Mayor & Village Board of Trustees

VILLAGE OF PELHAM BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2018, 7:30 PM VILLAGE HALL – 195 SPARKS AVENUE, PELHAM, NY 10803 MINUTES 1. Call To Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Roll Call 4. Mayor’s Report 5. Trustees’ Reports 6. Village Administrator’s Report 7. Public Comments # Agenda Items: Non-Recurring Items 8. Demonstration on Recollect Digital Waste Management and Recycling Platform 9. Discussion on Blackboard Connect Mass Notification System 10. Resolution Calling for a Public Hearing on Local Law No. 3 of 2018 Creating Chapter 7 of the Village Code Entitled Sustainability Advisory Board 11. Resolution Authorizing Change Order # 1 – Parking Lot 1 Retaining Wall Replacement 12. Other Business Recurring Items 13. Authorizing Accounts Payable 14. Authorizing the Minutes of: February 27, 2018 15. Adjournment to Executive Session (if needed) Next Regularly Scheduled BOT Meetings: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 Monday, April 2, 2018 (Note: Annual Organizational Meeting) Tuesday, April 10, 2018 (Note: Public Hearing on Fiscal Year 2018-19 Tentative Budget) All meetings start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. *The Agenda is subject to change.* Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Item # 1 – Meeting called to order: The meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order by Mayor Volpe at 7:30 pm. Item # 2 – Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Volpe. Item # 3 – Roll Call: Attendee Name Present Absent Late Mayor Volpe ☒ ☐ ☐ Trustee Ferrara ☒ ☐ ☐ Trustee Kagan ☒ ☐ ☐ Trustee Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ Trustee Potocki ☒ ☐ ☐ Trustee Reinke ☐ ☒ ☐ Trustee Spira-Cohen ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Administrator Gallagher ☒ ☐ ☐ Assistant Village Administrator Scelza ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Attorney Smith ☐ ☒ ☐ Administrative Intern Fernandez ☒ ☐ ☐ Mayor’s Report: Mayor Volpe reported that he called for the resignation of the Con Edison CEO because of Con Edison’s poor preparation and communications during the storm, specifically communications to the public and elected officials. Mayor Volpe expressed his displeasure at Con Edison’s management of the post storm recovery efforts, but he commended the Con Edison liaison assigned to the Village of Pelham, Santo Chico, who worked tirelessly with DPW. Mayor Volpe also commended the two Con Edison bucket men, who de-energized downed electrical lines, and helped to restore the community’s power. Mayor Volpe gave special thanks to the Department of Public Works, the Police department, and the Fire department for doing an excellent job. Mayor Volpe stated DPW went above and beyond the call of duty, and as a result of the storms our over time budgets are going to be extremely strained. Mayor Volpe reported he recently met with the Board of Education and the 101 Wolfs Lane team, and he thought the meeting was productive for both parties involved. Mayor Volpe reported he met with the developer of 163 Wolfs Lane, and that the Mayor is acting as a liaison between the Pelham Picture House and the developer in drafting a proposal. Page 2 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Mayor Volpe is happy to report that foundation permit for 8 Boulevard West was issued, and the foundation will be poured in approximately two weeks—weather depending. Mayor Volpe reported the 215 Fifth Avenue development next to the firehouse is progressing well. Mayor Volpe stated as a Board, they have to talk about the Highbrook Highline project, and move quickly. Mayor Volpe announced Trustee Ferrara will take the lead on this project, and Eagle Scout candidate Woods Johnson has offered to donate his time to the project, so the Board may have to secure the fencing before work on the project can start. Trustees’ Report: Trustee Ferrara had nothing to report. ******** Trustee Kagan reported as part of the ongoing 3rd street bridge replacement, a portion of the Hutchinson River Parkway (between Exit 6 and Exit 12) will be closed beginning Friday, March 16th, at 11pm to Monday, March 19th, at 5am. Trustee Kagan welcomed a new business to the community, Flower Bake bakery, located at 136 Fifth Avenue. Trustee Kagan announced Flower Bake will be hosting its grand opening celebration on Saturday, March 24th, from 12pm to 5pm, so he encourages everyone to attend. Trustee Kagan reported Extenet systems will be upgrading their current DAS node equipment, which would be bigger in size. The Village’s consultant would like to renegotiate with Extenet on the size specifications of the nodes. There are currently three nodes for cellphone transmission in the Village of Pelham at three locations: Harmon Avenue, Colonial Avenue at Pelhamdale Avenue, and East Second street. No new nodes were included as part of this application. ******** Trustee Mullen reported he would like to attract film productions to the Village of Pelham, so his goal is to align the Village’s filming practices with those of the City of White Plains. Trustee Mullen reported he has been working with Village attorney Smith on a draft, so he thanks Village attorney Smith for his assistance, and he hopes to circulate the draft soon. Trustee Mullen reported the Board of Trustees has been beta testing the mobile application along with a select group of residents, but he still looking for volunteers to beta-test the application from Pelhamwood. There are still some outstanding issues that need to be addressed, such as training Village staff to use the app and the content management system, so the mobile application will be launching in six to eight weeks. ******** Page 3 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Trustee Potocki thanked the Department of Public Works, the Fire Department, and the Police department for their performance during the last two storms. ******** Trustee Reinke was absent, so she had nothing to report. ******** Trustee Spira-Cohen reported the Solarize launch event has been rescheduled, so it will take place on Thursday, March 15th at Village Hall. Trustee Spira-Cohen reported that effective March 1st, the Village of Pelham increased their recycling service to weekly recycling. Village Administrator’s Report: Village Administrator Gallagher recognized Mayor Volpe’s efforts to restore power to the community after the storm last week. Village Administrator Gallagher reported Mayor Volpe was a great advocate for the Village of Pelham, and that power was restored to the community fairly quickly. Village Administrator Gallagher thanks Mayor Volpe for all of his hard work. Item # 7 – Public Comments John Cassone, 312 7th Avenue, commended the Department of Public Works and the Police department for doing a wonderful job in their post storm recovery efforts. Mr. Cassone also thanked the Mayor and the Board for keeping the Village posted on developments during the storm through the website. Mr. Cassone stated it is important to keep the lines of communication open. David Brown, 134 Cliff Avenue, thanked the Board for implementing sustainable policies and programs in the community such as the Village’s participating in the community choice aggregation program, and the development of the Sustainability Advisory Board. Page 4 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Non-Recurring Items Item # 8 – Demonstration on Recollect Digital Waste Management and Recycling Platform Jenny English, Waste Reduction and Recycling Specialist, from ReCollect, a digital waste communications company, held a virtual presentation on the features of ReCollect. Administrative Intern Fernandez, briefly introduced the highlights of retaining the services of ReCollect, such as the address specific collection calendar generator, specialized campaigns, and collection reminders on various platforms. Administrative Intern Fernandez and Trustee Mullen hope to integrate this service into the mobile application and the website because the Village’s current waste collection calendar is cumbersome to navigate. Ms. English walked the Board of Trustees through the Larchmont- Mamaroneck Sanitation Commission’s website, and described some of its functionality such as the service alerts, reminders, and the waste wizard database. Trustee Kagan asked who would be responsible for maintaining the collection calendar and if there is a reporting feature for missed collection, and Ms. English responded the private carting company usually maintains the schedule, and they do have a reporting functionality for missed collections. Ms. English also reported that residents can sign up for only service alerts, so they can be notified of service interruptions as well as embed their collection reminders to their iCal, google calendar, and print a physical copy of the calendar. Trustee Mullen asked Ms. English if the embedded reminder automatically update, if there is a schedule change, and Ms. English revealed it does update. Ms. English explained the waste wizard tool is a search tool for the residents to learn how to dispose of an item and suggested drop off locations; Mayor Volpe asked who provides the information for various disposal methods and the drop off locations, and Ms. English said they pull information from the Village’s current resources in addition to their research. Trustee Mullen stated the goal is to embed ReCollect into the mobile application and into the website. Trustee Potocki questioned the need for such a service. Mayor Volpe thinks the Board should have included this service into the sanitation contract, and that the Board needs to do more research on this matter. Trustee Ferrara also questioned the usefulness of the service, and Mayor Volpe revealed Village hall gets phone calls concerning recycling information, sanitation zones, and missed collections, so he thinks this could be a useful tool. Trustee Ferrara asked if perhaps, the Village could use blackboard connect to notify residents of service changes, but Trustee Mullen stated it is an emergency communications tool. Trustee Kagan stated this tool would transform how we manage our waste communications, but Trustee Kagan was uncertain if this is $3,000 a year problem. Trustee Potocki believes Waste Services should pay for the service since it directly benefits them. Trustee Mullen said it will take about six to eight weeks to implement, so if the Board moves forward with ReCollect, we should hold off on launching the mobile application until then. Mayor Volpe would like to discuss this matter further at the next Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, March 27th and hopefully move this Page 5 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 project along. Mayor Volpe would like to have a resolution prepared and see if the costs can be defrayed by the private carter, Waste Services. Page 6 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Item # 9 – Discussion on Blackboard Connect Mass Notification System Trustee Mullen stated Blackboard Connect is the mass notification system used by the Pelham Public School District, and it is a mass notification system that lets a municipality to send updates and emergency alerts to everyone in the community through emails, phone calls, and text messages. Trustee Mullen stated this tool will enhance the Village’s current means of communication and conduct personalized outreach through a resident’s preferred communication platform. Trustee Mullen stated there is a communication gap between the residents and the Village as residents can only communicate to Village Hall through email. This mass notification system would have been a tremendous asset during the storm because the Village could have targeted their communications to a particular constituency like Storer Avenue, Corlies Avenue, Cliff Avenue, who lost power, and were uninformed of service delivery progress in their areas. Mayor Volpe stated he understands that blackboard connect is a tool that aggregates all communication platforms, but other emergency communication systems exist such as Nixle. Nixle, is an emergency and communication notification system, and it used by Village of Pelham Manor Police Department. Mayor Volpe stated there is a need for an emergency communications system in the Village of Pelham because he was unable to use the school’s system during the recent storms for robotic calling. Unfortunately, the Village of Pelham cannot use Pelham Public School District’s data because it is protected or piggyback off their service. Trustee Mullen noted blackboard connect is compatible with the Village’s mobile application, so residents can sign up to blackboard connect through the mobile application. Trustee Potocki stated the Board should be compatible with the Town of Pelham, Board of Education, and the Village of Pelham Manor in terms of emergency communications. Trustee Spira-Cohen stated it may be prudent to get a review on Nixle from the Village of Pelham Manor and see if they are open to moving towards blackboard connect. Mayor Volpe asked the Board to do more research and continue this discussion later. Mayor Volpe would like the explore the possibility of getting a discounted rate for blackboard connect. Page 7 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Item # 10 – Calling for a Public Hearing on Local Law No. 3 of 2018 Creating Chapter 7 of the Village Code Entitled Sustainability Advisory Board Mayor Volpe stated the Board provided Trustee Spira-Cohen with specific edits on the draft mission statement for the Sustainability Advisory Board. Trustee Spira-Cohen stated the purpose of the Sustainability Advisory Board is to bridge the efforts that occur at the community level with the goals of the municipality. Mayor Volpe raised an issue with §3B concerning voting and the quorum, so Trustee Mullen suggested the majority of the vote to carry, with a quorum consisting of three members for five or less members of the Sustainability Advisory Board, and four members shall constitute a quorum if there are more than five (5) members of the Sustainability Advisory Board. David Brown, asked if there is an age requirement for serving on the Sustainability Advisory Board, and Mayor Volpe stated there will be no age requirement. Trustee Kagan stated he would like the Board of Trustees to some day be able to refer projects to the Planning Board, Architectural Review Board, and the Sustainability Advisory Board, once the Sustainability Advisory Board becomes an established board that has experience and a track record of positive contributions. Trustee Kagan is also interested to see how the creation of this board will inform other changes in the code. Mr. Brown stated neighboring municipalities have well established sustainability committees and the Sustainability Advisory Board will have the resources of the County available. Resolution Calling for a Public Hearing on Local Law No. 3 of 2018 Creating Chapter 7 of the Village Code Entitled Sustainability Advisory Board Whereas, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham has proposed a Local Law to create Chapter 7 of the Village Code Entitled Sustainability Advisory Board; and Whereas, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham has determined that the adoption of the local law is a Type II Action and are therefore not subject to the requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”). Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby calls for a Public Hearing on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 7:30 pm or soon thereafter at Village Hall, 195 Sparks Avenue, Pelham NY 10803 on a proposed Local Law to create a Sustainability Advisory Board in the Village of Pelham; and Be it further resolved, that the Village Clerk is hereby directed to publish notice of said public hearing. Vote Record- Item # 10 – Resolution Calling for a Public Hearing on Local Law No. 3 of 2018 Creating Chapter 7 of the Village Code Entitled Sustainability Advisory Board Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Volpe ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Trustee Ferrara Second ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Trustee Kagan ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Trustee Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Page 8 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 ☐Withdrawn Trustee Potocki ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Trustee Reinke ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Trustee Spira-Cohen Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Page 9 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Item # 11 - Authorizing Change Order # 1 – Parking Lot 1 Retaining Wall Replacement Resolution Authorizing Change Order # 1 – Parking Lot 1 Retaining Wall Replacement Whereas, the Village Board of Trustees at their meeting on February 12, 2018 adopted a resolution retaining Montesano Brothers, Inc., 76 Plain Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10801, to replace the retaining wall supporting Parking Lot 1 at a total cost of $126,500.00; and Whereas, Grigg and Davis Engineers, P.C. conducted a field visit on February 15, 2018 and observed a sink hole as well as an open joint between the pavement and rear wall of 1 Wolfs Lane, which building abuts Parking Lot 1; and Whereas, Grigg and Davis Engineers, P.C. prepared a memo, engineering plans and masonry details (copy attached) to address the aforementioned concerns. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham herein authorizes the Village Administrator to execute the attached Change Order # 1 totaling $13,243.00 for additional work at Parking Lot 1, which will bring the total cost of the project to $139,743.00; and Be it further resolved, that the Mayor and Village Administrator are authorized to take the necessary and appropriate actions to effect this resolution. Vote Record - Item # 11 – Resolution Authorizing Change Order # 1 – Parking Lot 1 Retaining Wall Replacement Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Volpe ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Trustee Ferrara ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Trustee Kagan ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Trustee Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Withdrawn Trustee Potocki ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Trustee Reinke ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Trustee Spira-Cohen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Page 10 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Item # 12 – Other Business Plastic Bag Ban Mayor Volpe received a number of letters from Hutchinson School children about banning plastic bags in the community. Mayor Volpe stated the Board appreciates the advocacy of the children, and noted that other municipalities are considering banning plastic bags. Mayor Volpe stated he will share the letters with this colleagues, so the Board can discuss this issue in the future. Trustee Kagan stated in the past, there was consideration for a local plastic bag ban, but Trustee Kagan felt that would be better instituted at the Westchester County level because if implemented locally, it could disadvantage local businesses if neighboring communities didn’t have such a ban. Mayor Volpe revealed the State is considering a ban. Complaint Letter Mayor Volpe stated he received a complaint letter from a constituent, and he is familiar with the facts of the case. Mayor Volpe tried to mediate the issue between the residents involved a couple of years ago, but this issue can be discussed offline. Highbrook Highline Trustee Potocki asked for temporary fencing to be installed, so the eagle scouts can start their project. Trustee Kagan volunteered to supervise the eagle scouts on site, and Mayor Volpe said the project will move ahead. Mid-Hudson LED Street Light Consortium Trustee Spira-Cohen reported the Town of Redhook, the lead municipality in the Mid-Hudson LED Street Light Consortium rejected the bids due to partially non-responsive proposals from all three bidders. Trustee Spira-Cohen stated the Village can participate in the second RFP process, the turn- key RFP option, or explore another option. NYSERDA Trustee Spira-Cohen listed the Village of Pelham’s high impact action items: • Participation the community choice aggregation program • Solarize Campaign • LED Street Light consortium Page 11 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 The Village of Pelham needs to complete one more high impact action item to apply for the Clean Energy Community designation, so Trustee Spira-Cohen would like to adopt the unified solar permit as the fourth item. Trustee Spira-Cohen will speak to the Building Inspector Joseph Senerchia, but from prior conversations with Inspector Senerchia, she believes the permit does not differ significantly from current practice. Trustee Kagan said the Fire Chief James DiNapoli needs to be included in the unified solar permit discussions because the Fire Chief has some concerns about solar panels. Budget Sessions Mayor Volpe had a meeting with Village Administrator Gallagher and Assistant Village Administrator Scelza on the budget, and they have made preliminary adjustments. The tentative budget will be released on Tuesday, March 20th, and the budget needs to be adopted by the end of April. Mayor Volpe stated the next budget work session will take place on Thursday, March 29th at 7pm. The organizational meeting will take place on Monday, April 2nd at 7:30pm. Street Paving Mayor Volpe reported street paving got pushed back a couple of weeks, but they expect to get a substantial amount of paving done in the early spring. The Village will continue its street paving in June/July, once it receives the CHIPS funding. Traffic Study Mayor Volpe announced an upcoming meeting with Sam Schwartz Engineering on Tuesday, March 20th at 9 am concerning the Traffic Study. Mayor Volpe reported the traffic consultants have done some traffic counts and they have looked at different sites (Lincoln Avenue and Colonial Ave), so they will work on a draft to distribute to the Board. Trustee Kagan would like the traffic consultants to examine the impact of one way and pull in parking along the Fifth avenue corridor. Mayor Volpe has been considering instituting a one way from the Pelham Picture House to the Metro North train station with angled parking on one side of the street, possibly both sides. Mayor Volpe stated some communities institute such a policy during the spring and summer season, so he will discuss this matter further with Louis Luglio, Sam Schwartz, traffic consultant. Page 12 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Recurring Items Item # 13 - Authorizing the Accounts Payable Trustee Kagan audited the Accounts Payable. A brief discussion took place over vouchers #10094, 10095, and 10096. Resolution Authorizing the Accounts Payable Whereas, pursuant to § 5-524 of the New York State Village Law, the Board of Trustees shall audit all claims against the Village. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham after audit of the following vouchers, 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/Treasurer: Fund Name: Amount General Fund $87,110.54 Capital Projects Fund $167.13 Trust and Agency Fund $5,652.50 TE Private Purpose Trust Fund $0.00 Grand Total $92,930.17 Be it further resolved, that this Board hereby approves payment of the above mentioned claims and authorizes payment thereof. Vote Record- Item # 13 – Resolution Authorizing the Accounts Payable Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Volpe ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Trustee Ferrara Second ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Trustee Kagan ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Trustee Mullen Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Withdrawn Trustee Potocki ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Trustee Reinke ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Trustee Spira-Cohen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Page 13 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Item # 14 – Authorizing the Minutes of February 27, 2018 Vote Record - Item # 14 – Authorizing the Minutes of February 27, 2018 Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☐Approved Mayor Volpe ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Trustee Ferrara ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Trustee Kagan ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒Tabled Trustee Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Withdrawn Trustee Potocki ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Trustee Reinke ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Trustee Spira-Cohen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Item # 15 – Adjournment to Executive Session (if needed) Vote Record- Item # 15 – Adjournment to Executive Session (if needed) Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Volpe ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Trustee Ferrara Second ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Trustee Kagan Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Trustee Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Withdrawn Trustee Potocki ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Trustee Reinke ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Trustee Spira-Cohen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ The public portion of the Board meeting was adjourned at 9:03 pm to enter into Executive Session to discuss two police personnel matters, after which time the Board would adjourn for the evening. Respectfully submitted, Yari Fernandez Administrative Intern Page 14