Mayor & Village Board of Trustees

Pursuant to Part E of Chapter 417 of the Laws of 2021 all in-person public access to Village Board of Trustees Meeting is suspended. Each Village Trustee will participate remotely either by video or telephone via Zoom. VILLAGE OF PELHAM BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2022, 8:00 PM VILLAGE HALL - 195 SPARKS AVENUE, PELHAM, NY 10803 Join by Video: https://zoom.us/j/98917409392?pwd=U09KN2MxTnJHWEU2Nm9ndWxQSEgwZz09 Join by Telephone: (929) 205-6099 Meeting ID: 989 1740 9392 Passcode: 030699 AGENDA ITEMS 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Roll Call 4. Village Trustees’ Reports 5. Village Administrator’s Report 6. Mayor’s Report 7. Public Comments Non-Recurring Items 8. Review of Preliminary Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement “Village of Pelham Downtown Restoration Initiatives” (Continuation from Work Session) 9. Resolution Authorizing Village-Wide Flood Mitigation Study 10. Other Business Recurring Items 11. Authorizing Budget Amendments and Transfers for Fiscal Year 2022-23 12. Authorizing Accounts Payable 13. Authorizing Minutes of: May 24, 2022 Work Session and Regular Board Meeting 14. Adjournment Next Regularly Scheduled BOT Meetings: Tuesday, June 28, 2022 Tuesday, July 12, 2022 (Summer Schedule) Tuesday, August 9, 2022 (Summer Schedule) The agenda is subject to change Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Item # 1 - Meeting Called to Order: Meeting called to order by Mayor Mullen at 8:06 PM Item # 2 - Pledge of Allegiance: Mayor Mullen led the Pledge of Allegiance at 8:06 PM Item # 3 - Roll Call: Attendee Name Present Absent Late Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ Deputy Mayor Carpenter ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Hill-Ries ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Eldahry ☐ ☒ ☐ Village Trustee McGreal ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Otondi ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Administrator Scelza ☒ ☐ ☐ Asst. to the Village Administrator Zia ☐ ☒ ☐ Item # 4 - Village Trustees’ Report: Village Trustee Hill-Ries - Nothing to report. Village Trustee Kamal Eldahry – Absent. Village Trustee McGreal – Reminder of Council of the Arts Juneteenth event at Wolfs Lane Park from 2-8 PM on Saturday, June 18. Village Trustee Otondi – Thank you to Pelham Firefighters for all their continued hard work. Village Trustee Solomon – Reported on NYCOM 2022 Community Revitalization Conference which he attended. Deputy Mayor Carpenter – Thank you to Pelham Preservation and Garden Society for the hanging baskets all over Pelham. Thank you to Sergeant Henry and Officer O’Connor for providing DARE service to our children. Item # 5 - Village Administrator’s Report: Nothing to report. Item # 6 - Mayor’s Report Mayor seconds the announcement regarding Juneteenth Event. The Mayor was nominated for, and then appointed to serve on the Westchester Municipal Officials Association Executive Committee. Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Item # 7 - Public Comments Maryanne Joyce, 142 Nyac Ave—It was mentioned previously that the Village said they were not required to include capital budget planning in budget hearing process, though some other municipalities do. Does Pelham plan to make the capital budget planning process information available to the public? The mayor responded that we will post that information on our website. The follow up question posed: as part of the capital budget planning process, has Pelham put in for, or is planning to put in for any state or federal grant funding? The mayor responds that it can be challenging to get the state and federal funding as it takes a long time to get approved and work cannot start until approval. Maryanne is urging the Village to check out the Hudson Valley Regional Economic Development Council’s website for options for funding. Please see the end of public comment section for Village response to Flood Mitigation comments: Gary Hyer, 408 Fourth Ave – Addressed flooding in various areas in the Village of Pelham. Posed the question if any endeavors are being taken by the Village to help mitigate some of the issues, any grant money, any review of past work completed concerning the flood issue in the past 15 years? Also, Glenwood Lake is a problem, and in the past an agreement with the City of New Rochelle was had that when large amounts of rain were expected, the lake would be drained down. Also, Representative Bowman is in talks regarding flooding on the Hutch Parkway, is the Village in talks with Bowman as well? Follow up question – sanitary and storm should be two separate systems, why lately is there infiltration of the two lines. How is the water getting into the sanitary system? Follow up – original study in 2007 was for the storm drain system and not the sanitary system. What is the status of the plan for mitigation that were previously drawn up? Is there anything in action at this time? Is the sanitary system going to be up to par or is this patchwork? During the flooding, especially last flood we have, two incidents concerning safety. A truck tried to drive down fourth Ave and hydroplaned and another woman drove around and drove on his front lawn to tried to avoid the water. He requests speaking to the police to be more diligent to close off the roads in advance to try to avoid safety issues. Chris Vasallo, 522 Sixth Ave – is the bond going to cover the plan for the sanitary system soon? Resident feels it is not fair for residents to have to pay anything to attempt to resolve the issue in their own home and feels the timeline is too long, as their basement will continue to flood until this is resolved by the Village. Louis Dipippo, 421 Fourth Ave – History of Mayors and Officials who have reviewed the issue, feel it has always been an issue, and nothing has been done about it. His house and yard flood when it rains. Had an engineer review, his yard is clay and does not absorb water and it infiltrates his house. Feels the residents have lost a lot due to flooding and water in their houses due to the issue not being resolved. Hopes something can be done after all this time. Xiara Ferrara, 201 Highbrook Ave – representing many residents of Highbrook Ave. Understand it is a massive project and not first administration to tackle it but hopes it’s the first administration to take action. What are some things that could be done to alleviate the problems in the next four months? Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Kate Doebler– 347 Highbrook Ave – representing many residents of Highbrook Ave. What are we doing to work with the Manor as they end up with the water – what does that collaborative effort look like? Most parts of Highbrook, water breaks over the sidewalk, can they potentially be raised? Atasha Greene, representing 7th Ave, 6th Street – Flooding up to their knees, water in basement through sides and concrete last week. Are we still alerting New Rochelle to lower water when it is going to rain? Requests reminders to New Rochelle that we have an agreement to lower the water levels. Paul Santacroce, 403 Fourth Ave – If this had been addressed 10 years ago, residents would not be sitting here saying 2-year timeline is too long. Lately, he has noticed since Hutch has been built, there was a field that may have absorbed some of the water, and now extra rain/water is coming down the hill, and seems to be going in places it has never gone before. Heather Eliezer, 261 Highbrook Ave – Short to medium term, will this study, in addition to the TV work helping, will the study include short and medium term mitigation measures in addition to the comprehensive plan? How long, if things go well will the whole things take? Are there ways of blocking off streets that run towards Highbrook until the work is done? And Green Infrastructure has so many benefits beyond storm water management, and a lot of money available for municipalities, has a grant writer been hired for that? And will those kinds of approaches be considered in the comprehensive study to hit sustainability goals, the opportunity for funding and mitigation for flooding? Amanda Allensworth, 89 Sixth Street – Talk about diverting water to Hutch River, is that able to handle the additional outflow? Will the river require mediation itself? Joe Marty, 245 Highbrook Ave – (submitted Via Email on 6/13/22) Our Highbrook Avenue neighbors are pleased you are considering funding a Village-wide flood mitigation study at your June 14 meeting. I hope you will approve funding quickly and pursue a study with these elements: Main objective: fund the stormwater study ASAP, and direct that the study: -- assess core reasons for flooding in Highbrook and 4th/5th/6th Ave in North Pelham -- propose fundamental and enduring fixes for each area -- propose minor fixes that have some immediate impact, such as: more frequent cleaning of drains, more Glenwood Lake flow mgmt w/New Rochelle, fixing poor drains, diverting water -- propose fixes individual home owners can pursue to mitigate flooding in the meantime, and keep that funding need in mind when talking to County/State/Federal reps Additional desires: -- go fast; let’s collapse the time to get from funding decision to completion of study, and be seeking sources of funding even before it is done, nail down funding by late 2022/early 2023; aim for first shovel turn by mid to late 2023 -- be agile and not constrained by neighbors' timeline: as much as our Village’s issues may be related to those of our southern neighbors, please do all you can do to avoid tying our schedule and plans to those who may move more slowly or less completely Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Cumulative Village Response to Public Comments regarding Village Wide Flood Water Mitigation Study - The below response is a cumulative response to the above public comments regarding the Village Wide Flood Water Mitigation Study. Numerous inquiries/comments were made by the public. The Village responded to each one at the time of comment. The Mayor reviewed the history of studies completed in previous years. Each study provided some information but did not take certain factors into account, such as expansions affecting other areas. This is why a full Village wide study is being done now. The current sewer system is approximately 80 years old and The Village of Pelham is near completion of a Village wide sanitary sewer evaluation study that kicked off in 2021 to identify where the problem areas of inflow and infiltration are occurring and come up with a plan of action to resolve noted issues. The Village wide study will map out the areas of greatest need and a program will be implemented for resolution. The sanitary system timeline is anticipated to have recommendations in approximately 6 weeks. Over the course of the study, short term mitigation efforts may arise. For example, cleaning of the lines/pipes occurred while the filming was being conducted, and this could potentially free up some capacity that has not been available in a while. Once the study is completed, recommendations will be made to the Village of Pelham for a permanent solution. A grant writing firm will be hired to assist with finding funding for the project; likely to be engaged during the summer of 2022. Grants require a plan and a price tag in place. The project will go out to bid and then once initiated, emergency areas will be frontloaded, and a plan of action will be implemented for all areas that need to be addressed. There are a few areas that may require emergency repair that will not allow for the wait of grant money. In response to a direct question from the public, the study potentially evaluate the systems and could potentially include recommendations such as raising low parts of sidewalks, creating impervious surfaces instead of asphalt which does not allow for water absorption (better for small storm events), retention systems (though real estate in the proper areas is required), as well as green infrastructure. Though there is not a formal IMA with the Village of Pelham Manor, the study will not stop just because a Village boundary is hit; we will work with neighboring cities and villages. The company working with The Village of Pelham is also working with the Village of Pelham Manor at this time and will be evaluating the whole picture. Mitigation efforts continue to be in place with the City of New Rochelle regarding Glenwood Lake to lower the lake with the anticipation of at least 2 inches of rain. Non-Recurring Items Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Item # 8 – Review of Preliminary Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement “Village of Pelham Downtown Restoration Initiatives” (Continuation from Work Session) Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) https://www.dropbox.com/sh/opnwy49ehjlzljg/AABOc5AfmVVp5EOBz5hTSjGDa/Draft %20Generic%20Environmental%20Impact%20Statement%20(DGEIS)?dl=0&subfolde r_nav_tracking=1 The Village Board completed their review of the FGEIS in the work session with the Village planning consultant, therefore this item is withdrawn from the regular meeting. Item # 9 – Resolution Authorizing Village-Wide Flood Mitigation Study Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Whereas, the Village of Pelham (“Village”) has identified areas of public property that consistently flood; and Whereas, the Village desires to retain AI Engineers, Inc., Dolph Rotfeld Engineering Division to evaluate the feasibility of correcting flooding problems, preliminary cost estimates and sketches to alleviate the flooding conditions in accordance with objectives set by the Village. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby authorizes the Village Administrator to execute the attached Village-Wide Flood Mitigation Study Scope and Fee Estimate from AI Engineers, Inc., Dolph Rotfeld Engineering Division for an amount not to exceed $110,000.00; and Be it further resolved, that the Village-Wide Flood Mitigation Study will be funded through the application of surplus or future issuance of debt; and Be it further resolved, that the charges associated with this work be charged to a capital budget account to be determined by the Village Administrator/Treasurer; and Be it further resolved, that the Village Administrator is herein authorized to undertake such administrative acts as may be necessary to effectuate the intent of this Resolution. Vote Record - Item # 9 - Resolution Authorizing Flood Mitigation Study – 9:49PM Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Deputy Mayor Carpenter Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Village Trustee Hill-Ries 2nd ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Village Trustee Eldahry ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Withdrawn Village Trustee McGreal ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Village Trustee Otondi ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Item # 10 – Other Business Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 No other business noted. Recurring Items Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Item # 11 - Authorizing Budget Amendments and Transfers for Fiscal Year 2022-23 Whereas, pursuant to the provisions of § 5-520 of the New York State Village Law, the Village Board of Trustees, by resolution, may increase existing appropriations by transferring funds from the unexpended balance of another appropriation, from the contingent account, from available cash surplus or unanticipated revenues within a fund, or by borrowing; and Whereas, in all cases, there are sufficient unexpended balances in other appropriation accounts, excess revenues or fund balances available to cover the amendments and transfers. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that pursuant to New York State Village Law § 5-520, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby authorizes and directs the Village Administrator/ Treasurer to modify the 2022-23 Budget by making the following budget amendments and transfers (attached hereto and made part hereof). Vote Record - Item # 11 - Authorizing Budget Amendments and Transfers for Fiscal Year 2022-23 – 9:53 PM Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Deputy Mayor Carpenter ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Village Trustee Hill-Ries 2nd ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Village Trustee Eldahry ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Withdrawn Village Trustee McGreal ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Village Trustee Otondi ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Item # 12 - Authorizing Accounts Payable Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Village Trustee Otondi is auditing 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 and Deputy Village Treasurer: Fund Name: Amount General Fund (A) $1,265,761.02 Capital Projects Fund (H) $371.35 Trust & Agency (T) $7,752.50 Grand Total $1,273,884.87 Be it further resolved, that the Village Board of Trustees hereby approves payment of the above- mentioned claims and authorizes payment thereof. Vote Record - Item # 12 - Resolution Authorizing the Accounts Payable – 9:54 PM Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Deputy Mayor Carpenter ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Village Trustee Hill-Ries Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Village Trustee Eldahry ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Withdrawn Village Trustee McGreal ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Village Trustee Otondi ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon 2nd ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Item # 13 - Authorizing Minutes of: May 24, 2022 Work Session, Regular Board Meeting Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Vote Record - Item # 13 - Resolution Authorizing Minutes of March 22, 2022 Work Session, Regular Board Meeting & Executive Session Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☐Approved Mayor Mullen ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Deputy Mayor Carpenter ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Village Trustee Hill-Ries ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Village Trustee Eldahry ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒Withdrawn Village Trustee McGreal ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Village Trustee Otondi ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Vote Record - Item # 13 - Resolution Authorizing Minutes of May 24, 2022 Work Session and Regular Board Meeting Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Deputy Mayor Carpenter ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Village Trustee Hill-Ries 2nd ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Village Trustee Eldahry ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Withdrawn Village Trustee McGreal ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Discussed Village Trustee Otondi ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Item # 14 - Adjournment Motion was made by Village Trustee Solomon and seconded by Village Trustee McGreal to adjourn the public portion of the meeting at 9:58PM.