This is the second quarterly report of 2010, describing major initiatives and programs underway. It was a lively quarter for the Village, with a myriad of activities run by dedicated residents, ranging from the popular Popcorn and Puppets Festival to the great Friday Night Lives to the return of the Historic House Tour, which was also a huge hit.
It was also a good quarter for substantive progress on a number of issues:
Budget
=======
The month of April was spent largely focused on the budget, as the Board reviewed the proposed budget line by line. Several positions were cut and freezes placed across the board. Both revenue drops and State-imposed increases in required pension payments and other mandated cost, however, forced a tax hike despite austerity measures. The budget was passed with an increase in taxes of 4.5%.
The Waterfront
==============
The NY Department of Environmental Conservation, Exxon and Chevron finished agreement on the clean-up design of the southern 14 acres of the waterfront. We will pass a huge milestone when actual remediation will begin this summer. The clean-up of these 14 acres will take three years in total. It will rely heavily on a natural remediation technology that activates bacteria resident in the soil to devour the volatile chemicals there. The DEC continues to review with BP Arco the preliminary clean-up design for the northern 28 acres. Trustee Quinlan is working closely with both BP and the DEC to move the process along.
Downtown
==========
Trustee Walker and an extremely competent crew of volunteers have put on another two Friday Night Live evenings out. We had “Dancing in the Streets” in May, and the Spring-thing “Town Square” themed one in June. Hundreds of people showed up – and if you have been missing these events, don’t miss the one on Friday, July 16th, with a performing magic theme. The streets will be filled with live magic, juggling, fire eating, fortune telling, dancing, music and more! It will be a night everyone can enjoy. From old time street busking to big illusion, you will wantg to be there.
In regards to other downtown issues, further metered parking spots were added to the downtown and we rolled out a program for merchants to be able to park away from the core downtown at discounted rates.
And, while we can hardly take credit, we are thrilled to see storefronts filled, new restaurants adn cafes open, and increased activity downtown. It's just great to see.
Sustainability
===========
We continue work on a major modification to the building code to introduce green building principles, investigating the International Green Construction Code. Trustee Jennings is working with our Building Department, Conservation Committee and the Planning Board to move this process along. Various outreach efforts on recycling have progressed as well. We are exploring options for the Village fleet inventory. Finally, volunteers are almost finished taking an inventory of the municipal government’s carbon footprint, part of a process where the Village sets goals for lowering our carbon impact.
Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC)
===================================
A volunteer-led effort to devise a comprehensive plan for the Village has wrapped up and the Board of Trustees will be presented with the draft plan this week. This effort, now into its third year, has consumed great energy and time from the eleven volunteers on the Committee and we are grateful for their civic contribution to the Village’s future. The review of this plan will consume substantial energy in July, August and September.
Wildlife Management
==================
As an earlier email on coyotes alludes to, we co-exist with an increasing diversity of wildlife in our two square miles. We are continuing to review our options on managing the deer population and have had some very promising discussions on non-lethal options, which we are exploring further While we have an open permit from the State for a cull, we are examining what makes sense over an extended period of time. We will likely be reviewing options publicly in the fall.
Verizon
======
We signed a franchise agreement with Verizon in May, which is likely to be approved in mid-July by the New York Public Services Commission. Should this happen as it is expected to, residents will have a choice of cable television providers in late summer as Verizon rolls out FIOS TV service in Hastings.
In short, the Village government continues to seek to deliver meaningful programs and change at the least cost to residents. We continue to seek public involvement on all our initiatives, and if you are interested in sharing your expertise or willing hands on a project or committee with us, we would welcome hearing from you at volunteer@hastingsgov.org. If you have an issue you want to discuss or want to hear more, always feel free to reach out to us.
Finally, an appeal to homeowners. This is the season where vegetation runs rampant. We all have experience with being forced onto the street because a hedge has grown over the years to take over a sidewalk. Or, walked on a sidewalk in terrible disrepair. If you have a sidewalk on your property or a street sign, please ensure that it is free of obstruction. Also, take the summer to fix those walks – kids will be back in school sooner than we think and we should all have safe paths to walk. Good sidewalks make a good community and a more valuable property. Do it for yourself, your home value, and your walking neighbors. We’ll all appreciate it.
Enjoy the summer!
Peter Swiderski is Mayor of the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson. Direct email to
