Bus Storage Causes Problems for Hillside Grade Neighbors

By Margaret Whitely

At the last New Hyde Park/Garden City Park School Board meeting the room was packed with residents, 24 to be exact, who surround the Hillside Grade School, to protest the storage of buses in a newly erected 12-foot-high cyclone fence at the back of the parking lot/playground.

Facility at Hillside Grade School where the New Hyde Park/Garden City Park buses will be stored.

The complaints from the neighbors, who have lived in their homes anywhere from 20 to 50 years, focused mainly on the danger of the exhaust from the buses, that start running at 6:30 a.m. The neighbors claim that it is unhealthy to all of them, but most especially to Tony Ziola, who suffers from emphysema, and who lives directly in back of the structure, where he says life-threatening fumes collect in his backyard and seep into his home.

Director of Facilities and Transportation Dante LaPlaca indicated, however, that the buses do not start up until approximately 6:50 a.m.

In a written statement, the spokeswoman for the group, a Mrs. Fulgieri, explained that it was noted back in the spring, that a bus was parked in the Hillside Grade School lot for a few days. She called LaPlaca who explained that the driver did not have means of transportation to get to Manor Oaks and it was more convenient to park at the Hillside Grade School lot. Fulgieri also spoke to New Hyde Park/Garden City Park Superintendent Joseph Rudaitis who assured her that the problem would be remediated and it was.

In October the neighbors noticed not one, but four buses were parked in the lot overnight. Fulgieri again called Rudaitis only to be informed that the buses would now be permanently housed at the Hillside Grade School parking lot.

The neighbors were outraged and Fulgieri asked that that she be allowed to meet with the board of education, but was told by Rudaitis that she would be unable to do so since the agenda for the November meeting was very full. However, he did not mean that she was unable to attend the meeting.

Board President Suzanne Wenz pointed out to the group that the item could have been discussed at the November meeting in the section of the agenda, at the end of the meeting, entitled "Audience to Visitors."

However, on November 15, 12 foot poles were erected and shortly, thereafter, cyclone fencing was put around the poles and the buses were moved from the Manor Oaks School and parked within the Hillside Grade School cage. Fulgieri asked Superintendent Rudaitis what could be done about the situation and he said the project had been authorized. Fulgieri also noted that the structure was erected without the knowledge of any members of the Hillside Grade School staff including the principal, the staff or the PTA.

When asked why the buses were being transferred from the Manor Oaks School, Fulgieri was told that Hillside Grade School is the only school with upgraded electricity to charge up the buses. She then inquired as to why the other schools were not upgraded and was told it was too expensive.

However, it was pointed out at the meeting, and in Fulgieri's written statement, that the expense was approved in the 1997-1998 budget listed as Hillside Grade School fence in the amount of $6,117 and necessary repairs to fence surrounding garage in the amount of $1,500 in the 1996-1997 budget.

Fulgieri further inquired as to what was being done about the playground in the parking lot and was informed that the basketball stations will be moved to the grass area; which will be blacktopped. She also wanted to know why the neighbors were not notified and she said she was told that they had been notified in a pamphlet sent to them known as the district Newsbriefs.

Another point made at the meeting is the unsafe traffic congestion that is caused in front of the Hillside Grade School when the children are being dropped off or picked up. The neighbors feel that the situation is deplorable as it exists, but with the addition of the school buses, in a driveway that has a common entrance and exit, it is "an accident waiting to happen."

Fulgieri commented that Rudaitis did visit the site and was very apologetic to her, but she said she felt he should have been at the site to visit with the 24 families before the structure was erected to see just what an impact it has on their "quality of life."

In an impassioned plea to the board, former board trustee Annette Girratani pleaded with the board to move the structure away from that area to another location stating that she was "appalled" that it was ever erected in that location.

Superintendent Rudaitis was asked by President Wenz to update the board on the bus situation at Hillside Grade School and he said, "We contract out most of our transportation. However it is cost-effective for us to maintain a small number of buses for in-district use. We have one regular size bus; one half-size bus, which is a handicapped accessible bus and three vans and that is the extent of the fleet in the district. We use those buses to transport Holy Spirit children, Notre Dame children, special education children and parochial children in the resource rooms and for some children in the New Hyde Park Road School who actually live beyond a mile and are entitled to transportation. Our buses are also used for field trips that are scheduled by the teachers. We can use our contracted buses, but we always use our own buses because it is more cost-effective."

Rudaitis continued, "Historically, we have stored those buses, for the most part at Manor Oaks. We have one stored at the New Hyde Park Road School in the garage. But the other four have been stored at Manor Oaks. One of the problems with storing the buses at Manor Oaks is that we had to drop four extension chords out of a second floor window, into the yard, in order to keep the buses plugged in at night. What that means is we keep the engine block warm in order to ensure the buses start in the morning during the winter months. However, this practice, is certainly unseeming, if not bordering on unsafe. We did not use this practice on the weekend. So on Monday morning, especially in the winter, we would have trouble starting our vehicles. When Dan LaPlaca came on board he felt that this practice was not a safe one."

Rudaitis went on,"It was important to store our buses on our own property; they are our buses and we have to secure our property. The taxpayers have paid for those buses and we don't want them damaged or vandalized. But, also we need a place to store them in order to protect the property and to protect the children. Seeing a bus on property, unprotected, certainly invites not only vandalism, but can serve as an "attractive nuisance."

He continued, "We took a look two years ago as to what options we had. One, was obviously to continue the practice at Manor Oaks, but we did not think that appropriate, plus there is not sufficient blacktop to store the buses, if we store them next to the garage. The blacktop at Manor Oaks has one basketball court and as Dan pointed out, if we were to build a fenced area around the garage at Manor Oaks, we would take a significant amount of blacktop and also the buses would go through the playground area which would be problematic. Also, we don't have sufficient electricity at Manor Oaks and we would have to upgrade. We also looked at Garden City Park School, but there is no garage there, and there is no asphalt there, so that is not a viable place. We then looked at Road School, but there is no existing fence at the Road School and most importantly you can't swing the buses around there. You would have to drive through the area where the children line up."

Superintendent Rudaitis went on, "Therefore Hillside Grade School which has a significant amount of asphalt is a logical choice. Two years ago we upgraded the electricity at Hillside as a budgetary item, as Phase I which was a $3,900 expenditure. In the last budget we included, as an item under transportation, $6,000 to enclose a fence around the Hillside Grade garage that would encompass the area that has an existing 12 foot high fence in the property around the garage itself. The original higher fence was built because one neighbor complained that children could jump into his backyard from the garage roof. What we did was close in the area by erecting two additional walls in order to protect the property and to store the buses in a secured area. The neighbors have voiced concern and I certainly have spoken to two neighbors and so has Dan LaPlaca."

Rudaitis said, "I have to apologize to the neighbors who felt that even though it is a budgeted item it was un-neighborly not to have made an extra effort to inform them personally. It was something that I could have done, should have done, and I can only apologize at this point. However, in an effort to let the neighbors know that we are sensitive to their concerns, we have offered to enclose the fence lining and extend the slats, if they would prefer that. In addition, Dan LaPlaca has instructed the bus drivers not to idle the buses before they start and to simply start the buses and move them up near the school so they won't be idled for any extended period of time. We are certainly willing to entertain any other concerns and suggestions to make it more palatable."

Other Board Matters

In other matters the Use of Volunteers policy was streamlined to point of stating that the superintendent has complete jurisdiction regarding the appointing the volunteers in the district, as he does with student teachers and observers. However, the policy states that the board will be fully apprised of the names of the volunteers to the district, even though they will not be voting on them. Because President Wenz expressed a problem with the policy as stated that does not call for board approval, the policy was tabled until the January board meeting.

G.I.F.T. awards were presented to the following teachers: Wesley Hogan, Elaine Duffy/Sandra Cutrone/ Richard Vaccaro; Laurie Ferrara, Lois Ann Larkin, Vivian Sirikas, Erica Shur/Susan Sohmer; Antoinette Campbell, Wanda Gecewicz/Mary Raab; Linda Liveri/Arlene Marino and Lisa Stettner. It was noted that possibly one teacher was omitted from the list, which will be noted at another time.

His report regarding the tour of grounds and facilities gives the board a close-up view of what still needed to be done at the schools and what has been accomplished. Superintendent Rudaitis said that, next year, perhaps two tours should be conducted to enable the board to see what has been done and what still needed to be done in all of the schools. However, it was noted that the tour of facilities for the public was a valuable tool for the community.

Superintendent Rudaitis publicly thanked New Hyde Park Memorial Principal Loretta Nugent for graciously coming to the aid of Hillside Grade School and allowing them to hold a Supermarket Bingo night at the high school as the elementary school was not available.

Trustee Martin Cernese proposed that the same self-sustaining summer program be presented in the district for next year. Superintendent Rudaitis said that he would put the "ball into motion" to accomplish this task.

Trustee Lawrence Montreuil asked that the current policy on homework be looked at and President Wenz requested, from the superintendent, a small paragraph about what is going on in each school. It was also announced that Marilyn Mattachione would once again be a liaison for BOCES and a committee is being formed to look at the problem of space in the district.

Rudaitis, when contacted after the meeting, indicated that the board was very sensitive to the concerns raised and they have asked him and his staff to explore options in order to address the neighbors' concerns and to investigate costs for the options.

Rudaitis further indicated that he has received calls from additional residents in the district expressing varying opinions about whether or not the buses should be moved. Rudaitis expects to report back to the board on his findings at the January meeting to be held on Jan. 12 at the Garden City Park School at 8 p.m.