Lewisboro to pursue state DOT grant for pedestrian safety measures

SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. - At its Tuesday, Feb. 24 meeting, the Lewisboro Town Board unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the pursuit of a state Department of Transportation (DOT) grant for sidewalk and crosswalk construction.

The grant, which was covered in detail at a presentation to the Board on Jan. 12, would be for work in Cross River. No price has been established for the work package, but AKRF, a New York City-based engineering firm, will be working with the town on the application. Under the application terms, the grant will cover 80 percent of the costs, while the Town of Lewisboro will bear the remaining 20 percent.

The application’s submission deadline is Thursday, March 12.

During public comments, the people who spoke were mainly opposed to the measure. They all said the town has many pressing priorities on which it should focus – and that because none of Lewisboro’s hamlets has a well-defined downtown, sidewalks and crosswalks are not items of importance.

Goldens Bridge resident Barbara Mangione noted that almost one-third of town residents are 60 or older, and this additional expenditure would create financial hardship for many. “You need to err on the side of caution and understand that people are being squeezed…A lot of people can't afford to live in Lewisboro.”

“I'm not against crosswalks and sidewalks, and I always support safety,” said South Salem’s Simone O’Connor. She noted that the project cost - and what the taxpayers will bear - remains vague. O’Connor also said somebody on the board should simply call Governor Kathy Hochul and ask for more funding for Route 35 – which is a state highway.

“We have a police department to help. Oakridge is still incurring unaccounted-for costs. The turnkey purchase that we recently made for town offices turns out not to be turnkey,” O’Connor said. “We have a lot of expenditures coming. So, I think that we're heading down, at best, a questionable path.”

Several people noted that they would favor crosswalks, but not necessarily sidewalks. The administrative stumbling block is that under New York Department of Transportation rules, municipalities cannot build crosswalks unless they’re accompanied by sidewalks.

Cross River resident Glenn DeFaber recalled that he built his house in that hamlet 40 years ago because of its central location in the Town of Lewisboro. “I'm going to make a lot of people mad because I'm sort of in favor of the sidewalks,” DeFaber said. “Unlike most other towns, we don't have a center. And Cross River is the perfect spot between the schools, the town offices, and everything else.”

DeFaber said the town should explore the development of a business-improvement district in Cross River, areas that often feature sidewalks. He noted that years ago, Starbucks wanted to open a site in Cross River but it took a long time for the town to approve.

“We ended up with a Dunkin Donuts,” he said. “So, let's be proactive.”

Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves pointed out that the 20 percent cost to the town can also be met by the pursuit of additional grant money. The state DOT is providing $97 million in grant funding for this program, but there are other grant programs on the state and federal level.

“The match can be made up of other grants,” said Gonçalves. “It could be made up of donations. It could be made up from other agencies - federal grants, for example. I'm trying to get it for free as much as possible. That's my goal with all grant applications: try to get as many dollars in so it doesn't cost the taxpayer.”

Several Town Board members expressed misgivings about the measure – though they ultimately voted in its favor. “The big X factor is what the police facility’s going to cost,” said Councilman Rich Sklarin.

Councilwoman Julia Hadlock urged her colleagues to vote in favor of the resolution, though she also said the group needed to better align project proposals with the town’s Comprehensive Plan. “It would be helpful for all of us to have a work session where we go through the Comprehensive Plan, look at all of the goals, and decide what are short, medium, long-term, and ongoing priorities… and make a plan for the next couple years,” said Hadlock.

“You can make that list and apply for grants at the same time,” said Deputy Town Supervisor Mary Shah. “The grants help offset the costs for the community.”

Among other business, the Board had a presentation by fifth grader Willem Taylor, who developed a detailed map of South Salem showing its points of interest (see sidebar). The Board also approved several key resolutions:

Resolutions referring draft regulations for short-term rentals to the Lewisboro Planning Board as well as its Westchester County counterpart;

A resolution approving service and inspection of the hydro-clear water filter at the Oakridge wastewater plant, by Evoqua Water Technologies, LLC;

A similar resolution for services at the Wild Oaks wastewater plant.

Historical Interlude

Willem Taylor enjoys cartography as a hobby – and accordingly, embarked on what his mom, Stephanie Graham Taylor, described a non-typical project for his school’s upcoming science fair: a detailed map of the South Salem hamlet.

“I chose this project because I really like coming up with designs in my head about imaginary places but also using real places in mind to create my maps too. So, for my science project, I decided to replicate most of South Salem in my map.”

Key elements on Taylor’s map are Meadow Pond, Lake Kitchawan, Truesdale Lake, and the Leon Levy Preserve, which are also among his favorite spots in town. What’s more, the project included a series of fun facts, some of which Taylor presented to the Town Board members.

The first question was the name of the family that donated land for Taylor’s school, which opened in 1967. The answer is the Newman family. In another query Taylor asked the board: “How big is Lake Kitchawan in acres?” The correct answer: 106 acres.

“This is the first time he's entered the science fair,” said Graham-Taylor. “Because he's a fifth grader, I said, ‘You're a senior in the building. You need to represent.’”

Besides the presentation to the Town Board and a display at the science fair, Taylor’s work will be showcased at Onatru Farm as part of a display hosted by Town Historian Maureen Cole, along with a host of other townwide artifacts.