By ELLEN CALVES
Happy New Year! While the year is new, the groundwork for a great 2025 in the town of Bedford is well underway. As your town supervisor, I have been hard at work alongside my town board colleagues and our department heads to prepare a variety of strategic initiatives to meet our 2025 goals for vibrancy, fiscal responsibility, environmental protection, and safety while providing foundations for a resilient future. It is my pleasure and privilege to share with you what we have in our sights for the year ahead.
The 2025 tax-cap compliant budget has been developed to fund a high level of services, and recent grant allocations will ensure that our police, recreation and parks, open spaces, public works, affordable housing agency, and business promoter have the resources necessary to continue to provide a great quality of life for our residents. Funding directed to the three independent local libraries also supports vibrancy as these organizations provide community life, education, and resources for all. The town board will continue to support townwide events such as the Trifesta and Veterans Day celebration and to co-sponsor a wide variety of community events held by local not-for-profit organizations including the Friends of John Jay Farm Market in Lot 2 in Katonah this summer while the Homestead is under renovation.
The 10-year Capital Plan will be updated in January and articulates major infrastructure projects that will begin to move forward in 2025. These include improvements to the Bedford Hills Memorial Park pool, Katonah playground, upgraded water supply, enhanced road paving, improved sidewalks, flood control measures and continued electrification of the town vehicle fleet and landscaping equipment. The town board also aims to undertake improvements to Todd’s Pond in Katonah and investigate additional parking solutions in the hamlets.
The final phase of long-term land use planning will continue with a presentation of the Preliminary Comprehensive Plan to the town board and public hearings in February. This document, which has taken several years to draft based on input from thousands of residents and stakeholders, provides a blueprint for growth and preservation of our town. Once the town board adopts the final plan, we look forward to launching priority projects and policies to achieve community goals including those that enhance opportunities for walking, recreation, vibrant commercial areas, safety, environmental protection and resiliency. The Comprehensive Plan may also provide direction for policies related to battery energy storage systems, solar installations, dirt roads, public art, short-term rentals, affordable housing, trees, or other development challenges.
In addition to the above plans, we continue to drive forward initiatives already underway by municipal departments and committees to provide the highest levels of service and a great quality of life to residents including launch of a new “property portal,” powered by City Squared, to streamline permitting and property search processes in our building and planning departments; upgrade of the websites for the police department and recreation and parks department; launch the new landlord registry and building performance program, which requires enhanced inspections and energy use reporting for multifamily rental units; formation of a task force to seek public input and recommend programming for our diverse 55-plus population; recruitment of the best and the brightest to support resident programming and services as current employees retire and where there is a need to build capacity; launch of the Tri-Town THRIVE Drug Free Communities Coalition to address youth substance abuse.
Also, rollout of the county-funded downtown improvement project in Bedford Hills including a facade improvement program, a station green project, and new signage; completion of major infrastructure projects including the Phase II Sewer Project in Katonah and Bedford Hills, a new water supply for Bedford Village water districts, an improved intersection at Harris and Babbitt, a robust police communications network, and wireless service; furthering of an agreement to allow for a new tenant in the Bedford Hills train station in 2025, which is an important anchor tenant to attract and retain businesses and residents in the area; continued engagement of the Bedford Business Promoter to support cross-hamlet marketing and publicity efforts and strategic support for self-sustaining business associations; utilization of information from a recently completed energy audit to improve the building performance and transition to climate smart technology in the Town House; installation of six fast EV chargers in Katonah; and continued commitment to transparency and good communication.
We are so fortunate to have creative, passionate and dedicated community members who help tackle problems, support those in need, and lift up our town. Through community-driven ideas, in 2025 we will see temporary public art, the exploration of a new town flag, and enhanced education regarding historic preservation, invasive species, trees, and land preservation.
The ability to collaborate directly with community members and ensure all voices are heard is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role and has been an extraordinary pipeline to innovative community ideas.
As we move into 2025, I am excited to embrace a theme of “service,” which will include a celebration and showcase of remarkable contributions of our committees, boards, volunteers, business owners and residents who help make our town a wonderful place to live and to honor those who give of themselves in service to others including our first responders and veterans.
While the above provides a snapshot of goals and plans for 2025, I know that each day brings new ideas and challenges. Whether these require helping one person at a time, or providing feedback that requires broader action to help many, the daily interactions with you are the best part of my job.
I am grateful for my colleagues on the town board, outstanding department heads and staff, and a community willing to work together towards common goals. With humility and gratitude, I look forward to serving you all in 2025 and inviting your feedback, ideas and partnership. My door is always open.
Ellen Calves is Bedford Town Supervisor.