VOLUME 30, NUMBER 03
FEBRUARY 09 – FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Zero vision Crossing fingers Locals: lack of signage puts kids at risk at Millennium HS
BY COLIN MIXSON Community leaders in Lower Manhattan are calling on the city to increase traffic safety around Millennium High School after a 16-year-old student was hit crossing Broad St. by a cab driver on Jan. 17. Millennium, along with four other high schools Downtown, have little or no signage alerting drivers to the presence of students on nearby streets, and locals, with the help of state Sen. Daniel Squadron, are working to arrange a tour of the area around the Locals complain that school for Department the lack of schoolof Transportation offi- crossing signs around cials to make the case Downtown high schools puts kids in danger. for additional safety measures, according to the vice chair of Community Board 1. “Apparently there are no DOT school signs around Millennium, and I’m not sure if there are around any high schools Downtown,” said Paul Hovitz, who also co-chairs CB1’s Youth and Education Committee. “There’s a tremendous amount of traffic, and you would think that part of Vision Zero should be to properly alert drivers when they’re near a school.” The 16-year-old Millennium student was crossing Broad St. near S. William St by the school’s entrance last month when she was suddenly struck by the cab driver, who spinelessly fled the scene, cops said. The injured girl was rushed to New York Downtown Hospital, where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to a letter sent out by Millennium High School principle Colin McEvoy. McEvoy urged parents to speak with their children in light of the accident, and press them to be more cautious, especially around S. Williams St., when crossing streets. “I respectfully remind all members of the school
City’s reforms of crossing-guard job may help solve Downtown shortage
BY DENNIS LYNCH Mayor Bill de Blasio has committed more than $25 million through 2020 to guarantee dedicated crossing guards at all school posts citywide, and some of that funding will go towards reforms that may help solve the chronic understaffing that has plagued Lower Manhattan. The reforms, including pay raises across the board and the creation of a supervisor position, could help the city fill long-empty crossingguard slots around Downtown schools. The city plans to hire 100
full-time supervisors and 200 additional part-time guards citywide, as well as establishing a “mobile replacement squad” to ensure coverage at all posts, according to the Mayor’s office. An agreement with Local 372, the union that represents crossing guards, will create a new, fulltime “level 2” supervisory guard position to oversee scheduling, log shifts, and ensure coverage at school intersections. Starting next school year the city will also bump the pay for “level 1” part-
time guards from a starting $11.50 an hour to $15 an hour, with the opportunity to go up to $18 an hour after three years employment, according to the union. Supervisors will make 10 percent more than what part-time guards make, but more importantly, they will have a full, 40-hour week, plus benefits. They take over from police officers who acted as “school crossing guard coordinators” on top of their other unicrossing guards Continued on page 5
Photo by Tequila Minsky
Trump tribulations Downtown has become a center of protests against President Trump since he was sworn in less than three weeks ago, with massive demonstrations unfolding at The Battery, Foley Square, and throughout the Financial District. For full coverage, see page 2.
signs Continued on page 15 1 M e t r o t e c h • N YC 112 0 1 • C o p y r i g h t © 2 0 17 N YC C o mm u n i t y M e d i a , L L C