Village Board awards $1.2M for streetscape’s next phase

By MARTIN WILBUR

The third phase of Mount Kisco’s streetscape project that will concentrate on South Moger Avenue should be completed in 2026 after the Village Board recently accepted the lowest bidder for the work.

Peter J. Landi Inc. of Hawthorne, one of four companies that submitted bids, was unanimously awarded the contract of $1,243,625 at the board’s Oct. 6 meeting. Officials said the work would begin after Jan. 1 to minimize hardships for businesses and shoppers during the holiday season. The project includes the installation of granite curbing, reflective crosswalks, improving catch basins and lighting, tree work and erosion control.

Work is expected to last into the spring, perhaps up to five months, depending on the weather through the winter, Village Manager Edward Brancati said.

“It’s definitely going to take a few months,” Brancati said. “This is a smaller area, and this won’t be as long as Phase 2, which was Main Street from Green Street all the way around to Kirby Plaza. This is a smaller area. There’s less work being done this time around and weather is going to depend on this a little bit, too.”

Mayor J. Michael Cindrich said the Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce along with individual merchants and property owners had contacted him concerned about the original fall start for Phase 3 and the likelihood of disruptions. Cindrich said he spoke to the contractor, who agreed that the staging and work wouldn’t start until after Jan. 1.

“There’s no way around it, there’s going to be disruptions,” he said. “There’s going to be disruptions and we’re going to have to be cautious in the spring with the volume of traffic.”

What also has Cindrich worried is the potential for loss of parking on or near South Moger Avenue. On a recent Tuesday, he observed that the North Moger Avenue lot was completely full, something that hasn’t often occurred since the pandemic.

Typically, there have been spaces remaining at the north end of the North Moger lot, although that is a longer walk. Brancati said the village will continue to work to minimize impacts. 

He reminded officials that as the project progresses, businesses and property owners will not be impacted each day for the entirety of the project. As the work moves along South Moger Avenue, crews are likely to be in front of a location for several days or a week before continuing.

“We have worked to negate that and address issues as they come up,” Brancati said. “So it’s the least amount of disturbance possible while still getting the work done in a reasonable time frame.”

Money for Phase 3 has been set aside through previous borrowing of $5 million, according to Brancati. Originally, $2.7 million was borrowed by the village in 2021, then it took the remaining $2.3 million a year later. Phase 1, completed in 2022, covering parts of Green Street and the Blackeby and Shoppers Park lots, cost nearly $2.3 million.

“This funding has been sitting on the sidelines for years and the design has been sitting on the sidelines since 2018,” Cindrich said.

Trustee Karen Schleimer urged her board colleagues that communication with the public will be crucial and called on the village to use its Nixle alert system, if needed, with the potential for interruptions for drivers and pedestrians. 

“We’ve got people in wheelchairs that use our streets and they’re going to have to figure out another route, so the more information we get out to the public, the better it will be for our residents,” Schleimer said.

Brancati said there will be no obstructions to and from the train station while the work is being done.