Bedford Town Board gives approvals, sets hearings

By JEFF MORRIS 

The Town Board approved a number of items at its Oct. 6 meeting, including climate control upgrades at a train station and communications consultant contract for a drug abuse prevention group.

A Westchester County Downtown Improvement grant is slated to fund a new HVAC system for the Bedford Hills train station. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS PHOTO

Train station HVAC

The Bedford Hills train station will be getting a new HVAC system after the board approved a contract for replacing the air conditioning units and boiler. The existing equipment was said to have exceeded its useful life, and replacement is being funded through a Westchester County Downtown Improvement Grant. The lowest bid was from AM Restoration for $69,829. It will install two air-source heat pumps plus a gas-fired boiler, which Supervisor Ellen Calves said fits better in the space and will provide for more efficient cooling with some supplemental heat. She characterized the boiler as “more of a replacement in kind, but with a little bit of an enhancement.” The work must be completed by year’s end, and the contract is subject to insurance and attorney review.

Adams Street mural

Calves said an artist for the mural planned for 1 Adams Street, Bedford Hills, has not yet been announced, but the committee is “very close” and talking with a few before nailing down final details. She asked the board to approve the template of a contract so the committee can finalize a decision on the artist and have them get started before the weather turns too cold. The board did so.

According to Calves, they have instructed the artist to produce a piece of art that has a sense of place about Bedford Hills, “that kind of tells a story about the people, the vibrancy of Bedford Hills, a little bit about the history.” They want it to be something that “isn’t static, that you don’t get tired of looking at; there might be details that you find something new or feel something different every time you go by.” It also has to look good with cars parked in front of it, “because that wall pretty much always has cars parked in front of it.”

The contract calls for the artist to paint or adhere the work to the one-story brick wall, “while avoiding and preserving any non-paintable objects or features…including but not limited to the ‘Bedford Grab & Go Sign.”’

The artwork is expected to last, in good condition, for at least three years, and the artist is to be paid a fee of $5,000, and reimbursed up to $2,500 for supplies and materials. The contract says the target date for installation of the project is Oct. 31, but “If the installation cannot be completed by such date, the Artist shall ensure that the Project is fully installed no later than December 31, 2026.”

THRIVE alliance publicity

The board approved a six-month vendor agreement to retain a consultant, Farva B. Scott, to provide communications, marketing, outreach, project, clerical and administrative support services for THRIVE, the Bedford-Lewisboro-Pound Ridge drug prevention alliance for which Bedford serves as fiscal agent. 

Calves said THRIVE had hired a new coordinator, but she had to take a short leave of absence; this consultant is coming in to help while she is out. 

“This is tied to the drug-free communities grant that we get through the CDC,” Calves said. Because there is a lot of reporting and obligations of the grant to grow the coalition and spend down the funds that have been provided, “it is really important that we keep someone in the role to keep helping the volunteers do all the work of substance abuse prevention and mental health wellness for youth in our community.”

That being said, added Calves, “we do need more volunteers to help with this initiative.” 

Property tax exemptions 

The board set public hearings for 6 p.m., Oct. 22, for four proposed enhanced property tax exemptions applying to veterans and first responders. These are now available under state law and were recently adopted by the county.

There are two that are related to veterans, which are supported by the town’s Veterans Advisory Committee. One allows a 25% exemption for active military service members serving in a combat zone; the town code currently provides a similar 10% exemption to combat veterans. The other allows a 100% exemption for veterans who meet certain criteria of disability.

One of the other exemptions applies to a surviving spouse of a fire/ambulance service volunteer with two to five years of service killed in the line of duty. It reduces the five-year minimum requirement to two years for eligibility, and increases the benefit to an exemption of 50% of assessed value. The remaining exemption is a new category; it allows up to a 50% exemption for surviving spouses of police officers killed in the line of duty. Each exemption will be a separate local law, and there will be a presentation regarding all four at the next Town Board meeting.