Sep. 10, 2014:  Welcome back to the many residents who took some time away from the village.

As you can see, a great deal was accomplished and new projects were begun throughout the village this summer. The following is an update on our completed/ongoing efforts.

Garden Avenue Parking Lot

Funded with a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife agency, areas of the lot were retrofitted with increased drainage capacity to aid in the collection of rainwater as a flood mitigation measure.

The flow of the water from the higher levels on Prescott Avenue that rush down Garden Avenue to the school will be slowed and a portion absorbed, thereby benefitting the residents on Garden Avenue, as well as the school. 

We also took this opportunity to reconfigure the parking spaces to create safer entrance and egress and doubled the number of trees and tree pits, further enhancing water absorption and aesthetics. We plan to add even more trees in the area abutting the back entrances of 77 Pondfield Road and the Houlihan Lawrence building.

Parkway Road Bridge

Our colleagues in Yonkers and Eastchester have an intermunicipal agreement in their possession that will solemnize the costs and duties of each entity as relates to bridge reconstruction.

So as to avoid any further delays, the village trustees voted at Monday night's board meeting to engage the services of an engineering company to begin reconstruction plans.

We believe that the end result is a very equitable division of responsibilities recognizing that to reach this level of shared responsibility caused inconvenience to residents of all municipalities.

Contract Agreement with our DPW Staff

After several years of negotiation, the village and our public works employees have reached an agreement that extends through 2017. As you would expect of the gentlemen you know on our DPW staff, the contract talks were genial and conducted in a spirit of cooperation and civility. In the end, neither group thought it was the best deal possible, which is the sign of good contract!

Metro-North

After persistent lobbying, Metro-North agreed to paint the railroad underpass this summer, which was a welcome sight to all. In a curious division of labor, the stairwells were not painted, so we continue to request full completion of the project.

Residents often suggest that the village undertake some of the cosmetic work sorely needed at our train station, and on occasion we have requested permission.

However, given the climate we live in today, our requests have been understandably denied due to insurance and liability concerns.

Water Bills

Thanks to a united and concerted effort of the village and the consortium of our neighboring communities, the cost of the hydrant maintenance, which last year cost village taxpayers $146,255.00, will now be shared by all water users, not just taxable property owners. The new line will be reflected in everyone's bill and will fall out as a line item in the village budget.

United Water, a subsidiary of the Suez corporation of Paris, is not only purveyor of our water supply, but owner of the conduits/infrastructure bringing water to our homes; thus we have no recourse but to deal with them.

We are currently opposing the proposed rate increase(s) that is presently before the New York State Public Service Commission. The 10.9% increase for the 2014-2015 year alone is exorbitant and not grounded in current economic reality. 

Road Paving Initiative

Again this year, we embarked on a very aggressive paving program, spending over $250,000.00 (exclusive of the repaving of the Garden Avenue lot) on 10,000 linear feet of asphalt. This year, our roads were in particular need of resurfacing due to the damage caused by last year's epic winter storms, which created a record number of potholes.

Business District Revitalization

Finding businesses that can be profitable in a small village in the Internet age is a constant struggle.  Chances are one won't succeed if the same item can be purchased tax free on the Internet at midnight.

From our end, the trustees have been working with a consultant in order to streamline our administrative processes so that we remain competitive with like communities in terms of attracting new merchants into a welcoming community.

I can never emphasize enough the benefit to you, the taxpayer, not just our loyal merchants, of shopping locally. Based on our apportionment of Westchester County sales tax revenue, your village taxes would have been increased by 12% last year if you chose to make most of your purchases on the Internet. The short-term "savings" simply translates into a long-term loss.

Now that summer is coming to a close and our business district streets are happily congested, it is important to remind you that for the safety of all, skateboards are not allowed on any village sidewalks and only youngsters under 11 years of age can ride bicycles on our sidewalks. If you see behavior otherwise, we ask that you call the police desk at 914-337-0500.

Projects on the Horizon

The Kensington Road development is proceeding though temporarily stymied by the glacial pace of approvals from our monopoly entities--Con Edison, Metro-North, and United Water. Though slightly behind schedule, we expect stage-one soil removal to begin shortly.

The trustees are currently planning a special work session to review the recently commissioned village lighting consultants' report.

It is evident that we must increase both the quality and energy efficiency of our village lighting streetscape while ever mindful of not diminishing the aesthetic component. We have not expedited lighting changes as the technology has improved dramatically in just the last few years, and evaluation of the new technologies is paramount.

Finally, it is with great sadness that I note the passing of one of our treasured crossing guards, Albert Rocco, who manned the post at Garden and Tanglewylde.

Albert was "my" crossing guard who greeted everyone with a smile and would hold a line of cars as he patiently waited on a young straggler. Looking forward to a summer of Yankee baseball, he passed quite suddenly just days after school's closing.