Mayor & Village Board of Trustees

VILLAGE OF PELHAM BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015, 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 # Agenda Items: Non-Recurring Items 7. Authorizing the Annual Moonlight Cruisers Classic Car Show to Take Approved Place on Sunday, June 7, 2015 8. Resolution Authorizing The Sale Of Surplus Vehicles & Equipment Approved 9. Presentation on AT&T’s Proposed Antennae to Approve Upgrades on Tabled Fire House 10. Authorization to Approve Consultant to Upgrade the Village of Pelham Approved Website 11. Approval of Projects and Funding to be included in Westchester County’s Approved Community Housing Infrastructure Investment Program (CHIIP) 12. Presentation of Wolfs Lane Park Project Timeline Discussed 13. Other Business None Recurring Items 14. Discussion of Tax Freeze and Government Efficiency Plan Discussed 15. Authorizing Accounts Payable Approved 16. Authorizing Minutes of: February 3, 2015, February 17, 2015 Approved 17. Adjournment to Executive Session (if needed) Approved Next Regularly Scheduled BOT Meetings: Tuesday, March 17, 2015 Tuesday, April 7, 2015 (Organizational Meeting and Open Budget Public Hearing) Proposed Meetings for Budget Work Sessions: Thursday, March 19, 2015- Fire Dept. / Police Dept. Monday, March 23, 2015- Building Dept. / DPW Tuesday, March 24, 2015- Revenue/Expense All meetings start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Item #1 – Meeting called to order: The meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order by Mayor Cassidy at 7:30 p.m. The following members of the Board of Trustees were present: Trustees Senerchia, Mutti, Reim, Kagan, Volpe, and Marty The following members of the Board of Trustees were absent: Village staff in attendance: Administrator Yamuder, Secretary to the Village Administrator Peter Bonington Item #2 – Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Cassidy. Reports: Mayor Cassidy Report Mayor Cassidy stated that the Village DPW will be ordering more salt for snow and ice removal operations. He said they are purchasing approximately 1,100 tons to prepare for additional snowstorms this season. He said this will bring the Village over on its snow and ice budget line. He reminded residents that this has been a tough winter and urged patience as the Village continues to conduct these removal operations. He said the Village water district experienced a main break by Cliff Avenue. He said the break was quickly responded to by the Village DPW and outside contractors were engaged to repair the damage. He said it is a reminder that the Village should not be in the water system business. The Mayor finished by saying that the Village’s I.S.O. rating for insurance was upgraded from a four to a three which is beneficial to the Village. Trustees Reports: Trustee Kagan Page 2 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Trustee Kagan reported the water main break in the Heights area of the Village. He said it cost the Village approximately $25,000 as an emergency repair job. Administrator Yamuder added that he had reached out the Public Service Commission (P.S.C.) on the status of United Water’s application to transfer the water system over to them. Trustee Marty Trustee Marty updated the Board on the status of parking capacity in the Village noting an increase in the sale of parking permits. Trustee Mutti Trustee Mutti reported that she is in contact with the MTA about removing ice from the Highbrook Avenue stairs. Trustee Volpe stated that he could try to get pictures of the state of these stairs to send to the MTA. Trustee Volpe added that we should inquire with the MTA as to whether the Village could bid on the snow removal contract at the train station so as to ensure better service than provided by the MTA’s rotating subcontractors. Trustee Reim Trustee Reim thanked the DPW for their snow removal operations. He congratulated Pelham Hockey on their recent victory. He added that there will be a Pelham PACT meeting at Alumni Hall and encouraged parents to attend. Trustee Senerchia Trustee Senerchia mentioned the PACT meeting and congratulated Pelham Hockey as well. Trustee Volpe Trustee Volpe stated that the DPW did a great job of quickly repairing the water main break on Cliff Avenue. He said the Village should investigate the possibility of some notification system to alert residents when this type of occurrence happens. Village Administrator’s Report Page 3 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Administrator Yamuder thanked Fire Chief Stone for his work in reporting effectively which led to the upgrade in the I.S.O. rating. He reported that R&S Waste will be incorporated two new “green” trucks into its fleet. He said these trucks are more energy efficient and quieter. He finished his report by saying that he had a meeting with Con Edison on its new emergency dashboard. He said all Village department heads will have access to this resource during future emergency situations. Item #6– Public Comment None Item #7– Authorizing the Annual Moonlight Cruisers Classic Car Show to Take Place on Sunday, June 7, 2015 Administrator Yamuder stated that this is an annual request to hold the car show in Pelham. Trustee Reim stated that all proceeds go to the Danny Fund. A motion was made by Trustee Volpe and seconded by Trustee Reim to approve the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham authorizes the annual Moonlight Cruisers Classic Car Show to take place on Sunday, June 7, 2015 from 8 am to 4 pm, and authorizes the closure of the following streets from 7am to 5pm: • the north side, westbound portion of Pelhamwood Avenue, for the staging of the car show (weather permitting rain date would be June 14th), • Fifth Avenue at Harmon. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Moonlight Cruisers will be responsible for all Village Of Pelham overtime costs and all other direct costs that are incurred by this event; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Mayor and Board authorize the appropriate Village officials and staff to take the necessary and appropriate actions to allow the car show to take place, with the requirement that the Village of Pelham be provided with the insurance satisfactory to the Village’s insurance carrier by the Moonlight Cruisers. Page 4 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Item #8– Resolution Authorizing The Sale Of Surplus Vehicles & Equip. Administrator Yamuder stated there are three vehicles which have outlived their usefulness to the Village of Pelham. He said they were openly auctioned off and is asking the Board award the sale of the vehicles to the winning bidders. A motion was made by Trustee Reim and seconded by Trustee Marty to approve the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. WHEREAS, the Village Of Pelham Issued A Notice to Bidders and Request For Bids for two (2) vehicles and One Leaf Vac, published on February 13, 2015, in the Gannett Westchester Newspapers; and WHEREAS, as of Friday, February 27, 2015, the Village had received bids with a minimum bid of $300.00, as follows: 1. 07 Dodge Charger Vin # 2B3KA43H27H818173 Miles: 64,000 Jeff Droutman of Liberty Motors $3,050.00 2. 08 Dodge Charger Vin # 2B3KA43H38H280231 Miles: 58,000 Theodore A. Burtis $4,600.00 3. 1999 Tarc Big T-Vac (Leaf Vac) with John Deere 4.5 Power Tech Diesel had 1100 Hours (not running) Jeff Droutman of Liberty Motors $680.00 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby authorizes the sale of this vehicle and equipment, in as-is condition, of one (3) 07 Dodge Charger vehicle, with mileage of sixty-four thousand miles (64,000), and a 1999 Tarc Big T-Vac (Leaf Vac) To Jeff Droutman Of Liberty Motors, for a total bid amount of $3,730.00; and Page 5 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board Of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby authorizes the sale of a vehicle, in as-is condition, of one (1) 08 Dodge Charger with fifty-eight thousand miles (58,000) to Theodore A. Burtis, for a total bid amount of $4,600.00; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and the Village Administrator and DPW Foreman are authorized to take the necessary and appropriate actions to sell these surplus vehicles Item #9– Presentation on AT&T’s Proposed Antennae to Approve Upgrades on Fire House Chris Fisher of the lawfirm of Cuddy and Fedder spoke to the Board about proposed AT&T modifications to a site on the roof of the Village Firehouse at 219 5th Avenue. He said AT&T needs to make a modest upgrade on this site and has submitted a letter of need and a compliance letter to the Board as per the newly updated Chapter 87 telecommunications section of the Village Code. He said this work falls under the maintenance category and AT&T is requesting permission to access the site. Trustee Volpe stated he would like more time to review the specifics of the update to the site. He asked how long this project would take. Mike Garrett of AT&T stated the update is expected to be a one day job however he estimated 2-3 days in total. Trustee Kagan stated that AT&T would be subject to any insurance requirements and engineering statements prior to the work beginning however he said he wanted to be sure the old equipment was removed from the site. Trustee Senerchia stated AT&T would be required to go through the permitting process and all modifications to the site are subject to inspection. Administrator Yamuder asked if there was any planned, additional work on the horizon. Mr. Garrett responded that he was not aware of any however, as technology changes, additional modifications may be needed. The Board decided to table this resolution until a later meeting. Item #10– Authorization to Approve Consultant to Upgrade the Village of Pelham Website Trustee Mutti stated the Village has been researching different firms to provide and update and a redesign for the Village website. She invited Secretary Bonington up to speak to the Board about the research and recommendations compiled by the Administrator and him. Page 6 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Secretary Bonington stated that the Village has looked at a total of four firms to facilitate this update. They are NextStep Computers, NetGains America, Virtual Towns-Schools, and CivicsPlus. He said after comprehensive review, the Administrator and he both recommend Virtual Towns as the consultant for this website update. Trustee Volpe asked the Secretary what was the reasoning behind this recommendation. Secretary Bonington stated the experience and proximity were factored into this decision as well as price, product and services, and support. He stated Virtual Towns is used by many neighboring municipalities and specialize in building, hosting, and supporting municipal websites. Trustee Volpe stated he would like to see training conducted for as many municipal employees as possible. Secretary Bonington stated that one day of on-site training is provided in the Virtual Towns proposal. He said however that if more training is required, he could discuss that contingency with Virtual Towns directly. Trustee Volpe asked what the process would look like from here. Secretary Bonington stated that if the Board elects to work with Virtual Towns, the Administrator and he would contact their representative tomorrow. A contract will be sent over for signatures and project kick-off meetings will commence after that. Mayor Cassidy stated that the website is the electronic face of the Village and stated it would be very beneficial to have multiple members of the Village staff trained on its use. Trustee Reim commented that it is important that the Village work closely with the consultant through the implementation specifically on the design and build-out of the menu options for the main page. Compared to the Manor and other examples, this is the most important aspect for residents’ ease of use. Trustee Kagan pointed out that the design and build fee as part of this resolution, did not include the site hosting fees, which are listed as an additional $2,750 per year and should be budgeted accordingly. A motion was made by Trustee Senerchia and seconded by Trustee Mutti to approve the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. WHEREAS, The Village of Pelham requested five (5) and received four (4) quotes to upgrade the website for the Village of Pelham; and Page 7 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 WHEREAS, on reviewing the proposals, the bids were as follows: Base Bid for set up costs 1. Next Step Computers $ 4,100.00 2. Netgains America, LLC. $ 4,500.00 3. Virtual Towns and Schools $ 6,995.00 4. Civicplus $ 9,949.00 (Minimum for core package) 5. Blenderbox Declined to bid WHEREAS, Administrator Robert Yamuder has determined that the lowest responsible bid that meets requirements is Virtual Towns and Schools. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby award the contract for upgrading the website for the Village of Pelham to Virtual Towns and Schools at the total lowest qualified bid for start-up cost of six thousand, nine hundred and ninety -five dollars ($6,995.00), as a lump-sum contract.; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Village Administrator are authorized to take the necessary and appropriate actions to effect and execute this lump-sum contract for these services. Item #11– Approval of Projects and Funding to be included in Westchester County’s Community Housing Infrastructure Investment Program (CHIIP) Mayor Cassidy stated the Village has an opportunity to fund two projects with County funding through this program at 50 cents on the dollar. He said these projects are from the original CDBG grant application for funding submitted in 2012. They are to reline the sewers on 5th Avenue and Wolfs Lane and to begin the stormwater remediation efforts by 7th Street and 7th Avenue. Administrator Yamuder stated that he had spoken with the County Budget Director Anthony Zaino and updated the cost estimates for the project. He said as of right now, both these projects are considered eligible for funding. He added that by approving this resolution, the Village will be holding a spot in the pool of potential candidates for this opportunity, but is not approving the actual expenditure on the project yet. A motion was made by Trustee Volpe and seconded by Trustee Senerchia to approve the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. Page 8 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 RESOLVED, that the Village of Pelham is authorizing the allocation of funds to participate in Westchester County’s Community Housing Infrastructure Investment Program (CHIIP) for two (2) previously approved projects from the 2012-2014 Community Development Block Grant program. Westchester County provided the revised cost estimates for both Pelham projects eligible under the Westchester County’s CHIIPs program. The revised cost estimates were increased to provide for inflation, design fees and construction management fees as follows, in priority order: 1) 5th Avenue sewer relining project was increased from $100,000 to $132,000 making the 50% share of Village funds total $66,000; and 2) 7th Avenue streetscape project was increased from $200,000 to $264,000 making the 50% share of Village funds total $132,000. THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Board of Trustees authorize the Administrator to take the necessary and appropriate actions to include the aforementioned projects in Westchester County’s CHIIP program. Item #12– Presentation of Wolfs Lane Park Project Timeline Trustee Mutti gave a presentation on the timeline of the Wolfs Lane Park project from its original format in 2010 to present day. She stated this project is being partially funded by a grant from the Dormitory Authority sponsored by State Senator Jeff Klein in an amount totaling $647,000. She said the project has been out in public and the Board recently submitted a letter to DASNY to change the scope of work to match Sean Jancski’s design schematic. Mayor Cassidy stated the Village still has to complete its SEQRA review and submitted this application to DASNY because this is a time sensitive matter concerning the grant. Trustee Reim said that at the last Board meeting, Trustee Mutti stated there had been a Board resolution approving this scope of work change and that the public had had a chance to review these new schematics. He said however in the interim between the past meeting and this one, it has become clear that there was no Board resolution approving this change in scope and that a letter has already gone out to DASNY stating the Board is committing to this new design scheme. Mayor Cassidy responded that Trustee Mutti was delegated to pursue this project which has been waiting almost six years to get traction. He said Trustees must move their projects forward and changing the designer and the design scheme was a necessary step in the process. He stated there was no intention to mislead the Board or public about whether there was a resolution or not, it was a mistake. Page 9 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Trustee Reim stated there was a breakdown in communication among the Board members that involved notifying a State agency about the Board’s intent while it could not verify its own resolution to do so. He read a letter he had written into the record expressing frustration about what he felt was a lack of transparency in this process. Trustee Mutti stated that Trustee Reim was asking about the resolution prior to the last meeting. She felt that he already knew about the lack of a resolution before asking the question at the meeting table. She said she felt that this has been a public process and apologized for any confusion. Mayor Cassidy stated that he was disappointed that this type of confusion appears to happen close to election time. He said he believes Trustee Reim’s comments were politically motivated and said it was unfortunate that it has played out this way at Board meetings. Trustee Volpe stated that he disagreed with Trustee Reim’s comments concerning the letter that was submitted to DASNY. He said the letter states the Board intends to change the scope or work. It does not state that the Board resolved to do so and this is the final plan. He said he was interested in a way forward and would be happy to hear more public input during and after the SEQRA process. He added that respect for your colleagues on the Board is important and stated the Board can resolve to accept the design of Sean Jancski at a later time. Trustee Reim stated he felt the process was not open or collaborative and felt it was necessary to make his feelings present in the record. Trustee Marty stated he looked forward to a good public debate as this process continues. Mayor Cassidy stated he spoke to Senator Klein who explained to him there is a time issue with the grant opportunity and urged the Board to submit something in order to remain in the running for the opportunity. Trustee Kagan stated he would look forward to having Sean Jancski present to the Board as the SEQRA process develops. Item #13– Other Business None Item #14– Discussion of Tax Freeze and Government Efficiency Plan The Board decided to table this resolution until a later meeting. Page 10 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Item #15– Authorizing the Accounts Payable Trustee Marty audited the Accounts Payable. A motion was made by Trustee Marty and seconded by Trustee Kagan to approve the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. 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 $73,946.83 Water Fund $28,700.00 Capital Projects Fund $0.00 Trust and Agency Fund $0.00 CD NYS Main Street Fund $0.00 H3 Fund $0.00 TE Expand Trust Fund $0.00 Grand Total $102,646.83 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that this Board hereby approves payment of the above mentioned claims and authorizes payment thereof. Item #16– Authorizing Minutes of: February 3, 2015, February 17, 2015 A motion was made by Trustee Kagan and seconded by Trustee Mutti to approve the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. February 3, 2015- Approved The Board decided to table this resolution until a later meeting. February 17, 2015- Tabled Page 11 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Item #17– Adjournment to Executive Session (if needed) A motion was made by Trustee Kagan with a second by Trustee Volpe to adjourn the public portion of the Board meeting at 10:00 pm and go into Executive Session to discuss 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 12