Revamped Stairs to Springhurst Save Time, Traffic on First Day

On the first day of school, Beacon Hill resident Mussarat Shaheen descended the newly completed and covered stairs that connect her street to clutching the hand of her younger daughter—a future Springhurst student.

Shaheen's older daughter—a Springhurst first-grader—opted to take the bus to school with her friends.

"The stairs make walking to the school very easy," Shaheen said. "When there were no stairs, I was in big trouble because I don't drive."

For years, the staircase that winds down the steep, wooded slope from Beacon Hill to Springhurst was closed, forcing parents to drive their children more than a mile out of the way to get to get to school in the morning—and making families who don't drive walk significantly further.

But since Dobbs Ferry received a grant from the federally funded "Safe Routes to School Program" in 2008, the stairs—in disrepair for seven years—are once again open and ready for business.

"Even though it's raining, at least 10 kids and their parents have used the stairs this morning," said Dobbs Ferry crossing guard Bob Ritch, a local veteran who's worked for the district since 1999. "One woman I know who lives on Ogden Avenue dropped off her kids at the top of the stairs so they could walk down and she could avoid the traffic."

Since the stairs are well-lit and covered, parents didn't even have to worry about their children slipping in the slick conditions. 

According to Superintendent Dr. Lisa Brady, "The reopening of the Beacon Hill stairs will positively impact the 662 students that attend Springhurst Elementary School and their families, as well as many members of the faculty and staff who live nearby..."

And Ritch, who's seen traffic build and build over the years, said that on days like Halloween—when students and their families congregate to watch the annual parade of costumes—the staircase will save the village tons of traffic and gridlock.

"The stairs will make things much easier for me," said parent Karen Naimool, whose son just started third grade. "My son's bus comes at 7:19, but school doesn't start until 8:30.  Now he gets to sleep later and get some exercise in the morning."