Village Board Tackles $11.6 Million Capital Plan, Prioritizes Drainage and New Snow Gear

**Key actions:** - **Brook Street Drainage:** Trustees are poised to allocate $700,000 (50% funded by Westchester County) to fix chronic flooding on Brook Street, coordinating with a Con Ed gas main replacement. - **Snow Removal Upgrade:** The plan includes purchasing a new loader with a "snowblower" attachment and upfitting a "hook and go" truck to improve efficiency during winter storms, following a season of heavy overtime. - **Park Safety:** The Board moved to fund security cameras at Croton Landing and Senasqua Park, a project deferred last year when funds were diverted to repairs at Jobs Field. - **Farrington Road Steps:** After receiving a $400,000 bid in 2024—more than double the budget—the village will try a "joint venture" with a mason and in-house labor to rehabilitate the historic steps for roughly $250,000. - **Streetlight Improvements:** Trustees approved $18,000 to replace green streetlight globes in the Harmon business district with warmer, black-colored LEDs to match the rest of the village. - **Traffic Safety:** A bond resolution will fund pedestrian and vehicle safety improvements at the intersection of Old Post Road North and Michaels Lane, though residents pushed for more robust community outreach. - **Water System Expansion:** Using settlement funds from PFAS litigation, the village will design a water main extension up Route 129 to serve the DPW facility and the school bus garage. For a village that prides itself on its Hudson Valley charm, nothing bursts the bubble faster than a pothole the size of a kettle drum or a basement full of water after a spring rain. On Thursday night, the Croton-on-Hudson Board of Trustees confronted these aging infrastructure realities head-on, reviewing a proposed $11.6 million capital plan for 2026 that aims to catch up on deferred maintenance while preparing the Department of Public Works (DPW) for a changing climate. The work session, which stretched nearly four hours, offered residents a candid look at the difficult trade-offs involved in municipal budgeting. From the dirt of the Farrington Road steps to the murky waters of the Brook Street drainage system, the message from staff was clear: the village can no longer afford to patch and pray. "We don't have an official paving list yet," an official from the DPW acknowledged early in the evening. "We actually usually wait till after the winter because there are a lot of times roadways that, especially after winter, we just had that'll just heave and thaw, and it'll it'll break apart."{{quote:75}} This wait-and-see approach, driven by the uncertainty of state CHIPS funding, has left the village reactive rather than proactive. This winter's relentless snowfall exposed the fragility of the current system. The DPW fleet, pushed to its limits, suffered a major breakdown of a 2013 loader during the year's biggest storm. To prevent a repeat of the overtime exhaustion and service complaints that plagued the village this winter [Board Of Trustees 2026-03-26](/article/1), the administration is proposing a significant equipment upgrade. The centerpiece is a new loader equipped with a snowblower The board also heard a proposal to upfit a recently acquired "hook and go" truck with a plow and spreader for $30,000—a fraction of the cost of a new dedicated plow truck. This versatility would allow the truck to be used for leaf removal in the autumn, using a leaf body the village already owns, replacing trucks from the mid-1990s that have aged out of the fleet.

While road repairs dominate the conversation, the most expensive item on the docket is hidden from view. The board is moving forward with the Brook Street drainage project, a $1.4 million initiative to install new culverts and catch basins from north of Brook Street down to North Riverside Avenue. "This is a really exciting project," a village official said, noting it would address chronic flooding for residents and had been listed in the village's hazard mitigation plan for years.{{quote:581}} The project, which is split 50/50 with the county, will be coordinated with a Con Edison gas main replacement to minimize the number of times the road is torn up. It is a major victory for residents who have dealt with chronic flooding for years, addressing issues that have persisted since the homes were built over a century ago. Another long-simmering issue is the fate of the Farrington Road Steps. Last year, the village received a bid of $400,000 to repair the historic staircase—more than double the allocated funds. Thursday, staff presented a new strategy: a "joint venture" utilizing village labor and an outside mason to bring the price down to $250,000. "The numbers were astronomical," the superintendent said of the previous bids. "I mean, they weren't even... when you say joint venture, you mean some of the work will be done in house and then the masonry will be done by this other organization?"{{quote:413}} The board was receptive to the new approach, acknowledging the unique challenges of the site and the necessity of the steps for students walking to school. The conversation eventually turned to traffic safety, specifically the intersection of Old Post Road North, High Street, and Michaels Lane. A traffic study has recommended changes to improve safety for both pedestrians and drivers, including a new pedestrian beacon. However, the presentation sparked a debate about how the village engages with residents on these projects. A trustee questioned why the board hadn't created a more formal opportunity for public feedback on the design, similar to the process used for the Gouveia Park renovations [Waterfront Advisory Committee 2026-02-18](/article/10). While staff noted that letters had been sent to neighbors, the trustee argued that a more proactive approach was needed. "I would like neighbors to be able to weigh in," the trustee said. "I would even propose that we do something like we've done now with Gouveia... That's neighbor information session that's less formal than a meeting where you can go over the plan."

The board also reviewed public safety initiatives, including a request for security cameras at Croton Landing and Senasqua Park. Village officials noted that the current camera system at the Landing is "obsolete," posing a liability for the village during large events. "This was in Capital last year as well with security cameras," a trustee remarked. "What cameras were installed this year? Were they... They were not. We ended up... that money had to be used for Jobs Field. Correct."{{quote:3450}} The reappropriation of funds last year highlighted the difficult choices the board faces. This year, the administration is recommending the installation of cameras at both parks, acknowledging that other capital projects in the parks, such as general maintenance, will take a backseat. In other business, the board discussed the installation of a new water main along Route 129, extending service from the existing water department up to the DPW facility. The project, funded by settlement money from PFAS litigation, would also allow the school bus garage to connect to village water. [UNVERIFIED: The transcript does not identify the school district by name] "We would be able to, you know, assuming people wanna connect, which I don't know why they wouldn't," [unverified] The meeting concluded with a presentation from the Fire Department and EMS, which requested funding for new turnout gear, ice machines, and a utility vehicle to navigate the tight access roads at the new Spencer Field. An EMS officer explained that the department had found a Lucas CPR device already in the capital fund and opted to substitute those funds for an additional Life Pack monitor, which would allow EMTs to perform advanced airway procedures. The board is expected to adopt the final capital plan at its next regular meeting. As the village moves into the budget season, the challenge will be balancing these critical infrastructure needs with the desire to keep taxes stable. Trustees praised the administration for finding outside the box --- **References used in this article:** - [Board Of Trustees — 2026-03-26](/article/1) · Infrastructure Fails and Budget Plans Collide: Croton Village Weighs Costs of Aging Water Mains and Winter Overtime - [Waterfront Advisory Committee — 2026-02-18](/article/10) · Croton Zoning Cleanup Adjusts Residential Fowl Limits