Trustees Brief the LWVS on the Pool, Playgrounds, Land Use and More

What’s happening with the Scarsdale Pool? … Will we have more turf fields? … And some new playgrounds? These were just a few of the subjects covered at a panel discussion with Scarsdale Village Trustees and the Village Manager hosted by the Scarsdale League of Women Voters on Friday September 26 at Scarsdale Library.

LWVS President Beth Cukier welcomed the group and reminded everyone to register to vote. Liz Siprelle reviewed the League’s annual program and Diksha Mudbhary introduced panelists Village Manager Alex Marshall, Mayor Justin Arest, Deputy Mayor Dara Gruenberg, Village Trustees Jason Kofman along with Deputy Village Manager Stephen Shallo who was in attendance.

Mudbhary remarked, “We have no shortage of talent or opinions on how we get things done.”

Panelists provided an overview of some top items on the agenda and an explanation of how priorities are set. Mayor Justin Arest said, “It’s a combination of balance and planning … weighing community needs and wants against our resources.”

Village Manager Alex Marshall said that Scarsdale has about 18,000 residents in a 6.6 square mile Village. The Village conducts 100 programs annually and manages an $70 million budget.

About stormwater management, Marshall said that culverts have been replaced on Catherine Road using FEMA funding, and grant applications are now being prepared for Westchester County funding for other projects that have been identified.

Another priority is the condition of roadways, as a survey last year found that 28% of Village roads were in poor or fair condition. This year the Village already completed 10.64 miles of re-paving and an updated paving study is in process.

Advocacy for residents is another role of local government. Mayor Arest discussed how Scarsdale is pushing back against rate hikes from Con Edison. He said, “We sent a strongly worded letter to the Public Service Commission and testified in hearings and we entered into a rate case with 40 municipalities.”

The Village recognized Gun Violence Awareness Day, Denim Day (against sexual assault), and is working with NYCOM, the NY Conference of Mayors, and also advocated for the return of a local resident arrested by ICE.

Arest said, “Changes to the Village’s land use code were driven by the community who was concerned with the impact of development on home bulk and aesthetics. We entered into a six month moratorium to examine some changes. As a result gravel is now counted as an impervious surface (reducing lot coverage), we added requirements for construction management plans, additional triggers for site plan review and collaboration with other land use boards.”

He announced a work session of the Village Board on Tuesday September 30, 2025 at 6 pm where the Village Planner will give an update on how the new code is working.

Turning to athletic fields, Arest showed plans to install a multipurpose turf field, a parking lot and a support building at Winston Field. A traffic study for the $5 mm project is now being done.

At Freightway Garage, the Board has authorized $2.2 million in funds to maintain the integrity of the structure. He said trustees plan to continue to operate this as a garage but will examine next steps for its usage.

Changes in parking policies are also afoot in response to complaints that the system was cumbersome. New technology to buy parking permits will come online next year. To address complaints that metered parking regulations lacked clarity, new signage and pay stations will be installed. Parking payments bring in $2mm in revenue each year, or 10% of Scarsdale’s non tax revenue.

In response to requests from residents the Village is looking at ways to improve the quality of sidewalks to expand them.

Trustee Kofman gave an update on sustainability initiatives and cited success on tree canopy goals, LED streetlights and composting which earned Scarsdale the Westchester County Eco Award for the highest percentage of waste reduction in 2024.

This year, Scarsdale took delivery of Westchester’s first electric garbage truck, strengthened regulations concerning tree removals and is consider licensing requirements for tree surgeons and regulations on when trees can be removed.

The Village has recently completed the renovation of Library Pond where there is a beautiful new retaining wall, new stormwater treatment equipment and the turtles have returned.

There’s more good news for young families who use Scarsdale’s playgrounds. Deputy Mayor Gruenberg reported that new equipment has been installed at Greenacres and Willow and Aspen Parks will be replaced by the end of the year. The Village’s Recreation Supervisor has done an assessment of all Village-owned playgrounds and more replacements will be done in future years.

And finally, what about the pool?

Gruenberg reported that the last work session on the pool was held in January 2025. At that time, the feeling was to move forward with plans for an indoor/outdoor pool complex. She said that construction costs are now being estimated along with the operational costs for a year-round facility. The Board plans to have a public presentation on the pool by the end of October and will also reach out to the neighborhood associations to get feedback from residents on this large public works project.

There was further discussion on the Sunday Farmer’s Markets, the Village’s communication program and a potential renovation of Scarsdale Village Hall, which was constructed in the 1960’s and has barely been touched.

It was an informative overview of everything Scarsdale and a demonstration of how volunteers collaborate with the professional staff to run the Village.