Mayor & Village Board of Trustees

VILLAGE OF PELHAM BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013 7:30 PM VILLAGE HALL – 195 SPARKS AVENUE, PELHAM, NY Minutes 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Mayor’s Report 4. Trustees’ Reports 5. Village Administrator’s Report 6. Public Comment Approximate Starting Time # Agenda Items: of Discussion Non-Recurring Items 7:40 p.m. 7. Update on Wolfs Lane Park Improvements Discussed Reports and other Business 8:15 p.m. 8. Monthly Budget Review Discussed 9. Grants- Status Report Discussed 10. Other Business Discussed Recurring Items 9:00 p.m. 11. Authorizing Accounts Payable Approved 12. Authorizing Minutes of: January 15, 2013, February 5, 2013 Approved 13. Adjournment to Executive Session 9:30 p.m. Next Regularly Scheduled BOT Meetings: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 Wednesday, March 20, 2013 Proposed Meetings for Budget Work Sessions: Monday March 25, 2013-PD, Building Wednesday, March 27, 2013-FD. DPW Thursday, March 28, 2013-Revenue/Expense All meetings start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. * The Agenda is subject to change Item #1 – Meeting called to order: The meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order by Mayor Hotchkiss at 7:30 p.m. The following members of the Board of Trustees were present: Mayor Hotchkiss, Trustees Lewis, Kagan, McGoldrick, Marty, Morris, Marciona Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, February 19, 2013 The following members of the Board of Trustees were absent: Village staff in attendance: Village Administrator Robert Yamuder and Secretary to the Village Administrator Peter Bonington Item #2 – Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Hotchkiss Reports Mayor Hotchkiss’s Report Mayor Hotchkiss began his report by saying some residents noticed that Metro-North had shoveled a mound of snow on the steps leading up to the platform. He said Administrator Yamuder had contacted Metro-North and lodged a complaint and asked them to remove the snow and not pile it in front of pedestrian walkways. The Mayor said the public hearing for the commercial zoning changes will take place in March. Trustees Reports: Trustee Lewis Trustee Lewis as liaison to the Police Department said they are moving forward on installing video cameras in the area around the train station. He said they are still conducting some legal research but hopes to conclude that soon. Trustee Kagan Trustee Kagan said the Employee Handbook is nearing completion. He said he hopes to have a final draft of the 70 page document for the Board to review in the coming weeks. Mayor Hotchkiss thanked Trustee Kagan for helping to move this initiative towards completion. He also thanked the past Trustees who have helped to draft this important policy document. Trustee Marciona Page 2 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, February 19, 2013 Trustee Marciona said she held a Tree Committee meeting and reviewed the materials available regarding tree information. She said she hopes to post some information on the Village website once the brochure has been completed. Trustee Marty None Trustee McGoldrick Trustee McGoldrick spoke to Peter Vessilo who installs and repairs the traffic lights around the Village. He said he had become aware that the State will assist in training municipal employees how to repair these lights which will save the Village the expense of having to hire technicians out to fix them periodically. Trustee Morris None Village Administrator’s Report Administrator Yamuder said that Village’s Deputy Clerk Sandy Shriman is currently recuperating from elective surgery. He wished Ms. Shriman a speedy recovery. Item #6–Public Comment Iris Kasten of 240 Carol Avenue said she received a ticket during a snowstorm for parking on Carol Avenue after she called the Police to request permission to do so. She said she intended to write a letter to the press but wanted to speak with the Board first. She said she felt receiving the ticket was unfair because the opposite side of the street has the right to park. Mayor Hotchkiss said he would speak with Police Chief Benefico and get more details regarding the ticket. Trustee Morris said that the unimpeded plowing of the street was one of the reasons for the Village’s rule against parking overnight on the street. Trustee Kagan asked if the street was able to be plowed. Ms. Kasten said the plow did make it down the center of the street. Fred Fitzrandolph of 115 3rd Avenue had several matters he wanted to bring to the Board’s attention. He said there is an old Con Ed pole in front of his property that he feels should be removed. He said Con Ed workers explained to him that the pole was subject to the “last touch” rule whereby the last Page 3 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, February 19, 2013 utility company to touch the pole is responsible for its removal. He said he had not called Con Ed directly but just spoken to roving crews when they were in the area. Administrator Yamuder responded that he can get in touch with Con Ed to discuss this particular pole. He added that he met with Con Ed at a municipal managers meeting and learned from them that they are putting aside money to remove old poles around the County. Mr. Fitzrandolph also was concerned about a barking dog in his neighbor’s yard as early as 5 a.m. He said he had spoken with Police Chief Benefico and was aware of some dog removal ordinances but stressed that he wanted warnings issued first before any corrective action is taken in the part of the homeowners. He asked for the Board to bring this matter to the Police Department’s attention. He also had some questions regarding missed pickups by AAA Carting. He said he used to call the Village but has not been able to get through and was only given a number to AAA. He wanted to know if the procedure had changed and asked if there was such an influx of calls that the Village could not handle them. Trustee Kagan said the Village shifted the responsibility of handling garbage related calls to the AAA main office. He said residents should call AAA at the number provided and if they continue to have difficulty with their pickups they should call Village Hall. Administrator Yamuder added that there have not been an overwhelming number of calls related to garbage before or after the switch to the AAA office. Secretary Bonington added if Mr. Fitzrandolph would like to speak with someone at the Village he can dial extension #5 and he would receive the message and get back to Mr. Fitzrandolph. John Cassone of 7th Avenue asked why he received no invitation to a meeting with Con Ed. He said he read in the local paper that residents had been reached out to and were invited to attend. Mayor Hotchkiss said he attended the meeting with State Senator Jeff Klein. He said it was a productive meeting and there should be a wider audience. Item #7– Update on Wolfs Lane Park Improvements Mayor Hotchkiss said the Village received a grant for $647,000 to redesign and construct a Village Green and Memorial Garden at the corner of Wolfs Lane and 1st Street. He said this work would be part of a larger schematic plan prepared by Hank White Landscape Architects. He said the adjacent phase of this project is the Children’s Adventure Park which the Village has an understanding with the Junior League of Pelham that they will be raising money for the completion of this phase. Trustee Marciona gave a presentation on the Village Green and Memorial Garden project. She said the Wolfs Lane Park project will completely redesign the 6-acre park and the Village Green project will be an integral part of this renovation. She said the grant the Village received for this section is non-matching which is good because that Village will not have to contribute to the completion of the Page 4 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, February 19, 2013 project. She added that the awarded grant funds are expected to be sufficient to complete the Village Green and Memorial Garden. She invited Elizabeth Hart of the Junior League of Pelham to speak briefly about the Junior Leagues fund raising initiatives for the Children’s Adventure Park. Trustee Marciona discussed the construction phases of the project. She said she would like to post some of the exhibits on the website when they are ready. Trustee Morris asked about the placement of the Fireman’s Memorial which is part of the plan for this project. Mayor Hotchkiss said the Board has not made a final decision on that aspect of the project. These plans are still in the conceptual phases of development. Maggie Klein of the Pelham Weekly asked if the entire sum would be spent on the corner of Wolfs Lane and 1st Street. Trustee Marciona responded that there is a significant amount of work that goes into this section of the park. She said if it appears there will be any remaining funds available after the construction is complete. The Board can discuss its options regarding the rest of the park. John Cassone said the Village should look into LED or solar lighting for the parks lights which would be more environmentally friendly and possibly less expensive. Trustee Kagan said the Board should reach out to the Police Department to get their input since they will be responsible for patrolling the area. He said new plantings and design changes could affect their enforcement capability. Item #8– Monthly Budget Review Administrator Yamuder reported that the Village is approximately 66% through the Fiscal Year and is approximately 66.4% spent which is on track for where the Village should be at this time of year. He said the Hurricane/Storm Sandy generated a significant amount of overtime which should hopefully be reimbursed through the FEMA relief program. The Administrator said the Village’s worker’s comp provider; the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF) has raised their premium due to an increase in Pelham’s population as per the 2010 census and the rates for the volunteer firefighters. The Administrator said he is considering rebidding the contract in July to see if any savings can be generated for this contract. Administrator Yamuder said the Fire Department has had several injuries including one injured lieutenant. Trustee Kagan asked how many volunteer firefighters the Village can expect to respond to an emergency. He said the Village should consider the financial issues raised by having a part- time volunteer department. Page 5 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, February 19, 2013 Mayor Hotchkiss said Pelham has had a long tradition of having a volunteer department. Trustee Marty added that the next step may be to have a conversation with the Fire volunteers. Item #9– Grants- Status Report Secretary Bonington gave the grants summary. He gave a short chronology of the events leading to the current status of the Wolfs Lane Park grant which was sponsored by Senator Klein. He said the Village was notified of the award in May of 2010 and has submitted all the paperwork to the Dormitory Authority at this time. He said this is a non-matching grant which means the Village will not have to provide money to complete the grant application. He said the latest news is that Senator Klein’s Office contacted the Village to say the funds would soon be released. The Village will continue to follow up for status updates on this grant. The Secretary stated that the Village continues to pursue the four flooding grant applications it currently has awarded which are in various stages of completion. The first grant to be implemented will be to install a new 72” pipe on 3rd Street is currently in the design phase and the construction documents should be prepared shortly. The Village has been awarded an Urban Forestry Grant for 2013 for an amount totaling $9,654. He said the Village will be receiving $3,404 to assist with the Village’s tree management plan. Trustee Marciona confirmed the Village’s share of the grant amounting to $6,250 can be in the form of in-kind services such as volunteer and Village labor. Item #10– Other Business Trustee Marciona said she had noticed on 5th Street that cars have been speeding along this road that abuts the Hutch School. She said the Board should bring this to the attention of the Police Department. Trustee Marciona added that the leaf collection going on at the dead-end of 7th Avenue is causing damage to the street. She said she had noticed marks left behind by the frontend loader’s claws after it removed the leaves from the street. Administrator Yamuder responded that he was not aware of any damages to Village streets as a result of the use of the frontend loader’s claws. He said the trucks operations save considerable time and effort on the part of the DPW. Trustee Kagan added that he had not seen any permanent damage to the streets. Item #11– Authorizing the Accounts Payable Trustee Marty audited the Accounts Payable. A motion was made by Trustee Marty and seconded by Trustee Lewis to adopt the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. Page 6 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, February 19, 2013 RESOLUTION WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 5-524 of the New York State Village Law, the Board of Trustees shall audit all claims against the Village. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees after audit of the following claims, authorizes payment for services rendered and materials received, for the following items that have been submitted to the Treasurer's Office for payment and authorized by the Village Administrator: Fund Name: Amount General Fund $ 296,736.97 Water Fund $310.00 Capital Projects Fund $8,560.75 Trust and Agency Fund $0.00 H3 Fund $0.00 TE ExpendableTrust Fund $0.00 Grand Total $305,607.72 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that this Board hereby approves payment of the above mentioned claims and authorizes payment thereof. Item #12– Authorizing Minutes of: January 15, 2013, February 5, 2013 A motion was made by Trustee Kagan and seconded by Trustee Marty to adopt the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of six in favor, none opposed. Trustee Morris abstained. January 15, 2013- Approved February 5, 2013- Tabled Item #13– Adjournment to Executive Session A motion was made by Trustee Kagan with a second by Trustee McGoldrick to adjourn the public portion of the Board meeting and go into Executive Session at 9:30 p.m. to discuss a legal and a personnel matter after which time the Board would adjourn for the evening. The motion was approved by vote of seven in favor, none opposed. Respectfully submitted, Peter Bonington, Secretary to the Village Administrator Page 7