By Mary C. Marvin

Dec. 16, 2015:  As we prepare to close out the year, I thought it most appropriate to share with you the projects/issues or status of existing programs that are front and center for the trustees and me.

1. Of great import is the FEMA flood mitigation program. As mentioned before, due to the glacial pace of the federal approval process, the dollar values assigned are now stale and of course below construction estimates. After consultation with school officials, we have agreed to divide the project into a Phase I and Phase II. The benefits to this approach are many. The project can begin in a timely manner and is cost effective per federal regulations, and we will be assured of the grant monies. Phase II is sequential in design so no money is lost in the phasing. Phase I will allow us to reap the full benefit of the federal FEMA grant of $5,164,429, and the school and surrounding environs will be protected from the 25-year storm event (6-plus inches in a 24-hour period) or just under the level of an "Irene." When either additional state or federal funding is available and/or taxpayers vote to bond additional monies, three additional pumping units and associated piping and electrical conduits will be added to the pump house. The below-grade (below the playing field) holding tanks are in Phase I, so the field work can proceed as planned. All agree we need to get started and not risk forfeiture of major federal funds.

2. The Bronxville Police Benevolent Association voted to accept a four-year contract offer that the board of trustees also approved at the December trustees meeting. The four-year agreement includes raises of 1.75%, 2.0%, 2.0%, and 2.5%, as well as a restructuring of some of the health care benefits.

3. After a thorough review of our downtown street lighting, both in terms of energy efficiency and additional illumination, and a required bidding process, the trustees awarded a contract for new fixtures and poles to Woodlawn Electric Supply of Yonkers. Work is set to commence in early spring.

4. In light of major damage due to age and weather conditions, repair of the village hall's front walkway will go out to bid this winter in anticipation of spring renovations.

5. The last catch basin on Park Avenue near the yellow brick road was installed last week with curbs to follow. The bricks can then be laid after these improvements. 

   Concurrently, Con Edison determined it needed to replace a gas line along Tanglewylde and Park Avenues, further increasing the neighborhood disruption. The utility work has been completed and Con Edison has agreed to reimburse the village for some of the necessary repaving.

6. The installation of new underground cable along Kraft Avenue (between Cedar Street and People's Bank) for Wi-Fi and Optimum services to surrounding businesses is completed. Though the timing of the disruption was not to our liking, the work was needed to assist landlords owning second-floor space, which require reliable Internet service as a prerequisite for rental.

7. This month, we will begin "soft" implementation of a pay-by-phone meter fee application. Our vendor, PANGO, has been available in neighboring Mount Vernon for a year, and we are excited to offer this payment convenience to our Bronxville parkers. Simply put, parkers enroll in PANGO via its website, www.mypango.com, or via the PANGO app on their smartphones. The account setup is a one-time activity. After setting up an account, parkers open up the app, select their parking location, amount of time needed, and which of their vehicles is parking, and start a parking session. This is a convenient, coin-free payment option, and one that comes at no cost to the village. The convenience fee to parkers is $0.25 per session. Look for this wonderful service in the very near future.

8. Our assessor reported that due to the vigilant valuation of private property improvements undertaken in the village, $60,000,000 in additional tax value will be added for next fiscal year.

9. The excavation work at the Kensington Road project is 85 to 90 percent completed and the developer received official clearance from the attorney general's office to market the units. After 30-plus years of starts and stops, the property will soon be back on the tax rolls.

10. Our DPW just completed state-of-the-art training in emergency response skills, hazardous chemicals, right to know, workplace violence, and blood-borne pathogens.

11. Christine Utchel continues to serve most ably as interim library director while we wait for the state to establish the required civil service library director list.

12. The sidewalk along Pondfield Road West adjacent to NYP/Lawrence Hospital was reopened. The installation of a new permanent sidewalk configuration has been completed.

13. In the parking arena, we are on target to exceed budgeted expectations.

14. Building permit revenues are strong, reflective of the macro economy. Kensington Road permits will add a major one-time revenue source.

15. As a result of the hiring of a paddle professional, participation and membership in the program is up significantly, most notably in the area of village family memberships.

16. In our central DPW garage operation, truck part costs have risen but the low fuel cost has more than countered this overage. Also, sale of surplus goods via the Internet has been extremely successful.

17. In partnership with The Bronxville Historical Conservancy, molds for our historic wrought-iron street signs are being fabricated as I write.

18. We continue to review our options for a needed upgrade of the DPW facilities on Palumbo Place, which has not been addressed in a major way since 1942.

Even though we are quite small as a municipal entity, we share the same issues as our larger neighbors in the major cities. We are simply a microcosm. Please continue to be our additional eyes and ears as you walk the village. We welcome all your alerts of needed repairs or suggestions for improvement.