Stratford Landing Elementary School on Riverside Road is currently undergoing a taxpayer-funded $25 million renovation. To the left of the school, a large mound of dirt is sitting there as a result of the excavation that took place as the renovations began.
To the left of the school, a small park is located. Whenever it rains, for many years, the park becomes a swamp with standing water remaining there for days after each rain event. This is a likely breeding ground for mosquitos and other insects that may very well cause harm to the children from the school who often play there. It is surprising to me that, year after year, the Mount Vernon supervisor and the School Board representative have done absolutely nothing to mitigate this serious health concern for the children of our community who attend the adjacent school.
I have a suggestion: Why not take the mound of dirt and spread it over the park to raise its elevation sufficiently in conjunction with providing appropriate drainage pipes so that rainwater drains off the park during rain events so that it is no longer a health hazard for the children. I checked the county maps and the park is not in a resource protection area (RPA). As such, there is no environmental impediment to getting this done. The sooner, the better.
H. Jay Spiegel
Mount Vernon