Board of Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES November 8, 2021 PRESENT: Mayor Monachino Lapey Trustee Senerchia Trustee Bennett Trustee Cataldi DeLillo Trustee Owen-Michaane Attorney Cornachio Manager Pierpont PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND FIRE SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT Mayor Monachino Lapey led those assembled in the Pledge of Allegiance and notified those in attendance where the fire safety exits were located. ------------ OPENING REMARKS The Mayor opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. She mentioned that Veterans’ Day is November 11th. She thanked all veterans for their service. She said that Westchester County will host a ceremony at Lasdon Park in Katonah honoring veterans on Wednesday at one thirty. It will be on the County’s Facebook page and on their website. Police Commissioner Bennett said that the Pelham Manor Police Department, Project Community and especially the You and Me program sponsored by Project Childd ( Community Help In Learning about Developmental Disabilities) will have a special meet and greet for the community on Thursday, November 11th from one o’clock in the afternoon until three o’clock. A departmental registry has been created to record contact information and unique behavioral characteristics which can be accessed by police officers in the field. People will be able to meet police officers in front of the Police Station and learn more about the You and Me Program that assists all our residents with special needs. Fire Commissioner Senerchia said that last Tuesday the Mayor and he attended the Pelham Manor Volunteer Fire Company’s annual dinner. Fire Chief Ruggiero was also in attendance. He said that it was a nice event. The Fire Commissioner recognized Jon Kasper and the volunteers for having such a nice event and for serving the Village. He said that we have a full time department but are grateful for our volunteers. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that we are grateful for our paid department and our volunteers. Trustee Bennett gave two updates. She said that a tractor trailer was stuck under the tressle bridge and had to be backed up. She said that we looked at signage for the corner of Mount Tom and Pelhamdale Avenue and at Black Street warning tractor trailers that they have time to exit Pelhamdale Avenue before the bridge. She said that the signs came in today and will be installed tomorrow. Trustee Bennett said that Sustainable Westchester will host a zoom meeting on lawns next week. The following week they will have a demonstration on electric lawn mowers and electric devices in a park in Rye Brook. She said that she looked forward to attending the sessions. Trustee Owen-Michaane said that he and Trustee Bennett attended the Michael Schwerner Memorial Walk from Saints John Paul and Clement Church in Mount Vernon to the Pelham Jewish Center. It commemorated the civil rights and justice fight in the 1960’s. It began with a walk from the church in Mount Vernon to the Pelham Jewish Center. It concluded with a ceremony and some prayers. He said that it was an honor to be there as a Trustee with Trustee Bennett and as a member of the community and as a member of the Pelham Jewish Center. 1 The Mayor thanked them for representing the Board and said that it sounded like a wonderful event. -------------- DISCUSSION BY THE TOWN HISTORIAN The Mayor introduced Town Historian Arthur L. Scinta. She said that he has dedicated the last few decades of his life to service in our Town. He is the former Mayor of the Village of Pelham and a founding member of the Pelham Preservation and Garden Society. He has a bachelor’s of architecture and went on to law school and made a career out of volunteerism. He is an accomplished attorney and a lover of history. The Mayor said that he is in the perfect role as Town Historian. The Mayor said that we have asked for his advice on several occasions and he graciously offered to come and give his expertise and comment on Pelham Manor Village Hall. She said that we’re fortunate to have his services and she welcomed Town Historian Arthur L. Scinta. Mr. Scinta said that he was happy to be here to talk about Pelham Manor Village Hall. The exterior of Village Hall is being painted with a new shade that is closer to its original color. He said that a bronze plaque on the front of the building has the name of the architect Frederick R. Loney. He spoke about Charles Pond, whose name is also on the plaque, and was President of the Village of Pelham Manor. Prior to being called Mayors, the highest elected official in Pelham Manor was called President. Charles Pond and Louis Francis each received fifty- nine votes in the 1906 election for President. They drew lots from a hat and Mr. Pond became President and Mr. Francis became a Village Trustee. Henry Babcock was the Village Clerk at this time. His son was an Olympian in 1910 and won a gold medal in the pole vault. Henry, or as he preferred to be called, Harry, was standing next to Jim Thorpe in the picture presented by Mr. Scinta. Frederick Roosevelt Loney lived on Edgewood Avenue in a house that no longer exists. His first commission as an architect was Pelham Manor Village Hall. He went to Columbia University and graduated in 1901. He was socialite who was described as tactful, talented and debonaire. He was also the architect for the Town Hall in Pelham. He lived in Pelham Manor, served in World War I, and was married in 1923. He designed an extension to Village Hall in 1922. At some point the Village Hall building became white. The color was pretty harsh and it had black trim. The cupola got lost because of the black color. He said that the bell now stands out. He said that it is now a pretty close replica to what the building looked like in 1922. He thanked Mayor Lapey and Village Manager John Pierpont for inviting him in early enough in the process of selecting a new color for the Village Hall. As the old paint was being scraped, there was an underlying tan color. It wasn’t that color very long and the exterior was now the harsher white. He said that we went back to the greyish tan color from 1922. Mr. Scinta said that the Fire Chief told him that extensive history on this building was done by a former police detective and there will be more to learn about this building. Mayor Monachino Lapey thanked the Town Historian for helping out with potential colors for the building and for coming back to look at the colors on stucco and wood. . - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 25, 2021 PUBLIC HEARING AND OCTOBER 25, 2021 REGULAR MEETING The Mayor asked if there were any questions, comments or concerns on the minutes. There were no questions, comments or concerns. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was RESOLVED, that the minutes from October 25, 2021 Public Hearing and October 25, 2021 Regular Meeting be and hereby are approved. ----------- 2 REPORTS Fire Commissioner Senerchia discussed the monthly report with Fire Chief Ruggiero. The Fire Commissioner said that over two hundred calls were logged for the month of September. It was busy and every call was associated with a water condition associated with Tropical Storm Ida. The Chief said that September was an exceptionally busy month. There was a hazard incident in New Rochelle. He said that we train for this type of incident and it worked really well. He said that he was proud of the guys and the way it went. Fire Commissioner Senerchia said that there were other calls and mentioned lift assists, wires down, false alarms, co incidents and roll overs on the Hutch. He said that it was a busy month. The Mayor said that New Rochelle mutual aid event was emblematic of taking advantage of local control. She said that we still have your leadership but we partner with other municipalities on a regular basis and we all help each other out. She said that it’s another example of what we look to do in this Village. She said that it’s the best of both worlds. The Fire Commissioner said that he remembered when Yonkers assisted with a mutual aid call for a hazardous condition behind Dave&Busters. He said that everyone pitched in and they were there quickly. He said that spoke to the Chief’s relationships with other departments. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that this is one of the great ways the Village maintains local control and a sense of community and small town environment while taking advantage of economy of scale for specialized events. The Board thanked the Fire Chief for his report. Police Commissioner Bennett discussed the monthly report with Chief Atkins. The Police Commissioner said that there were four hundred twenty- seven incidents for October. There was an uptick in rummaging through cars at night. The Police Commissioner noted that all the cars were unlocked. There were some instances of identity fraud. She told residents not to give out their personal information in an e-mail unless they know who the e-mail is from. She said that there were a few deer and coyote visits. She said that small children and pets should be watched. Police Chief Atkins recommended that garbage cans be covered tightly so the animals are not attracted by the food. Police Commissioner Bennett asked the Chief to speak about an incident that occurred on Halloween. She said that it is an ongoing investigation and she doesn’t know how much information can be given out. Chief Atkins said that this in an ongoing investigation. Two youths were followed by a large group of youths and attacked. One was injured. There were no weapons used. The youth received a minor laceration to the face. No property was taken. He said that it is believed they were after the Halloween candy. The Police Commissioner said that it was very upsetting, but everyone was ok. She asked the Chief to keep the Board apprised. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that parents are concerned but said that this involves minors and the investigation is ongoing. She said that it was unfortunate that a larger group committed a criminal act. She said it’s terrible and we’re on it. The Police Commissioner said that there were extra tours on duty and a high- density light that can see down a driveway did a phenomenal job and things were going very well. Unfortunately, there was that incident. Fortunately, everyone is ok. 3 The Mayor and Board thanked the Police Chief for his report. The DPW Superintendent gave the monthly report. He said that the Village is moving into the fall leaf collection program. The department is continuing with street patching. He that he just found out today that Pelham Parkway will be milled and paved this Wednesday and Thursday night. He said that they called and asked for Police assistance. They are not closing the road, but people will have to use a different driveway. He said that there may be some inconvenience. The Village Clerk said that building permits finished strong at the end of last month. He said that he was a little less concerned than he was. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Fire, Police, DPW and Village Clerk reports be and hereby are approved. ----------- RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE VILLAGE MANAGER TO SIGN LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH WESTCHESTER COUNTY FOR THE VILLAGE TO CONNECT ITS EQUIPMENT TO THE COUNTY’S RADIO SYSTEM Mayor Monachino Lapey asked the Village Manager to give an overview of this agreement. Manager Pierpont said that Westchester County is changing its trunk radio system from analog to digital. This change was discussed two budgets ago. We started talking about it and the Board finished funding it in this year’s budget. The Village equipment will be connected to the County’s radio system. This license memorializes our participation and our connection to their communication system. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Village Manager be and hereby is authorized to sign the License Agreement with Westchester County for the Village to connect its equipment to the County’s Trunk Radio System. ----------- REPORT FROM ALEXANDER BETKE, ATTORNEY FROM BROWN & WEINRAUB Mayor Monachino Lapey said that the Board has received some questions in the past about what Mr. Betke does for us. Specifically, what is his role in assisting us on many of our efforts, legislative and otherwise, in Albany. She introduced Alexander Betke and said that he is from the law firm of Brown & Weinraub and was at the meeting to go over some of the projects he has worked on for the Village and to answer questions from the public. He said that he has spoken with the Department of Transportation about moving up the paving schedule for Boston Post Road. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that the Village has been requesting that for a few years and she thanked him for raising that on the priority list. He said that for the right light camera bill he worked with the Governor’s office. The bill was just signed. There were some issues with the language of the bill and also said that the pedestrian crosswalk grant was held up at DOT. He worked to get the language corrected and back to the Governor’s within a tight time frame. Mr. Betke said that he worked with DASNY on the municipal grants for the elevator and solar panels for Village Hall. He said that he is working on some new funding opportunities for the Village involving energy efficiency and looking at infrastructure improvements. He worked on, and is continuing to work on, drainage issues. He is in contact with the Thruway Authority and they have committed to a meeting to discuss drainage along the Thruway. He said that they 4 wanted a plan of action in place prior to having a discussion. He said that we’re waiting on that. Trustee Owen-Michaane said that Boston Post Road is a State road. He asked if it was the State’s responsibility and was told yes. Trustee Owen-Michaane said that we’ve been asking them for a few years to pave the road because it’s not in good condition. Mr. Betke said that he believes we’re getting closer and said that funding is being investigated. Trustee Owen-Michaane said that he is very happy about the red light cameras. He said that it is one tool in an arsenal for pedestrian and traffic safety. Alex Betke said that once the Governor receives a bill there are ten days to act on it one way or the other. He said that we reached out to make sure they were supportive. He said that there were questions on the way the law was written. He went back to the Assemblywoman’s office and got the questions answered. The Governor’s office accepted the answers. He said that on the pedestrian crosswalk the grant went from the Department of Transportation to the Comptroller’s office and back to DOT which triggers the contract. The Manager told him that construction was happening and we needed the contract quicker. You can’t spend money before the contract is in place. We got the contract through so that the Village would be able to be reimbursed. The funds for the solar panels and elevator have been appropriated. Historic Preservation is in the process of reviewing the projects. Trustee Owen-Michaane said that these things don’t happen overnight. Trustee Owen-Michaane spoke about the New York State Thruway Authority and the drainage along the Thruway. This is work that they should be doing. Mr. Betke said that it’s a large system and we’re trying to open up that communication. The Mayor said that we’ve had some questions about the work that Mr. Betke does. She thanked him for coming to the meeting. The Mayor said that he’s been with us quite a few years. The previous mayor hired him. We look at the ROI. She said that the Board does not spend tax dollars unnecessarily. She told Mr. Betke that the Board appreciated his work. ---------- RESOLUTION TO SCHEDULE A PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 5 OF 2021 – INTERNAL COMBUSTION LEAF BLOWERS FOR NOVEMBER 22, 2021 The Mayor asked the Village Manager to give an overview on the proposed Local law. Manager Pierpont said that the Board heard from the community. He said that this is a transitional piece of legislation that reduces the window for using internal combustion leaf blowers. The window on Saturdays has been changed to accommodate residents who do their own landscaping. This is an opportunity for the Board to continue to evaluate and respond to technological changes as they occur. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that the Board received a lot of feedback in writing and from the public. She said that the room was packed at the last meeting. There are two issues. One was environmental and the other was noise. She said that a lot of the back and forth, which she considered to be important, included things like having an internal combustion unit operating on your property is actually more of an impact to your local environment as opposed to an electrical unit but is not any different with respect to global perspective because whatever’s in that battery is just stored energy that was created somewhere else and is very likely that energy was created as a result of combustion somewhere else. It’s a nuanced way of exporting pollution. She said that the Board heard that a lot of people are very interested in keeping the local environment cleaner. The issue with that is the technology that’s available for the batteries. Unfortunately, the industry is not there yet. We do have the flexibility to revisit this as often as we like and we will certainly 5 continue to keep an eye on it. The second piece of this is the noise. She said that it all comes down to energy. She said that there will also be noise from an electric unit. This particular version addresses the noise issue by reducing the window of use during the year( fewer months ) and during the week ( fewer days) to minimize impact from local noise pollution. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that this is an attempt to address comments. The Mayor said that proposed Local Law 5 will be on the website tomorrow and hard copies are available tonight. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that a Public Hearing on proposed Local Law 5 of 2021- Internal Combustion Leaf Blowers be and hereby is scheduled for November 22, 2021 at eight fifteen in the evening. ---------- RESOLUTION TO SCHEDULE A PUBLIC HEARING ON CABLE FRANCHISE RENEWAL AGREEMENT FOR NOVEMBER 22, 2021 Mayor Monachino Lapey asked the Village Manager to give an overview of this agreement. This agreement gives cable providers, among others, the right to ability to occupy the space above our Village streets with their cables. The Village has franchise agreements with Verizon, Cablevision/Altice, and Extenet. There is another small one coming with AT&T. The agreement has expired. This extends the ability to Cablevision/Altice to provide cable service for the next ten years. The Village would receive five percent of revenue and they would pay us quarterly. Verizon will be coming up shortly. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that this provides competition between providers. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that a public hearing on the Cable Franchise Renewal Agreement be and hereby is scheduled for November 22, 2021 at eight fifteen in the evening. ------------ RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN ABSTRACT OF VOUCHERS NUMBERS 29318-29362 After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Mayor be and hereby is authorized to sign abstract of vouchers numbers 29318-29362. ---------------- PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Monachino Lapey asked if there were any comments or questions from the public. Toby Marxuach-Gusciora, 901 Plymouth Street, asked when the red light camera on Pelhamdale Avenue and Boston Post Road would be operational. Manager Pierpont said that the red light legislation just became effective yesterday. The Board needs to adopt a local law which is the next step in the process. He said that we’ve met with a company that does this work, but a local law has to come first. Toby Marxuach-Gusciora asked about the issue with Siwanoy School with the “n” word found on playground equipment. 6 Trustee Bennett said that we don’t know who did it. She said the investigation is ongoing. Trustee Senerchia said that we don’t know when it was done. Trustee Bennett said that we responded to it immediately and it is an ongoing investigation. She said that we have our eyes on that. Toby Marxuach-Gusciora asked about the status of the monopole. Village Attorney Cornachio that the Village is perfecting an appeal from a decision that was talked about from earlier metings. He said that we will be submitting that paperwork shortly. Toby Marxuach-Gusciora asked about Save The Sound and was told that there is nothing new since the last update. The Mayor and Board thanked everyone for their comments. ------------- EXECUTIVE SESSION The Mayor said that there was an issue regarding a personnel matter and a legal matter. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Board be and hereby is authorized to conduct an Executive Session to discuss the following: Personnel Matter and Legal Matter No action was taken in Executive Session. -------------- ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned. -------------- Clerk 7