In an article from Aug 23 2023, local representatives Assemblywoman Lopez, Coughlin and Senator Vitale, and Mayor Caba acknowledged the need to increase pedestrian safety to the high school and bragged they were able to secure $3 million in state funds to build a pedestrian bridge to cross Rt 35. The bridge was not built. Instead, in addition to no pedestrian bridge being built, the school board cut bussing to the high school. Instead of the new high school being celebrated, it opened to parents protesting for weeks. Rt 35 is known for pedestrian fatalities. The Mayor went online and told parents he cant do anything about it he doesn’t control the school budget. But the mayor does have plenty of funds to help solve the problem. The $16 million in American Rescue funds have been allocated irresponsibly without any real accountability to date. Instead of allocating money to improve pedestrian safety, funds have been spent on things like repaving Sunshine Alley with cobblestones and ironically this posh decadent spending occurred behind the mayors own home. But nothing towards pedestrian safety. A really lousy last minute effort to tell kids how to cross the highway safety was produced. This out of touch spending of available funds is really sad for our community about what and who matters most. It’s definitely not the children.