Board of Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES January 13, 2020 PRESENT: Mayor Monachino Lapey Trustee Annunziata Trustee Senerchia Trustee Bennett Trustee Cataldi DeLillo 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 exits were located. OPENING REMARKS The Mayor said that this was the first meeting in 2020 and hoped everyone had a healthy and restful holiday season. She spoke about how beautiful the holiday light display was at Four Corners and commended the Department of Public Works for the maintenance over the holiday season. She spoke about the recent violence against the Jewish community. She thanked Chief Carpenter for being proactive with the Pelham Jewish Center and keeping the lines of communication open during these trying times. She said that we were very sorry to hear of these horrendous acts and we renew our commitment to tolerance and inclusion. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that Trustee Cataldi DeLillo attended the inauguration of the newly elected Town officials and asked her if she wanted to add anything. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that it was wonderful to see so many people came out to support the community and help make Pelham what it is. The Mayor spoke briefly about the monopole being proposed for placement on property owned by the state within the Village’s jurisdiction. The Mayor said that a petition was circulated by residents and, in her opinion, the Village wrote a very persuasive letter. She, Manager Pierpont and another representative from the Village will be attending a meeting with state representatives and representatives from the Department of Transportation on January 30th. She also said that a meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow with Mr. Kaplolwitz, the Deputy Commissioner from Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities, to discuss the Sanitary Sewer District. She asked Mr. Pierpont for a brief overview of the Village’s goals and objectives for tomorrow’s meeting. Manager Pierpont said that the sanitary sewer treatment process is bi furcated between the County and the municipalities that participate. The County operates several sewage treatment plants along Long Island Sound and the Hudson River. The New Rochelle district, the one that the Village is spending so much money on for the rehabilitation of our sewer system, made a presentation to the County Executive saying that they thought it would be more efficiently run if the County incorporated into their operations the collection system the things we’re working on now, because with two systems operating we don’t have the opportunity to spend money as efficiently as it could be done if there were one consolidated district. He said that the County looked at this initially, but now wants to look at it in more detail. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo that she is looking forward to hearing about this and is glad that the County considering and exploring the possibility of consolidating all services under their umbrella for both the collection part of the system and treatment. The County already does the treatment. The Village is responsible for collection. She said that every municipality is responsible for collection. Instead of having services in every little area, this would consolidate everything under one umbrella. The Mayor said that she is also looking forward to this meeting. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that on the topic of the Department of Public Works, she asked Trustee Cataldi DeLillo to give an overview on our waste management strategy and to give a little more clarity and reasoning behind the Board’s decision making. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that she was going into detail and she would read the following prepared statement. Thank you Mayor. As you, the other Trustees and the Village Manager know, the Village of Pelham Manor has a robust comprehensive waste management program. The Program was developed and periodically modified by evaluating each part of the waste stream and determining which method of disposal is most prudent from a cost benefit perspective. Most often times costs are optimized by capitalizing on access to regional facilities or consortium type agreements. In other words, optimized by capitalizing on economy of scale. Benefits, that is, things that may be difficult to quantify but are nonetheless recognized as important, include environmental friendliness. Tonight, as Commissioner of Public Works, I would like to discuss in more detail the food waste piece of our waste stream. Currently this part of the waste stream is sent to the County waste to energy facility in Peekskill. The waste to energy facility does just that. It creates energy from our waste. Any energy generated at the Peekskill facility displaces energy generated by utilizing fossil fuels. Mayor, the County waste to energy facility in Peekskill is the facility you have accurately described in the past as being regulated by both New York State and the Federal Government. Consequently, as required by these regulators, this facility has pollution control equipment integral to its facility operation. In addition to the pollution control and energy generation features, the waste to energy facility also maximizes its efficiency by implementing programs such as capturing waste steam (or steam that does not meet minimum standards for energy generation) and providing it to a laundry facility (further displacing consumption of fossil fuels) and reclamation of metals from the facility’s resulting ash. It is worth noting that since this is a regional facility (serving all of WC) it is a large facility. As a large, regional facility, it offers us tremendous economy of scale not just with respect to the hands on operations but also with respect to the “back room” support that is necessary. Support such as engineering and legal services provided by County staff. So let’s focus on the cost comparisons between what we’re doing now and one particular method of handling, food composting. The current cost for disposal (the tipping fee) to the Village of Pelham Manor at the County facility is $28 per ton. So for every ton (which is equivalent to 2,000 pounds) the Village of Pelham Manor pays $28 for disposal. The Village of Scarsdale pays a $72 per ton tip fee for disposal of their food waste. $72 per ton is 2.5 times greater than $28 per ton so therefore Scarsdale’s cost for tipping is over 2.5 times the cost for disposal at our waste to energy facility. It is also worth noting that Rye pays a $95 per ton tip fee for their food waste program. $95 per ton is 3.4 times greater than what the Village of Pelham Manor pays to tip at our waste to energy facility. It is worth noting that Rye pays this because it is indicative of the fact that once a contract is put out to bid (as we would need to do in order to change our disposal method) the resulting bid prices will likely vary. Variations will likely depend on several things and could include the market at the time of bid as well as individual circumstances associated with the bid request. For example, there could be a higher price associated with a smaller quantity of material. In other words, you often pay less for buying in bulk. We are a very small municipality. Smaller than Rye and smaller than Scarsdale. It is possible we will get similar rates to Scarsdale and Rye but it is also possible we will get higher rates because we’re not producing as much material and therefore will not get the same bulk rate. Given that Scarsdale and Rye pay 2.5 and 3.4 times greater than what the Village of Pelham Manor is currently paying making an assumption that we will pay 2 to 3 times as much as what we are paying for now is a very conservative estimate. It is possible that we could be paying more than 2 to 3 times. With respect to GHGs (or Greenhouse Gases), this is a complex analysis that is recognized in the industry as being difficult. However, there are a couple of very basic things we know. They are as follows: 1. The County facility is located in Westchester County in Peekskill. This is 39 miles away from the Village of Pelham Manor. The composting facility, in contrast, is located in Kingston which is in Ulster County on the other side of the Hudson River. It is 100 miles away from the Village of Pelham Manor. GHGs are emitted by transportation vehicles. It is what they do. The more miles they travel the more GHGs they emit. Therefore, when you more than double the miles traveled (as would be the case with disposal at the Kingston facility) you also more than double the amount of GHG emissions. 2. Once the waste is transported to Peekskill and is processed into energy at the facility it is tremendously reduced in volume (actually by 90%). Therefore, the number of trucks required to remove what comes out of the facility is significantly reduced. In contrast, when the food waste is composted it does not experience nearly the same level of volume reduction. Therefore, in order to get the final product to its final destination a much larger number of trucks are required to move it. 3. Once food waste is separated and handled separately and transported separately, it will result in more truck traffic. Because it will be handled separately. With respect to vector and rodent control, it is widely accepted in the industry that food composting presents challenges with respect to control of these nuisances. This Board’s past statements regarding Scarsdale’s method for control were based on what was presented to us by Scarsdale (both Scarsdale residents who advocated for the initiation of the program and their paid professional staff) during the WMOA 2017 presentation. It is worth noting that it was not our intent to indicate that Scarsdale is experiencing issues with vectors and rodents. Merely that they are controlling them by utilizing the methods that they described during the WMOA presentation. So, what has the Board been doing since 2017? The Board continues to monitor not only the composting management option for food waste but others. The Village Manager consults not only with his professional administrative colleagues in other municipalities (including Scarsdale which he took the opportunity to visit recently) but also through formal meetings with the County (for example, the Westchester Shared Services Panel which the Village Manager attended on 12/16/19). Out of all of this, what is most interesting to me is the County is on the verge of issuing an important report about a possible regional solution to food scraps. This solution is not anticipated to be composting. It is anticipated to be digestion of food waste or co-digestion of food waste with sewage sludge. This solution is a very exciting concept. I believe it’s exciting for several reasons. They are as follows: 1. It will be a large regional facility and therefore present an economy of scale. Something we are always looking for so that we can continue to keep costs down and stay within the tax cap. 2. It is a local solution that will require less truck miles (both for delivery of food wastes and for removal of product). 3. It is a much tighter example of a circular economy. The gas created will likely be injected into the gas grid at or very near the point of gas generation and consumed locally. 4. It will obviate the need for additional trucking once the food waste has been processed into its final form, gas and therefore result in less GHG generation. 5. This solution could provide relief to our current state where no further natural gas conversations are allowed because of an inadequate gas conveyance capacity. In other words, food digestion results in a local source of gas. Gas that can be used to heat homes and cook food. Mayor Monachino Lapey thanked Trustee Cataldi DeLillo for her thoughtful and articulately presented overview. The Mayor asked Department of Public Works Superintendent John Pierpont, who has been looking at the food waste issue for several years, to speak about the food scrap program in Scarsdale. He recently met with a colleague and visited the Scarsdale site. Mr. Pierpont said that he met with a former department of public works head and licensed professional engineer. He wanted to see how they handle and incorporate additional work into their schedule. He looked at the Village of Pelham Manor’s scope of operation. The Village of Pelham Manor’s entire campus, for police, fire, dpw and the office, is sixty thousand square feet. The Village of Scarsdale has six hundred thousand square feet just for its department of public works. They have two offices on site that are staffed by full time employees. He said that Pelham Manor does not have that. The recycling center is not staffed on a full time basis. He said that Scarsdale has a very nice operation. They do curbside collection without any additional help. They do have half the Village on Monday and the other half on Tuesday, and they have two trucks for each route. Mr. Pierpont said that he is trying to see if this makes economic sense. He said that the toter cans are lined with compostable bags. Toter containers can get contaminated and residents or employees clean the containers with ammonia and water. Trustee Annunziata asked if they gave him any idea of the percentage of residents participating. Mr. Pierpont said that, according to a report done by Scarsdale in July 2019, twenty two percent of households in Scarsdale are registered for the food scrap collection program but not everyone who is registered participates on a weekly basis. Trustee Annunziata said that seventy eight percent are not participating and are sending the material to Charles Point. Thirty-six of forty-three municipalities do send waste to Charles Point. The other seven, not in the refuse district, use private carters. The Mayor said that we keep an open mind and are always willing to hear new information. She said that this Board does not restrict public comment. She said that in 2017 we were one of the few municipalities that sent a huge delegation to learn about this program in Scarsdale. Seven people, from our small village went because we care and are interested in learning. She said public comment is always available. We remain open and available and ready to listen. The Mayor said that we welcome anyone during the public comment session. She said that we have accepted a variety of presentations during the public comment period and have taken steps and measures based on presentations of public comment. Trustee Senerchia asked Mr. Pierpont approximately how many full-time people are located at the Scarsdale Department of Public Works or the recycling area and was told that there were three full time workers when he visited the site. Trustee Bennett spoke about the tremendous number of volunteers. Mr. Pierpont said that he didn’t see any volunteers at that time he was there, but said that they could be there on weekends. -------------- MINUTES FROM THE DECEMBER 16, 2019 REGULAR MEETING The Mayor asked if there were any comments, questions or corrections to the minutes. There were no comments, questions or corrections. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the minutes from the Regular Meeting on December 16, 2019 be and hereby are approved. ------------ SWEARING IN NEW POLICE OFFICER JOHN LUISO Mayor Monachino Lapey read the following bio for John Luiso. John Luiso is twenty-one years old and currently resides in Harrison. John is a 2016 graduate of Rye Neck High School in Mamaroneck. John has spent a significant amount of time in East Africa organizing, collecting and distributing school supplies to children in underdeveloped communities. More recently, John worked as a civilian dispatcher for the Harrison Police Department. John is currently training at the Westchester County Police Academy and is due to graduate at the end of May. We are looking forward to John becoming a part of our organization. She administered the oath of office and all in attendance congratulated the new police officer. ----------- REPORTS Police Commissioner Annunziata discussed the Police report with Chief Carpenter. He said that it was one of the longest reports he’s seen. It had five hundred eighty-nine incidents in the month of December. He said that there were forty arrests which generated a lot of paperwork and a lot of hard work. Commissioner Annunziata said that there were three more incidents where automobiles were entered overnight. The vehicles were unlocked and entered. He said coins are usually stolen, but now garage doors are being opened by remote openers. Chief Carpenter said that change is usually taken from unlocked cars, but now something new is happening. He said that we are crossing a threshold and they are going to the next level with a garage opener leading to cars and into homes. The Police Commissioner again warned residents about leaving purses in plain sight. He asked people not to leave valuables in cars and urged them to lock their automobiles. He also mentioned seven instances of packages being taken from outside homes. They have been dubbed porch pirates and this is being done nationwide. The Chief said that it is a nation-wide epidemic. Police Commissioner Annunziata said that it looked like the same person was taking the packages. The person was captured on ring doorbell cameras. He said if something looks suspicious, the resident should report it. The Police Commissioner spoke about two instances of fraud. He said a grandmother was called and tricked into sending eight thousand dollars to someone who said her grandchild needed help. He said that if someone gets this type of call to contact the relative or someone who knows the relative. She didn’t and lost the money. Chief Carpenter said that they can also call the police who can investigate the request. Police Commissioner Annunziata asked if there are statistics on the new “no bail” law on how many people return for their court date. The Police Commissioner said that a person from New York City who was involved in a burglary was released without bail and while he was out, he committed another burglary. He expressed concerns about this new law. He said that the Chief manages a good department. The Mayor and Board thanked the Police Chief for his report. Fire Commissioner Senerchia discussed the monthly report with Fire Chief Ruggiero. There were fifty-two calls and fifty-two alarms this month. It was very busy. On December First, there was a fire loss. Fire Chief Ruggiero said that it was a ten thousand dollar loss. It was a HVAC unit on Dave & Busters roof. The tower ladder was used to handle the fire on the roof. There was also someone stuck in the elevator at Storage Post. The person was removed from the elevator. There was a dumpster fire at Fairway. A bag of coffee at the bottom of the dumpster started the fire. The Mayor and Board thanked the Fire Chief for his report. The Village Treasurer gave the November report. He said that it is half way through the fiscal year. He said that everything on the expense side is tracking under fifty percent and revenues are ahead of projections. He said that this is leading him to believe the Village will have a good fiscal year. He said that the police department is at three hundred percent of what was budgeted because the Village was reimbursed by Con Edison and Suez for the Pelhamdale Avenue project. The Village Clerk said that building permits were down in December. There were only thirty- three for the month, but the pace has started to pick up again in January. Twenty- two notices of violation were sent. They were mostly for leaves placed at the curb on the wrong date or leaves that were not bagged after December Fifteenth. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Police, Fire, Village Treasurer and Village Clerk reports be and hereby are adopted. -------------- GIRL SCOUT GARDEN PROJECT Caroline Michailoff is a tenth grade student at Pelham High School who is working on the Girl Scout Gold Award which is the most prestigious award in the Girl Scouts. She said that she would like to plant a pollinator garden because pollinators are on the decline. She said that this type of garden needs sunlight, maintenance and irrigation. She wants to attract butterflies, bees and moths to this garden. It would be three feet by three feet. She spoke about why pollinators are important. She said that she has worked with Amy Kaplan, who is a member of the Pelham Preservation and Garden Society, on the location. She requested the use of the park on Boston Post Road across from Weihman Park for her service project. She said that she is also keeping a blog and teaching younger scouts about pollinator gardens and encouraging them to plant seeds at their own homes. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that this was a high level document and very impressive. She said it was a great expansion of a project started a few years ago by Matthew Spana who was an Eagle Scout candidate. She thought it was fitting that this project gives the Girl Scouts an opportunity to support this area. She asked the Village Manager if it was sustainable. Manager Pierpont said that on the scale being proposed, a three by three garden, it was sustainable. Trustee Annunziata asked if the Village has an irrigation system there and was told yes. Trustee Bennett said that this was a wonderful project which also involves teaching younger scouts about the environment. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the proposal by Caroline Michailoff be and hereby is approved. Caroline Michailoff and the Village Manager will work together on a specific area that meets her needs and the Village’s needs on sustainability and maintenance. ------------ RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE VILLAGE MANAGER TO SIGN INTERMUNICIPAL AGREEMENT WITH WESTCHESTER COUNTY TO USE VOTING MACHINES FOR THE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020 VILLAGE ELECTION This is an Intermunicipal Agreement with Westchester County to use their voting machines and privacy booths for the Village Election on March 18, 2020. The Village signs this agreement every year. 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 Intermunicipal Agreement with Westchester County to use voting machines for the Village Election to be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. ------------- RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE VILLAGE MANAGER TO SIGN THE INTERMUNICIPAL AGREEMENT WITH WESTCHESTER COUNTY FOR THE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP) The Employee Assistance Program is a program for Village employees and their families that is done on an anonymous basis. It can be used to address such things as financial problems and mental health issues. It costs the Village approximately three thousand dollars per year. The cost is forty-five dollars per employee. This is for the employees and their families. It is a shared service. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that she liked that it was a shared service and that this can be done in a personal way. Staff can use this program and not worry about a personal issue becoming more public. 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 Intermunicipal Agreement with Westchester County to provide the Employee Assistance Program. ------------ RESOLUTION TO APPOINT ELECTION INSPECTORS FOR THE MARCH 18, 2020 ELECTION After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the following people be and hereby are appointed Election Inspectors for the March 18, 2020 Village Election at a rate of eighteen dollars and seventy-five cents per hour. 1) Ann Perna 2) Christine Genovese 3) Richard Genovese 4) Bridie Doino 5) Rocco Doino BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees may provide for alternative inspectors who shall assume the same office of inspector upon the inability or refusal of an inspector to perform his/her duties and for any clerical help which may be deemed necessary. ------------- RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN ABSTACT OF VOUCHERS NUMBERS 27044-27149 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 27044-27149. -------------- OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Monachino Lapey asked if there was any comment from the public. Maurice Owen-Michaane, 457 Siwanoy Place, spoke about Laura Paci, a Village office employee who recently retired. He said that he enjoyed working with her and would miss her. He also said that Britten Hoerrner, 969 Edgewood Avenue, was unable to attend the meeting and was interested in an update on pedestrian safety on Boston Post Road and the Esplanade. Manager Pierpont said that the Village submitted plans and we will have a pedestrian walk signal with a count down clock. It will not be all way. He said that Department of Transportation approval is needed so we can get prices. Mr. Owen-Michaane, asked if there was an estimate on when this might happen. Manager Pierpont said that he would expect approval by the end of the month. Trustee Annunziata said that this type of work would normally take at least two years if you expected the DOT to come up with the money. He said that the Village has funding from Assemblywoman Amy Paulin for this job which is why it can move more quickly. Manager Pierpont said that the Village has the commitment, and expects that it will see the money at some point. Nick Hartman, 516 Pelhamdale Avenue, spoke about backyard composting. He said that his family composts. A three by three area produces a high quality compost. He said it is very effective and works well for his family. Trustee Bennett asked if there was any turning involved with backyard composting. Mr. Hartman said there are links that you can go to for additional information. He said it’s very simple and he only adds dry leaves. Trustee Annunziata asked how long it takes to get compost and was told that it’s faster in the summer and he gets two harvests per year. He said that it can be used in vegetable and flower gardens. He said that he has a three by three compost area behind his garage. The Mayor and Board thanked Mr. Hartman for this information. Toby Marxuach-Gusciora, 901 Plymouth Street, asked if there was any new information on the e- commerce proposal. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that the Board is continuing to look at the proposal. She said that there were some concerns about the lack of control of the certificate of occupancy. They are looking at the proposal and the zoning language and they are continuing to look at it. She said that they are not interested in changing the zoning unless it benefits the Village of Pelham Manor. Trustee Senerchia said that the control of the certificate of occupancy is very important to us. Ada Weishaupl, 39 Sherwood Avenue, complemented the Village on the decorations at Four Corners and asked if a menorah could be included in the decorations next year. Mayor Monachino Lapey asked Mr. Pierpont if he could look into that possibility. -------------- EXECUTIVE SESSION 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 No action was taken in Executive Session. RESUMPTION OF REGULAR MEETING SALARY ADJUSTMENT After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, That the following salary adjustments be and hereby are approved: Village Manager $ 175,500.00 Effective January 1, 2020 Village Clerk $ 36,275.00 Effective January 1, 2020 To be paid in equal weekly payments with an additional payment of $34,000.00 in the first pay period of January 2020 and a longevity payment of $35,500 in the first pay period of June 2020, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Village Manager’s annual housing allowance of $5,500.00 be paid on June 1, 2020. -------------- ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned. -------------- Clerk