Hastings Crossing Guard Leads the Way Home

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The walk home from school can be a scary thought for  parents worrying about their children after a long day.  Patty Minozzi, a Hastings crossing guard, said she does her best to help alleviate those fears in parents while at her post on Warburton Ave.

“Mornings are more peaceful it’s not as crazy as the afternoons can be,” Minozzi said.  “Fridays are a little crazy.  It’s scary sometimes, it’s not an easy job. It makes you realize it’s a dangerous job.”

Minozzi has been a crossing guard for the past three and a half years, but the streets of Hastings were not always so familiar to her.

“Originally I’m from England,” she said.  “I packed my bags one day and came.  I packed my bags a week after my 21st birthday.”

Minozzi, who was born to Irish parents in England, has lived in Hastings for the past 28 years and said she became a crossing guard because it was a job she could work while still being a mother. 

“It’s 10 hours a week so I can work it into my schedule around taking care of my daughter so I put my name on a list and I was fortunate to get called,” she said.  “I was a sub for a year and a half and then a full-time position opened up.”

After having worked the job for a few years, Minozzi did have some words of advice for anyone looking to make the streets a little safer.

 “It would be nice if when the kids were coming down from the school the adults didn’t just cross wherever they want because then the kids follow them,” she said.  “Kids don’t listen to me and they see an adult crossing the street and they’ll do the same.”

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