By Carol P. Bartold

Jan. 6, 2016:  According to Mayor Mary Marvin and trustees Anne W. Poorman and Guy Longobardo, village goals and objectives for 2016 will focus mostly on infrastructure.

"The village has numerous projects under way that will come to fruition this year," Poorman said. "Other long-planned infrastructure projects will see significant progress."

First in importance to Marvin will be the visible progress made on the Villa BXV project on Kensington Road and completion of its parking structure toward the end of 2016. The condominiums are scheduled for completion mid-2017 and will mark the end of 30 years of negotiation, careful planning, and cleanup of a formerly contaminated site, as well as the return of the property to the village tax rolls.

"The parking structure will free up spots in the village as well as provide additional commuter, merchant, and shopper parking," Longobardo said.

The village will continue to pursue the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Midland Valley Drainage Project with hopes of beginning construction in 2016.

"No major infrastructure project across government entities runs perfectly," Poorman said. "For the long-term health and safety of our residents and our school system, it's critical that we not drop the ball now."

Longobardo added that, with changes in FEMA funding after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the village must make use of the funding granted for the project, "as we will not have a second chance."

Downtown street lighting will be upgraded in 2016. "Bronxville is busier during evening hours than it was a generation ago," Poorman said. She cited the increase in service businesses and restaurants, as well as the fact that commuters now work later and walk through downtown in the dark.

The new lighting, according to Longobardo, will improve lighting quality and energy efficiency while also reducing the operating and repair cost of street lighting.

The Park Avenue yellow brick road will be restored this year, thanks to financial assistance and aesthetic guidance from The Bronxville Historical Conservancy. Brick laying will take place as temperatures permit. "Residents were very gracious and patient during the disruption of preparing the roadbed and underlying pipes," Poorman said.

New steps, walkways, landscaping, and lighting are planned for village hall in 2016. Poorman stated that the necessary repairs would be enhanced by a plan more coherent with the architecture at the four corners intersection of Pondfield Road and Midland Avenue. Competitive bids will be solicited over the winter, with construction planned to begin after the winter.

Mayor Marvin stated that she would like to see some of the village's approval processes streamlined in 2016. The Bronxville Board of Trustees began to reevaluate the planning and zoning codes in 2015 in light of the shift in businesses from retail to service establishments such as restaurants and fitness facilities.

Marvin also hopes to see more village residents willing to serve on volunteer boards that help village government pay close attention to quality-of-life issues. She also hopes to explore possibilities to expand parking, "whether it be a single level or a structure."

"As always," Longobardo stated, "our goal is to provide quality services while spending our residents' tax dollars wisely."

Pictured here:  Bronxville Village Hall.  

Photo by A. Warner