Hoping to fix what appears to be a poor outside lighting situation at a Howard Beach Catholic school, state Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder has asked city transportation officials to step in.
Goldfeder, who represents Howard Beach as part of the 23rd District, recently sent out a letter to Queens Transportation Commissioner Maura McCarthy asking her to address street lighting behind the St. Helen’s Roman Catholic School, at 157th Avenue.
Specifically, the assemblyman is referring to a portion of the grounds behind the school that includes the bike path, where he says a lack of sufficient lighting could pose safety issues for students, pedestrians and any cyclists that may ride their bikes after dark.
Calling the matter a “public safety issue,” Goldfeder pointed to a November burglary at the school as a reason why lighting needs to be addressed.
In the early hours of the morning on Nov. 30, 19 brand new HP laptops from the school’s classrooms and computer lab, valued altogether at about $20,000, were stolen during a break-in, according to school officials.
The theft of the computers, which were purchased through fundraising efforts and part of the school’s budget, were a blow to the school’s efforts to boost its technology program.
“When you start looking at what could have prevented [the robbery], lighting is an obvious choice,” Goldfeder said, while crediting school officials for adding heavy lighting around the building.
Despite that, Goldfeder said he has asked the Department of Transportation (DOT) to step in so the burden of improving lighting around the exterior of the building would not solely be placed on the school.
“[Added lighting] will make the area a lot safer. It would have given someone [looking to commit a crime] a second thought if there was more lighting there,” he said, while adding that he hoped adding more lights was not a matter of costs for the city.
A DOT spokesperson said this week only that the department was checking into the situation and will be conducting a lighting survey at the school. No specifics were available on when the survey would take place. Messages to school officials at St. Helen’s Roman Catholic School for comment were not returned as of press time.
By Jean-Paul Salamanca
Forum Newsgroup photo by Luis Gronda
