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This is the third quarterly report of 2010, describing major initiatives underway. Though much of the quarter overlaps what should be a quiet summer, there’s much going on. The quarter’s highlights were several events organized by volunteers and done with the substantial support of the Village: the Volunteer Fireman’s Parade this last Saturday, the “Take Me To The River” concert in early September, and a magic-themed Friday Night Live in July. All were blow-out events with hundreds of participants and great fun.
The Waterfront
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We reached a major milestone this quarter with the actual start of remediation by Exxon on the southern third (formally known as “Tappan Terminal”) of our former industrial waterfront. Concrete pads have been broken up and they have begun to remove contaminated soil. The removal of contaminated soil is likely to be complete in a matter of months, and then Exxon will begin a process to remediate the remainder of the site via bio-remediation. This involve activating native bacteria resident in the soil to devour the remaining volatile chemicals there. Meanwhile, BP Arco has begun an engineering assessment of the remaining building on the site, working closely with Hastings volunteers who have expertise in these issues. BP Arco has also been probing the shoreline (commuters may have noticed a tugboat along the shore) to determine the feasibility of one possible remediation approach.
Sustainability
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In another milestone for the village, we accepted delivery of a new van for our senior and youth outreach programs. This bus is a leading-edge hybrid version that was partly underwritten by a special New York State program: it demonstrates our commitment to the ongoing shift to a more sustainable village government. Meanwhile, we continue work on a major modification to the building code to introduce green building principles, based on the new International Green Construction Code. A working group with Trustee Jennings, our Building Department, Conservation Committee, the Planning Board and volunteers from industry and architecture are moving this along and will be meeting in the next five weeks in a workshop to refine the effort.
Downtown
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Trustee Walker, along with a dedicated and extremely competent crew of volunteers, put on another Friday Night Live in July with an emphasis on magic: it was terrific fun. We continue to work with the Chamber of Commerce on parking, cleanliness and other initiatives.
Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC)
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The Board continues to review the Comprehensive Plan developed by a volunteer-led effort. We expect to finish reviewing and then vote on officially accepting the Plan in the fourth quarter. The Board would then begin to review the many recommendations to come up with an implementation plan.
Wildlife Management
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We have begun pursuing a non-lethal option (something called immunocontraception) as an alternative to a lethal option, which we have determined will not work well in Hastings. We have put together a world-class team that would give this approach the best chance it can have. There are a number of challenges before us that we will continue to work on and we plan to schedule a public meeting when sufficient details have been addressed. We are entering the fall breeding season, when the chance of a car/deer collision is greatest. For some tips on how to avoid deer accidents, click here (http://www.hastingsgov.org/Pages/HastingsNY_Documents/CarsAndDeer).
Tourism Board
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The villages of Hastings, Dobbs Ferry and Irvington have banded together to form a Tourism Board that will seek, among other things, to encourage tourism to our villages with day visitors up from the city or business visitors staying at local hotels. This effort, which will be entirely self-funded, will rely on local business sponsorship to encourage visitors to walk the Aqueduct, visit the various local museums, and frequent our many fine restaurants.
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.
Peter Swiderski is the Mayor of the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson. Mayor Swiderski may be contacted by directing email to mayor@hastingsgov.org
