Mayor & Village Board of Trustees

VILLAGE OF PELHAM BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015, 7:30 PM VILLAGE HALL – 195 SPARKS AVENUE, PELHAM, NY 10803 MINUTES 1. Call To Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Mayor’s Report 4. Trustees’ Reports 5. Village Administrator’s Report 6. Public Comments # Agenda Items: Non-Recurring Items 7. Resolution Authorizing a Firing Range IMA with Westchester County Approved Department of Public Safety 8. Leaf Blower Discussion Discussed 9. Discussion of 101 Wolfs Lane Property Discussed 10. Other Business – Resolution to Accept a Donation from the Junior League of Approved Pelham for the Paving in the Woodland Children’s Play Area in Wolfs Lane Park Recurring Items 11. Authorizing Accounts Payable Approved 12. Authorizing Minutes of: 13. Adjournment to Executive Session Approved Next Regularly Scheduled BOT Meetings: Tuesday, June 16, 2015 Tuesday, July 7, 2015 All meetings start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Item # 1 – Meeting called to order: The meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order by Mayor Volpe at 7:30 p.m. Present were Trustees Cassidy, Ferrara, Kagan, Marty, Mutti and Reim. Also present were Village Administrator Yamuder and Assistant to the Village Administrator Scelza. Item # 2 – Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Volpe. Mayor’s Report: Mayor Volpe introduced and welcomed Christopher Scelza as the new Assistant to the Village Administrator. Chris comes to the Village of Pelham with experience having worked in the Village of Sleepy Hollow and the Village of Scarsdale and on projects the Village is currently working on. The Mayor reminded everyone that the Block Party is on Saturday, June 6th and encouraged everyone to attend. The Mayor briefly discussed the Village’s paving plan and mentioned there might be some changes to it because of the available funding from the CHIPs program (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program). The Memorial Day Parade was a great success and thanked all who marched. The 2014-15 Fiscal Year has ended and the new 2015-16 Budget has begun and thanks to the leadership of former Mayor Cassidy it looks like the 2014-15 Fiscal Year will end on a positive note. Trustees’ Report: Trustee Kagan reported that United Water has taken over the Village’s Water System as of midnight on June 1st. Residents in Pelham Heights will receive their final bill from the Village in June and their first bill in August from United Water. The Villages final bill in June will contain some frequently asked questions about the transition but everyone should know the source and quality of the water remains unchanged just that going forward service and billing will come directly from United Water. Trustee Kagan added that next year the Village should see an increase in revenue because United Water does pay property taxes on the value of the buried pipes whereas the Village does not. ******** Page 2 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Trustee Reim congratulated Trustees Kagan, Cassidy and all before who laid the groundwork for United Water taking over the Village’s Water System. Trustee Reim next reported on the Fire Department, although having been a quiet two weeks since the last meeting they continue to take calls and keep busy. Trustee Reim added that last Saturday the Pelham Preservation Garden Society held its annual fundraiser. The event had great support, weather and attendance. He also reminded everyone that on June 6th the Block Party will take place and encouraged all to attend. ******** Trustee Ferrara reported that a draft of the new Village website has been received from Virtual Towns and Schools and we should have a final view of the new website hopefully in a couple weeks. Equipment for the Woodland Children’s Play area will be installed this week followed by fencing shortly after. Finally the last piece will be the concrete pathway and the recognition pavers which will hopefully be installed in the next few weeks. ******** Trustee Marty reported that parking permit sales are very strong heading into the summer months. All Parking Lots throughout the Village are near full capacity. ******** Trustee Cassidy stated it was nice to close the chapter on United Water taking over the Village’s Water System. He also mentioned a budget by budget database needs to be created and he hopes to have that in the near future. ******** Trustee Mutti thanked Trustee Kagan and Cassidy for their months and months of hard work on the water system and bringing it to a successful conclusion. She also thanked the Department of Public Works for their hard work in preparing the parks for the Memorial Day Parade. Pothole repairs are on going and the DPW is using a brand new hotbox, which delivers asphalt at the right temperature for the most effective patch work other than repaving. Trustee Mutti thanked the Pelhamwood Neighborhood Association for the Memorial Day decorations. She also mentioned at the next meeting a resolution will be passed accepting a donation for the value of all the plantings at the clock tower and fountain. The Woodland Children’s Play area is nearing completion and there will be an inspection this coming Tuesday. Page 3 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Village Administrator’s Report: Village Administrator Yamuder welcomed Christopher Scelza and stated there were over a dozen applicants for the position and after several meetings it was determined that Chris was the best fit for the Village and he looks forward to working together. Item # 6 – Public Comments Katherine Veith-Vrahimis, 246 Nyac Avenue, read a brief statement regarding the eco-playground at Wolf’s Lane Park summarized below: ● Original intended use of the park was to be a buffer zone between the commercial and residential parts of the Village; ● Environmental Assessment Review should take place since the project is roughly 9,000 square feet not the original 4,000 square feet which was exempt from the environmental assessment review process; ● Do not diminish the simple green space of the park; Norman Pure, 616 Timpson Street Pelham Manor, submitted the following statement regarding the Wolfs Lane Development: “Why was the HM White Landscape Architects dropped from the project after 5 years of working with different Mayor and Trustees? This requires a new start to the grant application. In effect, possibly 5 years of work has been negated. Certainly the time from applying to new grant approval will have been lost. Why was Sean Jancski (SJ Landscape) appointed to replace White, with no competitor proposal or bidding? (minutes of 2/17/15). The Junior League correctly got 3 bids for completing Woodland Park before bringing it to the Board (minutes of 4/7/15). Why is it reported that the White Plan cost $5 million (minutes of 2/17/15) when it was originally set at $3 million? (minutes of 5/5/09). At that same time, it was stated that since the Village had only $647,000 to fund part of the re- development, was the Board perhaps not aware that White stated in his 2009 Master Plan (borne out Page 4 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 of the 2008 Pelham Comprehensive Plan) that his plan was specifically designed to be completed in 6 phases or whenever funds became available? In fact, Ed Fleming, was was Senator Klein’s liason at the time, said that the $647,000 was specifically for the first 2 phases. (minutes of 5/25/10). Does the public currently know that the board is not preculuded from using part of the parkland for diagnol parking? (minutes of 11/05/08 and 4/28/09).” Mary Veith, 155 Nyac Avenue, stated she was concerned with the safety and upkeep on the new Children’s Play area at Wolfs Lane Park. Mayor Volpe responded that safety and maintenance of all Village facilities is a top priority and this project will be no different. John Cassone, 312 7th Avenue, congratulated the Mayor and Board on the sale of the Village’s Water System to United Water. Non-Recurring Items Item # 7 – Authorzing a Firing Range IMA with Westchester County Department of Public Safety Village Administrator Yamuder stated this resolution was tabled at the May 19th meeting due to a concern from the Village Attorney over language in the contract. After speaking with the Westchester County Law Department it was determined the contract language was acceptable and ready for the Boards approval. The Police Department currently uses the Blue Mountain Reservation as the primary site for training but if it becomes unavailable the Police Department would now have a backup location. A motion was then made by Trustee Reim and seconded by Trustee Cassidy to approve the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. Page 5 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Resolution Authorizing a Firing Range IMA with Westchester County Department of Public Safety RESOLVED, that the Firing Range IMA with the Village of Pelham and the County of Westchester Department of Public Safety for utilization of the County firing range facility is hereby accepted and the agreement is authorized by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham; and BE IT RESOLVED, that the term of this agreement is for five (5) years commencing on day of execution in 2015 and terminating in 2020; and THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor, Village Administrator and Police Chief are authorized to take the necessary and appropriate actions to effect this agreement. Item # 8 – Leaf Blower Discussion Trustee Marty mentioned currently Chapter 68 of the Village Code states the operation of gas powered leaf blowers shall be limited to the time period between March 15 and April 30, inclusive, and October 15 and December 15, inclusive, of each calender year. Trustee Marty stated the biggest problem is people not being aware of the leaf blower ban and the lack of enforcement. The Police will be enforcing the ban starting in two weeks in an appropriate and respectful manner. Trustee Ferrara highlighted the proposed education campaign that will be posted on the Village’s website, social media and mailed to landscapers who do business in the Village. In addition, a flyer was created highlighting the existing law for distribution. John Cassone, 312 7th Avenue, stated that Weschester County licensnes contractors and the Village should contact the County to get the list of those contractors working in Pelham so they can be educated. Mr. Cassone also stated the Village should look into licensing gardeners. David Brown, 134 Cliff Avenue, stated he supports the reduction of gas powered leaf blowers during the time when they are not needed. He raised some concerns with the current regulations. Page 6 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Item # 9 – Discussion of 101 Wolfs Lane Property Mayor Volpe stated representatives from the property owners had reached out to the Village Administrator and Building Inspector about the process of presenting a new conceptual design of the 101 Wolfs Lane property. Representatives from Peter Gisolfi Associates, Architects led the Board through the attached powerpoint presentation. This item was informational only and discussed with no action taken. Hard copy on file. Attachment: C:\Users\cscelza\Dropbox\101WolfsLaneIntroPresentationFINAL.pdf Page 7 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Item # 10 – Other Business Mayor Volpe led a brief discussion. A motion was then made by Trustee Ferrara and seconded by Trustee Mutti to approve the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. Resolution to Accept a Donation from the Junior League of Pelham for the Paving in the Woodland Children’s Play Area in Wolf’s Lane Park BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham authorizes the proposal from D. Ragno Landscaping in the amount of $14,400.00 for the installation of a concrete pathway and recognition pavers in Woodland Children’s Play Area in Wolfs Lane Park with continued thanks to the Junior League for their contributions to fund the project. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby authorizes the Mayor and Village Administrator to sign and approve all necessary documents to effectuate this resolution. Page 8 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Recurring Items Item # 11 – Authorizing the Accounts Payable Trustee Marty is auditing the Accounts Payable. After a brief discussion a motion was made by Trustee Marty and seconded by Trustee Reim to approve the resolution. The vote was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. Resolution Authorizing the Accounts Payable 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 $423,503.40 Water Fund $310.00 Capital Projects Fund $2,205.00 Trust and Agency Fund $350.00 CD NYS Main Street Fund $0.00 H3 Fund $0.00 TE Expand Trust Fund $0.00 Grand Total $426,368.40 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that this Board hereby approves payment of the above mentioned claims and authorizes payment thereof. Page 9 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Item # 12 – Authorizing Minutes of No minutes Item # 13 – Adjournment to Executive Session A motion was then made by Trustee Cassidy with a second by Trustee Reim to adjourn the public portion of the Board meeting at 9:40 pm and go into Executive Session to discuss two collective bargaining matters after which time the Board would adjourn for the evening. The motion was approved by a vote of seven in favor, none opposed. Respectfully Submitted, Christopher Scelza Assistant to the Village Administrator Page 10