I was going to start this newsletter out with an observation about the long winter and the arrival of spring, but I feel that I must report on the unfortunate incident at the Irvington Train Station last night. The Village of Irvington's official statement about the incident is below. I will add that we are lucky to have such dedicated professionals at the Irvington Police Department, Irvington Fire Department and the Irvington Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
"At approximately 6:35 p.m. on April 8th, 2015 the Irvington Police Department received reports of multiple people with stab wounds around the Irvington Train Station. The Police Department does have the suspect in custody. All injured parties are being treated at local hospitals. No further information is available at this time, as it is an active crime scene and investigation."
This morning I can add that neither the victim nor the alleged perpetrator are Irvington residents. Lastly, they were the only two individuals involved in this unfortunate incident.
Dog Park
Since I have been in office, I have had many questions about creating a dog park in the Village from fellow dog-loving residents. I’ve always felt this was an amenity that our community could have as long as the right location was identified and the funds were largely raised privately so as not to impact the Village’s budget and our ability to provide essential services to our residents. So, last year, I asked our Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee (RPAC) to explore the possibility of creating a dog park somewhere in our Village. Since then, RPAC, its consultant, and Recreation Department staff have been diligently studying possible sites for a dog park. In addition to RPAC, an ad hoc “Dog Park Committee” led by Steve Schneider and Peter Agovino have also worked very hard to find the best solution for residents and their dogs. These groups have assembled a very helpful summary of their analysis. I highly recommend that you read the analysis and participate in the process if you have any interest at all in this project. The analysis can be viewed online at http://www.irvingtonny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7488.
In addition, RPAC’s next meeting will be held on Monday, April 13, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. in the Irvington Senior Center. Feel free to attend to offer any comments you may have or you can send your comments by e-mail to Larry Schopfer, Village Administrator at LSCHOPFER@IRVINGTONNY.GOV.
Brightview Senior Living
As I reported previously, Brightview Senior Living has submitted a petition requesting the Board of Trustees to amend the Irvington Zoning Code so as to permit Brightview to construct a 150-unit assisted living facility at 88-94 North Broadway (the site of the big white office building on the east side of Broadway). The facility they are proposing to build would contain 85 Independent Living units and 65 Assisted Living units. The proposal is to remove the existing white building, but to retain the three small stone buildings on the site.
The Board of Trustees held a scoping session on March 31, 2015 in order to identify all possible environmental impacts to guide the creation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The draft scope can be viewed online. We are accepting comments on the draft scope until this Friday, April 10, 2015. Please email your comments to Larry Schopfer, Village Administrator at LSCHOPFER@IRVINGTONNY.GOV or mail them to Village Hall, 85 Main St., Irvington, NY. All documents that have been filed are available on the Village’s web site at www.irvingtonny.gov/brightview. I encourage you to stay involved throughout the process.
Denardo Capital – Multi-Family Zoning Petition
On February 26, 2015, DeNardo Capital Corporation submitted a petition requesting the Board of Trustees to amend the Multifamily (MF) Zoning District regulations. The Board of Trustees will be acting as lead agency with respect to the environmental review associated with the zoning text petition. The documents associated with the Petition are available at www.irvingtonny.gov/denardomfzone.
The Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing on the petition on April 15, 2015 at 7 p.m. in the Trustees' Meeting Room of Village Hall, 85 Main Street, Irvington, NY.
Budget
This past Monday, my colleagues and I opened a public hearing on the 2015/16 operating budget. The budget that we discussed at that hearing shows an increase of 2.87% in the tax rate. However, we are waiting for additional information related to certiorari payment projections and our workers’ compensation premiums. As a result, we adjourned the budget hearing until April 15, 2015 at 7 p.m. in the Trustees’ Meeting Room of Village Hall. The budget can be downloaded from the Village web site at www.irvingtonny.gov.
As I have said many times in the past, my goal is to present budgets that are roughly in line with inflation and are sustainable. While we are still hoping to lower the budget to below 2.5%, considering all the items that were beyond our direct control (for example, a large 35% increase in workers compensation), I think we are close to once again achieving that goal.
I hope to see you around the Village. Please never hesitate to contact me with thoughts and concerns.
Brian C. Smith
bsmith@irvingtonny.gov