A sidewalk that just stops in the middle of nowhere. Nearly every town in Westchester has one, and this week, the county's fix to that problem finally broke ground.
County Executive Ken Jenkins announced the first construction award under the Complete Streets Municipal Assistance Program: a $2,700,000 project in Mount Kisco. The award covers the Mount Kisco Streetscape Sidewalk Improvements project, known internally as Phase 3B. Construction preparation begins this fall.
It's the first of twelve selected projects countywide to move from the planning stage into a signed construction award. The Complete Streets program totals more than $15,000,000 in county funding for sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, traffic safety improvements, accessibility upgrades, and bicycle connectivity. Beyond Mount Kisco, projects have been selected for design or construction in Yonkers, Peekskill, Dobbs Ferry, White Plains, and other municipalities.
Here's the detail worth noticing: not White Plains. Not Yonkers. Mount Kisco, a smaller village with a fraction of those cities' staff and budget, is the first town in the county to see a Complete Streets project move from paper into a signed construction award. For residents in the eleven other selected communities, that raises a fair question: what determined the order, and when does your own town's project break ground?
The county hasn't published a full timeline for the remaining eleven projects. New Rochelle's own award, for a separate project on Quaker Ridge Road, was still listed as pending as of late May, a reminder that being selected isn't the same as breaking ground.
Why it matters: This program funds the unglamorous, everyday infrastructure that shapes property values, school-walk safety, and whether your street is safe to cross.
Listen to the full story for the full list of towns in line next.
QUICK HITS
A Piece of 1776 Comes Home to Purchase
SUNY Purchase's Neuberger Museum, working with Westchester County, opened an exhibition on July 4 built around the county's Holt Broadside, a rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence believed to have been read aloud in White Plains that same year. The exhibition is on public view now, timed to coincide with America's 250th anniversary celebrations this year.
Big County Contracts Now Come With a Training Requirement
County Executive Ken Jenkins signed a new law requiring contractors bidding on county construction projects over $250,000 to have a state-registered apprenticeship program in place. Contractors with 14 or fewer employees are exempt. The measure passed with unanimous support from the Board of Legislators and endorsements from both of the county's major labor organizations.
Your Summer Calendar Just Got Fuller
Jazz Forum Arts' riverfront concert series is underway in Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, and Tarrytown. The Caramoor Jazz Festival lands July 25, Lyndhurst's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream runs through July 26, and Kensico Dam hosts an Italian Heritage festival on July 26. Add in Steinyfest in Mamaroneck and there's a full slate of reasons to get outside this month.
New Tables Worth Booking
The county's dining scene keeps expanding. Chef Michael Psilakis opened Klēma in Larchmont, Café Nelo debuted under Chef Giuseppe Fanelli, and La Maison Bronxville joined the mix. Port Chester's Metro-North station is now home to The Saw Pit, and Armonk welcomes La Mer Oyster Bar. Five new spots, one very busy reservation calendar.
ONE MORE THING
Does your street have a sidewalk that just stops, or a crosswalk you consider dangerous? Reply and tell us where. We're keeping a running list of reader reports as the county's Complete Streets pipeline expands.
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