Written by John A. Corry

Dec. 3, 2014: Downtown Street Lights: "Incensed" by claims that the village was doing nothing to address the issue, Mayor Stein appointed a planning board subcommittee to consider the matter. Chaired by design review board member and longtime village resident Corwin Frost, its members included three chamber of commerce representatives. Earlier, trustee Robert Riggs called "preposterous" a statement by an "expert" retained by the village that there was no connection between crime and the degree of lighting.

Kensington Road Parking: Trustee Riggs reported that the income from a parking facility built on the recently acquired Kensington Road property would be insufficient to make such a project economically viable. The issue of what to do with the property would remain open.

Village Ethics Law: Bronxville's trustees approved a new ethics law that would apply to all village officials and trustees. A Review-Press Reporter editorial says that "it sets explicit guidance for official conduct in a wide range of circumstances." It praises village attorney George McKinnis for "tending the law through all of its nine versions." Mayor Stein named as committee members Gordon Brown, James Carthaus, Marilynn Hill, Dr. Michael Herman, and Dean Van Nest.

Bronxville School Revenue: The board of education announced the appointment of a 33-member committee to consider possible sources of school funding. To be chaired by village residents Alan Gray and Andrew Quale, it would be split into three subcommittees: one to consider a school foundation; a second to consider relations with other local governments; and the third to consider alternative funding sources. The school was next to last by "student per state aid" and its budget was rising 5.5 to 6 percent annually. We are looking for "off the wall" ideas, said Gray.

Parkway Road Apartments: The plans for the proposed Parkway Road development were presented to the planning board. They called for three buildings of between five and seven stories and underground parking for 357 cars. The 115-unit project would require a zoning variance. The proposal's design, especially the roofing, was immediately attacked as "shockingly ugly" by a group headed by Mildred Knutsen, who had led the opposition that had delayed for six years construction of the development that replaced the Gramatan Hotel. A Review-Press Reporter editorial noted that the height of the proposed buildings would be no higher than that of the neighboring Lawrence Hospital and the apartment buildings in Alger Court. It did suggest, however, that a small number of the project's apartments, say ten percent, be set aside for "affordable housing for senior citizens." Board chairman Peter Williamson stated that "the process is going to need a lot of time to conclude." (He was correct; groundbreaking would not begin until 1998.)

The Christmas pageant, in its 75th year, took place again on the lawn in front of The Reformed Church.  Kathleen Foley, Becky Newell, and Robert Morrell Coon Jr. played the leading roles and St. Joseph's Msgr. James Connolly read the scripture. The middle school and high school bands participated.

Hudson River Museum: Since mid-October, the museum had been exhibiting paintings by artists who had lived in Bronxville from 1880 to 1930. The show included works loaned by the Metropolitan Museum and other East Coast galleries. One wall was devoted to portraits of William Van Duzer Lawrence and his wife, Sarah, for whom Sarah Lawrence College was named. Earlier in the fall, the museum sponsored a tour of four of the artists' homes in Lawrence Park. Bronxville resident Mark Savigny proposed to videotape the collection and give the tape to the Bronxville Public Library.