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Power lines will soon be buried, a three-story apartment building will be erected and the Fisher Avenue parking lot will be refurbished, all without dipping into taxpayers’ pockets.
Through a mix of grants and bonds, the $1.1 million project to put overhead utility lines underground is set to begin on Columbus Avenue between Fisher and Lincoln Avenue. It’s something that the village has hoped to do for nearly a decade, Mayor Steve Ecklond said, but wasn’t feasible until recently, courtesy of several grants.
The project was made possible through a $500,000 Empire State Development grant, with $200,000 coming from the Department of Housing with the final $400,000 coming from the developer of the apartment, which will be constructed where two Columbus Avenue gas stations once stood.
Construction will begin in September, and should be done by the New Year. Despite all of the exciting changes, not all residents are sold on the idea, despite it having no bearing on their finances.
According to Ecklond, it was time for the poles to be replaced, making this a convenient time to put them underground.
“I’m not sure why it’s even necessary. It’ll be useful if another [Hurricane] Sandy comes along, but it’s hard to imagine something like that happening,” Aaron McAlister said. “Seems like unnecessary spending and construction to me, I’m sure they could use the money elsewhere.”
Construction on the $14 million apartment building – which is being by overseen by developer Giulio Monaco – is set to begin by the end of September, and will continue for approximately nine months.
The apartment building will feature 43 studio apartments, and four one-bedroom apartments that will rent for around $2,000 per month on Dale Road. There will be 3,600 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and will have its own parking lot behind the building. It comes on the heels of the groundbreaking on a 108-unit luxury rental building on Main Street in February.
In addition to the development projects, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Bronx River watershed program has provided $330,000 to the Department of Public Works for the refurbishing of the Fisher Avenue parking lot. Frank DiMarco, the foreman of the DPW said that the project will include water-permeable pavement and a system to filter out contaminants from cars before it reaches the Bronx River.
“I think it’ll be a good thing for the village. It’s like we get the chance to start anew with some new projects,” resident Angela Gillie said. “It’ll be inconvenient at times, but when it’s all done, I think we’re all going to be happy with it.”
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