Sea Cliff residents debate Littleworth Lane

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Sea Cliff parents and residents filled Village Hall on Monday night for the board’s public comment meeting. The agenda listed two comment sessions — one on Littleworth Lane and one for any other issues.
A village ordinance keeps a part of Littleworth Lane closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, but not on weekends. The road is between Sea Cliff Elementary and its playground, between Hansen Place and Carpenter Avenue. Some residents have said at prior meetings that they worry that children who might not realize that the road is open on weekends might be in danger.
Potential solutions have been addressed at prior meetings to make the road a safer place for children and pedestrians to cross, such as extending the ordinance to seven days a week, converting the road into a dead-end street or closing it permanently.
But not everyone is ready to make a decision on the fate of the street, and several residents came to the meeting to voice their disapproval of the suggestion to close it.
Some trustees are concerned about the potential long-term effects of any decision. They want the issue discussed in greater depth. “Everyone’s fixated on closing the road this second, but there’s a bigger picture here that everyone seems to be missing,” Trustee Robin Maynard said on Monday. “There are other solutions.”

Some parents said that closing the road permanently would redirect traffic to other busy streets in the village, and potentially cause an even greater inconvenience than what residents already face.
Resident Michael Sussman brought up the information presented by the village’s traffic and safety committee at the previous conference meeting, and said that traffic-calming measures could become “an unintended consequence for more aggressive driving.”
“The inconvenience argument is silly at best, but reckless at worst,” Sea Cliff parent Chris Sanborn said.
Ray Silka, who also lives on Littleworth Lane, said the board would achieve a greater level of safety by having a constructive dialogue with the parents and the schools, and not resorting to scare tactics for which the village could be held liable.
Parent Adam Friedberg, of Sea Cliff, drew up a petition that advocates turning Littleworth into a dead end near the side entrance of the school, and would expand nearby sidewalks. He submitted it to the board on Monday.
Friedberg said he believes the chains blocking the road under the ordinance are illegal, and called them an “impermanent solution.”
“There’s realistic potential for human error,” he said. “It’s reasonable to keep the chains up between dusk and dawn, but they are not feasible in finding a long-term solution.” He added that making the road a dead end, which he supports, would be legal.
Lorraine Collier, who has two third-graders at the elementary school, provided research to the board. She said that since children don’t develop a concept of time until they are 10 or 11 years old, the ordinance at Littleworth requires “unrealistic processing” when they navigate the street.
“Kids aren’t developmentally ready to make an argument of what time or day it is in regard to when the street is closed,” Collier said. “That intersection is inconsistent. It’s not like any other they’ve encountered.”
Mary Ellen Kerr, who lives on Littleworth Lane, fought for the road not to be closed permanently. “It’s our road to use to have access to our homes,” she said. “It’s imperative to keep the road open and enforce the laws that we have.”
A few residents argued that many people in the village might be unaware of the problem on Littleworth Lane, and that the board is addressing the issue. This prompted Trustee Dina Epstein to produce a motion that would inform residents about the debate via a village-wide mailing. The motion passed unanimously.
North Shore Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Giarrizzo attended the meeting to hear the public’s concerns. He was invited by Mayor Edward Lieberman, who said at the last conference meeting that the village was engaging in a “coordinated effort” between the district and parents to find short- and long-term solutions to the problem.
Giarrizzo said he was aware that Littleworth is a complicated issue, and supports any measure that would make the area a safer environment for the school and the community.
“We’re going to be deliberate about whatever measures we take,” he said. “We’re going to put our heads together and figure out how to make it work.”
“The board doesn’t want to make a unilateral decision in regard to this issue,” Lieberman said, adding that the issue would be addressed at a meeting of the school district’s health and safety committee on Dec. 18 at 9 a.m. The meeting, which will be open to the public, will take place in the district’s administrative building, at 112 Franklin Ave. in Sea Cliff.
Additionally, the board will continue discussions on Littleworth Lane at its conference meeting on Jan. 2 at 5:30 p.m., and at the public comment meeting on Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. Both meetings will be held in Sea Cliff Village Hall and will be open to the public.