Written by Mary C. Marvin

Feb. 4, 2015: The past year has been characterized by unprecedented capital initiatives throughout the village and the efforts continue.

Though these initiatives cause their share of temporary disruption to some neighborhoods, the trustees and I believe the completion of these projects will benefit the long-term prosperity of our village. In the interim, we will work to minimize the effects on neighborhoods and appreciate your patience and understanding.

FEMA Mitigation Project

Clearly on the front burner is the joint village/school FEMA flood mitigation project. We are currently awaiting the completion of a required archeological assessment of the discharge point in the Bronx River. Upon completion of this review, the project will be placed out to bid in March. Construction could start as early as April, with a December completion date.

Parkway Road Bridge

Now that all monies have been collected, the contract to do the needed structural repairs on the bridge will be out this Friday, February 6, with a bid opening on February 27. After review, the trustees will award a contract at our March 9 meeting and construction will commence soon after. It is anticipated that substantial completion of the repairs to warrant re-opening will be finished within 30 days of the bid award.

Kensington Road Development

Excavation and rock removal continue on schedule despite the recent weather conditions. The long approval processes with the various utilities, neighbors, and Metro-North have been completed. In January, the village also engaged the services of Walker Parking Consultants, a nationally recognized and respected parking consulting firm, to assist us during the construction of the indoor parking garage.

Park Avenue Brick Road

The bricks are currently being manufactured to specifications as I write. Though salvage bricks could not be found after an exhaustive search, the new "old" bricks will be perfect replicas that match our current inventory and have the same 100-year-plus life expectancy.

Ornamental Street Sign

As with the brick road project, the village is receiving financial and professional support from The Bronxville Historical Conservancy to repair and/or replace our signature wrought-iron street signs. They serve as an historical demarcation of our village boundaries by adding a uniqueness not found in other communities.

Sewer Infrastructure

Next Wednesday, Cook and Company trucks will be in various locations in the village televising and cleaning over 28,000 linear feet of pipes.

Based on inspection and flow testing, sediment will then be removed, a root saw with cutting blades to remove tree roots will be inserted, and pipes will be re-lined if corrosion is severe.

Simultaneously with our independent efforts, which have been in the planning stages for months, the Federal EPA has recently placed a mandate on New York State communities through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to properly maintain sanitation systems.

It has reached a crisis point in the state, as water treatment plants have become overwhelmed in storm events. "Clean" water, including gutter/leader runoff as well as sump pump collections, are co-mixed with the sanitation system output causing a two-pronged problem with financial and environmental consequences.

The sanitary treatment plants end up spending a great deal of money cleaning and disinfecting fresh rain water, and when capacity is overwhelmed, untreated sewage ends up in our lakes and rivers.

Homeowners have the obligation to make sure the connection between one's home and the municipal sewer system is free of cracks and leaks and must also ensure that leaders and sump pumps are not connected to sanitary systems.

Improper hookups are subject to stiff penalties per the Westchester County Sanitary Code, and the village has the authority, and probably very soon the mandate, to inspect for illegal water hookups. Given the EPA directive, it is the opportune time to have a professional evaluate current home plumbing conveyance systems.

Street Lights

In addition to increasing both the efficiency and illumination of street lighting in the business districts, the village is also partnering with the New York Power Authority on an LED street light project in the residential zones. The state will help with the bidding process and then effectuate joint purchasing to decrease our costs. 

Kraft Avenue Parking Lot

We are awaiting preliminary design specifications from an engineering firm we hired to design a second-level parking deck near the site of the former BAMS gas station. The deck would follow the undulation of the topography and provide approximately 130 new spaces to our inventory. 

The village is in a very healthy financial position as we undertake all of the above projects. We now have a fund balance equaling 20% of our operating budget and with it retained our triple-A bond rating. 

As a direct result, our most recent borrowing was at .84%. Only eighteen cents of every village tax dollar goes to funding the daily services and capital projects provided by the village.