Village Goal is to Customize a GIS System
By Mayor Mary Marvin
The Bronxville Historical Conservancy, with the Village’s encouragement and gratitude, commissioned two Landscape Architect degree students from City College to undertake a study/review of the natural features of the Village and other municipal resources such as street trees and soil types found throughout our Village. The report they complied will aid in any future design and development decisions made by the Village. The students worked under the direction of Peter Gisolfi, a Bronxville Historical Conservancy board member and principal of Peter Gisolfi Associates, a Westchester County based architectural firm. The concept for the study at the Conservancy Board level was spearheaded by former Mayor Nancy Hand, who knew firsthand the value of an up-to-date record of Village natural features and inventory. The Trustees and I are most appreciative of this collaboration and thank the Conservancy for their continued vision as we work together to preserve and enhance our Village.
The report in its entirety may be viewed on the Conservancy’s website (www.bronxvillehistoricalconservancy.org). The following are examples of the type of information gleaned and how it will be useful to the Village going forward.
The report illustrates the soil types, elevation and drainage patterns throughout the Village. This information will aid in future flood mitigation initiatives as well as assist both homeowners and municipal officials in the planting of proper vegetation throughout the Village, increasing the lifespan of trees and plants, adding lushness to the Village and ultimately saving money by planting the appropriate vegetation.
The Village has asked the Conservancy to further expand on their report in the coming months to address certain additional needs of the Village. We would benefit from a comprehensive mapping of the municipal or street trees in the Village along our major thoroughfares. This data would aid in determining the location, age, health and specimen type and facilitate a more coordinated, pruning, fertilization and diseased tree removal program. In addition, a similar inventory of street light locations would aid in tracking the life of bulbs at different locations and provide a blueprint for the eventual conversion to a more energy efficient lighting plan. The Village has also requested that the volunteer graduate students help us produce a user friendly guide matching our different neighborhoods to a list of plants and trees that would grow best in the different soil types. This would be an invaluable tool for homeowners as they landscape property as well as the Village in choosing appropriate and long lasting vegetation.
On a parallel front, the Village has put together an internal committee, chaired by Village Engineer, Vince Pici, to implement geographic information system (GIS) technology in Village Hall to further assist in the pinpointing of our natural resources and managing our infrastructure.
One of our goals is to map the subterranean sewer network including all the manholes, catch basins and mains in both the storm drainage and sanitary sewer systems. This sub-surface mapping would aid in the repair and replacement of pipes and pinpoint leaks and breaks much more efficiently. At present, there are almost no maps indicating the location of sanitary sewer lines running throughout the Village underground.
Our ultimate goal is to develop a customized GIS system that would incorporate all the data that presently exists via the County GIS data with other Village specific information compiled through our on-going efforts. Data available would include all GIS maps including Village surface and subterranean views as well as County and State GIS property mapping.
As a result of our recent revaluation work, we now have data on all real estate parcels in the Village. With GIS, residents will be able to search by parcel identifier or street address and see property photos, property cards and sales data via an interactive map as well as tree, drain and hydrant locations. Eventually we intend to provide a user friendly computer kiosk at Village Hall and the Village library for easy access of this critical information by Village residents.
Of course, most of the above data collection and collation comes with a price. As a consequence, we plan on rolling out the system in stages while simultaneously applying for grant monies available for these types of projects. We will also incorporate information currently available from the County GIS database as we progress.
Some communities have already implemented this system providing residents and staffers with vital information that has ultimately saved both time and money for everyone needing to access this type of information.
The Board of Trustees approved Village participation in a 15 community grant that will digitally map all of the Village storm drains and catch basins. The only charge to the Village for this effort will be the time and expertise of our Public Works Superintendent, Rocco Circosta, who helped secure the grant. We will continue to look for other grant opportunities to help supplement the Village investments in a full and open-ended GIS system.
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