Bedford Town news | Bedford Real Estate

May 2018

Note to readers: I wrote my monthly report a few days later than usual in order to cover Town Board action and other developments over this week.   As such, this weekly newsletter will not cover the May 1 Town Board actions as they are incorporated into the monthly report. Click here for the monthly report

I am delighted to report that Antioch Homes Affordable Housing Project has been chosen to be honored with a Commendation for Outstanding Planning Achievement by the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation (WMPF) for its annual planning awards competition.   The award will be presented at next month’s WMPF annual awards dinner.

The Town Board will be considering proposed changes to the parking chapter of the Town Code will cover the following items, in an effort to update the parking chapter for changes in technology, address non-residential weekday use of the commuter lots in “off hours” and to update/increase the fines/penalties for violations:

The Board will be considering a new fee schedule to correspond to the new Filming law. The fee schedule could not be adopted at the May 1 meeting since the new law is not effective until filed with the NYS Secretary of State. The schedule includes discounts for multiple days’ use and other incentives to encourage filming in Bedford, consistent with protecting the community from excessive noise, traffic, light and other disturbance from such activities.

UPDATE ON ROUTE 117 WORK
The Town has been working closely with Con Edison, the Village of Mt. Kisco and the NYS Department of Transportation regarding the condition of Route 117 in Bedford Hills which had been dug up and very roughly patched following Con Edison gas line work.
As those following this newsletter may know, we learned a few weeks ago that the Village of Mt. Kisco plans to replace its water line, which also will require digging up Route 117.  Upon learning of this development, we urged the Village and Con Edison to coordinate and to discuss it with DOT.   We want to avoid the havoc that took place over Thanksgiving and into the holidays last November/December in connection with Con Edison’s work in which ingress/egress to the Shop Rite mall was blocked; daytime work was taking place at the height of retailers busiest season resulting in significant loss of business; and traffic into and out of Bedford Hills was tied up for upwards of an hour.

Here’s the status of requests we have made to the parties:

Timing: we don’t know yet, because the water line work schedule has not yet been set as the engineers design and staging the work have to complete DOT review and approval.   What we do know is that the previous schedule of Con Edison completing its restoration in the next couple of weeks is not at all possible.   Our objective now is to avoid disruption as much as possible.  As soon as we learn of the schedule, we will advise the community.

This is the time of year when residents ask me about our paving plans and how the Town Board determines it. Shortly after I came onto the Town Board in 2008, the Department of Public Works instituted a fair and equitable system for identifying the roads to be paved from year to year. It is based on the condition of the road, with the roads in the worst condition to be paved first before they deteriorate further and results in far more costly paving. Each Spring the DPW updates its assessment of the condition of all 97 miles of the paved Town roads (since roads deteriorate at different rates over the winter).   The condition assessment uses a rating system with 1 being the best condition and 5 being the worst.   As a result of higher appropriation levels, we have been able to pave all Town roads rated at 4 and 5 and now are working away at a lengthy list of roads rated at 3.5. In 2014, the paving budget was approximately $800,000. Each year thereafter, the Town Board gradually has increased the budget. The figure now stands at approximately $1.2 million for 2018. We anticipate that in the next month DPW Commissioner Kevin Winn will submit a recommended paving list to the Town Board for approval.

FOR THE MOST RECENT SUPERVISOR’S SHOW
Town Board Initiatives and the Town’s Partnership with Bedford 2020, Click here

KVIS TOWN FORUM
Let your voices be heard – Let us know what is on your mind

Katonah Village Library, May 17 at 7:30 PM. Click here for the flyer

There is a vacancy on the Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee for a resident of the Katonah Park District.  Send your resume and a cover letter via e-mail to supervisor@bedfordny.gov and please copy Recreation and Parks Superintendent Bill Heidepriem atwheidepriem@bedfordny.gov and RPAC chairman, Brian McCabe atcoach10536@aol.com.  You also may mail your cover letter and resume to the attention of Supervisor, 321 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, New York 10507.  For information on the RPAC, please see http://www.bedfordny.gov/town-government/boards-commissions-committees/boards/recreation-parks-advisory/

The Town of Bedford is looking to fill two vacancies on the Drug Abuse Prevention Council. If you are interested in serving, please e-mail your resume with a cover letter to Supervisor Chris Burdick, supervisor@bedfordny.gov and also to DAPC Coordinator Kathryn Ferrara,kathryn.dapc@gmail.com .  You also may mail it the attention of Supervisor, 321 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, New York 10507.  For more information on the DAPC, click here.

There is a vacancy on the Traffic Safety Working Group (TSWG)for a resident of Bedford Hills. Send your resume and a cover letter via e-mail to supervisor@bedfordny.gov You also may mail your cover letter and resume to the attention of Supervisor, 321 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, New York 10507.  For information on the TSWG please click here.

Please consider your neighbor when you go to work with your lawn mower or weed whacker (or your lawn service uses them). We realize that your busy schedule makes it difficult to find time to get work done on your property. We all try to squeeze in time to do it. But please not too early and not too late…

Please be reminded that Westchester County regulates the idling time of motor vehicles to not more than three minutes (with certain exceptions – click here for the law

Let’s all obey the law to avoid unnecessary pollution.

FOR THE COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR click here

FOR THE TOWN CALENDAR click here

It’s been a long haul trying to persuade New York State to pave the concrete portion of I-684 that runs through Bedford (the same original surface from the late 1960s).   You may remember that in early 2014 shortly after coming into office, I started working with Assembly David Buchwald and then State Senator George Latimer to urge the re-paving of the portion of I-684 which runs through Bedford.  We also worked with Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to press for funds from Washington, since 80% to 90% of the funds to repair our State’s highways comes from the federal government.   Thanks principally to the efforts of Assemblyman Buchwald a portion of the Bedford section was paved (the southerly portion up to Harris Road).   But the portion from Harris Road through a bit north of Exit 6 is in terrible condition. One of our residents who is an engineer and works on major road projects described it in an e-mail earlier this week: “Spring has arrived!! Please take the time to drive northbound and southbound on I-684, including the exit ramps. The pavement deterioration has become very severe in some areas due to the harsh winters. You may see large chucks of concrete in the shoulders that have broken free from the mainline pavement. Perhaps the board can urge the NYSDOT Highway Department to have maintenance crews fill the pot holes in the Katonah corridor as a priority.”

Here, too, conditions on the road have deteriorated.   I’m especially concerned about the portion between the Bedford Cross and the intersection with Pea Pond Road. Several residents have contacted me about it.

I’ll be meeting with the Regional Director of the DOT on Monday and members of his staff to press for work to get done. I’d like to ask your help so that the powers that be know that it’s not just me asking for action.  You can send e-mails and make calls – and many thanks to those who already have done so (yes you may get a “form” response, but they all keep track of it and it really makes a difference that you take the time):

Governor Cuomo: https://www.governor.ny.gov/contact; also try http://www.writethegovernorofnewyork.com/; also1-518-474-8390

DOT Albany office: 518-457-6195

DOT Region 8 Acting Regional Director Lance MacMillan: 845-431-5750

If you send an e-mail, please consider copying me and our legislators:

State Assemblyman Buchwald: buchwaldd@assembly.state.ny.us, 914-244-4450

And thank you!

As to potholes you find in our Town roads, please call our Pothole Hotline at 666-7669 or feel free to contact me at 666-6530 or Supervisor@bedfordny.gov.

For potholes on state roads in our Town, such as Routes 22, 117, 121, 137 and 172 we would suggest that you call NYS’s pothole line at 1-800-POTHOLE.

For Saturdays and Sundays, April 28-29, May 5-6 and May 19-20 substitute bus service will be in effect between Southeast, Brewster, Croton Falls, Purdy’s and Goldens Bridge due to ongoing repairs to multiple downed power poles and lines in the area that occurred as a result of the March nor’easters.

All buses will depart approximately 20 minutes ahead of the regularly scheduled southbound train departure times in order to connect with train service at Goldens Bridge. Regular train service will resume each day with the 7:10 PM train to Southeast and the 9:08 PM train from Southeast.

Harlem Line train service continues to operate between Grand Central Terminal and Goldens Bridge and between Southeast and Wassaic.

Substitute bus service is being provided between Southeast and Goldens Bridge as follows:

Wassaic Branch Customers: Trains will depart 10 minutes ahead of the regularly scheduled southbound train departure times at all stations between Wassaic and Patterson in order to connect with bus service at Southeast. Additional bus service/ times will be provided at Southeast and Goldens Bridge. For full schedule details, please seehttp://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/Wassaic Bus May_2018.pdf

Southeast, Brewster, Croton Falls and Purdy’s Customers: All buses will depart about 20 minutes ahead of the regularly scheduled southbound train departures in order to connect with train service at Goldens Bridge. Regular train service will resume with the 7:10 PM train to Southeast and the 9:08 train from Southeast. For a full schedule, please see:http://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/Upper

Please refer to our interactive schedules at http://as0.mta.info/mnr/schedules/sched_form.cfm

or download Train Time for train/bus times.

Customers can also use the Hudson Line, where tickets will be cross-honored.

Please listen for station announcements and check back to this website for updates. Thank you for your patience while we perform this critical repair work.

Many have asked us about what action is being taken in response to the December federal tax law revisions which caps SALT tax deductions for federal income tax purposes to $10,000.

The following is brief description of the new law that can be provided to the public regarding the New York budget bill that provides offsets for Federal SALT tax deductions: The New York State Legislature has adopted new state law provisions designed to offset the impact of the recently enacted federal tax limitation on state and local taxes (SALT) to $10,000. Specifically, the legislation creates a vehicle for taxpayers to contribute to certain charitable funds that, in turn, would be applied for local tax purposes. The concept is that, as a charitable contribution, the amount paid by taxpayers who itemize their tax returns could be claimed as a charitable deduction on federal taxes. Under the new law, a New York State tax credit would also be provided on a percentage of each contribution. Under the new law, each taxing jurisdiction, including school districts, villages, towns, cities and counties, is responsible for establishing and managing such charitable funds. The funds collected would then be used by each taxing jurisdiction and applied to the taxing jurisdiction’s annual tax levy. The law also provides a mechanism for the taxpayer to receive a tax credit based upon the amount contributed to a school district’s or other municipal corporation’s charitable fund. The exact procedures for making payments into the charitable funds and receiving a credit against taxes owed are still being formulated.

New York State, by being the first state to enact a “workaround” to ameliorate the limitation on the federal SALT deductions, has positioned itself to be the legal test case for whether such an arrangement will pass legal muster. The Town and other government agencies, school districts and municipalities throughout New York State are in the process of reviewing the proposed bill provisions to determine what action should be taken and whether to implement the provisions of this new law. Similarly, tax experts are in the process of reviewing whether or not these new charitable funds will be treated as legitimate charitable contributions that are deductible for filers who itemize their federal tax returns. New York’s Governor and Legislature appear to believe the provisions are sound. However, a final answer has yet to be obtained and we recommend that you consult with your personal tax consultant before taking any action.

We will keep you advised as the situation develops.

FOR THE APRIL 6, 2018 KATONAH-BEDFORD HILLS SEWER DESIGN STATUS REPORT click here

PLEASE JOIN US FOR BEDFORD TOWN-WIDE CLEAN-UP DAYS 2018 AT THE CRUSHER ROAD HIGHWAY FACILITY OFF ROUTE 22, JUST NORTH OF ROUTE 172, IN BEDFORD VILLAGE

Town residents can bring household debris and metal waste to the Crusher Road Yard during the following periods:

Residents can also take brush and tree debris to the Beaver Dam Highway facility on Beaver Dam road off Harris Road during the same days and hours listed above. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS!

The Highway Department will not accept any of the following items: tires, batteries, refrigerators, freezers, pressure treated lumber, air conditioners, propane tanks, paint, varnish, chemicals, medical waste, or other toxic materials. No E-Waste – televisions, computers (desktops, monitors, and notebooks), computer mice and keyboards, printers, scanners, fax machines, cell phones, VCRs – ***E-WASTE CAN BE BROUGHT TO THE RECYCLING CENTER ON TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS AND SATURDAYS BETWEEN 8AM AND 3PM – E-WASTE CONTAINING CRT’S MUST FIRST GO TO THE TOWN CLERK’S OFFICE AND COMPLETE A CRT RECYCLING APPLICATION AND PAY THE APPROPRIATE FEE BEFORE GOING TO THE RECYCLING CENTER***

Proof of Bedford residency is required, and fees are as follows:

*           $25 per carload

*           $60 per pickup truck load

*           $115 for small dump trucks (<6 yd)

*           $230 and up for large dump trucks (>6 yd)

Bedford Village Chowder & Marching Club will hold their Tag Sale on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5 at the Crusher Road Highway Facility.

In addition to the normal clean-up activities, the Town will provide a mobile paper shredder to safely recycle unwanted personal papers and documents. The Mobile Shredder will be available on May 5 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Crusher Road Highway Yard. This free public service is intended for residents to shred their personal documents. Papers from businesses or commercial enterprises will not be accepted. Residents may bring a maximum of two file boxes. To speed up shredding and reduce waiting time, residents must remove all metal clips, fasteners, binders, folders and hard covers and place the papers loosely in a box. Hard covers – cardboard or plastic covers on items such as ledger books, marble composition books and hard-cover books – are not acceptable. Residents may rip away pages from these hard cover books for shredding and throw the covers in their household trash.

Please call the DPW Highway Division at 666-7669 with any questions.

If you lost Cablevision/Optimum service during the recent storms, you may qualify for a credit on your bill. Cablevision has records by address on power outages.  We have been advised that if your outage was for fewer than four hours you would not qualify for a credit.  If you the outage was for a longer period of time, you do qualify.  You will need to contact them.  We suggest that you also provide your service outage period according to your records (be specific with dates and times, to the extent you can).   Call them at 718-860-3513 or via Chat at https://www.optimum.net/support/outage/

We have contacted our Verizon representative inquiring about a credit for their customers impacted by service interruptions during the March storms.  She advises us that if you reported the service interruption to Verizon, you will receive a credit automatically on your bill.  We advise that you check your bill.   If you did not receive a credit, please call Verizon customer service at 1-800-Verizon to request it.  Also, for customers who did not report the outage, it may not be too late, contact customer service letting them know when you lost service and when it was restored.

On Saturday May 5, 2018 at 3 p.m. Cub Scout Pack 170, and Bedford Boy Scouts will recognize National Police Memorial week by honoring the memory ofBedford P.D. Sgt. Thomas Wade who made the ultimate sacrifice on May 9, 1925.The public is invited to join with us, law enforcement officers, and the family of Sgt. Wade for a ceremony at Bedford, NY Police station 321 Bedford Rd. Bedford Hills, NY 10507.

The ceremony will feature the presentation of colors, lowering of US flag in Sgt. Wade’s memory, presentation of thank you cards to Police Officers by Scouts, police equipment, and Police K-9 demonstration. For further information please contact William McCormack at wfmccormack@optonline.net

I am pleased to report that the Town Board approved construction of a new Veterans Memorial in Katonah, which will honor the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the men and women from Bedford and around America who served in our military. The Memorial will be located on the Katonah Green, directly across from the Katonah Village Library, and will be funded entirely through private contributions. Information regarding the Memorial can be found at http://www.bedfordny.gov/veterans-advisory-committee/.

We recognize that residents are coping with a great deal of clean-up of storm debris, so we are opening the Town’s Beaver Dam Compost Facility for a few Saturdays over the next couple of months: The facility is normally open for residents in non-commercial vehicles to dispose of recyclable wood waste (logs and branches up to 6″ diameter, brush, and leaves) Monday to Friday from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM, excluding town holidays. Due to the recent storms, the Town will open the compost facility from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday April 14, April 21, April 28, and June 2. In addition, the compost facility will be open on Saturday May 5 from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM as part of the Town’s clean up days.

The Town Supervisors in the Brewster Division of NYSEG which encompasses northern Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties met earlier this week with senior NYSEG management.   The discussion primarily focused on NYSEG’s program to reduce the incidence of outages including reliability targets, identification of major contributing causes, vegetation management, maintenance programs, planned work, resiliency plans, capital improvements and future initiatives. We will continue to press NYSEG for improving its performance.

click here for the letter

ACTION TAKEN AT THE APRIL 3 TOWN BOARD MEETING
Horse Properties – As scheduled, the Town Board held a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Zoning Code to allow for a half bath in accessory structures, including barns and stables, the purpose of which is to enable property owners to engage daytime grooms..   The proposed Zoning Code amendment expressly prohibits sleeping facilities and kitchens.   As I mentioned at the outset of the hearing the proposal comes after nearly two years of discussions with horse property owners and others supporting the horse community.   Earlier this year, the Town Board had referred to the Planning Board their petition requesting revisions in the Zoning Code to relax restrictions affecting the horse community. A number of residents spoke on the need to ensure that Bedford is “horse friendly” and we do not continue to lose horse owners.   Following the public hearing the Town Board unanimously adopted the amendments.

Congratulations to Amy Carelli At the recommendation of Police Chief Melvin Padilla, the Town Board approved the appointment of Amy N. Carelli to Police Officer effective on or about April 26, 2018. We are pleased to have Ms. Carelli join the force.

Moving ahead on Electric Vehicles In the first installment of fulfilling the Town’s New York League of Conservation Voters/Sustainable Westchester Gold Pledge on purchase of electric passenger vehicles for its municipal fleet, the Town Board authorized going out to bid for the purchase of a Chevy Bolt, an all-electric vehicle that has received excellent reviews for its range of over 230 miles and durability.

Bedford Village Parking As I mentioned in this space last week, the Town has been in discussions with the Bedford Presbyterian Church regarding acquiring the Church’s vacant land off of Court Road for the purposes of constructing a municipal parking lot.   Last year environmental evaluation of the site showed no issues. We held a public meeting earlier this year at which comments we received showed positive support. We then commissioned an appraisal of the property which was just concluded this week and shows a fair market value of $150,000.   Following discussions with representatives of the Church, I postponed Town Board consideration of approving an offer, so as to allow time for the Church to obtain its own appraisal – a step which is customary and the right action.

FOR THE SUPERVISOR’S MARCH MONTHLY REPORT click here

Bedford 2020 and Energize Bedford’s limited time campaign in partnership with the Town of Bedford drove an increase in energy efficient homes in Bedford. From September 1, 2017- January 15, 2018, we collected more than 70 leads, helped set up 27 assessments and 11 jobs were completed in the 5 month time frame. Although the limited time discount is over, leads are still coming through and homeowners who entered the program during the campaign are working toward completing their projects.

EXTENDED HOURS FOR BEAVER DAM COMPOST FACILITY
The Town of Bedford Beaver Dam Compost Facility is normally open for residents in non-commercial vehicles to dispose of recyclable wood waste (logs and branches up to 6″ diameter, brush, and leaves) Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 3:00, excluding town holidays. Due to the recent storms, the Town will open the compost facility from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday April 14, April 21, April 28, and June 2. In addition, the compost facility will be open on Saturday May 5 from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM as part of the Town’s clean up days.

STOP THE BLEED
Paramedics are trained and prepared to operate with law enforcement in active shooter situations. This additional stop the bleed program is intended to provide a level of basic quick action from the public before help arrives. We have certified trainers in this program and want to start offering it up to various public institutions such as schools. Click here for the booklet.

FOR THE SUPERVISOR’S MOST RECENT SHOW
on the Zoning Code Amendment, Reducing Plastic Waste, and Recent Storm Response
click here

NO PROPOSALS SUBMITTED FOR SOLAR INSTALLATIONS FOR MUNICIPAL FACILITIES You may recall that last July the Town issued a Request for Proposals for solar panels and other systems for Town facilities. We received no proposals, which we learned was due to the fact that New York State had not settled with the electric industry on incentives and utility obligations regarding solar power provided back to the grid. So, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, the Town went ahead to re-issue an RFP. In late 2017, New York State published guidelines that define the future value of distributed energy resources (a/k/a, the VDER value stack). As of early 2018, solar developers can now use this value stack to estimate future project income from the local utilities, based on specific project locations. We understand that New York’s resolving these future values of solar electricity means that solar developers will be more attracted to investing in potential solar projects such as those in our RFP

The NYS Public Service Commission issued an “implementation order” in September on the “value of distributed energy resources,” following which was substantial work in sorting out valuations with electric utility distributors in the State, such as NYSEG and Con Edison. We understand that there now is a “level playing field” and basis on which solar developers would take an interest in our RFP.

However, the VDER provides greater incentives to solar developers in Con Edison service area where rates are higher.   Our Town facilities, however, are located in NYSEG service area.   One of the solar developers with whom we had worked closely took the time to explain why it was financially not possible to submit a proposal – due to the difference in VDER between the two service areas. Please click here for the letter.  I have recently met with a commercial property owner in Bedford Hills and a solar developer about the possibility of rooftop solar panels for “community solar”. Stay tuned.

NOW THAT THE SPRING HAS ARRIVED – PLEASE CONSIDER ATTENDING TO YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM: septic pump out – if you haven’t done it within the last five years, the law requires you do so.  And, if you have a problem with your system, please check out the Town’s Septic System Repair and Replacement program to deal with failing septic systems. The program allows Bedford property owners in the Croton Watershed (about 85% of the Town’s land area) for a 50% reimbursement of repair/replacement costs.  If you have a failing septic system, contact the Planning Department at 666-4434 for further information or visit our website.

MOUNT KISCO WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT
Mount Kisco is preparing to replace the 90-year old water main on New York State Route 117 from Preston Way in Mount Kisco to Green Lane in Bedford Hills and continuing to the end of Green Lane.
The construction work is planned for the fall of 2018 and will take place during the night (hours have not yet been determined). The project’s engineering will consider everything that is feasible in the design to minimize disturbance to the public and the property owners.   Currently, the project is in the preliminary design phase, which includes survey and soil boring work along the road right-of-way.   Soil boring work will take place in April during the working day between 9 am and 3 pm and is not expected to result in any lane closures.
We met today with Mount Kisco’s engineers to emphasize the need for full coordination among Mount Kisco, Con Edison (with regard to restoration work on the southbound lane of Route 117 – SEE POST IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS ONE), NYS Department of Transportation, Westchester County Health Department and Bedford in both the design and the execution of the project.   We made it clear that the Mount Kisco project must avoid the significant disruptions which the Con Edison gas line project caused last fall.   It is also critical that restoration be complete.

We will keep you informed on the status both of the Mount Kisco project and Con Edison’s gas line project.

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UPDATED SHREDDER SCHEDULE INCLUDING NEW DATE OF MONDAY OCTOBER 22
The Town is pleased to provide once again this year mobile paper shredder events:

A Mobile Shredding Truck will securely destroy documents. The company’s customer service professionals never physically touch your documents so the entire process is “touch-free”. The company can shred paper, paper clips, rubber bands, staples and even the black clips. They cannot shred 3-ring binders, or anything that is non paper (CDs, tapes, DVDs, hard drives, etc.)

INTERNSHIP IN MEDIA RELATIONS, PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND COMMUNICATION PLANNING
In consultation with the Bedford Veterans Advisory Committee, develop and implement a professional-grade communications plan that identifies local veteran-related events, programs, issues, and concerns and effectively promotes this material via appropriate print, broadcast, and electronic media.
The successful candidate should have a skill-set sufficient to demonstrate an ability to write effective press releases along with appropriate research, planning and organizational skills to develop and implement a plan that ensures general public awareness.
The plan should encompass an audience that includes: *     Print media* Broadcast media* Social media networks (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)* Local elected officials *Social service agencies * Veterans service organizations
Junior or senior level undergraduate, or graduate level. Hours to be determined, along with attendance at monthly Veterans Advisory Committee meetings. Unpaid. Supervision: Chair, Bedford Veterans Advisory Committee. Contact: Mark Sindeband, 914-260-4188,aegisresources@optonline.net

FOR THE 2017 ANNUAL REPORT click here

There’s been some discussion on Katonah Parents Facebook and questions I regularly receive regarding the Westchester Power (also known as Community Choice Aggregation or CCA).   By way of background, the Town Board unanimously adopted Bedford’s participation in this program sponsored by Sustainable Westchester and placed us among those Westchester municipalities choosing the “Green Option”.   At the time, we insisted that the rates must be less than the previous twelve month cost for each utility, provide fixed prices (rather than a “bait and switch” of a great rate at the outset only to pop up later) and an opt out provision at any time without charge or penalty, a common complaint at the time against many energy service companies (ESCOs). Westchester Power residential and small business electric customers in Bedford have a rate of 8.00 cents per kilowatt hour in Con Edison’s service area and 7.42 cents per kilowatt hour in NYSEG’s service area.   These are fixed rates, rather than rates which vary month by month (which is the way NYSEG and Con Edison bills).   I’ve received e-mails and calls from NYSEG and Con Edison customers who saw a spike in rates this winter. Just yesterday I received a call from a resident in Con Edison service area who is signed up with an ESCO at over 11 cents per kilowatt hour and was dismayed at her large utility bills.

So how’s Westchester Power been doing here in Bedford? I turned to Dan Welsh, Director of Westchester Power, for an analysis and he provided the following:

“Here is my estimate of the savings for Bedford residents and small businesses through the end of January. We are including the avoided sales tax now when we talk about this as you know, and that’s a significant piece. February saw a low price for Con Ed which would bring this down, but now March is looking that it’s bounced back and so I would look to the end of March for the next update.”

Should you have questions, please contact Dan at dan@westchesterpower.org or 914-242-4725

If someone is threatening you or you are targeted for a scam, please contact my office immediately. We are here to help: 1-800-771-7755.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDINGTAX SCAMS
The IRS, the AARP, NYS Attorney General and many others are issuing warnings about scams particularly directed at the elderly.   Please don’t fall prey.  See https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts

Each utility is providing on a limited basis reimbursement for food and prescription medicine spoilage.

Con Edison’s March 15, 2018 notice is as follows:

Customers Impacted by Nor’easters Riley and Quinn

We regret that we were unable to provide reliable restoration times for many customers during these storms. Con Edison may reimburse customers for food and prescription medicine spoilage if they lost power for at least three consecutive days or more during the two nor’easters that slammed the region recently.

Customers may receive reimbursement for up to $225, or up to $515 with receipts.
Business owners are eligible for food spoilage reimbursements up to $10,200 with receipts.
Link to the claim forms: https://www.coned.com/en/services-and-outages/claim-form

NYSEG did not issue a specific notice regarding claims for storm outage food or prescription medicine spoilage, but there appears to be an avenue for reimbursement for food spoilage. Click on http://www.nyseg.com/youraccount/claimform.html?stop_mobi=yes

The Town is pleased to provide once again this year mobile paper shredder events at the Town Recycling Center at 343 Railroad Avenue, Bedford Hills from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM on March 17, September 15, and November 17; and at 1 Crusher Road, Bedford Village (Crusher Road highway yard), Bedford Village from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on May 5. A Mobile Shredding Truck will securely destroy documents. The company’s customer service professionals never physically touch your documents so the entire process is “touch-free”. The company can shred paper, paper clips, rubber bands, staples and even the black clips. They cannot shred 3-ring binders, or anything that is non paper (CDs, tapes, DVDs, hard drives, etc.).

Westmoreland Sanctuary has recently received a $20,000 Grant from Con Edison allowing local school children to use STEM education based principles toward environmental studies.  Click here for the press release

Click here for the flyer

KATONAH FIRE DEPARTMENT UNDER-18 RECRUITMENT PROGRAM

Are you interested in a terrific community service opportunity? Would you like to receive state-of-the art lifesaving and firefighting training?

Katonah Fire Department eagerly welcomes applications from 16-year-olds for its Under 18 Program. Interested candidates can fulfill their John Jay High School Community Service obligation, as well as service hours required for other organizations, such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Membership in the department as a firefighter is a great way to have your college application stand out as well!

Any person who is between the ages of 16 and 18, who is physically fit, morally and mentally sound, and who, having met with the membership committee and satisfactorily passed the committee’s investigation (as established in the Katonah Fire Department, Inc. Constitution and By-Laws), may be selected for membership status.

The goal of this program is to carefully instill, enforce, and monitor the practices that lead to well trained, respectful, hardworking members once they reach their 18th birthdays and/or the conclusion of their first year of membership.

In addition, it creates a culture in which these members both realize their age- and experience-related limitations, but also feel as though they are learning and being prepared for taking on the duties of full-fledged, non-probationary members of the Katonah Fire Department.

An oversight committee and a training coordinator act as a resource to these members – in all aspects of KFD membership: firefighting, training, rules and regulations, etc. – and set example for the types of behaviors expected from our entire membership.

Applicants who join receive all training and equipment at no expense to them. They also become eligible for various scholarship opportunities. If you’re interested in finding out more, please sent an e-mail to chief2211@katonahfd.org

is now available in Spanish. We have added a plug-in allowing for the website’s automatic translation to Spanish.  Please note that this does not apply to linked PDF documents. http://www.bedfordny.gov/

Summer months are away months and many of our residents are unable to attend two meetings in July and two in August. The Town Board approved the following changes to these summer month meetings. We have cancelled the July 3 meeting and retained the July 17 meeting which was previously scheduled. We cancelled the August 7 and August 21 meetings and have replaced them with a single meeting to be held on August 14.

I wish to augment the below information (e-news 8/25) with the following request for motorists:

Sharing the road with bicyclists. When parked on the street, check for bicyclists approaching from behind you before opening your car door. Always exercise due care to avoid colliding with any person walking or bicycling. Always be vigilant when pedestrians are present, especially those with visual or physical impairments. Bicyclists are fully entitled to use the road and have the right to “take the lane” by positioning themselves at or near the center of the lane when needed to avoid hazards or if the lane is too narrow  to safely travel side by side with motorists.

Pass bicycles only when necessary and safe: pass to the left of the bicycle at a safe distance until safely clear. When in doubt, wait until you can pass at a safe speed. Before making a right turn, let bicyclists clear the intersection. When turning left or entering a roadway, yield to oncoming bicyclists as you would to any vehicle.

Some of you may have heard of the tragic death earlier this month of a cyclist in Stony Point.  Another was killed yesterday.  We also are concerned about the safety of walkers and pedestrians.  While we implore drivers to observe speed limits and other rules of the road, we also wish to share with you rules and tips for cyclists and pedestrians some of which a Bedford resident compiled and sent to me.

New York State law mandates the following related to cyclists:

For information on parking at the Town of Bedford Offices During Police Department Construction click here