Going The Speed Limit Has Become So Offensive, A Bumper Sticker To Dialogue Was Created

In A Little Beacon Blog’s recent series of articles on selfish, law-breaking driving that includes people crossing the double yellow line, going around school buses, crossing the white line, etc., this bumper sticker was spotted out in the wild. It reads: “Speed GPS Monitored. Thank You For Your PATIENCE”

Note that PATIENCE is in all caps.

At the beginning of the 2021/2022 the school year in September, Mayor Lee Kyriacou along with Police Chief Sands Frost announced that the Beacon Police Department will be implementing a Back-to-School Traffic Safety Campaign through the month of September. The announcement stated that the Police Department will "deploy increased traffic enforcement patrols at key locations to ensure that students of all ages are able to safely travel to and from school."

The announcement stressed that there "will be stepped up patrols, and tickets will be issued for violations including passing buses, speeding, not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks, making U-Turns on Main Street, and not obeying traffic control signal and devices."

School does continue after the initial first month, all the way into June. It is not known if this initiative has been continued into other months. A Little Beacon Blog has reached out to the Beacon Police Department to find out, and to see if they keep data on and can release statistics on any enforcement of traffic violations, like U-Turns, crossing over the yellow or white lines, speeding, passing school buses, etc. If we get a response, this article will be updated.

Readers have started commenting on ALBB’s double yellow line article, “Double Yellow Line Crossing Is Illegal, Rude, Really Bad, Horrible - Just Stop”, with recent stories from November that include:

nicole__tori: “Some a-hole crossed the double line today as a mini school bus was coming the opposite way. It was a very close call as they passed over the double yellow played chicken with the school bus and then cut the the driver off in front of them. Small oldish gray car.”

wellnessformakers: “So true, I can’t believe how fast drivers go on Verplanck near the Middle School. Especially while so many students walk to school and have to cross such a busy road at the light without a crossing guard. What’s the rush?”

glassoverboard: “Not just Beacon. This happens every where. I was in Newburgh local road speed 30mph and a car went over the double sided line passed by only to stopped by the red light and I was behind me.”

Of course, with more enforcement comes personal encounters with police and citizens. After 2021's racial reawakening, those encounters have more scrutiny on equal enforcement, and communication style during an encounter.

Double Yellow Line Crossing Is Illegal, Rude, Really Bad, Horrible - Just Stop

Finding people’s stories of how some people drive like they are the only people on the road is very easy. Lots of people see impatient maniacs every day. Just today, while driving from Beacon to Glenham at 8:30am on Old Glenham Road, a small SUV was driving the speed limit, followed by a black sedan, who wasn’t having it. The black sedan was tailing the small SUV, who casually just kept driving like a normal person. Presumably to Glenham Elementary school (which, it ended up, was where they were going).

The sedan couldn’t take the 30 mph speed limit, and passed the small SUV by crossing the double yellow line. This was just before passing Laby’s Pizzeria, where the sedan raced to turn right, after passing the small SUV across the double yellow line.

The small SUV also turned right seconds later, albeit calmly. The two vehicles drove down the road, and the sedan had stopped to turn right at the beautiful creek view over the bridge across from Petticoat Lane. The sedan who broke the law had gained no time by passing the small SUV, who by then, turned left down Petticoat Lane, and into the Glenham Elementary kid-drop off, which has its own situation and requires total 100% acceptance of calmness to surrender as cars and buses sit in the road, waiting to advance. Morning coffee of course, makes people a little jumpy. Self-summoned zen-vibes are key to a golden morning.

Common Double Yellow Line Crossing In Beacon

Just don’t. Drivers breaking the law and endangering others are locals and visitors. Here’s what happens on the regular on Main Street. There are often no painted lines on the back-roads and side streets. But this even happens near Sargent Elementary school on soccer mornings as parents rush to get to a game, and drive around each other.

• Pedestrian Crossing: A person is crossing the street at a cross-walk. A car has stopped. The car behind it beeps at the car in front of it, angry that the first car is letting the person pass. Sometimes, that second vehicle drives around the first stopped vehicle, and crosses the double yellow line.

• School Bus Stops For Kids: The Beacon City School District routes buses to drop off kids at street corners. Could be a group of kids, or one kid. On Cross and Verplanck, at 4:10pm, a bus was approaching one such stop. The bus driver put on the yellow flashers, put out the red stop sign, and a tiny Pre-K kid started to step down the stairs to get off the bus. Two cars drove around the bus as this happened. No cars stopped going the other way. It was chaotic as not one person recognized that the bus was letting out a child. Rather, they recognized, but didn’t care. Normally at that time, a weekday at 4:10pm on Verplanck, the traffic is local.

• Parallel Parking: It’s annoying to stop and wait for someone to park. Even worse, it is for the person doing the parallel parking, if they can’t do it. Their nerves are on over-drive, as they feel the pressure from the people waiting behind them, and sometimes in the other oncoming lane if their car is nosing over the double yellow. Which is why passing them - whizzing by them in anger - is even worse. Don’t pass people over the double yellow line when they are parallel parking. Just wait. I know it’s hard. I do it too.

• Even WORSE: Is if a person is waiting for the parker to finish parking, and the car behind is so impatient, that they jut around both cars to pass on the double yellow. If you do this, you have a greater chance of hitting a person who took that moment of paused traffic to cross the street. Get patience. Don’t go around stopped cars.

Readers Respond

Some readers have responded with their own stories recently:

nicole__tori: “Some a-hole crossed the double line today as a mini school bus was coming the opposite way. It was a very close call as they passed over the double yellow played chicken with the school bus and then cut the the driver off in front of them. Small oldish gray car.”

wellnessformakers: “So true, I can’t believe how fast drivers go on Verplanck near the Middle School. Especially while so many students walk to school and have to cross such a busy road at the light without a crossing guard. What’s the rush?”

glassoverboard: “Not just Beacon. This happens every where. I was in Newburgh local road speed 30mph and a car went over the double sided line passed by only to stopped by the red light and I was behind me.”

Yes, Crossing Over The White Line Is Still Illegal - And Dangerous For People In Wheelchairs and Walking

The temperature is rising for people driving in Beacon, as tolerance from those walking, biking, or wheel-chairing is waning as drivers speed and disregard simple traffic rules. Reckless, selfish driving is on the fault of both local Beaconites, those from Hudson Valley communities passing through or doing business here, as well as visitors from further south who have their New York City vibes on when driving. As a former driver and resident of New York City, driving in order to survive the streets of NYC requires speeding and aggression. However, that style does not fly in Beacon or any town.

Locals need to listen up also. Driving from Beacon to Glenham on a daily basis has been an eye opening experience. Driving in Beacon has always been stressful, as people pass on the left (around a double yellow line) as well as around the white line. Crossing the white line is illegal, as confirmed by a Beacon police officer answering intake calls at the desk.

On Business Route 52, just outside of Beacon past the dog park, tire station, and the expansive Healey dealership, passing on the right is common if someone is turning left into the Family Dollar, for instance. However, people commonly walk on the narrow sidewalk or road space in between the white line. These people include senior residents with rolling walkers, senior residents rolling themselves in wheelchairs, students, employees of the Healey dealership, and anyone out for a leisurely stroll along a busy road.

Crossing the white line is illegal. Everyone does it - as it is very apparent on 9D on the way out of Beacon into Wappingers and up to Poughkeepsie. When passing the Chelsea apartments, if someone is turning left anywhere along 9D, people usually cross over the white line to pass.

To not pass a car waiting to turn left usually results in impatient drivers behind one’s vehicle, who will pass the white line from further behind, thereby surprising other stopped vehicles.

It is unknown how to stop this behavior, since usually people don’t blatantly break the law in front of a parked police car stationed there to enforce the law.

City of Beacon Urges Reconsideration of Partial Matteawan Road Closure By Fishkill Correctional Facility

The week that the Beacon City School District announced to families that the part of Matteawan Road that passes through the Fishkill Correctional Facility after the Beacon High School, and intersects with Business Route 52 (at which point, it is called Prospect Street), would be closed to the public on November 1, 2021, the The City of Beacon’s Administrator Chris White announced at a public City Council Workshop Meeting (at 1:19:00) that the City strongly urged the Fishkill Correctional Facility to reconsider the partial road closure, to start a dialogue to form a better plan, and to support Assemblyman Jacobson’s efforts to allow school bus routes at the very least until solutions could be found.

According to Administrator Chris, the City of Beacon was first informed on October 18, 2021 by the Superintendent of the Fishkill Correctional Facility that the part of Matteawan Road passing the facility would be closed to the public on November 1, 2021. In response, Administrator Chris prepared a resolution of the City’s urging of a reconsideration.

The proposed resolution to be signed during tonight’s public City Council Meeting can be found here. Today, November 1, 2021, which is the start of the partial road closure to the public, Beacon City School’s Superintendent Landahl sent a notice to district families that buses will continue running through Mattweawan Road near the Fishkill Correctional Facility, but reminded families that that part of the road is closed to the public. There has been no announcement to Beacon residents of the road block via robo-call, text, or website posting, other than the mention of it during last week’s City Council Meeting.

In providing context for Beacon’s position on the closure, Administrator Chris stated:

“Mattawean Road runs through the City of Beacon and the Town of Fishkill. It goes past the Fishkill Correctional Facility. The Town owns a piece of the road near Prospect Street that feeds in. Then the prison owns a large part of it, and then the City owns the rest of it.

“We had heard rumors from the School District that the Fishkill Correctional Facility was going to close that road as of November 1st. We only received a call on October 18th, which was the first official notification that the City was given, that the road was going to be closed permanently in less than 2 weeks.

“We have been in touch with Superintendent and our state representatives. I know that Assemblyman Jacobson's office is working diligently to try to exempt buses which would be severely disrupted if that closed. We thought we would support - I put this together because I thought it important to support our state delegation's effort to delay the implementation of this so we can do some planning, to exempt buses at the very least, and to begin a real dialogue between the Town of Fishkill, Beacon City School District, and the City of Beacon.

“There has been no planning or traffic modeling to look at what the impacts were. I would say this strongly recognizes their right and their necessity to secure their facility. Nobody is questing that. The way that we do it, though, is important. We think we can thread that needle so that it's not as disruptive to the traffic going into Rombout and the High School.”

Covered In The Proposed Resolution

Included in the City of Beacon’s Resolution, spearheaded by Administrator Chris, is the point that, for years, “Matteawan Road serves as a connection between the Town of Fishkill and the City of Beacon and is an important street access from Fishkill Avenue to the Beacon High School and Rombout Middle School.” In response ALBB’s article announcing this partial road closure last week, former City Councilperson Ali T. Muhammad, who grew up walking to Beacon school in that area, recalled when that part of the road was temporarily closed: “Grew up there, sounds awful. Last time it was shut down was due to 9/11. Good luck.”

The resolution points out that the closure to the public is “during the daytime.” The resolution makes sure to state the City of Beacon’s dissatisfaction with not being consulted by the Fishkill Correctional Facility prior to their decision: “City of Beacon recognizes the necessity and right of DOCCS and the Fishkill Correctional Facility to secure their grounds, including this section of road, the City is concerned that it and other major stakeholders, including the Beacon City School District, were not consulted on the closure and received insufficient notice to allow for traffic safety modifications and adjustment that might need to be implemented as a result of the change to traffic patterns in and around Matteawan Road.”

The City of Beacon cited concern for where traffic would increase due to the partial closure of Mattawean Road, stating that it “would create traffic and pedestrian safety issues at key intersections in the City of Beacon, including Verplanck Avenue and Matteawan Road, Wilkes Street and Matteawan Road, and at access roads through Memorial Park, which now may be used as a cut-through for motorists.”

The resolution pointed out the effort required to properly answer the partial road closure: “Any adjustments to the traffic control signage in the area will take the City a period of at least several months to assess needed modification and adopt revisions to the City Code for such modifications, which require a public hearing and adoption of a local law amending the City Code, and the City received less than two weeks’ notice of the impending partial road closure without any prior traffic safety planning by the Facility or coordination with the City.”

The City of Beacon is asking for a pausing of the partial road closure, and a commitment to work together on solutions moving forward “with a immediate establishment of a working committee to coordinate with Fishkill Correctional Facility on this matter, including the following key stakeholders: the City of Beacon, Town Town of Fishkill, and Beacon City School District in order to consider potential alternatives, and if necessary, properly plan for the impact that a partial closure of Matteawan Road would create.

Beacon’s resolution would then be sent to Governor Kathy Hochul, State Senator Sue Serino, Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson, DOCCS Acting Commissioner Anthony Annucci, and Fishkill Correctional Facility Superintendent Edward Burnett.

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Read This: Video Of The Drive On Matteawan Road Past Fishkill Correctional Facility That Is Partially Closed Now - The Experience >

Read This: Permanent Road Closure Of Matteawan Road At Fishkill Correctional Facility - Will Impact School Bus Routes >

Permanent Road Closure Of Matteawan Road At Fishkill Correctional Facility - Will Impact School Bus Routes

Matteawan Road at the end of Beacon High School near the entrance of the Fishkill Correctional Facility.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Further impacting an already strained busing system, Beacon City School District Superintendent Matthew Landahl announced to district families yesterday that the Fishkill Correctional Facility will close to the public the part of Matteawan Road that runs through their facility. After Matteawan loops through the Fishkill Correctional Facility, it turns into Prospect Street Md (according to Google Map), which runs through a residential area. Prospect Street Md intersects with Route 52 (aka Business 52 aka Fishkill Avenue depending on what map you look at) diagonally across from Old Glenham Road. According to Dr. Landahl, the closure possibly starts with the guard stations on both ends of the Fishkill Correctional Facility.

It is unknown at this time if this closure is related to the car accident that happened on Route 52 near Old Glenham Road last week at around 3:30pm, which is a high traffic time for school and a shift change at the Fishkill Correctional Facility.

In an email dated 10/19/2021, Dr. Landahl stated:

The Fishkill Correctional Sign on Matteawan Road.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

“I am writing to inform you about the permanent closure of Matteawan Road by Fishkill Correctional Facility. We were informed yesterday that officials at the Fishkill Correctional Facility are permanently closing the part of Matteawan Road that runs past their facility. This closure will take effect on Monday, November 1, 2021.

“Many of our school busses use this road as well as parents and students driving to Beacon High School and Rombout Middle School. The closure will cause increased traffic congestion at arrival and dismissal time at Beacon High School and Rombout Middle School and will cause delays for many of our bus routes.

“We are currently analyzing all of our bus routes and we will update the community with revised pick-up and drop-off times for the impacted routes. The bridge construction on 84 has already caused delays this year for many of our routes, so I apologize for this in advance. We will also work with the City of Beacon to see if anything can be done to help alleviate traffic congestion on Matteawan Road heading to Verplank Avenue.

“We will update the community next week with more information about bus routes and this situation.”

On Matteawan Road: Rombout Middle School on the left, and Beacon High School on the right.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Pedestrian and bike activity picks up significantly in Beacon at 3pm, which is when all 6 public schools dismiss. According to the police officer on the Traffic Commity during a May 2020 public meeting, the Fishkill Correctional Facility also has a shift change at 3pm, contributing to increased traffic on Matteawan, running past the Beacon High School, and in the other direction toward Route 52, which is across from Old Glenham Road, which leads to Glenham Elementary.

Both the Beacon High School and Rombout Middle School are located on Matteawan Road. Picking up kids Rombout Middle School is an already congested situation, both within the Rombout pickup loop, and at the intersection to exit in either direction out of Rombout.

An alternative to driving into Rombout, is to meet a child behind Rombout by their outdoor school basketball court, on Robert Cahill Drive (inside of Memorial Park), which is already a traffic area for after-school sports. Speed bumps used to exist on Robert Cahill Drive for safety, but have not been placed down for years.

Biking Home Is An Alternative To Driving, But Biking In Beacon Is Unsafe

Map of Matteawan Road and Robert Cahill Drive.
Photo Credit: Google Maps

An alternative to car pickups is having kids walk or bike home. However, several drivers in Beacon are so impatient when driving, they often recklessly and illegally pass cars on the left, crossing a double yellow line, with no regard for why a car in front of them stopped. Twice, I personally have stopped for a pedestrian crossing the street, and a car, driven by a local Beaconite, has tried to drive around me, crossing the double yellow line, and would thereby hit the crossing walker or biker. I have also almost been hit when I was crossing the street when an impatient car crossed the double yellow line to pass the stopped car in front of it on the left.

Biking in Beacon is quite unsafe, with no sidewalks dedicated to bikers (it is illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk), and only a small section of Main Street is indicated with biking encouragement painted lines. Yet biking on Main Street for children is not recommended and is unsafe. Kids bike on neighborhood roads mainly, so this focus is beyond Main Street. Bike safety and enforcement of crossing yellow lines and doing U-Turns should be enforced.

Years ago, Beacon’s Park and Recreation Department proposed a continuous bike loop through the public parks. It is unknown at this time what became of that drawing or proposal. Should anyone remember the date at which it was presented, please contact us.

Map that shows Rte 52 labeled as such, as well as Business 52, as well as Fishkill Avenue. Also along I-84, 52 runs.
Photo Credit: Google Maps

Map that shows where Matteawan Road turns into Prospect Street Md after looping through the Fishkill Corrections Facility.
Photo Credit: Google Maps

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Read This: Video Of The Drive On Matteawan Road Past Fishkill Correctional Facility That Is Partially Closed Now - The Experience >

Read This: City Of Beacon Urges Reconsideration Of Partial Matteawan Road Closure By Fishkill Correctional Facility >

State of Emergency Declared for Dutchess County During Hurricane Ida's Rain And Flash Flood Warnings

The Fishkill Creek after Tropical Storm Henri. ALBB hasn’t left the house yet to see it after the remnants of Category 4 Huricane Ida.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

In the early hours of Thursday morning at 2am, during the day-long rainfall in the northeast from Hurricane Ida that devestated several communities in southern states, the office of Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro declared a State of Emergency for Dutchess County until 9am Thursday. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for New York just after midnight, as did the state of New Jersey. Flights out of major airports in New York and New Jersey were suspended and all airport parking lots closed due to severe flooding, The Port Authority said.

For Dutchess County, the National Weather Service issued River Flood Warnings from Thursday 4:31am until Friday 8:33pm flood warnings for Wappingers Creek, comparing it to a crest level last seen on 4/3/1970, stating: “Flood Warning for the Wappingers Creek at Wappingers Falls. From late tonight to Friday evening. At 10:30pm Wednesday, the stage was 5.0 feet. Flood stage is 8.0 feet. Minor flooding is forecast. Forecast…The river is expected to ries above flood stage late tonight to a crest of 9.7 feet early tomorrow afternoon. It will then fall below flood stage early Friday afternoon. Impact…at 10.0 feet, Moderate flood stage. Flood History…This crest compares to a previous crest of 9.6 feet on 4/3/1970.”

Per the emergency state, Dutchess County restricted non-essential travel in 16 municipalities until 9 a.m. Public transportation schedule remained normal. Counties under the travel restriction were: Amenia, Pleasant Valley, Dover, Washington, Millbrook, Town of Poughkeepise, City of Poughkeepsie, LaGrange, Union Vale, Wappinger, Wappingers Falls, Beekman, Town of Pawling, Village of Pawling, East Fishkill and Village of Fishkill.

County offices opened at 10 a.m. In Beacon, the 4-school elementary school supply drop-off where kids can briefly meet their teachers when dropping off school supplies was adjusted by a short time, and parents were advised that some teachers may not have been able to travel in.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said that remnants of Hurricane Ida caused flooding, as well as downed trees and wires throughout portions of Dutchess County. The Dutchess County Emergency Operation Center has been activated and continues to monitor the storm and provide resources as needed. The Dutchess County Emergency Operations Center will remain open throughout the day to continue to address storm issues.

Roadway Flooding In Dutchess County

Flooding included rushing water from the mountains, as well as creeks and rivers. “NYS Route 9, Town of Fishkill - near Clove Road, roadway partially closed due to water running off the mountain and across the roadway,” Molinaro tweeted. “CR-28, Town of Wappinger - Old Hopewell Road, east of Route 9, in the construction zone is flooding and hazardous due to significant water on the roadway. CR-111, Town of Washington - near the monument, now closed due to roadway flooding,” he cautioned in another tweet.

Flooding elsewhere in the region caused swift rescues of people in cars and on foot in small towns such as Mamaroneck and Larchmont, which are both located on the coast of New York in Westchester County.

Abandoned cars on the southbound side of the Saw Mill Parkway, near Yonkers and the Bronx.
Photo Credit: Mark Vergar/The Journal News

Flooding In New York City and Queens

Flash flooding took over parts of Manhattan and Queens, according to several reports including AlJazeera.

Video of water rushing into the NY Subway along 7th Avenue at the 28th Street stop.
Photo Credit: AlJazeera screenshot of video.

The flooding from the rainfall from the Category 4 Hurricane Ida caught some in the northeast offguard, where there were more warnings issued for Tropical Storm Henri. According to AlJazeera, “the National Weather Service said it recorded 8 cm (3.15 inches) of rain in New York’s Central Park in one hour Wednesday night, far surpassing the 4.9 cm (1.94 inches) that fell in one hour during Tropical Storm Henri on the night of August 21 – believed at the time to be the most ever recorded in the iconic park.”

Some Beaconites were caught in the Queens flash flooding in Ridgewood and Middle Village, with nowhere to go in all directions. Dutchess County Emergency Management urges everyone to not drive through water on a road, with this ryhme: “Turn Around. Don’t Drown.”

If you have pictures of areas in your part of Beacon or surrounding areas that you want to share to document how Beacon fared, email them to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com. We cannot pay for pictures this round, but appreciate your contributions.

Wishing safety for all.

Friday Afternoon Car Accident On Main Street (August 6th) Near Mr. V's, Cafe Amarcord and Ama Enoteca

On Friday, August 6, 2021, at approximately 2:45pm according to a witness, there was a car accident on Main Street at South Brett Street, in between the restaurants Enoteca Ama and Café Amacord, where at least one person was placed onto a stretcher.

Of the two cars involved pictured here, the front left side of the BMW small SUV was collided into. The front of the GMC small SUV was collided into, and its trunk is bent.

Two cars from a car accident on August 6, 2021. The front left side of the BMW pictured has been collided into.
Photo Credit: Jean Noack

Two cars from a car accident on August 6, 2021. The front of the GMC pictured has been collided into, and the hood is bent.
Photo Credit: Jean Noack

Neither restaurant has parklets (outdoor dining areas barricaded by water-filled orange barricades which are very heavy), though there is one up the street at the Royal Crepes. There are no new sidewalk “bump-outs,” which are wheelchair accessible ramps designed to go into the street to help pedestrians be seen safely while trying to cross the street. The City of Beacon has been experiencing the installation of the bump-outs at various intersections on Main Street all summer, funded by Dutchess County.

This intersection is known to be a difficult one for pedestrians and vehicles turning in either direction from South Brett Street onto Main Street.

This is not the first accident on Main Street this year, but is the second one A Little Beacon Blog has written about. An earlier accident happened on Mother’s Day Sunday afternoon 2021, where two vehicles collided into each other, and spun around to hit parked cars, land on a 6 year old child, and knock down his grandmother, who were walking on the sidewalk in front of Subway.

Beacon Police vehicles have been seen parked at various spots on Main Street including in the driveway of the apartment complex behind Mountain Tops, as well as in the Mobile gas station across Eliza Street at the 344 Main Street building. A pair of Beacon Police Officers have also been seen regularly walking Main Street.

ALBB has emailed and phoned the Beacon Police Department regarding this accident and is awaiting details. This article will be updated should those details arrive.

Beacon Police, Fire Department and EMT responders working at the scene of the car accident on Main Street at South Brett, near Mr. V’s Deli.
Photo Credit: Jean Noack

Beacon Police Department Detective Bureau Issues Press Release After 2-Car Accident On Main Street

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, the Beacon Police Department issued a Press Release regarding some details of the 2-car accident that resulted in both cars colliding in the middle of Main Street, and injuring at least 4 people. The Press Release was emailed by Detective Sergeant Jason Johnson, who stated to his media list that he had been out of the office on Monday, causing a delay in response.

The Press Release is below in full:

On Sunday May 9, 2021 at approximately 4:00pm, City of Beacon Police Officers responded to the intersection of Main Street and North Cedar Street for a report of an auto accident involving a vehicle into a building and an injured child. Upon arrival, it was determined that two vehicles had collided in the intersection and the force of the impact caused one vehicle to strike two unoccupied parked vehicles and the second vehicle to jump the curb coming to rest on the sidewalk. A 6-year-old boy’s foot was trapped underneath a rear tire and numerous bystanders were able to push the vehicle off of his foot. Both drivers along with the child were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries by Beacon Volunteer Ambulance, Phillipstown Volunteer Ambulance and Mobile Life Support Services. An investigation into the accident led to several traffic citations being issued. The City of Beacon Fire Department assisted at the scene.   

Read more about the accident in a full article at A Little Beacon Blog here.

High Winds Cause Power Outage And Traffic Lights Out In Beacon Along Wolcott At Main Street and Others

As spring pushes through 2021, March’s winds are coming in like a lion, blowing around a few snow flakes on Sunday in between a glorious sun surrounded by dark clouds holding what could be more snow at any moment. At 3:29pm, Central Hudson reported that at least 2,218 customers in Beacon were affected by an outage, and that crews were on site repairing.

Some traffic lights were out along Wolcott, including the intersection of Main Street, and the intersection at Beekman (the road to the train station), as well as the intersection at Verplank. At least 1 Highway Department employee was out on Sunday, and Stop signs had been placed at dark traffic lights.

Trucks from Central Hudson were repairing a line in the trees at Verplank at Wolcott, and cars were routed around the area, causing backups on side streets.

People who have allergies may want to have medication for itchy noses and watery eyes on hand as the wind blows new spring buds around the block.

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Left: Intersection of Wolcott (9D) and Beekman
Right: Intersection of Wolcott (9D) Main Street.

Storm Knocks Out Several Traffic Lights In Beacon; Some Side Streets Blocked With Downed Trees and Wires

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Rte. 9D blocked at 2:15pm (may be open by the time you read this) coming off the Newburgh/Beacon bridge. Other streets blocked in neighborhoods down side streets as well.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Several street lights were out in Beacon today following a gusty windstorm. Police officers directed traffic in some intersections, like at Verplanck and Fishkill Avenue. At other intersections, like on the overpass of the Beacon/Newburgh bridge, drivers used their own best judgment as to when to cross when exiting I-84 or continuing on Route 9D (as of 2:15 pm).

Neighborhood intersections were blocked in increasing number, as tree limbs and/or wires fell. Cars attempting to cut through the neighborhoods created congestion in some areas, and dead-ends in others.

Trucks from the Beacon Highway Department were out through the neighborhoods during the storm.

According to reporting at the Daily Voice, “As of 1 pm on Monday, April 13, Central Hudson was reporting that 17,493 of its 120,208 customers were without power, while 2,580 of its 5,151 customers were reporting outages.” In Beacon, 2,455 were without power as of the publishing of that article at 1:12 pm. The National Weather Service has issued a severe weather warning.

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

As of 5:30 pm, Beacon’s Mayor’s Office said Central Hudson told them to expect power to be restored by this evening.

State Police were directing traffic at I-84 as of 5:30 pm. According to Anthony J. Ruggiero,
Beacon’s city administrator, those lights are part of the Town of Fishkill.

Traffic lights out on Verplanck, near Southern Dutchess Country Club, as of 5:30 pm
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

3 Pedestrians Hit By Car In Beacon At Main Street and 9D Intersection

On Monday, December 23, three pedestrians in Beacon were hit by a car at the intersection of Main Street and Route 9D (aka Wolcott Avenue), which is across from the police station, and near Bank Square Coffee, according to a press release issued by the Beacon Police Department and reported by local news outlets.

According to the reports, at 4 pm, police and emergency medical service personnel responded to the accident, transporting the three pedestrians to a local hospital where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

As reported, the driver was a 17-year-old who fled the scene after allegedly hitting the people. The identity of the driver has not been released because of their minor age. The driver was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury auto accident, as well as other vehicle and traffic citations, according to this article, and then was released to the parents on an appearance ticket.

There are two major crosswalks on Route 9D at Main Street, with a third crosswalk a little further up Main Street, across from the Beacon Creamery and Bank Square Coffee. All crossings are dangerous at that intersection, as traffic crosses out onto 9D from Main Street, and seeing pedestrians crossing on the far side of the crosswalk from the train station is unexpected, unless you are slowing down and first looking really closely.

The left turn from 9D onto Main Street often involves fast turns and clipping the double-yellow line on Main Street, nearly missing hitting cars stopped on Main Street at the red light. South Avenue empties onto Main Street at that point as well, with cars either making the left onto it, or cars making the right out from it. Not to mention the cars who make the illegal left turn out of South Avenue.

The details of this car accident have not yet been reported.

Newburgh-Beacon Ferry Will Run Two Trial Weekend Services - Why This Is A Big Deal

We know what you’re thinking: “That doesn’t look like the newburgh-beacon ferry!” You’re right, it doesn’t. This is the Solaris, a smaller vessel from the hudson river maritime museum that carries 28 passengers and will be used for trial newburgh-beacon weekend service.

This weekend is a big one - it is the Spirit of Beacon Day (ALBB will be there!! Look for our South Avenue Elementary float!) on one side of the Hudson River, and Newburgh Open Studios on the other side. For the first time in decades, a ferry between Newburgh and Beacon will be running on Saturday and Sunday, and it’s kind of a big deal. It’s a huge deal, actually, that’s been in the making for some time, involving several groups of people working together to make it happen.

Normally, the only way to get to Newburgh on the weekend - or mid-day, any day of the week - is by crossing the Newburgh-Beacon bridge by car, and hoping that there isn’t a traffic jam or bottleneck at either exit ramp. The ferry was first established with a charter from England’s King George II in 1743; that means its claim to fame - “it was used during the Revolutionary War” - holds up! Ferry service continued between Newburgh and Beacon for 220 years. During that time, many factory workers from both sides of the Hudson ferried across the river. In days past, the boat was larger, could carry up to 30 cars, had separate entrances for men and women, and offered additional fees for bikes and strollers.

In 1963, when the Newburgh-Beacon bridge was built, ferry service was discontinued. It returned in 2005 to accommodate commuters mainly from Newburgh, who wanted to hop onto the Beacon train to New York City. If you wanted to catch the ferry for a simple ride over to Newburgh during the middle of the day or the weekend, you weren’t able to. But many have wanted to, with various public opinion polls popping up over the years.

Who Decides To Say “Yes” To Making The Ferry Available?

As you see artists and businesses promote the limited weekend run of the ferry for the Newburgh Open Studios and Spirit of Beacon Day, you may have thought to yourself: “Oh, I’m glad that happened. It will be fun to take the ferry. The ferry must be something that someone can just green-light whenever they want. How delightful to cruise across the river in a ferry.”

And that assumption would not be correct. Well, the trip across the river is delightful, but it turns out, it has taken an entire commission of people on the Newburgh Transportation Committee, county legislators, the county executive, the local government leaders from both Beacon and Newburgh, Newburgh’s planning commissioner, and others to put this together. The first people to connect A Little Beacon Blog to this effort were Cher Vick of the Newburgh Restoration blog, and Naomi Hersson-Ringskog of The Department of Small Interventions and the Newburgh Chapter of the Awesome Foundation.

At a September meeting of the Beacon City Council, the trial-run weekend concept was put to a resolution, and the council members had to vote on whether or not they agreed to this limited ferry schedule. Beacon Mayor Randy Casale spoke about pushback he had heard from some Beacon businesses, who feared that Beacon would lose business to Newburgh. The City Council agreed to wait and see if a dip indeed happened, and voted unanimously in favor of powering up the ferry this weekend (Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29) as well as the weekend of October 19-20, 2019.

How Some Beacon Businesses Feel About The Increased Ferry Service

At the City Council meeting, Mayor Casale issued words of caution about the increased ferry service, to protect Beacon businesses. Owners of Max’s on Main, Richie and Harvey Kaplan, were there to ask whether Beacon businesses had been polled about this move. Harvey recalled when he and his brother looked for a space to open their bar/restaurant in 2005 during a time when there was not a lot of business on Main Street in Beacon. They hunkered down, and other businesses followed in ensuing years.

“Other businesses came to Main Street, and we grew. Along the way, there were concepts that came. They wanted to build some stores down on the water and it was rejected because there were so many businesses on Main Street,” Harvey recalled, stating that he was Vice President of the Beacon Chamber of Commerce at that time. “If you want to try it… I would think about it very carefully before you let it go every day. It would hurt the businesses who have worked very hard.”

Council member Amber Grant reached for middle ground: “I would like to see how that [expanded service] goes and how it plays out in reality. The Loop bus runs [Beacon’s free bus that goes from the train to Main Street] on Saturday. You have an easy transportation method. Maybe it would be a positive impact.” Her sentiment was echoed by other council members, including Jodi McCredo, who asked to hear from Beacon business owners.

Another business owner, Kamel Jamal, owner of Beacon Bread Company, Tito Santana Taqueria, Ziatun, and (once again) Angelina’s in Cold Spring, also does not agree with the ferry service, saying this on Instagram: “All our NYC tourists can now jump on a ferry to the Newburgh waterfront. Orange County now gets our county and city tax revenue and gets our sales too. It’s a bad deal.”

Before the feeling of being trapped on an island (or being kept in a Beacon bubble) enters your mind, we reached out to see what others thought.

A Little Beacon Blog’s Small Poll Of Beacon Businesses

Recently, we here at A Little Beacon Blog added a new member to our team, Project Manager Teslie Andrade. She lives in Newburgh, drives across the bridge to our office, and was thrilled at the idea of increased ferry service. So we inquired with a few other businesses to learn about their situations.

We also spoke with our business neighbor, Scott Tillitt, founder of BEAHIVE, the community workspace who has two locations in Beacon, a hive in Albany, and has just announced a long-awaited expansion in Newburgh in the Wireworks building. How does he feel about the increased ferry service? “There’s already a lot of flow between Beacon and Newburgh,” observed Scott. “By expanding BEAHIVE to Newburgh, I hope to build a metaphorical bridge between the two creative communities. Increased ferry service that serves more than just commuters will help create a more literal bridge. Personally, I share a car with my partner Amy, and I can foresee times when the ferry would come in handy if I need to get over there and she has the car. (Granted, we live right above the train station, so it’d be super easy.) I know others in the same boat (haha). And I imagine it will only help drive foot traffic in both communities.”

As for the restaurant community, we reached out to Greg Trautman, owner of the renovated Beacon Hotel located on Main Street: “I feel people in Newburgh like to come to Beacon, and people in Beacon like to go to Newburgh. Making it easier to connect helps both.”

Barb Fisher, owner of Barb’s Butchery located on Spring Street just over Fishkill Creek, said: “It’s not likely it’ll affect me... but I think more is better. Maybe people will come to Beacon from the other side of the river.”

Beacon is not the same city it was in 2005. Thanks to the businesses and the home and commercial renovations that have transpired, the “tipping point” that everyone was talking about in 2009/2010 has tipped, and we are in a state of pouring, or rushing water. Council member Jodi, ever concerned with traffic congestion on Main Street and Route 9D, pointed out that “Beacon has been written up a lot lately... I see it freeing up traffic on 9D. Parking. I definitely understand those concerns, but I do see benefits.”

Businesses opening up now in Beacon are benefiting from major national news coverage that A Little Beacon Blog has done a round-up on. While every city and community should be cautious about its growth, Beacon may not need to underestimate itself and fear a developed waterfront of restaurants like on the Newburgh side. People like to eat, shop, learn, explore, and be inspired. This will happen whether they are driving, walking, biking, and maybe now boating across.

As an aside, taking the ferry across the river is a stress-relieving way of traveling, and scenic too. You’re floating in between two mountain ranges!

Local Government’s Take On Increased Newburgh-Beacon Ferry Service

Dutchess County Legislator Nick Page, who represents Beacon, has been working on increasing the ferry service. “My feeling is that Beacon would be well-served to increase connection with Newburgh, both socially, and, especially in the mid- to long-run, economically,” Nick told A Little Beacon Blog.

“The conversations that I’ve had with Beacon business owners over the summer in regards to a weekend ferry option have shown an interest in increased connection and an understanding that our success here is more than a zero-sum game - a dollar spent in Beacon is more than simply a dollar not spent in Newburgh, and vice-versa. Overall, the more that we can sensibly offer, and the more that we can engage, the better off we’ll be.”

After the trial service was approved and set into motion, the City of Beacon’s City Administrator, Anthony Ruggiero, distributed a press release that shared opinions from several political levels:

Beacon Mayor Randy Casale: “The Spirit of Beacon is a day to bring the city together and get to know one another better, learn to know what each other liked in conversation, feelings, entertainment, education and food. And now this same spirit is being extended to the City of Newburgh. Only [by] working and supporting each other can the region thrive.”

Newburgh City Manager Joseph Donat “thanked Alexandra Church, Director of Planning and Development for her around-the-clock efforts to make this happen. The City of Newburgh also extended its thanks to Orange and Dutchess counties, as well as to Beacon. This service will encourage people and families who live on both sides of the river to discover more of each other’s neighborhoods and communities, just a 20-minute ride from each coast.”

Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus: “Orange County is thrilled to partner, and cost-share this service, with our friends in Dutchess County. I encourage everyone to go out and enjoy the great experiences we have to offer along the Hudson River.”

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro: “This partnership will benefit residents in both communities, giving us another avenue to showcase some of the many locations and amenities that make us distinctly Dutchess. We are happy to have partnered with our colleagues in the Dutchess County Legislature, as well as our friends in Orange County, to make this collaboration a reality.”

Unpacking This Ferry Development

We have more articles about the possible increased ferry service. More, you ask? Is there really more to running a ferry? There is! Articles to come:

• How To Ride The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry During The Trial Weekends In September + October 2019

• Inside The Newburgh Transportation Committee - What It Is and How It Impacts Beacon

IMPORTANT FERRY INFO
DATES:
Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29
Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19
TIMES:
Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday: 10 am to 4 pm
DEPARTURE: Boat leaves Newburgh at the top of the hour. Boat leaves Beacon at the half hour.
BOAT DOCKS:
Newburgh: Newburgh Washington Street Boat Launch (2 Washington Street)
Beacon: Beacon Institute Dock, located on the Beacon waterfront by the Metro-North Train Station. Note: this is not the regular MTA dock, but is next to it.
COST: $2, cash only

Kids + Bus Safety Is Crucial In First Days Of School - Antalek and Moore Gives Tips (Sponsored)

The end of summer vacation comes too quickly and before you know it, it’s that time of year again! School buses are picking up children all around, parents are in a rush to drop their kids off without being late to work, and kids are on their bikes rushing to catch first period. “This can be a dangerous time because children - as well as drivers - are adjusting to back-to-school routines,” says Alex Epstein, director of Transportation Safety for the National Safety Council (NSC). Fortunately, Antalek & Moore has a few key tips to keep our community safe and happy:

BE PATIENT – STOP AND WAIT
Share the road with school buses. We know the first few days take a little longer to get the kids loaded, but be patient! Who doesn't love a good first day back-to-school picture with their kids waving from the bus?  

KIDS IN MOST DANGER NEAR THEIR BUS
According to the National Safety Council, the most dangerous area for children is within 10 feet of their bus. Give them space to load and unload. This is especially true in the first few weeks of school as kids are excited and getting used to this year's routine.
If the bus has its lights on and its stop sign out - it is never safe to pass the bus. This applies to multiple lanes as well, so be aware when traveling on a road like Route 9 as school buses may be traveling in the opposite direction.

WATCH FOR KIDS WALKING TO SCHOOL
We have a good amount of our students who walk to and from school in Beacon. Please be aware of them, especially in a school zone. Be sure to follow posted speed limits, avoid blocking crosswalks when stopped, and keep an eye out for crossing guards. 

Many children nationwide begin and end their days with a trip to and from school, whether that’s by bus, walking or biking. By exercising a little extra care and caution, we can create a happy and safe school zone. Wishing all Beacon City School District students, a happy and safe 2019-2020 school year!

Main Street Closure Update After Sewer Collapse at Main Street and Tioronda Avenue

Main Street One-Lane Update from the City of Beacon

The City Administrator for the City of Beacon, Anthony J. Ruggiero, M.P.A., has issued this update:

There has been a sewer collapse at the intersection of Main Street and Tioronda Avenue. 

MAY 10: Starting Thursday, May 10, Main Street will be one lane of traffic from Tioronda Avenue (Howland Cultural Center) to Brothers Restaurant to allow the contractor to start the sewer bypass. 

MAY 14 - 16 (approx.): Starting on Monday, May 14, Main Street will be closed to through traffic from Schenck Avenue (Ella's Bellas) to East Main Street (Dummy Light) for approximately three days, until Wednesday, May 16.  The contractor will be working through the night to limit the disturbance on this section of Main Street. Parking in this area will be limited. 

Sidewalks will remain open.
 
Notices have been distributed to the business and property owners and appropriate signage will be placed.