By ANTHONY BOTTAN
The county-owned bridge, which is behind South High, is the lone crossing over the brook that runs through the community. It has fallen into disrepair over the past several years. County officials deemed it unsafe for pedestrian traffic, so instead of spending the $250,000 it would cost to repair it, the county will spend about $50,000 to dismantle it. "The bridge doesn't serve the town in any purpose," said Raymond Stefanowicz, senior deputy commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Public Works. "It functions as a pedestrian bridge, and it would cost a lot of money to repair it."
Stefanowicz said that since the bridge does not connect to a county road, the county does not have much interest in repairing it.
In the past, the bridge has been open only before and after school each day, for students walking to and from school. But in late August, just before the school year began, South High's assistant superintendent for finance and operations, Wayne Loper, received a call from Stefanowicz, who told him that the bridge should not be used at all because of the condition it was in. School officials permanently locked the gate to the structure, and, South High Principal Maureen Henry said, security aides were stationed at the bridge in the morning and afternoon to make sure students didn't climb the fence to use the bridge.
In addition to officials' concerns about student safety, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marc Bernstein said that in his five years in the district, there have been complaints about people from outside Valley Stream hanging around the bridge. Though he did not offer details, Bernstein said there was one incident in which South students were confronted by some out-of-towners at the bridge, which spurred the district's initial decision to lock the gates during school hours.
Henry and PTSA members met last week to discuss the bridge's closing, and Henry said there were mixed reactions from those in attendance, but a majority supported the move. "I don't want to see my students' safety jeopardized in any way," Henry said.
Helene Harris, co-president of the South High PTSA, lives in Mill Brook, and her son has used the bridge when he walks to South High. She said his walk to school from their home - which she also took when she attended South in the 1970s - took him roughly five minutes. Without the bridge, it will take him around half an hour, because the nearest crossings are Mill Road, to the northeast, and Rosedale Road, to the southwest. The other option for Harris is to drive her son to school, in which case, she said, she would have to battle morning traffic on Jedwood Place.
"It's an inconvenience for me, but I can't see this fight being won," Harris said. "We have become a tiny little community, and not too many people are affected by [dismantling the bridge]."
Bernstein said that since the bridge is not on school property, the district cannot contest the county's plans.
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