Compiled by Carol P. Bartold

Jan. 7, 2015: One week into the new year and village and school officials are looking to the issues they believe will shape and have the most significant impact on the village and the school in 2015.
 
Flood Remediation Project:

Village Administrator James Palmer points to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Midland Valley Drainage Project, also known locally as the flood mitigation project, as the most immediate and time-sensitive project facing the village and school in 2015. Noting the devastation caused by prior flooding, Palmer emphasized that voter approval for funding the project will enable the construction of improvements that would "essentially eliminate" flooding of the school campus and surrounding neighborhoods.

Dr. David Quattrone, superintendent of the Bronxville schools, stated that the flood mitigation project, along with the reconfiguration of Hayes Field, represents a "vital step forward for both the school district and the village." 

Remediation of Kensington Road Development Site:

Palmer also stated that remediation of the Kensington Road development site will move quickly in 2015 and clear the way for the construction of a 307-space parking structure and a 52-unit condominium structure atop the garage.

Parkway Road Bridge:

Access to and from the village will see a significant improvement when the Parkway Road bridge, closed since July of 2013, reopens to vehicular traffic.

Streamlining Business Permits:

The village continues to work on simplifying and streamlining the process for businesses to obtain additional permitted uses in the business district. Palmer feels that development should result in an immediate positive impact by attracting new businesses and new types of businesses to fill empty storefronts and create a friendlier pedestrian environment.

Parking:

The village, Palmer said, plans several parking-related projects for 2015. With a view toward eliminating a blighted parcel, the village will coordinate with the owners of the Avalon parking lot property to repair and upgrade the lot. Evaluation and design of a possible parking structure for the Kraft Avenue lot is also planned. The year could also bring parking technologies, such as a pay-by-phone system, that will be more user-friendly than the coin parking meters.

Metro-North Railroad Improvements:

Palmer also said that the village will look to form a partnership with Metro-North Railroad to identify short- and long-term improvements in and around the train station to restore and enhance the character of the area.

"Each of these efforts will have a truly significant impact," Palmer said.

Key Goals at The Bronxville School:

Quattrone noted that the Bronxville Board of Education will dedicate efforts to several key goals this year:

• Apply technology as an essential tool for teaching, learning, and communication

• Update the five-year survey of building conditions

• Update the five-year facilities master plan

• Develop a sustainable budget

• Strengthen a shared understanding about the district's key priorities for student learning

State and Federal Mandates:

Quattrone added that the school and the village will continue to seek a balance between local control and state and federal mandates that will exert powerful influences on local resources and policies. He detailed the two percent budget cap, state testing mandates, collective bargaining, and teacher evaluation and development as forces the district will have to address in adopting a long-range plan that focuses on enduring goals for students as well as on the short-term realities of test scores.

"The governor's re-election and a new commissioner of education will set the public school agenda in terms of resources and policies," Quattrone noted.

Pictured here: James Palmer, Bronxville village administrator, and Dr. David Quattrone, superintendent of the Bronxville schools.

Photos by N. Bower and A. Warner