Board of Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES January 9, 2023 PRESENT: Mayor Monachino Lapey Trustee Senerchia Trustee Bennett Trustee Owen-Michaane 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 safety exits were located. ------------ OPENING REMARKS Mayor Monachino Lapey opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. She wished everyone a Happy New Year and said that it was back to business. The Mayor said that both Villages looked gorgeous for the holidays and complimented the Chamber of Commerce on holiday events that they sponsored. The Mayor said that there are updates on the red light cameras and asked the Village Manager for a little more information on the cameras. The Village Manager said that the application for a permit was sent to the Department of Transportation and they had some comments. The comments have been responded to and the Village anticipates a work permit shortly. He said that he met with the Police Department regarding the traffic concerns on Wolfs Lane and placing a stealth camera in the area to monitor traffic. It was put up for one week and when it was taken down it was discovered that there was a problem with the camera. That has been fixed and now there will be one week of data in one direction and then another week of data collection in the other direction. He said that a traffic engineer will look into a speed limit of less than thirty miles per hour and will give the Village a memo on that. The Village Manager said that he’s working on that for other communities as well and he’s sure the traffic engineer will provide a thoughtful response. The Mayor asked about the intersection on Pelhamdale Avenue and Grant Avenue and was told that a possible crosswalk at Grant and Pelhamdale will also be reviewed by the traffic engineer. There is a vertical curve there which makes it hard to see, and we’re asking if a crosswalk can be put there safely. The Mayor spoke about exciting news. She said that the Board has identified a successful candidate for the Village Manager’s position. The person is serving with a wonderful track record in a nearby municipality and is in the process notifying their employer and colleagues there. The Mayor said that the Board is not releasing the name at this time. She thanked her colleagues for all the time expended on this search. The Mayor said that during the height of holiday season there were preliminary and additional rounds to get to the three final candidates. She said that during a very busy holiday season, the Board took a Saturday and met with the three finalists. She said that they undertook comprehensive and robust discussions and are satisfied that we have selected the best person for the job and we are looking to move forward. ------------ 1 RESLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT ON TERMS PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES BETWEEN THE VILLAGE AND THE NEW VILLAGE MANAGER After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Mayor be and hereby is authorized to sign an agreement on terms previously reviewed by the Board of Trustees between the Village and the new Village Manager. ---------- MINUTES FROM THE DECEMBER 12, 2022 REGULAR MEETING The Mayor asked if there were any questions, comments or corrections to the minutes. There were no edits to the minutes. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was RESOLVED, that the minutes from the December 12, 2022 Regular Meeting be and hereby are approved. ----------- RESOLUTION FOR ACTION ON LOCAL LAW A OF 2022 After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that Local Law A of 2022, based on our work, our hearing, our due diligence and our efforts, as described in the record, be and hereby is passed. ------------ REPORTS Fire Commissioner Senerchia asked the Fire Chief to discuss four calls. Three required ventilation and one was a structure fire on Christmas Eve. Chief Greco spoke about the fire on Christmas Eve. The call was for smoke with possible fire. The Village received mutual aid from Pelham and New Rochelle and Larchmont was on standby. Pelham Engine Five and Pelham Manor worked hand in hand and New Rochelle checked the roof. The Mayor said that even during the holidays everything can grind to a halt for our service providers and that is not lost on us. Fire Commissioner Senerchia spoke about a car fire and said that your responding to the unknown is recognized. It was noted that career officers had seventy-two hours of training and volunteer firefighters had four hours of training. The Chief will fly out to Wisconsin at the end of January to inspect the new fire truck. It will then go to Patterson, New York to have radios and other equipment installed. After that, it will be delivered to Pelham Manor. The firefighters will then train on the new equipment. Chief Greco spoke about a tree down on Mount Tom and Pelhamdale Avenue, an occupant extrication, Captain Rebholz attending Officer training and Firefighter Hade graduating from the Academy on January Eighteenth. The Mayor noted that both Captain Rebholz, Firefighter Hade and Chief Greco graduated from 2 Pelham Manor elementary schools and Pelham High School. The Mayor and Board thanked Chief Greco for his report. The DPW Superintendent said that leaf collection ended in December and eighty-two point forty- four percent of the total waste stream was recycled. Street lights were replaced, the street sweeper was in and parks were cleaned-up to the extent possible, which was about eighty-five percent. The remaining fifteen percent will be done in the Spring. Some sidewalk trip hazards were repaired. The Village Clerk said that there were twenty-five building permits, twenty-two notices of violation, eighteen dog licenses, five applications for the Board of Appeals meeting, and six Letters in Lieu of a Certificate of Occupancy. House trading is waning and a close eye will be kept on that. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Fire, DPW and Village Clerk reports be and hereby are adopted. ------------ RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN ABSTRACT OF VOUCHERS NUMBERS 30709-30802 After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Mayor be and hereby is authorized to sign Vouchers Numbers 30709-30802. ------------- PUBLIC COMMENT Anthony Marrella, 103 Iden Avenue, spoke about Split Rock Road from a religious point of view. He said that Moses needed water for people to drink. He said that we had our own Moses (Robert Moses) who managed to part the Bronx with the Cross Bronx Expressway. Alexy Scholl, 1076 Grant Avenue asked about updates on receiving streams on Pelham Bay Park and handicapped access for the Police Department. The Village Manager said that the Village had follow up meetings. The Parks Department cleared some large logs that were thirty inches in diameter. He said that Amtrak has been very responsive. Parks was supposed to do more, but they had some equipment problems. The Thruway Authority has also been helpful. He said that the Village’s consultant is working on the Stormwater Assessment and aerial mapping is in the first quarter of 2023. Video of every foot of the storm drain system has been done. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that all those parameters such as type of pipe, condition and elevation of pipe, get plugged into the model. All that information needed to be collected. Every data point needed to be collected. This is an investment and it takes time. She said the model allows us to play the what if game. We will be able to run simulations of cost benefit analyses. We will be able to see what will provide the most relief. It is a way of setting a road map. Simulations allow us to run changes. The Mayor said that we have targeted areas where we’ve experienced the most issues and the engineers will also offer recommendations. The Manager said that extensive mitigation measures have already been done in these areas. Trustee Cataldi DeLillo said that some work has been done. It is not the cost benefit analysis. The Village is moving forward. The Village Manager said that the Village hired people from the American Spine Institute, who are 3 ADA advocates, to review the Village buildings. We are asking the engineer to put together a package for the Village and an ADA ramp for the Police Department is on the list. Allison Frost, 4579 Boston Post Road spoke about the Fire and Police contracts that expired in 2019 and 2020. She spoke about the rate of inflation and wanted to know if the Village put enough money aside. The Village Manager said that he was not prepared to talk about what the Village may or may not have financed in terms of labor relations in collective bargaining. The Mayor said that we have the best first responder team, but we also have legal constraints. She said that we are fiduciaries to every resident in the Village of Pelham Manor. She said that we are not going to negotiate against ourselves. The Mayor said that we are in active negotiations, and the. Village has a history of making very reasonable offers. Allison Frost spoke about budgeted legal fees of ninety- seven thousand five hundred dollars, traffic safety, running stop signs and a car on the Siwanoy Path. She was told that the legal bills should be inside the Village’s budget for the end of the year. The car accident on Boston Post Road on December Sixth was discussed. Trustee Owen-Michaane said that the Siwanoy Path is under the purview of the Pelham School District and School Superintendent Cheryl Champ is working on that. The Mayor said that the Police Department is working with the School District on this issue. Trustee Bennett said that she went to look at it when she got a memo on it. The Village Manager said that they are looking at incremental ways, such as bike racks, to address the issue as opposed to fixed barriers. Melissa Eustace, 476 Esplanade, spoke about road safety, bicycle safety, and applying for state grants. She mentioned the Complete Streets grant. She was told that the Board looks at all grants and the Village avails itself of state monies. Melissa Eustace asked how she would know if the Village applied for a grant and was told that any grant application would be discussed at a Board meeting. Benjamin Argyle, 440 Pelhamdale Avenue, asked about the Phase II report and was told that all engineering reporting should be done by the end of the first quarter. Toby Marxuach Gusciora, 901 Plymouth Street, said that she did not think that the Pelham Country Club should be granted an exemption from the law banning gasoline powered leaf blowers. The Mayor said that we’ve looked long and hard at this and said that we have a good law on the books. Trustee Bennett said that we are fiduciaries for all in the Village and we listen to everybody. She said that she stood behind the law and the decisions we made. Trustee Owen-Michaane thought that the law struck a good balance. Trustees Bennett and Senerchia attended a conference on electric landscaping tools in the Fall of 2021. Companies have made strides but the technology isn’t there yet. The Village is staying on top of this. Steven Shekane, 917 Washington Avenue, asked for an update on the former Knuckleheads on Boston Post Road. 4 The Manager said the property owner, who is also a resident, has until the first five to six months of 2023 to complete exterior work or he knows that he will be in court. He is aware of this issue. He said that their time is running out and there will be violations involved. Mr. Shekane said that he has heard that this is going to be a chain restaurant. The Manager said that he was under the impression that this was going to be his own independent restaurant rather than associated with a chain. ----------- EXECUTIVE SESSION The Mayor said that there were issues regarding an employment 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 – Collective Bargaining No action was taken in Executive Session. -------------- ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned. -------------- Clerk 5