Scherer Looks Ahead to Another Term Navigating P’ville’s Challenges

By Abby Luby

Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer is virtually assured of winning his sixth term on Tuesday, as he runs uncontested in Tuesday’s village elections.

Scherer, who has served as mayor since 2009 and as a village trustee before that, said he was signing up for another three years because he cares deeply about the community.

“You actually see the fruits of your efforts, which is satisfying to me,” said the 38-year village resident. “Sometimes it is difficult because you encounter lots of folks from local businesses nearby to members of the fire department, ambulance corps and the police. A lot of struggle goes into a lot of contentious matters, including how the Pleasantville of yesterday turns into the Pleasantville of today and tomorrow. I’m proud of things we’ve done.”

Scherer said he has become more involved in the legislative side of governing as a current member, past president and legislative chair of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association. He said villages and towns are appealing to Gov. Kathy Hochul regarding her proposed spending plan for Fiscal Year 2025 to increase allotments from the current $715 million in the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) fund to help pay for infrastructure needs. It’s been 15 years since AIM funds have increased, he said.

“These are funds that will give everybody some basic support,” Scherer commented. “It means we can plan and budget for (the) long term. The key issue for us is tax dollars. In Pleasantville we’ve done a pretty good job trying to maintain our infrastructure, but it’s a frustrating moment when some neighbors are awarded huge grants for their infrastructure. Finding a way to navigate all of that is a piece of my next three years I hope to focus on.”

One of the most contentious issues has been new development, which forced the board to enact a six-month moratorium for the downtown business district. The pause provided time to develop a subsequent study on future development.

“That BFJ study gave us some new empirical and qualitative data of what’s been going on,” Scherer said. “I hope we were successful in communicating that information to those who had concerns. It’s a give and take, and sometimes some tension builds between both the rights of the community and the property owner.”

Recent development has led greater downtown vibrancy, according to Scherer.

“(The) 70 Memorial Plaza (project) was built on a site that was literally moribund for many years and was difficult to develop,” he said. “Today there is a dramatically better pedestrian condition, a beautiful walkway alongside the building.”

On the market for potential development is 1 Campus Drive, with four contiguous parcels. The site includes a 140,000-square-foot, three-story office building. Scherer said there have been proposals for the site, but none that have gone forward.

“Our goal is to be open and welcoming to people who will find a way to repurpose” the property, Scherer said. “It can’t just stay like that forever.”

Village traffic patterns and downtown parking have changed since the pandemic but persistent traffic snarls continue to frustrate drivers, Scherer said. A recent traffic study recommended improving the timing of downtown signals.

When Cooley Street becomes a two-way street, it will create another way for traffic to circulate between Bedford and Manville roads.

The Manville Road project that will remove the slip lane and install new traffic lights on Manville and Memorial Plaza between Grant Street and Wheeler Avenue should also create easier traffic flow, he said.

Developers and contractors not following approved site plans has also come under scrutiny. At 70 Memorial Plaza, the rooftop HVAC units deviated from the approved plans, while the developer for 52 Depew St. drastically changed the exterior appearance.

Most recently, trees were taken down without authorization on Clark Street.

“We have not historically had this problem,” Scherer said. “The fact that we now have this problem has made clear that we are going to need to revisit it. We are surveying what other communities have in their code. We’re going to rachet up very significantly the penalties associated with failure to abide by a site plan or building permit.”

To address tree removal, the board is considering a tree ordinance. Scherer noted that Pleasantville is known for its greenery but enforcement under a new ordinance could be a challenge.

“Lots of people are not so enthusiastic about the idea that there would be some sort of oversight of taking down a tree in one’s backyard,” he said.

Plans for a new village pool have expanded to include needed flood mitigation from the often-overflowing and nearby Nannahagan Pond. The cost of the new pool was originally about $2 million, but cost escalation for the project and the necessary flood mitigation have inflated the cost to about $5 million.

Plans call for the village to begin work after Labor Day and reopen the facility for the 2025 swim season.

“The flood mitigation is an expense we would have to do even if we didn’t construct a new pool, but amidst inflationary pressures and supply chain issues, we are fearful about what the end cost is going to be,” Scherer said. “There may be grant opportunities for public pools. We’ve had our pool for generations and it’s an important part of families growing up here. It’s also an important part of our day camp program, which suggests to me…having a pool is important.”