LED Streetlights, the Tax Cap and more from the Scarsdale Village Board

Should the Village convert Scarsdale's 2,000 streetlights to LED (light emitting diode) lights? An ad hoc committee that was appointed to study the issue in April 2015 has released their findings and recommendations and reviewed them with the Municipal Services Committee of the Board of Trustees on January 26.

The committee ran a three-month pilot project in September and October 2015 when they installed 25 LED streetlight of varying colors and brightness on Heathcote, Fox Meadow and Madison Roads. The LED light posts had yellow signs asking residents to email LED@scarsdale.com to provide feedback on the lights.

The committee reports that they received only 11 emails from residents. One concerned the lack of light near a home, and the remaining 10 were split in their view of the lights. According to the report, "About half preferred the new LEDs and the other half found the sample lights too bright and/or harsh in color. Most of the responses, regardless of their view on the brightness and color, were in favor of the LED project as a direction for the Village."

The committee also reviewed their findings about the quality of the light, the color of the light, the distribution of light and glare, all of which have been issues in other communities that installed LED street lights.

They said that the color is typically white or bluish while the committee preferred softer color light. Softer or warmer light is also preferred because it doesn't disturb sleep cycles.

Light distribution also varies – and sometimes the LED's can light up resident's lawns, behind the pole. This can be controlled with shields. Bright spots or striping can also result.

Glare can also bother drivers and is exacerbated on hilly streets where the light is viewed from high or low angles. The committee believes that properly designed LED lights will be developed that produce uniformly bright and pleasing light.

A full conversion to LED streetlights is estimated to cost $550,000 to $650,000 with savings of about $105,000 in electricity cost, resulting in an investment payback in six to seven years.

The committee recommended that the Village move forward with a second pilot study of LED fixtures on high traffic streets. They propose to install 25 LED lights on Post Road, Mamaroneck Road, Heathcote Road and Weaver Street. The pilot would allow the committee to finalize specifications for the fixtures, confirm assumptions about installation time and get additional community feedback. After the pilot they recommend that LED lights be installed on the Village's highest traffic streets by the end of 2016. They propose that a full installation of LED lights be staged over five years.

The cost for the pilot and 2016 installations would be $100,000. The Mayor said this expenditure would be discussed in the upcoming budget deliberations.

Committee members are: Victor J. Goldberg (Chair), David Raizen, Benedict Salanitro Ronald Schulhof and Michelle Sterling.

In other news from the Scarsdale Village Board:

Scarsdale Library

On February 9 at 6 pm, the Board will hold a discussion about the proposals to renovate and expand the Scarsdale Library. The Mayor has asked Village staff to analyze the tax impact of borrowing $12 million to fund the Village portion and this will be reviewed. The Mayor said that, "No decision has been made to move forward. And we won't decide until there is broad based community support and willingness to fund it." Private contributions of $7.5 million would be needed to fund the $19 million project. The Mayor encouraged residents to attend the meeting or email their views to the Village board.

Acting Village Justice:

Since Joaquin Alemany was appointed Interim Village Justice, replacing John Galloway who retired, the position of Acting Village Justice was vacant. The Judicial Qualifications Advisory Committee recommended three candidates, and from that list, Mayor Mark selected Cynthia K. Dunne of 14 Edgewood Road. Dunne has 28 years of experience at the Office of the U.S. Attorney.

Tax Cap:

The board scheduled a public hearing to authorize the BOT to adopt a budget that exceeds the tax cap, which this year is only .45%. The hearing will be held at their meeting on February 9, 2016.

Cayuga Pond Stormwater, Sediment Reduction and Water Quality Improvement Project

The Village was awarded a $1.4 million grant for a storm water remediation project at Cayuga Pond. The grant requires that the Village supply matching funds of 25% or $350,000. The Board authorized this expense for the removal of silt, flood mitigation and the improvement of water quality.

Irrigation System at Chase Park

The Board passed a resolution to accept a gift of $3,500 from the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks to install an irrigation system at Chase Park. These funds, along with a balance of $2,788 from a gift for deLima park will be used to install the system. .

Road Race

The annual 15 K/4 mile road race through Greenacres and Fox Meadow will be held on April 3, 2016 from 9 am to 12:30 pm. The race will be co-sponsored by the Scarsdale Antiques Running Club.

Public Comments

Benefits of Trees

Dan Hochvert sited several studies that confirm the health benefits of living in or near green areas. He said, "Researchers in England's University of Exeter Medical School examined mental health data from 10,000 subjects and found that people living near more green space reported less mental distress. Furthermore, in 2009 a Dutch team found lower incidences of 15 diseases including heart disease, anxiety, asthma, depression, diabetes and migraines in people who live within a half mile of green space."

He continued, "In 2015, an international team, using data from Toronto found that those who live on blocks with more trees experience a boost in heart and metabolic health equivalent to a $20,0000 gain in income. Lower stress levels have also been associated with living near more green space.

He thanked the village for preserving and protecting our green spaces.

Food Scrap Recycling

Michelle Sterling of Brayton Road responded to trustee's comments at a prior meeting about a proposed food scrap recycling pilot program. She said, "What's the benefit to residents? It gives them the opportunity to participate in a valuable program to help the environment in a way they can't otherwise." Discussing recycling she said, "When people participate, they feel great about it." She added, "We have a 50% recycling rate here. I believe residents care. Sometimes we need to broaden our view."