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Students press town for safer sidewalks; high‑schooler reports findings on beech leaf disease
Summary
A sixth grader urged school‑zone signage and flashing beacons to make Mount Joy Avenue safer for students; a high‑school senior presented research linking nematodes to beech leaf disease and asked arborists to review management options.
At the Oct. 8 Town Board meeting in Greenburgh, two student presentations drew attention to local safety and environmental concerns.
Sahana Sawant, a sixth grader, presented photos and a clear list of concerns from Mount Joy Avenue, asking the town to repair narrow and crumbling sidewalks and to install school‑zone signage, flashing beacons and marked crosswalks to slow traffic near Greenville Elementary. “This is dangerous and scary… I urge the installation of clear and prominent school zone signs accompanied with flashing beacons,” Sawant said. Board members praised her preparation and asked planning staff and the commissioner to follow up on her suggestions.
Devin Chokshi, a senior at Irvington High School, summarized a multi‑year research project on beech leaf disease. Chokshi described leaf‑stage categories, laboratory extraction of nematodes from leaf tissue, and an ANOVA analysis that showed higher nematode abundance in leathery and striped leaves than in asymptomatic or aborted leaves. He concluded the data support nematodes as a causal factor and recommended that future mitigation target those organisms. Town staff said the town’s arborists will review the presentation and share feedback with the student.
Board members encouraged both students and thanked them for civic engagement; staff offered to coordinate site visits and to follow up on potential safety fixes.
