August 3, 2011:  As has been my custom, this will be the final Mayor's column until Labor Day.  In light of this, I want to alert residents to news, issues, and activities specific to the remainder of the summer.

The Bronxville Chamber of Commerce is hosting one more concert on the west side in Leonard Morange Park on Thursday, August 25, featuring "Third Stone."  The concert takes place from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm and local merchants will have food and drinks for purchase.

The summer also brings a revised schedule of operations at our Library:  Monday 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, Tuesday 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Wednesday 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, Thursday 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Friday 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Saturday 9:30 am to 1:00 pm.   Note that the morning hours have been greatly expanded.

Now is also the time to put the gas-powered leaf blowers away until fall.  Fines for summer use have increased from $25 to $250 for a first violation and escalate to $1,000 for a third offense.  The Village Board learned by experience that the $25 fine was no deterrent to use but was merely being absorbed by area landscapers as a cost of doing business.  To give everyone fair notice of the new fine structure, violators will be issued a warning on their first offense.

Paving will begin soon on Kraft Avenue from Cedar Street to Pondfield Road.  When the paving is complete and conduits in place, the traffic light will then be operational at Kraft and Cedar.  Some other minor paving/patching will be done in residential areas as well.  The Village is also installing new curbing from Toney Toni around the corner to André's Hardware in conjunction with the replacement of the sidewalk by the landlord.

The Village will be going out to bid on Phase I of the refurbishment of both Sagamore Park and Maltby Field in the coming weeks with a contractor selected in the fall.  The process was slowed quite a bit due to the delay in receiving a guarantee that our state grant monies were in the pipeline.

As a point of information, when you see yellow flags on lawns indicating that the grass was treated, it does not necessarily mean pesticides were used.  According to New York State law, even organic lawn treatment requires these signs and the state has yet to produce a sign that differentiates between the application of chemical vs. organic lawn products.

To update, just this past week, Governor Cuomo signed into law a bill making texting while driving a primary offense punishable by a $150 fine and 2 points on one's license.  Prior to this, texting was only a secondary offense punishable only if a police officer stopped a vehicle for another legitimate violation such as speeding or broken taillights.  The new law now treats texting while driving on a par with driving while talking on a cell phone.

Finally, just a few points of clarification about Village services:  Only individuals who are born at Lawrence Hospital can obtain copies of their birth certificates at Village Hall.  If you were born in any of the New York City hospitals, birth certificates are available online or at the 125 Worth Street Office of Vital Records.

Likewise, handicap permits may only be issued by the community to which one pays taxes.  Sharing a common postal address does not meet this criterion.

The Village also does not issue marriage licenses.  They can be processed in nearby Mount Vernon, Yonkers, Eastchester, and Scarsdale.  We do, however, have three notaries on the Village staff.

Our staff feel so bad, especially on these hot summer days when folks travel to Village Hall for services we cannot legally provide.

Have a safe, happy, and peaceful summer and remember we are available to help at Village Hall if you need us.