By JEFF MORRIS
Agenda items at the town board’s half-hour meeting on Tuesday included the town flag, distribution of remaining ARPA funds, and a film featuring first responders.
Town Supervisor Ellen Calves introduced Trevor Lombardo, a ninth-grade student at Rippowam Cisqua School, who she said had sent a letter about redesigning the town flag. She said they met, and she thought he made some very good points, so he was invited to present his proposal to the board.
In his letter, which he read at the meeting, he said he has lived in Katonah his entire life. “I’ve always had a passion for flags,” he said, “and when I researched my own town’s flag, I thought we may be able to do better.”
Lombardo said the North American Vexillological Association — a membership organization devoted to vexillology, the study of flags, of which he is a member — describes the town’s current flag design as a “seal on a bedsheet”; basically, “a design simply consisting of a town seal on a blank, usually blue background.”
He said this is a design which unfortunately many city, town and even state flags use to represent themselves.
“This is not generally viewed as a great, or even good design choice because while seals and flags are both graphic representations of a town, they serve very different purposes,” he said. “A seal is meant to be viewed up close and should be hard to replicate, while a flag should be recognizable from a long distance, and should be a symbol that the people can replicate. When a flag is flying in low wind or in reverse, you still should be able to recognize it, and that can’t happen with writing.”
Lombardo said he decided he wanted to do something about it, and did a lot of research. However, he said, he faced a big challenge in trying to represent “three very distinct villages with one symbol.” While he came up with some preliminary designs, he understood that “this is just the beginning of a process of working towards a big goal.”
“A new flag for our town could be a great symbol for people to use to represent their love for Bedford,” said Lombardo. “The new flag could increase local pride in our community and help in branding efforts for our town to display our unique character and our love for Bedford. A fresh, new design flying along the downtown streets of the three villages would be a great way of showing our community and connection, as well as a great way to show our identity as a town.”
Calves acknowledged that Lombardo had shown her some preliminary ideas that she thought were interesting, along with a book about what makes a good or bad flag. She recounted the history of the town seal, which she explained was designed in 1865 to be intricate so it could be pressed into wax, and while they have no intention of changing the seal, she was intrigued with the concept of having a design for a flag that “represents the whole town in a different way.”
“You’ve convinced me that maybe that is something we should investigate,” she said.
Board member Stephanie McCaine commended Lombardo for making a compelling case for updating the town flag, and said she appreciated “not only the practical reasons, but also the larger implications of helping to unite people and engage the community in something that is representative of who we are today.” She offered support and assistance in moving it forward.
Calves proposed that McCaine and Lombardo recruit help in identifying the qualities of the town based on the comprehensive plan and a recent branding exercise, and possible surveys. Board member Bobbi Bittker thanked Lombardo for coming to a town board meeting, noting how rare it is to get young people to attend. She emphasized the point he had made about the difficulty of uniting the three hamlets, and said she would love to see that happen on a flag.
The board adopted a resolution to form a small task force to consider designing a new town flag, with McCaine as its chair.
ARPA funds
Comptroller Brian Kenneally gave a brief update on the American Rescue Plan Act funds that were provided in 2021. A total of $1.8 million was awarded, and most of that was allocated in 2022.
Kenneally said they had held off on assigning some of the funds because they were hoping to use them to supplement the Bedford Village Sewer project. The town was informed early in 2024 that it had not been successful in obtaining grants for that project, and while the grant application had been revamped and resubmitted, no answer is expected until the first quarter of 2025, which will be too late for the deadline to commit ARPA funds by the end of 2024.
“One of the big ones is, we initially allocated $200,000 for paving back in 2022,” said Kenneally. “With these modifications we’re going to do another $535,000 for paving.”
The board has also authorized additional funding for libraries, he said. The other big part of the $1.8 million is affordable housing, said Kenneally, with a final authorization of $450,000 for the Bedford South project, at South Bedford Road and McLain Street. There will be $104,500 for 123 Valley Road, and $100,000 for the Doyle House.
Calves noted they are also extending the Bedford Promoter contract through 2026, subject to contract approval at the next meeting.
Volunteer recruitment video
The town board meeting marked the premiere showing of a new video, “I am a Volunteer! Bedford First Responders,” put together by the town to familiarize residents with the vital role that volunteers play in providing essential, life-saving support.
Calves pointed out that the town’s four dedicated first responder agencies — the Katonah Fire Department, Bedford Hills Fire Department, Bedford Fire Department and Katonah Bedford Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corp — are staffed entirely by volunteers, and serve as a vital cornerstone of the community.
Representing all four agencies, the video was developed through a series of interviews with volunteers who shared their personal motivations for serving, insights into their daily lives and the impactful roles they play in the community.
“While they may all come from different backgrounds and experiences, every single first responder in these four agencies is a volunteer, a fact that many residents may not realize,” said Calves. “This video is a way to express our gratitude, help raise awareness of their vital role, and encourage more volunteerism. This is the highest level of community service and Bedford is deeply grateful. Thank you to each and every volunteer,” added Calves.
Residents are invited to view the video at vimeo.com/1035997480.