Town residents demand action at Route 32 crossing

The Woodbury Town Board addressed concerns about pedestrian safety along Route 32, as community members expressed frustration at the lack of action from the state and local government, during the November 21 meeting.

Felicita Ferrara, a resident and teacher at the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District, who also spoke on the issue at the recent Woodbury Village Board meeting, questioned the 45-mph speed limit along Route 32, where three schools are located, and wondered why this was permitted when no other school zones have a speed limit that high. She said that she has reached out to State Senator James Skoufis to reduce the speed limit, to place flashing lights and signage to warn drivers that they are near a school, and for the crosswalk lines to be repainted.

Ferrara called on the town to consider ways to fix the problem and to not continue pointing at others to address the issue because Route 32 is a state road.

Supervisor Kathryn Luciani commented that she met with MW Superintendent Tracy Norman along with village Mayor Andrew Giacomazza and shared that she suggested the schools have student resource officers monitoring school roads and was told they must stay in the schools. She said that the schools need somebody out there to watch the kids. Luciani also agreed that flashing lights, speed bumps, and other methods for slowing down drivers were needed.

Acknowledging the accident involving a MW student crossing Route 32 from Woodbury Common, Luciani shared that four of her five kids are still in the district and how she wondered what if that was her child and agreed the issue needed to be addressed.

Councilman Brandon Calore suggested the board reach out to his contacts at the state Department of Transportation to arrange a meeting with their public safety and health departments.

Councilwoman Sandra Capriglione informed the public that the town has tried to get the speed limit lowered on Route 32 and the request has fallen on deaf ears. Despite her pessimism regarding the state acting, she agreed that the community needs to come together and shared that she would be happy to join in the effort.

Highland Mills resident Maria Hunter expanded on Capriglione’s statement, saying that once Route 32 was turned into a truck route, the town and village of Woodbury lost control of the situation. She commented that the state never completed putting no passing zones along the road. She also shared past efforts to get the state to put sidewalks along the road where children walk. Hunter referenced Tuxedo as a model for getting drivers to slow down and how the Woodbury police need more support so they can better enforce safer driving.

One resident asked about the possibility of adding a pedestrian walkway connecting Woodbury Common to the other side of Route 32. As noted during the village board meeting, the planning board cannot require Woodbury Common to build a pedestrian bridge as a condition of their expansion. Hunter elaborated on this matter, saying that the planning board could request something as a benefit for the community.

While the board acknowledged the need for change, Calore stressed the importance of personal responsibility for both drivers and pedestrians in being aware of their surroundings.

Town refuse

Calore also spoke about personal responsibility in terms of handling household garbage and making efforts to reduce waste.

The comment came following a presentation by the town refuse department on the growing amount of garbage being thrown out by Woodbury – almost 4,400 tons in 2024 so far – and what residents can do to reduce their impact, such as encouraging residents to limit purchases of items with excessive packaging, taking advantage of repair cafes, and to utilize locations for dropping off unwanted items. The public was also informed about the challenges of improper recycling and the benefits of composting.

Other business

During the meeting, the town announced that it is seeking new legal counsel, which prompted Highland Mills resident Jimmy Ng to ask what happened to the current attorney. Luciani explained that the current attorney had an accident and that the other municipal lawyer in the firm was near retirement and not available. Responding to concerns that previous town attorneys did not have enough knowledge and understanding of local issues, Luciani shared that she has reached out to different firms in the area that are more focused on municipal law.

At the meeting, Robert Beckley was sworn in as a new appointee to the town board. The board had an open position after former Councilman Timothy Finnegan resigned to take a position as a firefighter for the West Point Fire Department.