Politics & Government

Larchmont Board Responds to Community Outrage Over Palmer Avenue Streetscape

The Larchmont Board of Trustees deflected a barrage of criticisms about the Palmer Avenue Streetscape project at last night's meeting.

Though the Palmer Avenue Streetscape has finally begun after a number of delays, the ire of Larchmont residents concerned about the fate of a local park where the project’s construction equipment has taken up residence seems only to have gained momentum in recent months.

Larchmont resident Elizabeth Cavanagh admonished the mayor for what she said was a lack of response to emails from concerned residents about issues concerning Pine Brook Park.

“Mayor, I must ask, with all due respect, what your choice was for not responding to any of our emails prior to this meeting because many of us have hired babysitters or inconvenienced ourselves to be here this evening,” she said, underscoring the frustrations of many in the audience.

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“We’re here now,” said Mayor Anne McAndrews, adding that the village chose to cover the issue at a public forum so that the community at large could hear the dialogue.

“That’s really not acceptable.  As a constituent, I’m disappointed,” said Cavanagh.

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During the heated exchange, Trustee Marlene Kolbert defended the board’s response to the community.

“The mayor is a volunteer job in this village and cannot respond to 400 emails every week,” she said, adding, “The village board makes every effort to meet with the community.”

According to Anthony Catalano—a senior vice president with Woodard and Curran who is overseeing the contractor’s work on behalf of the village—procedural delays that originally held up the project for several months have been resolved. Sidewalk removal will begin this week, he said.

“It’s a large project from the standpoint of looking at the specifications and what actually is required out in the field, but we’ve been focusing on the more critical items so they can get started out there,” he said.

Though completion of the project is scheduled for Sept. 24, unforeseen delays may push it out later than anticipated, as happened last winter due to weather.

“We always have to give ourselves some wiggle room to be reasonable to finish the job because we want to finish the job this year,” said McAndrews.

Others questioned the enforceability of a verbal agreement between the village and the contractor to restore the portion of the park where their equipment was parked to a better condition than it was left in.

“We’re the people with the money. He doesn’t get paid until he satisfies us,” said McAndrews, adding that the verbal agreement was witnessed by herself, Trustee Peter Fanelli and several others working on the project.  She said that a rendering of the agreement was being worked on by the village engineer.

Still others are furious about the removal of a swing set, the installation of an additional fence and the near-reduction of space allocated for a back entrance to the park, blogging their concerns on a website called Save Pine Brook Park. 

Trustee Lorraine Walsh explained that the fence was installed—and the swing set removed— to allow trucks to turn around in the park without endangering children.

“We didn’t want to have children swinging on the swings within a few feet of where the trucks would be driving,” she said.

In response to the criticism, board members repeatedly said that, despite the delays and inconveniences, construction was "temporary" and would ultimately leave the park in a better condition than before at no additional cost to the village.

“It sucks, this is a bummer,” said Fanelli candidly, adding, “But let’s talk about reality.  It’s happening, this is going to be wonderful, your property values are going to go up because you’re going to have a beautiful park.”

But some were still unconvinced of the project's merits.

“I do find it, with all due respect, quite unacceptable to say this was a good choice when it’s in utter disregard of the wishes of the community who were neither consulted nor informed,” said resident Michael Fineberg.

Resident Monica Hoffman of local business Hoffman Investors, Corp., collected about 200 signatures on a petition to protest the removal of unhealthy trees near her business on 1890 Palmer Ave.

"One of the trees marked was planted by my grandfather," she said, adding that she had talked to experts that said the tree in question did not need to be removed. 

The unhealthy trees will be replaced with new trees, said McAndrews.

Robin Gager, an employee of REcologie on 1934 Palmer Ave., summarized the viewpoint of local business owners.

"I don't know a single shop owner—and we all talk to each other—that thinks that the reconstruction is anything but an incredible hassle and a terrific, horrendous waste of money," she said.

 


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