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This summer, activity at Village Hall defies the traditional quiet of past years as we embark on a myriad of infrastructure projects.
The Garden Avenue parking lot flood mitigation project is well underway and on schedule. Funded primarily with a grant award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the project involves the construction of under-pavement water storage chambers, permeable concrete pavers, enhanced tree pits, and catch basin inserts to capture and treat rainfall in the contributing drainage area. All of the above will help to contain and, very important, treat stormwater to reduce flooding and improve overall stormwater quality.
After the underground pavers and chamber are completed, the village will install curbing and islands for additional planting and lighting. Following this, the lot layout will be reconfigured to make it more user-friendly, and the infrastructure will be installed to provide for the possibility of more modern parking payment options than the current coin-operated meters.
The Board of Trustees also approved an additional phase of our ongoing effort to improve the condition and flow of our sewer system. We are currently working with our consulting engineer to help extend the useful life of some sewer lines. This will also further assist the village with identifying those lines that need to be replaced or relined.
We continue to allocate significant capital funds to maintain our roads and curbs. Slated for repaving this summer are a myriad of streets throughout the village, Residents of the adjacent homes and businesses will be notified in advance so residents can adjust their schedules, if need be.
Village and school staff are working jointly to bid our FEMA flood mitigation grant project in the fall, with work to begin in the winter so as to mitigate the project's effect on athletic field use. The village received a 75 percent funded grant of nearly $5 million to mitigate flooding on school property and its environs.
The Kensington Road project is poised to begin as soon as final approval letters from the Department of Environmental Conservation are received and Con Edison and Metro-North officially sign off on their roles in the project. We expect all to happen by month's end.
We are also in the final stages of finalizing our agreement with the town of Eastchester and the city of Yonkers to jointly share in the cost of the emergency repairs on the Parkway Road bridge. The village is prepared to take the lead in coordinating the actual reconstruction process.
In partnership with the village's historical conservancy, we are embarking on a multiyear project to repair and replace our distinctive street signs. Utilizing the services of Les Metalliers Champenois, a fine metalworks firm, the signature frame and brackets will be systematically repaired or replaced throughout the village.
In another restoration endeavor, the Bronxville Historical Conservancy has also partnered with People's Bank to repair and restore the clock that greets villagers as they arrive in town. Instead of purchasing prefab clocks that are springing up in many communities, the bank and the conservancy chose to celebrate the uniqueness and the historical significance of our clock and undertake a long-awaited restoration plan.
In an effort to address the village's role in helping to attract businesses to our empty storefronts, the trustees embarked on a phase I review of our zoning code to spot potential impediments to business growth as well as to streamline the approval process. In addition, we seek to enhance code provisions that encourage an overall attractive streetscape and welcoming ambience.
As the trustees concentrate on the integrity of the substructure of the village, our Bronxville Beautification Committee worked tirelessly this spring to make our village and our streetscape so attractive. I truly believe they outdid themselves this year!
In a long-hoped-for partnership, the BBC will be collaborating with our village post office to landscape its grounds and update the benches, creating another pocket of beauty in our business district.
All of the above improvements will come with their share of disruptions, there is no doubt. As we move forward for long-term benefit, we at Village Hall are very mindful of the attendant sacrifices to some residents and promise to mitigate disruption wherever possible.
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