Over the last few years, our team has Moved Forward with projects and initiatives while maintaining a 0% increase in Town property taxes for fiscal year 2021. We have built and continue to hold one of the healthiest reserve funds in the County and have preserved our “AA” bond rating, allowing us to borrow at a lower interest rate than our peer communities. Below are just some of our accomplishments.

We kindly ask for your support on Tuesday, November 2nd.

PUBLIC SAFETY

• Adding School Resource Officers to our schools.
• Added 5 police officers.
• Held community-wide input sessions to improve policing practices.
• Replaced aging fleet of vehicles.
• Implemented a dependable Advanced Life Support response system in town with WEMS.
• Plans to include emergency medical training for our dispatchers.
  Working with the County to improve radio communications.

NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

• Enlisted a community-wide committee and held numerous public input events to create a new Master Plan, replacing the one from 1970.
• Master Plan encourages appealing architectural uniformity and a walkable community without sacrificing existing character.
• Plans in place to redesign downtown Hawthorne, followed by Thornwood and Valhalla business districts with assistance from the Mount Pleasant Industrial Development Agency (IDA).
• Worked with State legislative representatives to obtain over $1 million in grants.

ROADS

• Replaced a record-breaking 80 lane miles of roadway within the Town over the last 3 years.
• Added over 3,500 feet of new sidewalks to help make downtown areas more walkable, which will be 1 mile (5,000+ feet) by Fall 2021.
• Added over 3 miles of a more durable concrete curbing and widened roadways.
  Added thousands of feet of drainage to our roads to help sustain road surfaces over time.
• Implemented a drainage district to allocate funding for drainage projects over time.
  Replaced an aging Highway Dept. roof, facade, and offices.
• Added state-of-the-art vehicles and machine upgrades to increase efficiency and safety.

SUSTAINABILITY

• Obtained a fleet of electric cars through grant funding.
• Installed electric vehicle charging stations for public use.
• Installing solar panels on Highway Dept. roof, at Town Hall, and Community Center.
• Implementing Community Solar Opt In Program, offering residents the choice to opt in for energy savings.
• Adopted a Town-wide paperless office system.
• Installed ‘smart’ water meters that assist with monitoring consumption and reducing water waste.
• Installed LED lighting on all street lamps saving $200K per year.

PROGRAMS AND PARKS

• Installed brand new, state-of-the-art playground equipment at Bradhurst and Broadway.
• Brought back the highly-acclaimed Concerts in the Park at Carroll Park.
• Dredging and stabilizing the Carroll Park pond and Bear Ridge Lake to improve drainage and prevent flooding.
• Instituted an Enhanced Forestry Program with an on-staff arborist to better identify sick and dying trees that require safe removal.
• 75 meals per day to seniors through our Meals on Wheels program, which was expanded to serve more residents during the COVID lockdown.
• Added a COVID-safe Drive-In Movie Night program, along with other COVID-safe programming.
• Upgraded Community Center facade and pool complex.

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

• Created a much needed secondary water main for the Kensico Water District.
• Replaced aging asbestos-lined pipes in the Usonia and Old Farm Water Districts.
• Implementing a gravity system to replace a costly pump system on Deerfield Lane.
• Completed an important storm sewer replacement and bypass system for Whittier Drive area and Carroll Park, which reduces street/yard flooding and erosion of the pond.
• Entered into an Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) with the Village of Pleasantville Water District to provide water main maintenance and repair to 400 Pleasantville households receiving Town water at a much lower cost.
• Planning modifications to the Pocantico Dam.
• Planning to rehabilitate the sanitary sewer system in Valhalla.