The Department of Public Works (DPW) replaced on April 3 two traffic safety delineators on the south side of the Esther Street crosswalk that were missing for a month.
Members of community organization Peekskill Walks first reported the missing delineators via SeeClickFix on March 5 (and March 22 & 29), then on social media March 19, then on March 19 and 24 it called DPW, and also brought it up at the Common Council meeting on March 24.
Fred Dennstedt, a resident and member of Peekskill Walks (PW), said the absence of the delineators led to a resurgence of cars parking directly on the crosswalk, forcing pedestrians to unsafely navigate around illegally parked cars.
PW member Brian Orsi, owner of recently-closed Bucko! boutique, agreed that parking was a point of contention and stress in the city.
“But this is actually a really great example of how if you devote more space to cars, the cars just immediately take that space,” Orsi said. “No sooner had those cones disappeared than the cars immediately just took up that space.”
One day before the replacement, Director of Public Works Christopher Gross told the Peekskill Herald that the missing bollards were recently brought to their attention and they were going to acquire a few more in the event they went missing again.
Ted Bitter, co-owner of BeanRunner Cafe on Esther Street, told the Herald he believed the delineators were knocked over by cars.
“I tried to put it back in [the plate], but it was broken,” Bitter said. “It was broken at the bottom and I don’t have the tool [to fix it]. I guess I should have probably called the city. I just put it in the storage room and left it.”
Esther Street: pedestrians vs. vehicles
The absence of the delineators renewed discussion on the closure of Esther Street for pedestrians and safety concerns with the delineators.
“Ideally, Peekskill Walks would like to see these plastic bollards replaced with permanent steel ones for added safety and to prevent future disappearances [of bollards],” Dennstedt said in an email.
On the other hand, Bitter said that the delineators have had unintended consequences that are dangerous for the area and create more traffic problems for those getting dropped off.
Ridvan Idara, owner of New Creative Era Space next to BeanRunner, agreed, saying the delineators make it dangerous for picking and dropping kids off.
“The cones have made things worse—now parents and church members park in front of them, blocking the road and creating traffic issues,” she stated. “Before, they at least used the small space off the road. Despite our repeated requests, people continue to park there, adding to our workload.
“I’m concerned about safety on Esther Street, especially in winter when people gather to smoke. Our after-school programs run until 6:30 PM, making safety a priority. That’s why I installed cameras in front of our building.”
Idara said the street could be a great space to congregate, particularly during the summer, but found closing it off to be problematic. She said it invited people to hang around smoking, cursing, or even cat calling during the evening.
“We put cameras in front of our building,” Idara said. “I installed cameras for safety and because people are out here, and because we deal with kids. And it’s become like a park for people to just hang out.”
She suggested the possibility of having the city monitor the space more.
The Common Council voted in February to extend Esther Street’s temporary closure to vehicles through December 31, 2025. Some, such as Peekskill Walk’s Jen Zawacki, would like to see permanent closure to vehicles.
In 2024, Peekskill Walks conducted a quality-of-life survey of nearly 1,000 people. Ninety-two percent of respondents were in favor of making Esther Street closure permanent, Zawacki said. Keeping it closed could allow the city to apply for grants to further beautify the space with public art and new seating, she said in an email.
“If Peekskill is truly committed to becoming a destination, as it stated at the recent Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce event [March 6], removing this charming pedestrian plaza is completely at odds with that goal and demonstrates a disregard for what this community needs and wants,” Zawacki said.
