TIMES
WALLKILL VALLEY
Vol. 34, No 38 3 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2016
Chamber
music
Page 16
An untold number of cars and school
buses make their way in and out of the
Valley Central High School complex on
State Route 17K on an ordinary school day.
Under the current setup, every vehicle
that enters or exits the parking lot does
so without the benefit of a traffic light to
hold off oncoming traffic, which makes it
needlessly difficult to make a left turn out
of the lot through two lanes of traffic. The
district administration has been pushing
the state to rectify the situation, and at
the Board of Education meeting on Sept.
12, the board announced that the state is
close to adding a stoplight in front of the
school.
The
move
would
necessitate
approximately $2 million in funds to
reconfigure the parking lot, with the state
picking up the tab. “The state’s going to
approve a light on 17K in front of the high
school and middle school,” Valley Central
Superintendent John Xanthis said. “As
part of that, there has to be a redesign of
how the traffic flows. We don’t know what
that will look like. I’m only guessing, but
there might have to be another entrance
east of the building. We’re certainly going
to work with the state, and we have an
architectural firm that could help them.
ONE DOLLAR
Panthers
stalled
Page 42
www.WallkillValleyTimes.net
VC lobbies for light on 17K
By TED REMSNYDER
3
Or they could use their own person.”
A Department of Transportation study
on the need for a stoplight was launched
at the district’s request last year.
“We had met last year and (State)
Senator (William) Larkin got involved and
brought everyone to the table,” Xanthis
said. “One of the biggest issues out here
for safety, and for people coming to board
meetings, is about how unsafe it is on
17K. We have 2,500 students plus another
500 employees, so it’s an accident waiting
to happen. Like everything, it has to be
studied for approval. But according to
Continued on page 39
Fall is in the air
Shoppers browse through fresh vegetables and fall flowers, Saturday, at the Pine Bush Farmer’s Market, which took place during the annual
Pine Bush harvest Festival, Saturday. More photos on pages 22-23.
PB begins
supt. search
By JESSICA COHEN
[email protected]
The search is on for a new Pine Bush
School District superintendent. Surveys
and staff focus groups have already
outlined the characteristics of a desirable
candidate, says Robert Hendricks,
managing principal of Educational
Legacy Planning Group (ELP), of Fishkill,
the organization hired to guide the search.
For the last two months, superintendent
search survey questions have been on
the district website, and 300 people have
responded, he said.
Community focus groups will soon
begin, but dates have not yet been set,
says Superintendent Joan Carbone. She
announced her retirement three months
ago after three years with the district
and 40 years of work in education. She
will leave October 15, and Assistant
Superintendent for Instruction Donna
Geidel will replace her as interim
superintendent.
So far, website surveys and focus groups
indicate that what people want closely
resembles Carbone, says Hendricks.
“People feel confident about where the
district is and where it’s headed. That
doesn’t always happen,” he said. “They
feel leadership is in good hands, and they
don’t want to damage the foundation.
They have a sense of unity, peace, and
direction. They want someone who will
listen, learn about Pine Bush, and achieve
their vision, not bring in a new vision
and direction. They want someone who is
visible and an excellent communicator.”
But that does not mean people want to
hire from within, he says. Knowing and
having experience in Pine Bush were
the least important characteristics of an
appealing candidate, according to surveys
Continued on page 39
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL