Community Corner

Video: Sipes Voices Main Street Safety Concerns to Town Board

Lavena Sipes, mother of the late Courtney Sipes, brought her Main Street safety concerns to the Town of Smithtown board Tuesday afternoon.

Main Street safety concerns were brought to the attention of the town board Tuesday afternoon, spearheaded by Lavena Sipes, the mother of Courtney Sipes, an 11-year-old girl who lost her life after being hit by a car on the roadway in November 2009.

Sipes not only addressed the situation with her daughter but also spoke about the death of war veteran Seamus Byrne in February, two Central Islip sisters, Melody and Mabel Burgos, who were hit by an SUV on Thursday, May 5, as well as other past fatal and injury-laden accidents on the roadway.

"While circumstances varies in each situation, they all have something in common and we feel like the road is simply unsafe," Sipes said to the town board.

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Sipes was joined by speakers Eileen Mass, member of the Courtney Sipes Foundation, Lenore Cernitz of St. James, Barbara Gallagher, mother-in-law of Byrne, and others.

Check back with Smithtown Patch for more information, videos and photos from this meeting.

Find out what's happening in Smithtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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