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Each year, the trustees set aside a morning for a personal bus tour, where they review long-term village projects and sites in the community that are under way or planned for the future.
After a near two-hour weather delay, which saw the trustees discussing issues inside their chambers at Village Hall, this year’s abbreviated tour included stops at Reeves Newsome Pump Water Supply Station, George Field Park, the Sheldrake Drainage Basin and the still vacant location at 1 Palmer Ave.
Scarsdale Mayor Robert Steves said that it’s good for the trustees to get out of Village Hall every once in a while to reconnect with the people and projects that are shaping the village.
“Once a year, it allows us to introduce new members to the major capital projects, and to get a feel for the development issues,” he said. “There’s nothing like being able to go out to a site, it’s good for us to see them.”
Of particular concern to the trustees was the location at 1 Palmer Ave., which has been a point of contention in the village’s Five Corners, mainly because of its aesthetics, which stick out in that section of the village.
According to the trustees, who caution that the building is still “unfinished,” the building was radically divergent from initial artist renderings, and simply doesn’t fit into that part of the village, where the building is surrounded by businesses that showcase Scarsdale’s 1900s roots.
Plans for the location include landscaping along the sidewalk, and fixing a light fixture, among other things. A yoga studio was in talks to utilize the space, but ultimately talks were broken off and the space remains uninhabited.
“The building is just out of character for the village, there’s an aesthetics issue. And while it’s not a village project, it is a village issue,” Steves added. “Maybe if they used more natural materials it would help. But it’s important to remember it’s not finished yet.”
Trustee David Lee, serving his second term, said that it is invaluable for the board to get out in the community.
“It’s good for us to get out there and see what progress is being made, since not all of us were here when things started,” he said. “It’s helpful for us to see where certain things are going to be build where in the village.”
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