Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees Minutes March 22, 2021 Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Dennis Siry, Deputy Mayor Kevin Smith, Trustee Jessica Bernius, Trustee O’Neill ALSO PRESENT: Village Attorney Bruce Kennedy AFD Chief Rob Waegerle APD Chief Bryan Burton Superintendent Bruce Hopper Building Inspector Bryan Donato Clerk/Treasurer Catherine Murdock Assistant to the Mayor Wendy O’Neill The salute to the flag was led by Trustee Jessica Bernius. Mayor Siry welcomed everyone to the March 22nd Meeting of the Board of Trustees, held via Zoom Meeting. He also reminded residents to check out the Village website Amityville.com for events and information. Mayor Siry began with a plaque presentation to outgoing Trustee Jessica Bernius, a former teacher in the Amityville School District, for her dedicated service, honesty, integrity and energy while on the Board. He congratulated her for being the first elected female Trustee of the Village and hopes she will not be the last. All Trustees wished her well in her future endeavors. He reminded everyone that there is still time for any interested parties to submit a proposal for the operation of our food concession at the beach - we are looking forward to opening the beach again this summer and all of our activities. He also advised residents and businesses to look at the Village Code Book for guidance on property maintenance, fences, and all sorts of information that help us keep our Village looking good and respect our neighbors. Our quality of life officers will be out there reminding you of that also. Deputy Mayor Smith advised that St. Paul’s Lutheran Church will hold an Easter Sunrise Service on April 4th at 6:15 a.m. at the Amityville Beach. Suggested donation $10. And, on April 24th, the Rotary Club will hold a garage sale down at the Beach pavilion, and a limited number of tables are available if you wish to sell items. In addition, St. Martin’s Outreach has requested donations of pantry items for families in need. On Saturday April 17th, the Bay Village Civic Association will have a Shredder Event at 9/11 Park on Broadway – 10 a.m. . to noon so get your papers collected and ready. Mayor Siry announced that on April 10th, all are invited to join in a clean-up of Ketcham’s Creek by Stop & Shop – please visit the website Savethegreatsouthbay.org to sign up. Kiwanis is conducting a raffle for Mother’s Day that involves dinner at Bayview Kitchen restaurant and other treats. The Junior League is also doing a plant and flower sale fundraiser – visit their Facebook pages for information. Mayor Siry then invited the Trustees to present their Committee Reports for the month of February. 1  Board of Trustees Minutes March 22, 2021 Committee Reports DPW (Trustee O’Neill) ➢ Dumped and disposed of 7.06 tons municipal waste, Yard waste 5.69 tons, C&D 5.01 tons. ➢ Started village spring Park cleanup. ➢ Placing black Mulch in various gardens in the village. ➢ Continue to replace/repair aging and broken rails and posts at triangle and commuter parking lot #1 ➢ Street sweeping on going weather permitting. ➢ Sign replacement and manufacturing of new signage for various locations part of request from the Police Chief, including: Burch Ave. between Greene Ave and west Oak St., Grand Central Ave. and Merrick Rd. Crunch Fitness, Edison St. and Dixon Ave. 2 hr. parking, Sprague Ave. (missing). ➢ Stump grinding and stump refurbishment which includes digging out grindings and replacing with top soil and seed various locations throughout the village. ➢ Completed the request of a property line tree trimming on the south side of Pearsall park. ➢ Spread RCA on the roadway and wood chips in garden areas in Pearsall Park. ➢ Working on clearing brush and vegetation and painting the barricades of the village’s dead end roads. ➢ Started to prepare and groom the ball fields for play for the upcoming season. ➢ Repaired and reset Belgium blocks on So. Bay Rd. and started on a larger refurbishment project at the end of the New Point Creek # 26 McDonald Ave. - a washout caused by rainfall and faulty bulkhead repair. ➢ Dug out and removed 28 cubic yards from storm drains on Louden Ave. and Bryan Ave. ➢ Made election signage and assisted the village Clerk (election commissioner) in her election duties. ➢ Cleaning up wind-blown trash and litter various locations throughout the village including under the LIRR via duct and Wellington Estates dead end. The department continues to pick up discarded face masks and disposable gloves. ➢ Starting to open up the villages water closets at the “A” field and the Village Beach for upcoming use. ➢ Repaired the vandalized lock on the Louden Ave. field. ➢ Completed building a transport trailer for the ballfield groomer out of a discarded boat trailer. ➢ Continue to repair village owned vehicles and snow clearing equipment preparing for storage for next season hopefully this snow season is completed. ➢ Reconditioning the landscape trailer and equipment for the upcoming landscaping season. ➢ Continue to complete pole transfers requests and street light repairs - various locations – and continue to receive complaints regarding the western parking lot entrance of 20-30 Merrick Rd (CVS) parking lot light which is not the Village’s light. Manager of the CVS was contacted (12/2020) who stated he contacted the CVS maintenance department for repair, and also notified the building inspector the light outage has been a ongoing problem for 3 months. ➢ Reset the decorative bricks around pole preplacement at various locations. Justice Court (Trustee Bernius) Grand total reported to the State $12,103.00 Reported to the State as follows: $6,120.00 – Village Justice; $673.00 – Associate Village Justice; $5,310.00 – Parking Violations Penal/Criminal, Vehicle & Traffic and Village Ordinances: 165 charges processed; 37 charges closed; $6,793.00 collected in fines and surcharges. Parking: 94 tickets processed; 54 tickets collected on; $5,310.00.00 collected in fines & penalties. Virtual court has been held since January 12, 2021. While it continues to be successful, improved COVID- metrics will bring change once more for the Justice Court. 2  Board of Trustees Minutes March 22, 2021 Hon. Debra Urbano-DiSalvo, will commence with in-person court sessions on April 6, 2021, pursuant to a memo from Hon. Andrew A. Crecca, District Administrative Judge. He advised that, effective February 22, 2021, court operations in the Town and Village Courts in New York State’s 10th Judicial District, Suffolk County, shall resume with in-person proceedings. The memo includes updated operating protocols, i.e., capacity limited to 25% of the posted room occupancy per code, and bench trials and evidentiary hearings may proceed in-person. However, Jury trials are yet to be permitted. Senior Citizens (Trustee Bernius): Good news: The Senior Center will reopen on May 1st now that everyone is vaccinated. Amityville Police Department No report. Fire Department: No report Building Department: No report Mayor’s Actions: Request to approve Board of Trustees Minutes from the March 8th, 2021 meeting MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee Bernius and was seconded by Deputy Mayor Smith Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Licenses: Landscaper License -Renewal a. Ricardo Vasquez, 34 Washington Ave., Amityville for Ricardo Landscaping b. Joseph Mole, 79 Pacific St., Massapequa Park, NY 11762 for Landscape Creations c. Patrick LaPersonerie, 20 Chichester Ave., Amityville, NY for Care Landscaping Inc. d. Michael Terlato, 725 Route 109 W. Babylon, NY 11704 for Earthway Landscaping e. John Walsh, 821 Tooker Ave., W. Babylon, NY 11704 for L-A Lawn Landscaping f. Kevin Perdomo, 56 Lemon St., Central Islip, NY 11722 for Perdomo Lawn Service, Inc. g. Lawrence C. Swanson, P.O. Box 209, Wantagh, NY 11793 for Environmental Landscaping & Design, Inc. h. Victor Nunez, 172 Bedell St., Freeport, NY 11520 for Victor Nunez Landscaping MOTION to APPROVE above licenses (a. through h. on the agenda) with any stipulations noted in the applications was made by Trustee Bernius and was seconded by Deputy Mayor Smith Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays 3  Board of Trustees Minutes March 22, 2021 Request from Deputy Treasurer Request to approve abstract from March 4th, 2021 – March 16th, 2021 MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Trustee Bernius Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request from Clerk/Treasurer Mayor Siry announced that all requests for events must have Covid plans in place. Request from Debra Urbano DiSalvo for permission for the Kiwanis Club of Amityville to use the Peter J. Pappas Pavilion for a “Show Me the Money” fundraiser at the Amityville Beach on July 22, 2021, between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Trustee Bernius Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request from Andrea Lottman for the Amityville Woman’s Club to use the Peter J. Pappas Pavilion at the Amityville Beach on the following Tuesdays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14. MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee Bernius and was seconded by Trustee O’Neill Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request from Michele Batista for Amityville Soccer League to use soccer fields at James A. Caples Memorial Park on Mondays through Friday 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from March 22nd through June 30, 2021. MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Trustee Bernius Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request from Corky Amico for the Kiwanis Club of Amityville for permission to erect two temporary signs on Bayview Avenue to promote their Mother’s Day Celebration Basket Raffle, and a request to waive the $25 sign application fee. 4  Board of Trustees Minutes March 22, 2021 MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Deputy Mayor Smith Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request from Megan Messman for Amityville Girl Scout Troop 1262 to use the Peter J. Pappas Pavilion from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Thursdays, 4/22, 5/13 and 5/27/2021, and to waive the pavilion rental fee. Approximately 12 scouts plus leaders. MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee Bernius and was seconded by Trustee O’Neill Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request from Police Department Request to pay Kelly International Security Service, Inc. for Deposit for new CCTV in the amount of $8,199.50 (A3120.261) MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Deputy Mayor Smith Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request to pay Selex ES Inc. for license plate reader in the amount of $17,677.00 (A3120.261) MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee Bernius and was seconded by Trustee O’Neill Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request to approve the Plan for Police Policy Reform Mayor Siry thanked the committee who worked very hard on the plan and provided valuable input. Lauryn Haffner, 194 South Bayview Ave., asked about the make-up of the committee. Deputy Mayor Smith reminded everyone that two public hearings were held to solicit public input. MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Deputy Mayor Smith Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays 5  Board of Trustees Minutes March 22, 2021 Request from Fire Department Request to pay Stryker Medical for Quote # 10337370 and #10337382 in the amount of $4,147.20 (A3410.450) MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee Bernius and was seconded by Deputy Mayor Smith Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request from Department of Public Works Request to pay Four Seasons Power Equipment for a 36” Deck Mower in the amount of $4,350.00 MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee Bernius and was seconded by Trustee O’Neill Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request to pay Omni recycling of Babylon for 34.91 dumped tons in the amount of $3,456.09 (A8160.442) MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Deputy Mayor Smith Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request to pay Atlantic Salt for Invoice 84822 in the amount of $7,031.18 (A5142.419) MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Trustee Bernius Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Request to pay Total Technology Solutions for Invoice #68445 – billing for April 2021 in the amount of $3,837.75 (A1625.440) MOTION to APPROVE was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Trustee Bernius Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays 6  Board of Trustees Minutes March 22, 2021 Public Hearing Conduct a public hearing for Introductory Local Law No. 2 of the Year 2021 to authorize the Planning Board to establish and implement guidelines for signs in the Broadway Corridor MOTION to OPEN the PUBLIC HEARING was made by Trustee Bernius and was seconded by Trustee O’Neill Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Mayor Siry noted that the Village will reach out to real estate brokers and property owners to advise them of any changes if the Code is changed. The requirements would be phased in over a five-year period. Planning Board Chair Mia Jealous-Dank explained that the Planning Board has been hearing numerous applications for signage that does not complement the Village aesthetics but meet the parameters of the current code. She said she feels employing stricter guidelines will alleviate this issue and create a more appealing village. Dr. Anthony Ferraro, 207 Broadway, Amityville of Island Foot and Ankle, expressed concern that their business recently invested in a new sign that is backlit and the proposed law would cost their business money. He also warned that in the process of changing signs, the facades on some storefronts show damage. He commented that the Village should be inviting in new businesses. Building Inspector Bryan Donato pointed out that the Village Planning Board has been actively working with businesses on appropriate signage. And, if a defect in a façade is exposed, it will need to be repaired. Joanne Fisk, 29 Maple Dr., expressed disappointment that the proposed Code change does not apply to signage north of Sunrise Highway. Mayor Siry and the Board agreed to modify the law to extend the boundaries from West Smith Street to Merrick Road. Trustee O’Neill and Mayor Siry voiced agreement that the entire Broadway corridor should be included in the Law. Joan Donnison, Bay Village Civic Association, also agreed that the corridor should be extended. MOTION to CLOSE the PUBLIC HEARING was made by Trustee O’Neill and was seconded by Trustee Bernius Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Mayor Siry opened the floor to public comments: The following residents commented on the Bayside Marina on Meadow Lane: Jack Magnani, 75 Meadow Lane, Amityville, asked about the checks and balances between the Planning Board and Board of Trustees, and stated he has observed possible boat sales on the property. Debbie Magnani, 75 Meadow Lane, Amityville, about continual use of the property while under Planning Board review, and expressed concern that residents’ voices would not be heard in Court. Mia Jealous Dank advised the residents that the marina has not expanded the footprint of the buildings and the Planning Board has requested a site plan to ensure proper use. 7  Board of Trustees Minutes March 22, 2021 Kathy Dann Howe, 85 New Point Place, Amityville, asked several questions about the operation of the marina, including additional slips in a narrow part of the waterway. She expects traffic to continue to increase and feels the residents should have had a say. Lisa Strollo, 80 New Point Place, Amityville, NY also mentioned that the marina owners will be appearing before the Planning Board and wished to have input. Mayor Siry explained that the Village Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Board of Trustees operate independent of one another. He also explained that the owners are due to go before the Planning Board and to Court for violations, but they have the option of litigation if they do not agree with the Village’s interpretation of the Code. In closing, Trustee Bernius reported that it has been a meaningful experience helping the Village residents and everyone at Village Hall has been great. She thanked her family and wished the Village the best. The Mayor and Trustees expressed their gratitude and wished her well, and Trustee-Elect Brooks acknowledged that he has “big shoes to fill.” There being no further agenda items or discussions: MOTION to ADJOURN was made by Trustee Bernius and seconded by Trustee O’Neill Vote on Motion: Mayor Siry aye Deputy Mayor Smith aye Trustee Bernius aye Trustee O’Neill aye Motion Carried: 4 aye 0 nays Meeting adjourned at 9:08 p.m. ______________________________________ Catherine C. Murdock Clerk/Treasurer 8