Our entrance signs were lit this year illuminating the gateways to the Village and new streetlights were installed along North Main Street, Washington Road, State Street, Monroe Avenue and at South Street and Jefferson Road. Residents noticing outages should report them directly to RGE at 546-1111 (option 5). A pole number and the nearest crossroad are requested when reporting the location.

The Village crew has installed ten (of an approximately 30 planned) benches in dedication to loved ones this fall. Others have been ord e red and will be put out in the spring. Information regarding the purchase of a bench (or a commemorative brick) could be obtained at the Village Hall or be found on our website at www.villageofpittsford.org.

An amended New York State Law regarding pedestrian crossing safety has been put into effect this past spring. Motorists must “Stop for Pedestrians” in the road. Signs are
posted throughout the Village regarding this law to help keep motorists aware of pedestrian traffic.

As part of an ongoing effort to improve our Village streets, this past summer the streets of Sutherland, Church, Line, Austin Park and Eastview Terrace were resealed. Our capital road improvement for the budget year 2003-04 was the reconstruction of Courtenay Circle. This major undertaking included installing new gutters, driveway aprons, rebuilding catch basins, adjusting manholes, milling and paving. “Thank you” to the Town of Pittsford Highway Department for their help with our project.

With the use of Fairport’s sidewalk grinder last year, the crew was able to reduce the number of elevated sidewalks. This year, a sidewalk grinder was purchased giving us the ability to address these problems in a prompt manner.

The Ice Storm of 2003 had devastated many of our trees. This year, with the help of RGE and Urban Forestry, the Village will receive funding for a tree inventory and get recommendations for drought and salt tolerant replacement trees to help rebuild our tree canopy.

Many of our Norway maple trees have suff e red from “tar spot” fungus. The infection occurs in the spring (especially if it is a rainy spring) and its symptoms (dark spots and dried leaves) develop in the late summer and early fall. This disease does not effect the overall health of the trees. The fungus can be controlled by raking and removing fallen leaves promptly or by the use of a fungicide. More information can be obtained from the Monroe County Cornell Cooperative Extension at 461-1000, by e-mail at monroe@cornell.edu, or by visiting their website (www.cce.cornell.edu/monroe).

Leaf season is shortly coming to an end. We would like to
remind you to rake all your leaves into a single pile and place it at the curb (not in the street because it clogs the sanitary and storm sewers) or bag them into recyclable bags. (Frequently the crew will empty these costly bags and leave them for residents’ reuse.) We also ask that you please do not mix brush in with the leaves. Woody materials can get caught in the leaf machine shoot and result in our equipment braking down during a very demanding season. Mixed debris piles wil not be picked up until they are separated.

During the winter season, in addition to maintaining our Village streets and sidewalks clear of snow, the crew will be trimming trees. We are reminding residents to trim back their shrubs and branches that overhang the sidewalk to provide visibility to the street, safety for pedestrian traffic, and a passable thoroughfare for the sidewalk plow. With winter upon us, limited brush pick up will be done during the late fall and winter.

The Village crew requests that trash receptacles and recycle boxes be kept off the sidewalk and off the road during the winter on scheduled trash pick up days. This makes it quicker for us to clear the snow from the sidewalks and from the road without having to stop to move these items. With all of us working together, our Village is reflecting a community that cares about its residents, its businesses, and each other. Thank you to everyone for your continued help in achieving this goal.

Editor’s note: Readers, please note that Scott Spencer modestly omitted his name from the credits at the beginning of this report. You should know (as probably you do)that he’s out there “in the trenches,” working along with the rest of his team.

Sutherland High School
continued from cover

Architects and site planners for the project are
Thomas Associates, a national firm with local offices.