After working with the Village of Roslyn to reposition a stop sign, three local Girl Scouts got to see their hard work pay off and celebrate with Mayor John Durkin last Wednesday.
Julia Fogel, Riley Danbusky and Caroline Danbusky are Roslyn middle schoolers and members of Troop 1027 who noticed a stop sign at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Roslyn Road was not completely visible to drivers. As part of their work for a Silver Award, they offered a solution to the Board of Trustees that cleared it away from any obstruction.
Durkin worked with the Scouts to make the sign adjustment possible and said he was pleased by their commitment.
“What I really liked was these kids’ enthusiasm,” Durkin said. “These three young girls, very positive, really looking to do some good work and they were able to do it.”
In addition to their positivity, Durkin said members of the board appreciated their organization, and every member was in favor of the proposal.
“This wasn’t for show, this was real,” Durkin said. “They had some real concerns and they treated us like adults; we treated them like adults.”
For the Scouts, deciding what to work on for their Silver Award came from real life experience. Riley Danbusky lives near the now relocated stop sign and has witnessed the area’s vehicle traffic.
“We have to cross the road every day to and from the bus,” said Danbusky. “So we realized how dangerous it is.”
After deciding to address the sign, Danbusky emailed three mayors, with Durkin being the only one to reply. She said the response from the Roslyn trustees was positive.
“They responded really well,” Danbusky said. “Definitely got started on something we want to continue doing and accomplish.”
With the stop sign repositioned, the Girl Scouts are working with the village to address unclear pedestrian crosswalks. But for Pam Danbusky, Riley’s mother, she has had fun watching her daughters accomplish this much.
“It’s so much fun watching your kids turn into young adults and speak up for themselves and start to communicate for themselves,” Danbusky said. “This is what they’ll need to learn how to do over the next couple of years to move on in the world.”
Similarly, Sharon Fogel, mother of Julia Fogel, recognized how seriously the Scouts approached this project while maintaining their enthusiasm.
“I saw how organized they were on their Zoom meeting,” Fogel said. “It wasn’t just a job. They had a passion for it.”
After bids for crosswalks are received by the town, Roslyn’s Board of Trustees will determine if the next phase continues. But with the first phase of the Scouts’ project complete, Durkin reaffirmed the importance of the work that has been done.
“Traffic safety is really important and we’re trying to make the village more pedestrian friendly,” Durkin said. “These young ladies helped us start that.”
