The new year is already two months old and Village of Roslyn officials are optimistic that 2017 will be a year of interior improvements, all of which can be completed without a tax increase.
That’s the message that Mayor John Durkin gave in a recent letter to village residents. Durkin touted the completion of a sewer relining project.
“This project relined the miles of sewer pipes beneath the village,” Durkin said. “The system is old and was in need of extensive repair. Water infiltration into the system was costing us money and we have already seen a savings as a result of the relining.”
With that completed, the village will turn to road repairs and replacement.
“This project went out to bid last winter and work commenced in the spring,” the mayor added. “The project’s scope is to repave every street in the village. We have so far completed Marchant Park, The Pines and Edwards Street. Wherever possible, we were able to line the streets with Belgian block to give the road a crisp, finished look. In the spring, when the weather breaks, we will continue with the second phase of the road project.”
Concerning the perennial parking issue, Durkin reported that a new parking lot has been completed at Skillman Street, an area that also has a green space with two dog runs. A traffic engineer study, one that is listed on the village’s website, has also been completed. Durkin added that village officials are sensitive to resident complaints that its parking meter policy is not user-friendly.
“We have adjusted the meters to allow a 10-minute grace period when you park,” he said. “We have also made a decision to allow for time after the meter has expired.”
Environmental and developmental issues will also loom large this year.
“We have also worked to create more green space and parking space in the village,” Durkin said. “At the intersection of East Broadway and Old Northern Boulevard, we have completed the restoration of the old Mobil lot. The site has been cleaned, the walls restored and the surface repaved. Our traffic engineer is doing a study to maximize parking and traffic flow at the site. Next to the lot is a beautiful garden.
“Downtown, there are two major private developments that are well underway: The Lumber Yard and Roslyn Landing,” Durkin added. “The Lumber Yard project is a brick building with mixed use. The property contains 20 rental apartments and a dozen retail spaces on the ground floor. Roslyn Landing is 78 townhouse units on 11 acres on the east side of the creek. Both these projects have dedicated waterfront access to the public which will encourage pedestrian use of our beautiful harbor side.” Both also compliment the Master Plan that village officials drafted nearly two decades ago following a controversy over a proposed Stop & Shop development.
Durkin reiterated that the improvements, those both completed and still planned, can be done without a tax increase for the coming year.
“Once again we do not anticipate an increase in village taxes in 2017,” he said. “As a result of impact and permit fees, state grants, infrastructure repairs, increased use of municipal parking, in-house repairs and restoration work, we are able to hold the line on taxes for the fourth straight year.”
