Spotlight on Michael O'Connor Who Helps Keep Bronxville Clean
Photos by N. Bower
By Karen Talbot
April 12, 2023: Michael O'Connor is a five-year resident of Bronxville who has a unique hobby of picking up litter on the west side of the village.
He started doing this in July of 2021 when a massive amount of rain made the Bronx River overflow its banks. After the storm, Michael noticed that a lot of litter and trash had accumulated between Palmer Road and the entrance to the Bronx River Parkway north on Paxton Avenue.
Because he hates litter, he took it upon himself to pick it up. In total, he picked up 200 pounds of trash!
Since then, he has made a point of spending one or two hours, usually in the afternoon, four to five days a week, picking up litter. His service to the community gets him away from his computer and into the fresh air, which he finds very satisfying.
He finds small items, including cigarette butts (the most common item), plastic bottles, coffee cup lids, soda cups, paper napkins, and candy wrappers.
His regular routes are the Paxton Avenue area, the pathway behind New York-Presbyterian Westchester Hospital, and the pathway between Palmer Road and Pondfield Road on Parkview. He also picks up in the front of the shops on Palmer Road across from the hospital, which the merchants love. The park by the train station on Parkway Road also gets a cleaning.
O'Connor thrives on being busy, so this is the perfect hobby for him. He often encourages others to do the same thing.
Look for the man with a large yellow bag strapped around his shoulder and a handheld grabber. Sometimes he even takes his young cat, Goldie, in his backpack.
He and his wife, Janine, have two grown children. Until now, only they and his good friends know what he does. We can all learn a lesson from Michael, who spends so much of his time helping the village of Bronxville in this way.
Government & History Directory
Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
Village of Bronxville Administrative Offices
337-6500
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Police Department
337-0500
Open 24 hours
Bronxville Parking Violations
337-2024
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Fire Deparment
793-6400
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