the wear and tear on the roadway from the heavier vehicles would affect the surface of the asphalt, causing more potholes.

In addition, there is no doubt that there would be more parking problems in the nearby residential streets. The parking lot currently there would only be able to service teachers and employees. Visitors would need to use surrounding streets. High schools also need evening programs and after-school activities — all of which would produce more traffic and noise. Night time classes or programs also would mean keeping on bright lights for hours, particularly during winter months when it gets dark by around 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. What about athletic fields? Again, noise, lights, and difficulties with parking would be constant.

Let's not forget air pollution caused by all those cars and buses especially when they sit idling, waiting for students to leave the building.

Having a school in that location might also need adding a gate from the lot to one of the local streets. That would introduce other problems for our homeowners.  We already have said that we don't want another gate that would spill more traffic onto our small streets. The two gates on Little Neck Parkway should remain as they are, with no breaks in the fencing.

If you have heard the complaints of residents near other local schools, in regard to noise and vandalism perpetrated on their homes and grounds,  you also would not want to have a school gate on your street. No, most children don't do these things, but, in a large population, there are always some students who don't care about how they affect other people's property or lives I have been at some community meetings where these events have been chronicled.

It may be that the Department of Education itself will veto such a proposal. However, I wanted to let you know about how we feel in regard to having a High School at the Leviton site. It would be totally unacceptable.

Sincerely,

Judy Cohen,

President,  North Hills Estates Civic Association

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