Mayor & Village Board of Trustees

VILLAGE OF PELHAM BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2025, 8:09 PM MUNICIPAL CENTER - 200 FIFTH AVENUE, PELHAM, NY 10803 Join by Zoom 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. Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of a Deputy Village Clerk (Part-Time) 9. Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of a Secretary to the Village Administrator (Part- Time) 10. Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of a Summer Intern in the Village of Pelham Building Department 11. Other Business – Flood Mitigation Recurring Items 12. Authorizing Accounts Payable 13. Adjournment Next Regularly Scheduled BOT Meetings: Tuesday, August 12, 2025 (Summer Schedule) Tuesday, September 9, 2025 Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Item # 1 - Meeting Called to Order: Mayor Mullen called the meeting to order at 8:09 PM. Item # 2 - Pledge of Allegiance: Mayor Mullen led the pledge at 8:09 PM. Item # 3 - Roll Call: Attendee Name Present Absent Late Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ Deputy Mayor Carpenter ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Eldahry ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Howell ☐ ☒ ☐ Village Trustee Mohan ☐ ☒ ☐ Village Trustee Otondi ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon ☒ ☐ ☐ Village Administrator Scelza ☒ ☐ ☐ Item # 4 - Village Trustees’ Report: Village Trustee Eldahry – nothing to report. Village Trustee Howell – absent. Village Trustee Mohan – absent. Village Trustee Otondi – nothing to report. Village Trustee Solomon – nothing to report. Deputy Mayor Carpenter – nothing to report. Item # 5 - Village Administrator’s Report: See “other business.” Item # 6 - Mayor’s Report In the mayor's report, appreciation was given to Administrator Scelza for his efforts in working with the developer to replace the lights and improve lighting in the area, which, despite being a bit of a challenge, turned out very well. Additionally, the Village of Pelham Council on the Arts will be hosting its first concert in Wolfs Lane Park this Saturday at 6:30 PM, featuring the band Los Clavelitos, who have performed in Pelham twice before. The event will last an hour and offers a peaceful, small-town atmosphere. Everyone is encouraged to attend and enjoy the community gathering. Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Item # 7 - Public Comments Steven Estrada, 352 8th Ave: Steven, a resident of 8th Avenue, joined by neighbors in person and on Zoom, spoke to the Village Board to present a petition requesting reconsideration of installing speed humps on their street. Their goal is to better understand the process and request a discreet, modern speed study to capture accurate driving behavior. They emphasized that 88% of 8th Avenue households have signed the petition, and over 130 people in total support the measure. Residents believe prior studies were flawed due to visible signage and outdated conclusions, especially since the Village recently lowered the speed limit from 30 to 25 mph. Steven pointed out that 8th Avenue, though only 0.2 miles long, is frequently used as a cut-through by various vehicles—including speeding school buses and trucks—posing a serious safety risk. With 22 young children now living on the street, the resident stressed that a few seconds of driver convenience is not worth the dramatically increased risk of injury or death. They are open to discussing alternatives but believe speed humps are the most effective solution, and they are eager to assist in moving the process forward. In terms of process, Village Trustee Solomon explained that the next step would involve bringing in a traffic engineer to assess the situation and provide recommendations based on their observations. The engineer would be guided by the Village’s goals, whether considering speed humps or other traffic calming measures, and would conduct a study to collect data such as vehicle speeds and traffic patterns. After completing the study, the engineer would report back with findings and propose solutions, which could include speed humps or alternative measures, depending on what the data supports. Mayor Mullen requested that Administrator Scelza contact the traffic engineer to obtain the scope of a study that could be conducted in the specified area. The proposed timeline for the study includes a two to two-and-a-half-week period now, followed by another two-and-a-half-week period closer to the relevant date. Laura Smaldone, 343 8th Ave: Laura describes two distinct traffic issues occurring on 8th Avenue. First, there's a general problem of high traffic volume, not necessarily speeding, but contributing to congestion. Second, there's a more concerning subset of drivers, particularly motorcyclists, who use the street like a drag strip, often speeding down the avenue, especially at night when there’s less street parking and more open road. While this nighttime speeding may not pose a direct danger to children who are asleep, it’s still highly disruptive and alarming, raising concerns about safety and what might happen at other times. These two issues, overall traffic volume and reckless nighttime speeding, are both felt and observed regularly from inside Laura’s home. Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Non-Recurring Items Item # 8 – Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of a Deputy Village Clerk (Part-Time) Whereas, by Resolution adopted on June 25, 2024, the Village Board of Trustees appointed Giana Pizzutiello to the position of Secretary to the Village Administrator (Part-Time); and Whereas, the Village Board of Trustees wishes to appoint Giana Pizzutiello from her current position of Secretary to the Village Administrator (Part-Time) into the position of Deputy Village Clerk (Part- Time), effective retroactive to June 30, 2025. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby appoints Giana Pizzutiello from the position of Secretary to the Village Administrator (Part-Time) to the position of Deputy Village Clerk (Part-Time), effective and retroactive to June 30, 2025, at the rate of $22.00 per hour, for approximately nineteen (19) hours per week, subject to the requirements of the New York Civil Service Law, the Westchester County Civil Service Rules, and the Village of Pelham Employee Handbook; and Be it further resolved, that the Village Administrator is authorized to take the necessary and appropriate actions to affect this appointment. Vote Record - Item # 8 – Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of a Deputy Village Clerk (Part-Time) – 8:48 PM Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Deputy Mayor Carpenter ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Village Trustee Eldahry ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Village Trustee Howell ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Withdrawn Village Trustee Mohan ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Discussed Village Trustee Otondi 2nd ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Item # 9 – Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of a Secretary to the Village Administrator (Part-Time) Be it resolved, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby confirms the appointment by the Mayor of Julia Davis of Pelham, NY, to the position of Secretary to the Village Administrator (Part-Time) Job Class Code 0023, effective and retroactive to Monday, June 30, 2025, at the rate of $20.00 per hour, for approximately nineteen (19) hours per week, subject to the requirements of the New York Civil Service Law, the Westchester County Civil Service Rules, and the Village of Pelham Employee Handbook; and Be it further resolved, that the Village Administrator is authorized to take the necessary and appropriate actions to affect this appointment. Vote Record - Item # 9 – Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of a Secretary to the Village Administrator (Part-Time) – 8:49 PM Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Deputy Mayor Carpenter ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Village Trustee Eldahry ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Village Trustee Howell ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Withdrawn Village Trustee Mohan ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Discussed Village Trustee Otondi 2nd ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Item # 10 - Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of a Part-Time Summer Intern in the Village of Pelham Building Department Be it resolved, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby confirms the appointment by the Mayor of Sofia Pizzutiello of Pelham, NY, as a Part-Time Summer Intern in the Village of Pelham Building Department, effective and retroactive to Monday, June 30, 2025 through Monday, September 1, 2025, at the rate of $15.00 per hour, for approximately nineteen (19) hours per week, subject to the requirements of the New York Civil Service Law, the Westchester County Civil Service Rules, and the Village of Pelham Employee Handbook; and Be it further resolved, that the Village Administrator is authorized to take the necessary and appropriate actions to affect this appointment. Vote Record - Item # 10 – Resolution Authorizing the Appointment of a Part-Time Summer Intern in the Village of Pelham Building Department – 8:49 PM Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Deputy Mayor Carpenter ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Village Trustee Eldahry ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Village Trustee Howell ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Withdrawn Village Trustee Mohan ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Discussed Village Trustee Otondi 2nd ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Item # 11 – Other Business Flood Mitigation: An update was provided by Administrator Scelza on the ongoing engineering work related to the flood mitigation projects in North Pelham and Highbrook Avenue. There are six key areas of focus: utility mapping, geotechnical surveying, plan set updates, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, and pipe material evaluation. Utility maps have been received from Veolia and Con Edison, showing the layout of existing infrastructure beneath the roads, which is critical for identifying and resolving potential conflicts with the new flood infrastructure. Surveying for both watersheds is complete, and the collected data is being integrated into the overall mapping. The geotechnical analysis is also nearing completion, with a final report expected in 2–3 weeks. Plan sets are being updated based on the latest survey data, with over 200 utility interferences identified on Highbrook Avenue alone, requiring coordination with the County Department of Health for sewer relocation. Hydraulic and hydrologic models are being refined using advanced software to design more efficient culverts and drainage systems. Finally, engineers are evaluating pipe materials, with one promising option being a large-diameter, smooth-wall HDPE pipe, currently in use in Pelham Manor, which could reduce costs and increase capacity. Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Recurring Items Item # 12 - Authorizing Accounts Payable Village Trustee Solomon 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/Treasurer and Deputy Village Treasurer: Fund Name: Amount General Fund (A) $ 417,456.71 Capital Projects Fund (H) $ 381,642.05 Trust & Agency (T) $ 3,120.00 Private Purpose Trust Fund (TE) $ 0.00 Grand Total $802,218.76 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 Accounts Payable – 8:59 PM Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent ☒Approved Mayor Mullen ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Approved as Deputy Mayor Carpenter Motion ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Amended Village Trustee Eldahry 2nd ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐Tabled Village Trustee Howell ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Withdrawn Village Trustee Mohan ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ ☐Discussed Village Trustee Otondi ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Trustee Solomon ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Item # 13 - Adjournment A motion was made by Village Trustee Solomon, seconded by Village Trustee Eldahry, voted unanimously at 9:00 PM to adjourn for the evening. Respectfully submitted, Adriana Rugova, Village Clerk