Beacon’s Main Street has been getting attention from Mayor Lee Kyriacou’s administration. From real estate zoning overhauls to street signage, some changes have been made. Most recently, the sidewalk “bump-outs” which are the circular extensions into the street that the City Administrator Chris White argues, during recent City Council meetings, will reduce traffic speeds, and act as a benefit to emergency vehicles who can now drive over them when turning a tight corner. Additionally, he said, a car may not be parked so close to the street corner, now that the bump-outs are there, making turning easier, with one less parked vehicle in the way.

Once the cement set on all of the bump-outs, new signage went in. Namely, yellow crosswalk signs. Hurrah! But no new painted cross-walk lines were done, as paving of Main Street was scheduled for October, but was canceled in November.

According to a press release on the City of Beacon’s website: “The City has also been investing in pedestrian and cyclist safety throughout the City. Immediately upon taking office in 2020, Mayor Kyriacou formed a Main Street Access Advisory Committee made up of residents. The Committee was instrumental in the upcoming installation of stop signs and way finding signage along the Main Street corridor.”

It is unknown at this time what project or budget line item the crosswalks were part of, as the Main Street Access Advisory Committee leader Stowe Boyd indicated that these particular crosswalk signs were not part of their first phase of new signage that aims to make finding one’s way around Beacon easier. Their focus was on adding street signs to intersections were no street signs exist, stop signs along Main Street intersections, and better free parking signs for municipal lots.

Colleen Pillus, Communication Director for the Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro confirmed that the bump-outs were federally funded, and could not confirm source of funding for the crosswalk signs. Sometimes sidewalk or street sign projects come from different grant funds from federal or county budgets, and in our reporting, we like to indicate which ones.

Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White did not respond to ALBB’s questions seeking funding or design confirmation on the bump-outs. Perhaps you can find out?

Questions that were sent to City Administrator Chris last week:

1. When and if did Beacon apply for federal funds for the bump-outs?

2. What were the start and end dates of the project?

3. Can you send the final design for the bump-outs that were approved by the City of Beacon and were submitted to the people creating the bump-outs?

4. What if any accessibility expert was used as a resource for designing the bump-outs?

5. Who paved the bump-outs? What company and were any city employees involved in any aspect? If so, which ones?

6. The yellow cross-walk signs that were recently installed: where did that funding come from? What company installed them or were they installed by city employees?

If you have positive or negative experience with crossing Main Street with the new bump-outs and/or yellow crosswalk signs, let us know in the comments below.