Message from the Mayor: Uniontown Ballfield, Moon-gazing, Volunteer Last Call, Repaving, SHARE, more
Posted on: October 27, 2017 - 11:31pm
Fellow Residents,
A busy moment, much to catch up on:
Uniontown Park Upgrade
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The Board of Trustees awarded the contract for the work to proceed on the Uniontown Park. This includes an upgrade, long in coming, to the baseball field there to make it fully Little League compliant so that League games can be played there. We're also, finally, adding significant parking to that location so that the neighborhood no longer bears the congestion when games are played there. The work was awarded to the lowest bidder ($314,160), J.R. Group, a local firm, who will begin work in the next few weeks. As a member of the community, the contractor looks forward to delivering a quality job.
The old Chinese aphorism states that success has a hundred parents and failure is an orphan. Here, indeed, there are at least a hundred parents as Little League board members over the years contributed a tremendous amount of time coming up with the right plan for the site and advocating on its behalf. The Parks and Recs Commission also pushed this forward, as did a number of Village trustees over the years, and finally the bidding process itself was run by the Village Manager and staff. Too many names to name, but you know who you are, and another Village park will enjoy a long-overdue upgrade of which the "parents" will all be proud. Next spring, we will upgrade the playground here and the final results will be a big improvement.
Moon Gazing
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We came to the tail-end of the multi-month moon-themed celebration that includes the still-hanging art show at the Municipal Building, lectures, and now a chance to gaze at the moon via decent telescopes at Draper Park this Saturday, October 28th, from 6:30 to 9:00.
Final Call For Volunteers
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We have received a very good response in our call for residents interested in staffing up the committee that will drive the waterfront rezoning effort. The committee will be supported by consultants, have ample input from the community, and take likely 18 months to two years to get it done. If you are interested, you can click ( here ), complete the form, and send it to volunteer@hastingsgov.org. It will be the most consequential impact on the Village you can have: helping to writ large the parameters for what, ultimately, will be erected no longer so far in the future on the waterfront. We are also looking for people to serve on the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals – two vital boards that also have immense impact.
In a related matter, the Board also approved Tuesday night an agreement to hire the Pace Land Use Law Center to help us with a strategy for the rezoning effort - the $20,000 expense is covered by monies set aside for the Village by BP expressly for this purpose.
Repaving
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We're about 60% done with our pretty massive repaving effort this year - the full list of streets to be curbed and/or repaved can be found (here). We plan to match it roughly in size and scope next year, so you're seeing a serious upgrade to our street infrastructure in this time period.
SHARE Thanksgiving
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In one of the most moving Hastings traditions of the year, for the 28th year running, Project SHARE will organize volunteers and Hastings HIgh School students, as well as those from other schools, to serve a full Thanksgiving dinner, with all the fixings, to over 750 homeless men, women and children. They are served by the students in a festively decorated gym at the High School, serenaded by live music. It is a great moment, but only happens through the generosity of residents who donate. You can do so here. Do it now, and do so generously because you can, and in doing so bring the spirit of this day to life for our homeless friends. The fundraising still has a way to go - so click and give.
Others things
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Congrats to our Hastings High School for being named a National Blue Ribbon School - its a distinction shared by only 13 schools in New York State. Speaking of school, a reminder that school is in session - drive slow (or "slow drive" if you're reading our freshly painted signs in the streets). Halloween is also upon us shortly - a reminder to take it easy while the little ones with parents in tow (and not so little ones cashing in on the candy frenzy) are in the streets Tuesday night.
Sincerely,
Peter Swiderski
Mayor