TOWN OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST FOR PRESIDENT’S DAY |
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Black History is
Bedford History
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“Never in all the histories that have been written about Bedford was the Black experience ever mentioned.”
Lynn Ryan
Bedford Historical Society Executive Director
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I hope you enjoyed a nice week with mask restrictions lifted in many locations and plenty of entertainment with the winter Olympics, Super Bowl, and Valentine’s Day. Now we are heading into a long weekend for President’s Day. I had a chance to speak about my favorite subject, the Town of Bedford, at the County Executive’s weekly briefing on Monday. For a short month, February is fun! Click here if you would like to watch the briefing. |
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Black History Month continues! This week we encourage you to learn more about local Black history by visiting the Bedford Historical Society exhibit, which seeks to give voice to the largely unrecorded and historically overlooked stories of the Black inhabitants of Bedford.
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Folks are getting organized to celebrate Katonah’s 125 anniversary of the move from old Katonah to its present location. If you don’t know about Katonah’s history, mark your calendar for May 21st.
To get involved in planning this community celebration, email the organizers.
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I hope to see you around town, and I'm happy to hear from you with comments or concerns. |
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Be well,
Ellen
Town Supervisor Ellen Calves
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Got Wireless? Please take the survey
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Cell coverage crosses town lines, which inspired the creation of the Northern Westchester County Wireless Master Plan. A CityScape Consultant presented a draft of the plan to the Town Board on Tuesday that shows what infrastructure may be needed (long-term) to fill coverage gaps and meet capacity needs. This plan will create a cooperative wireless master plan for seven northern Westchester towns and villages to facilitate finding sites that may serve the needs of multiple towns and potentially reduce the number of tower proposals in the attempt to fill coverage gaps.
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This study, paid for by Westchester County, will be helpful to our town’s Wireless Facilities Working Group, when they reconvene (after a two year hiatus) to review our town’s emergency communications needs and consider how the town may achieve short-term wireless needs.
Wireless coverage and capacity for Bedford is an important issue for many residents. Now is the time to help weigh in on the solutions. Click here to take the survey. Survey closes 3/1/22. Thank you.
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Honoring Black History Month in Westchester Part Three
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Just as Black History has been an integral and inextricable part of Westchester History from its earliest days, so too does Black History feature prominently in the story of Bedford – even when it was invisible, erased, or consigned to discrete parts of the town.
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What is a Town Board Work Session? |
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When three or more Town Board Members walk into a room… no, this isn’t the opening of a great joke… and they are talking about town business, it is in violation of the NYS Open Meetings Law. That’s right, in order to collaborate, Town Board members, when a majority are present, are required to conduct town business at a noticed, public meeting. This slows down quick decision making, but presents good opportunities to be more thoughtful about policy decisions, improves transparency, and opens more windows for public feedback.
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Since Jan 1st, the Bedford Town Board has participated in work sessions on the 2021 Capital Plan, on the process and priorities for how to spend the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding, on the proposed changes to the leaf blower law, and on the implementation of the Climate Action Plan. I have also invited presentations to the board about things that may impact public policy including an affordable housing opportunity, the Bedford Village wastewater study, the regional wireless master plan. We conducted Town Board interviews in public as well. For the most part these were all done outside of regular business meeting time. I appreciate that our Town Board members are willing to put in the time and effort to have these public conversations and happy to see we are working thoughtfully and collaboratively in an open and transparent way on potential future policy and projects of the town.
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As a result of these sessions, we have some things approved, others are in motion, and some have yet to be fully hammered out. We decided this week to get proposals from specific stakeholders regarding potential projects for ARPA funding including from the 3 libraries and the Town Housing Committee. We determined that because there are major sewer and water infrastructure projects that may require funding in the near future, we are not going to commit most of the $1.8M to anything specific yet. We will have another session before we hold a public hearing to approve spending ARPA funding.
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On Tuesday, we also discussed specific changes to restrict leaf blower use that the four of us agreed upon in our prior session, and we considered a reorganization of the noise ordinance to make it easier to understand. We contemplated holding off on calling for a public hearing on a draft law until we witness the spring clean up season. If we want to, we can evaluate the quantity of debris on the ground and tweak the spring season dates. While it has been made clear to us that gale force wind pointed at a flower bed will harm bugs, soils, and the overall ecosystem, we have decided to narrow our focus to protect the general welfare of our residents with a focus on reducing noise and pollution. |
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Did you know that invasive vines like oriental bittersweet can cover a half-acre of forest in
7-10 years?
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These vines can strangle neighboring mature trees and can topple entire canopies of forest.
Join our next session of Bedford Vine Cutters on February 26th to help us remove invasive vines at Beaver Dam Sanctuary, or learn more tree tips from Bedford 2030's webinar Healthy Trees for a Healthy Planet.
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Bedford Police Department Update on 3/1 |
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At the next Town Board meeting the Chief of Police Melvin Padilla will present to the Town Board: BPD Facts and Figures from 2021 and give an update on activities. Transparency, regular communication, and presentation of annual data were encouraged by the members of the PD and volunteers who issued the Police Reform Collaborative Committee Report. We appreciate the Chief coming to share this information with the Town Board on 3/1 at 7pm prior to our regular meeting.
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Jack Frost Was Here - Dirt Roads |
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We have gone from spring to winter to spring and back again. While the warm weather is welcome by many of us, it is definitely not a positive factor on our 33 miles of dirt roads in town. Moisture trapped under the surface freezes, thaws, and refreezes and has resulted in frost heaves that often cause ruts and bumps on our dirt roads. Our Highway department is putting major resources towards restoration and is working tirelessly to bring these areas back to normal conditions. We thank you for your patience, and please drive carefully.
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Seasonal Employment Opportunities |
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The Bedford Recreation & Parks Department in now accepting applications for summer 2022 jobs! The department will be hiring for day camp, pool and seasonal park maintenance positions. If interested, please submit an “Application for Seasonal Employment.” Feel free to contact our office by phone at 914-666-7004 or by e-mail at recreation@bedfordny.gov with any questions.
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The town policy is to post every open position and have an interview or conversation with qualified interested parties as well as people who are interested in being reappointed for another term. The intent is not a commentary on existing members; it is to set up a system that encourages accessibility and inclusion. Permitting boards are interviewed by the Town Board, and committee members may be interviewed by one or more Town Board member. All appointments must be approved by a majority of the Town Board. We will endeavor to post all openings quarterly for the following three months, so below is a list of committees that either have vacancies or have members with expiring terms between April 1 and June 30. We will aim to conduct interviews for these prior to April 1st.
- Planning Board
- Town Housing Committee
- Conservation Board
- Senior Advisory Committee
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Bedford Seniors Celebrate Valentine’s Day! |
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Conservation Board Vine Cutters Remove Invasive Species from Beaver Dam Preserve! |
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Also, please join the Town of Bedford IDEA Committee and The Katonah Village Library on February 23 at 7:00 PM for a special screening of the film "John Lewis: Get in the Way," and join in for a discussion detailing the film and the historical context.
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Katonah Classic Stage "Art", a benefit reading
February 25 & 26, 7pm
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High School Writing Contest! |
Writing contest for High School students who attend school or reside in the Bedford Central School District. Submissions Due March 7 @ 5PM
First Place Winner Receives $100!
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Virtual Event: Bedford Hills Free Library; Katonah Village Library
African and African-American Folktales and Songs
February 22 @ 7:00 pm
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Katonah Village Library
Read to our Canine Friend, Callie!
February 23 @ 4:30 pm
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Katonah Museum Of Art
YOUNG ARTISTS 2022
February 6 - 27, 2022
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Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship Presents
The American Soldier
March 3 @ 6:00 pm
live performance and following Q&A at the Bedford Historic Hall
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Connectivity is important for addressing the digital divide, especially during the COVID pandemic. This organization connects low-income families, seniors, schools and nonprofits to high-quality affordable Wi-Fi. They have an online form for individuals and organizations to receive a free consultation. Click here for more info.
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Assistance Paying Electric Bills |
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The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps low-income individuals pay the cost of heating their homes. If you are eligible, you may receive one regular HEAP benefit per program year and could also be eligible for emergency HEAP benefits if you are in danger of running out of fuel or having your utility service shut off.
HEAP may be able to help you if you heat your home with:
- Electricity
- Natural Gas
- Oil
- Coal
- Propane
- Wood/Wood Pellets
- Kerosene
- Corn
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Westchester County Trailblazers Awards 2022
Mark your calendars and join Westchester County as they honor Black History Month!
This virtual celebration takes place on Thursday February 24th at 6PM. For more information, click here
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Past Supervisor newsletters:
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