Board of Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES August 11, 2025 PRESENT: Mayor Monachino Lapey Trustee Bennett Trustee Case Trustee Mclaughlin Manager Luft ABSENT: Trustee Owen-Michaane Attorney Cornachio 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. The Mayor said that Counsel is out of town, but he will be available for Executive Session. She said that Trustee Owen-Michaane is unable to attend tonight’s meeting because of his work schedule. Trustee Bennett spoke about the new recycling schedule. Paper recycling is now every Wednesday. Paper needs to be at the curb by seven o’clock in the morning or it can be out the night before after seven o’clock at night. Both sets of recycling will be collected every week. The Mayor said that the September Board of Trustees schedule has changed. The meeting dates will be Monday, September 15th and Monday, September 29th. Trustee Case spoke about the eco-friendly solar panels on the roof at Village Hall. He said that it was partially paid for through a grant. Trustee Case spoke about the 9/11 ceremony that is conducted by the Town of Pelham. It is held at eight-thirty and it is located on Schwerner Way across from the Gazebo. The ceremony honors all those from the Town who passed away on September 11th. He said that it is open to the public and he hopes people will be able to attend. Trustee McLaughlin spoke about the Highrook Avenue stormwater project. He said that it is coming along nicely. Manager Luft said that it is more than half way done. ------------- SWEARING IN OF LEONARD ESPOSITO AS A FIREFIGHTER Mayor Monachino Lapey said that the Village has two young gentleman that will be sworn in as firefighters. She congratulated both Chiefs on positioning the Village for the next generation. She said that the firefighters that are being sworn in tonight are brothers. The Mayor said that Leonard Esposito graduated from Pelham Memorial High School in 2022. He studied business at Westchester Community College and for the last year and a half has been an EMT in the FDNY EMS division. She administered the Oath of Office to Leonard Esposito. All in attendance congratulated him 1  SWEARING IN OF SANTINO ESPOSITO AS A FIREFIGHTER The Mayor said that Santino Esposito graduated from Pelham Memorial High School in 2024. He took the Firefighter exam as soon as he was eligible. He was sixteen years old at the time. She administered the Oath of Office to Santino Esposito. All in attendance congratulated him. The Mayor said that both Leonard and Tino have long aspired to follow in their father’s footsteps in the fire service. She said that it was fitting that two brothers are joining us, She sad that they were two fine candidates. ------------ MEETING MINUTES The Mayor asked if there were any comments or questions on the minutes from the Regular meeting on July 21, 2025. There were no comments or questions on the minutes. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the minutes from the Regular meeting on July 21, 2025 be and hereby are approved. ---------- REPORTS Police Commissioner Bennett said that some of the old problems, such as fraud, have reappeared. She asked Police Chief Sancho to elaborate. The Police Chief said that the numbers were up slightly. He said that on the morning of July Twenty- Seventh an individual, who was running through yards and causing damage to homes and property, was apprehended thanks to the rapid response by the patrol division. The suspect was apprehended within minutes of the initial call. The Chief also spoke about a larceny involving an unlocked vehicle. He reminded residents to keep their vehicles locked. The Chief also mentioned an attempted grand larceny by deception. He said that the they tried to get the victim to wire over a substantial amount of money. It was in excess of two hundred thousand dollars. The Chief said that this is happening more and more. Police Commissioner Bennett said that people have to be so careful when they get e-mails. She said that they need to make sure the e mail is right. One wrong digit and sensitive information or funds could be sent to the wrong people. She also commended the Police for catching the person on July 27th so quickly. . The Mayor and Board thanked the Chief for his report. Fire Commissioner Case discussed the monthly report with Chief Greco. He congratulated Chief Greco on the two new firefighters. He said that it was a busy month. Chief Greco said that there were sixty-six calls during the month. The calls included a refrigeration unit on one of the stores that caught fire, two brush fires, two structure fires, one car fire on the highway, three mutual aid calls to Mount Vernon, two mutual aid calls to Pelham and five motor vehicle accidents. The Chief said that one of the calls to Mount Vernon was for an elevator rescue. It was an extremely hot day and people were trapped in an elevator. Fortunately, they were rescued relatively quickly. The Chief reported that he was notified by New York State that Firefighter Paul Sutorius will have his name inscribed on the Fallen Fighters Memorial in October. This is where the names of Firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice are placed. Paul Sutorius passed away in March 2024 due to a 9/11 illness. The Chief also reported that Zoe Fellner, who is president of the 2 Create for First Responders, sent a care package to the Fire Department with thirty-one handmade cards from her group. He said that they were very nice and it was thoughtful. The cards were appreciated. Chief Greco also mentioned that the Fire Department gave brief presentations to the Tiny Tots programs at Prospect and Siwanoy schools. After the presentations, there was a fun-filled water cool down day. The Mayor and Board thanked the Chief for his report. The DPW Foreman earned a five-year certification in storm water management. The Department replaced eight streetlights, planted hydrangeas at the entrance to Shore Park, and completed some sidewalk repairs as well as park maintenance. The streetsweeper came and catch basin cleaning was done. The Highbrook Avenue project is continuing. Although it is early in the fiscal year, fifty percent of the total material collected has been recycled. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the Police, Fire, and DPW reports be and hereby are approved. ---------- CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION TO ADOPT UPDATED PROCUREMENT POLICY The Village’s Procurement Policy has been in need of an update. The Mayor said the Village Manager has researched manuals, consulted trade professionals and reviewed Linked-In industry best practices to come up with an updated policy. The Mayor said that a lot of due diligence was done regarding this policy. Manager Luft said that there were very minimal revisions. It was just keeping up with the times. The proposed procurement policy is on the Village website. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the proposed Procurement Policy, with some modest tweaks, be and hereby is adopted. ----------- SHORE PARK REQUEST Rabbi Benjamin Resnick 804 Wolfs Lane, and Jonathan Kasper, 10 Elm Tree Lane, requested the use of Shore Park on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 from four-thirty in the afternoon until five-thirty in the afternoon for a Rosh Hashanah service. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the request from Rabbi Resnick and Jon Kasper to use Shore Park on Saturday, August 23, 2025 be and hereby is approved. ----------- STREET CLOSING REQUESTS Brooke Monaco, 146 Secor Lane and Anna Simonsen-Meehan, 221 Secor Lane, requested that Secor Lane from Wolfs Lane to Ely Avenue be closed on Saturday, September 6, 2025 from one o’clock in the afternoon until nine o’clock in the evening with a rain date of Sunday, September 7, 2025 for a Block Party. David Sparano, 555 Manor Lane, requested that Manor Lane be closed from 127/128 Manor Lane to 477/478 Manor Lane on Monday, September 1 2025 from three o’clock in the afternoon until eight o’clock in the evening with a rain date of Friday, September 5, 2025 with the hours from seven o’clock in the evening until ten o’clock in the evening. Courtney Maron, 15 BonMar Road, requested that BonMar Road be closed on Sunday, September 21, 3 2025 from four o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening. After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the requests from Brooke Monaco and Anna Simonsen-Meehan to close Secor Lane, David Sparano, to close Manor Lane and Courtney Maron to close BonMar Road be and hereby are approved. - - - -- - - - - - - RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN ABSTRACT OF VOUCHER NUMBERS 33769-33869 After discussion and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that Voucher Numbers 33769-33869 be and hereby are approved. --------- PUBLIC COMMENT The Mayor asked if there was any public comment. There was no public comment. ---------- 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 pending litigation and the employment of a particular person. No action was taken in Executive Session. ---------- ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING The Mayor asked people to enjoy the rest of the summer and Labor Day, She said that she hoped to see people at the 9/11 ceremony. There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned. ---------- Clerk 4