Board of Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES February 28, 2022 PRESENT: Mayor Monachino Lapey Trustee Bennett Trustee Owen-Michaane Trustee Cataldi DeLillo Attorney Cornachio Manager Pierpont ABSENT: Trustee Senerchia 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 Mayor Monachino Lapey opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. She said that Trustee Senerchia sends his regrets. He had to travel out of the country for business. She said that they have spoken and he is up to speed on the issues. The Mayor said that approximately two weeks ago she participated in a forum that was sponsored by Pelham High School and the Pelham Civic Association. It was a zoom call with the student body, Assemblywoman Paulin, State Senator Biaggi, Town Supervisor McLaughlin and Mayor Mullen regarding opportunities for public service and volunteerism. The Mayor said that this Board is a good example of that. She said that it was an honor to speak to the student body. She said that Pelham High School is her alma mater. The Mayor also said that the CDC (Center for Disease Control) has introduced new metrics. There is a new rating system. Fortunately, Westchester County is currently at a low level on the new rating system. She said that we stay in close contact with our County colleagues, the health department and the State. ----------- MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 14, 2022 REGULAR MEETING The Mayor asked if there were any questions, comments for corrections on the minutes. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that on page five under Public Comment in the third paragraph on the third line it should read that Con Ed is the wheeler of power instead of wielder of power. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was RESOLVED, that the minutes from the February 14, 2022 Regular Meeting be and hereby are approved as amended. ----------- REPORTS Mayor Monachio Lapey discussed the Fire Report with Chief Ruggiero. She said that the department responds pretty routinely to the Hutchinson River Parkway for fire and accident calls. She said that sometimes we are the primary responder. Chief Ruggiero said that the department had several calls on I-95 and the Hutch. 1 The Mayor said that there was a structure fire with a one hundred fifty thousand dollar loss at The Hamlet. The Chief said that it was a dryer vent fire that took over a wall and some cabinets. He said that these things happen very quickly. He said that residents should clean the dryer vents. The Mayor said that most recommendations from manufacturers say that they should be cleaned before every load. The Chief said that is recommended for the lint traps in dryers. He said that that the vents should be cleaned annually. He suggested they be cleaned when smoke detector batteries are being changed. The Mayor said that Schuyler Park was the last structure fire that she remembered. It involved the loss of one life. She said that it is really important to remember that the proximity of the fire department to every structure in this Village is a real benefit. She said if they had to travel more there could have been more deaths. Village is one point three square miles and everything is centrally located. The Fire Chief said that the woman who died as a result of that fire was rescued. She died in the hospital several days later. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that one of the firefighters revived the woman. Trustee Owen-Michaane spoke about the service departments in a built-out community. He said that this is a small Village with resources and infrastructure that are the right size. If things were to expand exponentially it would take a toll on the infrastructure and service departments and the high level of service we provide. The Mayor and Board thanked the Fire Chief for his report. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Fire report be and hereby is approved. ----------- ACTION ON LOCAL LAW REGARDING ADDITIONAL VETERANS’ REAL PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the local law regarding an additional veterans’ real property tax exemption be and hereby is adopted. Trustee Owen-Michaane said the Village has many veterans and he thought that this was the least we could do. He said that he was grateful that this Board could pass this law. ---------- ACTION REGARDING PROJECT COMMUNITY COLOR RUN The Mayor said that the Color Run has been approved in concept. It had been proposed and rescheduled several times due to Covid. The Mayor asked that this be coordinated with the Police Department. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Color Run to benefit Project Community be and hereby is approved 2  for Sunday, May 22, 2022 from ten o’clock in the morning until two o’clock in the afternoon. ------------ RESOLUTION TO RESCHEDULE THE MARCH 14, 2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TO THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 AT 8:15 P.M. Mayor Monachino said that all the Board members are volunteers and sometimes our schedules are unable to accommodate a regularly scheduled meeting. That is the case with the March Fourteenth Board meeting. To accommodate schedules, the meeting will be rescheduled to March Tenth, Two Thousand Twenty-Two at eight fifteen in the evening. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting be and hereby is rescheduled form March Fourteenth Two Thousand Twenty-Two to March Tenth, Two Thousand Twenty-Two at eight fifteen in the evening. ------------ RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN ABSTRACT OF VOUCHERS NUMBERS 29725-29763 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 29725-29763. ---------------- PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Monachino Lapey asked if anyone had any comments or questions. Amy Goodman,1242 Pelhamdale Avenue, wanted to follow up on Westchester Power. She followed up on whether individuals can opt in to the program. She said that she corresponded with Dan Welsh, the program director. She was told that individuals cannot opt into the program on their own. She said that the director’s door is always open and said that he encourages dialogue. She said that Westchester Power is Sustainable Westchester’s program. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that we’ve met in person with Dan Welsh. She said that we’ve looked at this program several times. You have to opt the whole Village in and then residents will be able to opt out. The Mayor said that this is an interesting concept. It’s important to note that we have to look into what’s appropriate for the entire community. She said that we asked the Village Manager to look into information on the Con Ed rate and said that people can switch to an ESCO. She asked the Village Manager to speak about some research he’s done. Manager Pierpont said that he went to the Sustainable Westchester site. They publish their rates and Con Edison’s rates from 2016. He looked at 2017 to January 2022 which had a big spike for Con Ed. If the Village had been in Westchester Power from January 2017 residents would have paid a higher electric rate. It would have been two percent higher for the entire time period. He said that the last two years Westchester Power has been significantly higher than Con Edison. It is a more expensive source of power over time. He said that this was done using the Standard Rate or it would have been higher. He said that it is a shame that individuals can’t opt in on their own, but said that it their business. Amy Goodman said that was all correct. The last variable was the biggest jump in five years. She said that there was no clear explanation for this. She said that there is no fixed rate available. Ms. Goodman said that twenty-nine of forty-four municipalities have opted to participate in this program. 3 The Mayor asked what was behind the thinking of not allowing individuals to opt in. She said that Ms. Goodman wanted the Village to opt the Village into a more expensive program and then ask residents to opt out. Amy Goodman asked that this program be reconsidered. She said that it was worthwhile considering. She said that it’s available to two thirds of the county, there is an option to cap a rate for an extended period of time and there is the ability to opt in and opt out. Mayor Monachino said that the Board has considered this. They have taken a hard look at it and had a phone conversation with the program director. She said that the numbers bear out that our decision has been a good one and, so far, a prudent one. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that what happened last month was a swing. Costs will probably go up, but they aren’t going to do this. They will probably bounce around and these caps will eventually go up. She said that they have to because they’re buying the same power as Con Edison. She said that we have five years’ worth of data. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that the data doesn’t suggest, it says that we would have been paying two percent more over the last five years. She said that this is something for us to continue to look at. She said that she was happy to look at any material Ms. Goodman has on this issue. She said that we will continue to revisit it and if it makes a really compelling business decision, we will have a conversation at that time. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo agreed with Ms. Goodman that we’re in a transitional period, but said that you don’t do a knee jerk reaction because of that. She said that we have five years of data and will keep an eye on it. She said that on June Thirtieth it will reset and we will be in a free market environment and maybe something more competitive will happen. Manager Pierpont spoke about volume discount and said that Con Ed has millions of customers. He said this is like buying insurance. He gave the example of going broke if a company can’t deliver at these prices. He said that they have to build in a margin of error. He said that the market spiked last month. He said that the spot market has beaten the fixed market over time. He said that some ESCOs have flat or fixed rates for a time period. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that she would be happy to look at any additional information. Attorney Cornachio asked if Ms. Goodman received an answer on why individuals can’t opt in on their own. Ms. Goodman said she didn’t receive an answer but said that they’re regulated by the New York State Public Service Commission. Cindy Courtien, 1044 Clay Avenue, asked if the discussion was about gas and electric and was told that the discussion has been about electric. Ms. Courtien spoke about a budget plan that Con Edison has for customers. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that they offer a level billing plan. They use a projection for the year and divide that by twelve. Ms. Goodman said that we been discussing electric. There is a level plan but it is an estimate. They don’t offer a fixed rate. Matt Thompson, 662 Colonial Avenue, spoke about having a connection with the Red Cross and said that they provide outreach programs such as having working smoke alarms and putting together “Go Bags” . The Mayor said that the Village Manager can put him in touch with the Fire Chief. Mr. Thompson spoke about the shortage of athletic fields and said that he was looking for space. He said that the construction at Prospect and Hutchinson schools has caused a shortage of space. He said that the high school has the right of first refusal. Recreation is next in line and then other programs. He said that there are fourteen programs that are vying for space. 4 Trustee Bennett asked about Spring Road. She said that the Town signed an agreement with the Bronx to use the space. Mr. Thomoson said that the Bronx has first right of refusal. Trustee Bennett said that she was there when the agreement was made and they never used it. Mr. Thompson said that the Bronx is using it now. Manager Pierpont asked if the Town was still maintaining that field. Trustee Bennett said that the Recreation Commission was maintaining it. Mayor Monachino said that we always try to help out. She said that our fields are not maintained to be used as recreations fields. She said that Shore Park is not suitable for athletic contests. She said that Trestle Field has been used in the past. It borders the Pelham Country Club golf course and there are wildlife issues. She said that a child was injured. She said that there are incredible insurance considerations. The Mayor said that we have to balance equities. Manager Pierpont said that Shore Park won’t stand up to any athletic use and it has deed issues. Mr. Thompson said that he was looking for space for Pelham Travel Soccer. He said that he was told that they could use Glover Field at eight thirty at night. He said they may need to look at Westchester County parks and space in New Rockelle, but wanted to see what might be available in Pelham first. The Mayor said that Shore Park is unique. It was a landfill and it has deed restrictions. She said that a child was injured at Trestle Field. She asked if the Board of Education could balance the schedules a little. Mr. Thompson said that they can’t. There are six programs, then Recreation, then the Travel teams. The travel teams include baseball, lacrosse, and soccer. He said that he wanted to exhaust all resources before going outside Pelham. The Manager spoke about some Village green space between James Street and Francis Street near the Pelham Jewish Center. He said that the park is not completely level. It has a pitch to it, but said that it might work. Mayor Monachino Lapey said that we all support athletics. She said that we can reach out to our insurance carrier. She said that the last time we got to yes, had the incident, and the carrier said no. Mr. Thompson said that they had rented space from Christ Church. It also has wildlife issues. Trustee Bennett asked about the age groups involved. She was told that U 9 has four teams. U 10 has four teams and U 11 has four teams. Each practice is one hour. Trustee Bennet suggested that Mr. Thompson talk to Recreation again. She said that they definitely have room at Spring Road. He said that that they have one time a week at three thirty. Trustee Bennett asked about Saturday morning and was told that they need two practices a week. Trustee Bennett said that this is not a new problem, but it gets solved. She said that it will get solved. The children will play. She said that Christ Church might be an option for younger kids. The Mayor said that we will reach out to our carrier and said that Mr. Thompson should contact the Village Manager. 5 Trustee Owen-Michaane commented that half of Con Edison’s bill is supply. Con Ed owns all the lines so half the cost is always going to be the delivery. He thought that the salaries of some of the company’s officials were grossly inappropriate. He suggested people tell the Governor and Con Ed to stop raising prices. Amy Goodman said that half the bill price is between eleven and thirteen cents. This varied two cents. She said that there are two separate entities of our bill to be considered. Allison Frost, 4579 Boston Post Road, asked what Trestle Park was used for and was told that it is green space and used as a passive park. She asked about the status of the red light camera and was told that it was not installed yet. Allison Frost, 4579 Boston Post Road spoke about the data the Board reads from. She said that according to the Open Meetings Law the reports should be posted on the website twenty-four hours before the meeting. She said that any public records should be available twenty- four hours prior to the meeting. The Mayor said some reports, the police in particular, would have to be redacted. Attorney Cornachio said that the Village complies with the Open Meetings Law. Toby Marxuach-Gusciora, 901 Plymouth Street, asked about the status of The Monopole and Save the Sound lawsuits. Village Attorney Cornachio said The Monopole is in Appeals and there has been no decision from the Appellate Court. He said that he had a call in to outside counsel for an update on Save the Sound, but he doesn’t have that information. He said that he will find out. ------------ EXECUTIVE SESSION The Mayor said that there were issues 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 a 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 6