City Council

City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY COUNCIL ROOM TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2007 6:30 P.M. PRESENT : Valerie Keehn, Mayor Commissioner John Franck, Accounts Commissioner Ron Kim, DPS Commissioner Matthew McCabe, Finance Commissioner Thomas McTygue, DPW SUPERVISORS : Cheryl Keyrouze Joanne Yepsen (arrived 8:00 p.m.) STAFF PRESENT : Lynn Bachner, Deputy Commissioner, Finance Michele Boxley, Deputy Commissioner, Accounts Michael Englert, City Attorney Eileen Finneran, Deputy Mayor Bill McTygue, Director, DPW EXECUTIVE SESSION Council members convened to an executive session at 6:30 p.m. to discuss a land use case and article 7 litigation. No action was taken on the items. WEB CAST Commissioner Matthew McCabe informed everyone that the technology department was testing a web cast of the City Council meeting. Tonight was only a test. PUBLIC HEARINGS Lake Avenue Fire Station Capital Budget Amendment Commissioner Ron Kim said that public hearing this evening was for a capital budget amendment in the amount of $7,019.76 for the Lake Avenue Fire Station apron repair work. Mayor Valerie Keehn opened the public hearing. There being no one wishing to speak, Mayor Valerie Keehn closed the public hearing. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Valerie Keehn called the meting to order at 7:00 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Valerie Keehn opened the first public comment period. Harriet Finch, 268 Church Street, presented the Council with a petition of more than 1000 signatures opposing the downtown transportation plan. There were 72 pages of signatures submitted. Shauna Sutton, 141 Nelson Avenue, said she had great concerns with the Downtown Transportation Plan. The common sense approaches for the pedestrian safety have been overlooked. This plan puts pedestrians at risk. The proposed bike lanes are a liability. Tractor trailers have not been addressed. It is not worth $8 million. There is skepticism in the 3,000 additional parking spaces. People perceive this as a backroom deal. This plan depends on VLT and sales tax money. The Mayor ran on a platform for no development and now will 1 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 encourage development to pay for this plan. The residents are confused. The community does not want this plan. Dawn Oesh, 147 Regent Street, representing the DBA said the DBA is concerned with the Downtown Transportation Plan. The raised medians and the roundabouts are of concern, however, the handicapped access and parking are pluses. They don’t understand the concept of only one lane. There is already enough congestion on Broadway and one lane would make that worse. One lane could decrease the value of the downtown properties and businesses. The City should consider trying out these proposals before implementation. Kathy Smith, 497 Broadway, SAD member, said the Mayor came to them seeking an endorsement of the Downtown Transportation Plan. The SAD does not endorse the plan. They are concerned with pedestrian safety. There needs to be more clarification of this plan. As a side note, she said if she was rehabilitating her building today, it might very well not happen because of the additional fees required by this plan. Those additional fees would have amounted to $310,000. John Kraus, 227 Grand Avenue, said that not having fireworks in Congress Park on July 4th was not American. David Bronner, 5 Royal Henley Court, said the DEC is not looking at what people dropped off at the illegal dumping area at the recreation site, but rather they were looking at what the City dumped there. It is dirty fill. He then showed photographs. Also, he said he walked the perimeter of the DPW garage and found it unsightly. The police were called again to charge him with trespassing. He is not trespassing. The reports have been unfounded. Kyle York, 59 Railroad Place, said after doing a little research, he found that there have been fireworks in Congress Park for quite some time. He said there were people who came from quite a distance to see these fireworks and he urged the Council to display the fireworks on July 4th. Mark Lawton, Nelson Avenue, said the Finance Commissioner is required by the charter to ensure that the budget remains in balance. The Finance Commissioner needs to reconcile all of the budgetary items on the agenda and report that the budget is in balance. There are also final reports due. He noted that the DPW annual report had not been completed. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he was completed and filed. Mark Lawton said that the City also needs to complete its policies and procedures. Andrew Brindisi said there are some key questions that need to be answered on the Downtown Transportation plan before it is implemented. He said that the Woodlawn Avenue parking lot was also a priority. Keith Kaplan, 67 Staffords Bridge Road, said he wanted to like the Downtown Transportation Plan. He had attended many of the workshops, but he was not completely supportive of this plan. There needs to be alternate routes if Broadway is going to be narrowed. Surrounding communities should also be consulted. Once there is a continuous line of traffic on Broadway, people will become aggravated and in turn not come downtown which would have a negative impact. This plan should be put up for referendum. Pat Tuzz, resident of Wilton, said she recently moved here from New York City and she and her family enjoy the fireworks in Congress Park. She encouraged the Council to continue the tradition of fireworks in Congress Park on July 4. Colin Klepetar, 22 Russell Street, said the Downtown Transportation Plan should be tested. This plan is a compromise. It started out at $12 million and is now downtown $8 million. This is a progressive plan that looks 20 years down the road. It’s a good plan with alternative transportation proposals. These are recommendations from which the Council can choose. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said if the budget is out of balance he would, as so directed by the charter, report on the imbalance. He said the budgetary items are reviewed before they get to the agenda. The process is being followed. Commissioner John Franck said he would address the fireworks matter later in the meeting. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he did not have DPW employees standing by at the fireworks display. 2 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 Mayor Valerie Keehn said the Downtown Transportation Plan was introduced by the previous administration. A grant was received to pay for a consultant on this project. The committee membership was made up of members of various boards throughout the City such at the SAD, DBA, etc. This is not her plan -- it is the community’s plan. She is not wedded to this proposal. She said though that without a plan, the City cannot apply for federal funding. There being no one else wishing to speak, Mayor Valerie Keehn closed the first public comment period. MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT Downtown Transportation Plan (07-77) Geoff Bornemann, City Planner, said the Downtown Transportation Plan is not on the agenda this evening for a vote. The Council will not likely vote on this for two or three months. It must go through the public review process and the environmental assessment. He said there are two involved agencies – the Council and the Planning Board. The plan this evening is to forward this to the Planning Board and request that they defer lead agency status to the Council. There is a public information meeting scheduled for next week on this project. This is the very beginning stage and there will be no decision for at least three months. The committee will also meet with interested parties. The information is also available on the City’s web site. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked for clarification on what exactly the Council was voting on this evening. Geoff Bornemann said it is for coordinated SEQR review. No action can be taken on this plan until lead agency status has been determined. The proposal is for the Council to request lead agency status from the Planning Board. The Planning Board has 30 days in which to respond to that request. This is just a procedural step. Commissioner John Franck asked what would happen if this was not forwarded to the Planning Board. Geoff Bornemann said nothing would happen. The project would simply be in abeyance until it was brought forward again. Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded that the Council initiate SEQR coordinated review for the Downtown Transportation Plan with a request that the Council be the lead agency. Commissioner John Franck said he would like to table this matter. The dollars for the project do not add up. There is no guarantee on federal funding. There are concerns on where the police station will be located. There are a lot of good things in this proposal such as sidewalks, curbs and parking and he realized that the committee had worked hard; however, the Council needs to feel comfortable with the plan before approving it. He said there are a lot of unanswered questions. Geoff Bornemann pointed out that there is a meeting scheduled for next week to answer many of the questions. This plan addresses future development. It provides for a dependable source of money. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked what is coordinated review. Geoff Bornemann said the committee has developed a generic environmental assessment on plans concepts. All individual projects following under after this plan will require that an environmental assessment is done. This is a procedural step. If there is more than one agency involved, one needs to be the lead agent for the SEQR. The two involved agencies are the Planning Board and the City Council. The City Council is responsible for funding the project while the Planning Board is responsible for collecting the funds. The committee believes that it is appropriate for the Council to be the lead agent. The Planning Board will have 30 days to respond to that request. Once the Council is designated as the lead agent, the Council will be in charge of the timetable. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked what would happenif the project is tabled tonight. Geoff Bornemann said it could be brought back at any time. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked who appointed the committee. Mayor Valerie Keehn said that she appointed some of the members, however, the make up of the committee (organizations to be represented) had been determined prior to her becoming Mayor. She said former Mayor Michael Lenz started the process. Organizations included were the SAD, DBA, Healthy Transportation network, DPS, DPW and others. Commissioner Thomas McTygue questioned that if this wasn’t her product then why did she request the SAD to endorse it. Geoff Bornemann said there could have been some confusion in that the committee members may have gone back to their various organizations seeking their endorsement of the product. 3 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 Mayor Valerie Keehn again said she was not wedded to this plan. Lew Benton, Chair of the Planning Board and the Downtown Transportation Committee, said the previous Council applied for a $40,000 grant from CDTC which had a match of $40,000. The development community matched the $40,000. He said there are concerns on how the City can collect mitigation fees without having a plan in place. He said Council members have had the opportunity to come to their workshop meetings and the material has been forwarded to them. He said if the Council does not accept this proposal, he will require every project at the Planning Board to go through the full blown SEQR process. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said these debates are valuable. The Council needs to be more educated on these matters and the mitigation fees need to be addressed. He suggested that there be a workshop between the Council and the committee so that consensus could be reached and the project could move forward. He said there are large projects pending such as the City Center expansion, police station, Woodlawn Avenue, etc., that need to be addressed in the context of this plan. He said he would like to work with this committee and would like to support the proposal. He would support tabling the proposal. Lew Benton said the Planning Board was also looking at amending the zoning ordinance to require downtown parking for new development projects. He said he resented that there are questions now. He said Council members could have contacted him. Commissioner John Franck said he would support the proposal to amend the zoning ordinance on the parking matter. It was not his intention to kill this proposal. He wanted workshops so he could be better educated on the project. He asked if the City could be forced to repay the grant to CDTC. Lew Benton said no. Commissioner John Franck said that Deputy Commissioner Michele Boxley had gone to the workshop meetings and had met with Lew Benton. He clarified that one of the reasons to move this proposal forward was so that the City could impose mitigation fees. Lew Benton said yes. He said the SEQR is needed first though. In order to levy the fair share to developers within the 36 block radius, this plan is needed. Commissioner John Franck moved and Commissioner Matthew McCabe seconded to table the motion. Ayes all. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Matthew McCabe seconded to approve the consent agenda as submitted. 1. Approval of Minutes: April 17 & 25, 2007 2. Appointment: Commissioner of Deeds – Patsy Berrigan 3. Award of Bid: Precast Manholes, Catchbasins, Drywells and Frames & Covers - Pallette Stone & Fort Miller Company, various prices Award of Bid: Water & Sewer Pipe Fittings, Hydrants & Valves - Ferguson Enterprises, various prices Award of Bid: Granite Curbs - New England Stone Co., $8,830 Award of Bid: Pre-Cast Curbing - Fort Miller Company, various prices Award of Bid: Catchbasin Riser Extensions - Syracuse Castings $35,120 Award of Bid: Asbestos Removal Waterfront Property – Jupiter Environ. Svcs. $11,800 4. Award of RFP: Traffic Control Signal Design and Engineering - Creighton Manning Engineering $23,000 5. Rejection of Bid: Vending Machines – commission percentage too low 6. Approve Payrolls: 4/20/07 $364,446.72 4/26/07 $363,161.54 7. Approve Warrants: Mid MC2APR07 $ 56,477.90 General 1MAY07 $521,046.46 8. Approve Budget Transfers – Payroll (Attachment A) 9. Approve Budget Transfers – Regular (Attachment B) 10. Approve Budget Transfers - Liability Insurance (Attachment C) 11. Approve Budget Amendments (Attachment D) Ayes all. 4 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT St. Clements’ Catholic School Contract for Gym Rental Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the contract with the St. Clement ’s Catholic School for the gym rental. Linda Terricola, Director of Recreation, said the rent is the same as last year and it is in the budget. Ayes all. Set Public Hearing – Street Name Change – Ellsworth Jones Place Mayor Valerie Keehn requested that a public hearing be set for May 15 a5 6:55 p.m. on the street name change from Grove Street to Ellsworth Jones Place. This street borders the City Center. Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation Contract Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the contract with the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation for the services they provide for storage and maintenance of files. The contract is $12,000 and the funds are within the budget. Ayes all. Weibel & Vernon Ice Rink License Agreement Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded to approve the amendment to the Weibel & Vernon Ice Rink License Agreements as submitted. Linda Terricola said this is in connection with the audio system at the ice rinks. Ayes all. Skate Park Opening Mayor Valerie Keehn announced that the skate park was opening early this year. The park will open beginning May 5. Approve CDBG Recommendations (07-78) Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to adopt the CDBG recommendations as presented. Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded to amend the recommendations to reduce the Citywide Residential Rehabilitation Grant Program from $150,000 to $100,000 and fund the Departmental Public Works Infrastructure Improvements at $50,000. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said infrastructure improvements have traditionally been funded each year through this program. There is a substantial amount of infrastructure work necessary in the City. These funds give the City the opportunity to do the infrastructure work in these low to moderate income areas. They recently completed work in the Clinton & Waterbury Street areas. There are two areas of Clinton Street that have severe sidewalk conditions that need to be rehabilitated. He said that sidewalks are the responsibility of homeowners. If they are not repaired, code enforcement will be forced to enforce the ordinance. He had originally asked for $75,000, however was willing to reduce it to $50,000. Remigia Foy said the CDBG program is nearly 30 years old and has been a wonderful program for the City. She said that initially the funds were directed to infrastructure improvements. This amendment ties in with the intent of the Council to improve the pedestrian access and to encourage people to come downtown on foot. Handicapped curb cuts can be improved with these funds as well. In past years, the CDBG committee used a ranking/matrix system. It was used this year and DPW came in fifth, however, the project was not funded, 5 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 while projects that ranked lower were funded. She said it was a close vote on funding the DPW request. This program is beneficial to the entire community. Improved pedestrian access would decrease cars on Broadway. Brad Birge said each year the funding for the CDBG program is decreased. The program is set up by HUD to assist persons of low and/moderate income. The eligibility for the program is that the person or the predominantly low/moderate income areas are eligible. He said that each year the selection process is more and more difficult. There is no longer a funding pipeline in place because they have reached their goals from the previous years. The residential rehab program allows grants up to $15,000 for individual home repairs. Over the past two years, 32 households have been accommodated through this program. The $150,000 would assist 10 more households. The matrix has never been used purely as a rating number. It’s a point of discussion. Of the 15 members on the committee the matrix was completed by 8 members. The vote for the DPW project was 3-9. Commissioner Ron Kim clarified that if $50,000 was taken from the residential rehab program, then it would eliminate three households from the program. Brad Birge said yes. Brad Birge said they have a waiting list of 30 households. The also get calls for emergencies which then get moved to the top of the list. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the infrastructure improvements impact more than 200 households. Commissioner Ron Kim asked if DPW had been traditionally funded each year in this program. Brad Birge said that since 1994 more than $900,000 had been approved for infrastructure improvements for DPW. Commissioner Ron Kim asked if DPW was required to report to CD on the completed projects. Brad Birge said that it is funded on a reimbursement basis. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said his department has not gotten $900,000, however, he has done major improvements with the funding that they have received. If the Council denies this request, he will instruct the impacted parties to call the Commissioners and not him. He asked that once a homeowner gets funding from this program, how long must they stay in the home. Brad Birge said it was four years. Commissioner Matthew McCabe asked how the City could be assured that certain areas were eligible for infrastructure improvements. Brad Birge said the homeowner can use the funds for home repairs or infrastructure improvements. DPW simply applies for infrastructure and the work is then targeted for the low to moderate income areas. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said a homeowner who may not have been income eligible otherwise, might end up with a new sidewalk. Brad said yes. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked how CD monitors the program. Brad Birge said DPW is reimbursed for their work based on square footage or linear foot, labor, materials and equipment. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked if the laborers were paid out of CDBG funds or the labor account. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the DBA also gives money to the City for sidewalk repairs. He said that most of the money from CDBG is for materials. Commissioner Ron Kim said it would be a common complaint that someone who may not be income eligible may end up with new sidewalks. Those homeowners should be encouraged to make repairs. Commissioner Matthew McCabe asked if additional employees were hired to do the sidewalk repairs. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said no. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said that in 2006 $148,000 was spent on such projects with $100,000 for material and $48,000 for labor. If the City is not hiring additional laborers are they being paid from the payroll account or CDBG. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said his department gave $140,000 back to the City last year at the end of the year. They did not squander any money. The sidewalk program is a very successful program. Commissioner Ron Kim said it would be very helpful for the Council to understand which sidewalks and how many would be repaired. He said it is clear that three homeowners will not get work done at their homes if these funds are moved from one line to another. He said if there was a specific proposal, he might be more comfortable in adopting the motion. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked if the CDBG recommendations had ever been amended in the past. Brad Birge said the recommendations have been accepted as presented. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said they have been amended. Brad Birge said that before 1994 it was a different program. There has been a lot of discussion, but no changes. 6 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 Mayor Valerie Keehn asked if the committee generally knows where the sidewalks and curbs will be installed. Brad Birge said yes, it is within a specific area. Brad Birge said they also file quarter reports with the federal government. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the sidewalk program is a good program for the residents. This program does not make or break DPW. Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded to call the question. Ayes: three (Commissioners John Franck, Thomas McTygue and Ron Kim); Nays: two (Mayor Valerie Keehn and Commissioner Matthew McCabe). Motion carried. Vote on amended motion: Ayes: three (Commissioners John Franck, Thomas McTygue and Ron Kim); Nays: two (Mayor Valerie Keehn and Commissioner Matthew McCabe). Motion carried. Vote on entire motion as amended: Ayes all. Brad Birge then said when the committee met on determining their recommendations, the federal budget was still preliminary. Since that time, the budget has been finalized and the City now has $8,718 more than was anticipated. Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Matthew McCabe seconded to accept the $8,718 in additional funds and that it is placed into the citywide rehabilitation program line. Ayes all. Downtown Transportation Plan – SEQR Review Previously discussed. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Fireworks Commissioner John Franck said that on April 20 there was a fireworks display at 11:00 p.m. The scheduled time period for the fireworks was 10:30 p.m. to 10:40 p.m. The Accounts Department issued the permit with the input of various departments. There was some concern though on the lack of notification to neighbors, although it is not required at this time. There was a meeting yesterday with the department and the ordinance will be reviewed and updated. There was some discussion on notification to neighbors with 1000 feet as well as placing an ad in the paper. He said he would no longer allow fireworks other than on holidays. Commissioner Ron Kim said his department took part as well as the Accounts Department in the issuance of this permit. His department looked at from a safety point of view. Assessment Roll Commissioner John Franck said that the tentative assessment roll is available for review in the Assessment Office. The Board of Assessment Review will meet on May 22. Complaint forms and instructions on how to file a grievance are available in his office. The roll can be reviewed at any time, however there are specific hours available when the Assessor is in attendance. Commissioner John Franck said that the assessment data base had also been enhanced. The new software provides more information for homeowners. The assessment roll will become final on July 1. JB Realty Article 7 (07-79) Commissioner John Franck moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to add the JB Realty Article 7 item to the agenda. Ayes all. Commissioner John Franck moved and Commissioner Matthew McCabe seconded to authorize the settlement in the JB Realty matter for 2005 and 2006 as discussed in executive session. Ayes all. FINANCE DEPARTMENT 7 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 July 4th Commissioner Matthew McCabe said there have been several discussions on the fireworks on July 4th and he has been contacted by several volunteers. Supervisor Joanne Yepsen said she had a number of telephone calls after the last Council meeting on the fireworks at Congress Park. She said there are fireworks at SPAC, however, there is a cost to get into SPAC that evening. There are also fireworks at the harness track that evening, however, that is more of an adult venue. The downtown businesses are concerned with the business that they will lose that evening. There are three businesses that have offered up $1,000 for the fireworks display. She said she understood the concerns of DPW and DPS. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said it was his understanding that SPAC would allow individuals to enter free of charge during the intermission. Supervisor Joanne Yepsen said that might be true, however, the businesses wanted to get the people downtown. She said the end result is that the loss of the fireworks takes the businesses away from the downtown business. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked how the fireworks program was handled in prior years. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the City has raised funds for the display and then both DPW and DPS get involved through clean up, safety and other areas. He said his department does not have the funds in the budget to handle the overtime for clean up. It involves overtime and holiday pay. The volunteers are great, but DPW still looses a lot of time in putting up the fences and clean up. There is also damage to the flowers and the park. The police horse in the park during such an event is of great concern. Having more than 15,000 in the park is a safety issue. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said these are all serious concerns but the residents want the fireworks. It was agreed that there would be more meetings on this matter and all departments would be invited. Financial Reports Commissioner Matthew McCabe said that at the next meeting the yearly financial audits would be brought to the Council for presentation. The yearly internal audit will commence shortly after. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Set Public Hearing – Excelsior Avenue Culvert & Request Emergency Council Meeting Commissioner Thomas McTygue withdrew this item. Sound off – Saratoga Commissioner Thomas McTygue said it was simply an injustice to the City that people are allowed to call the “Sound Off” line in the Saratogian newspaper and state lies without using their name. He then proceeded to address some of the issues. 1. DPW trucks picking up debris on off hours: Commissioner Thomas McTygue said there is staff scheduling on a rotating 7 day schedule so there is no overtime. It’s a great benefit to the residents and there is no overtime involved. 2. Dead End Streets: Commissioner Thomas McTygue said there is no plan to turn Excelsior Springs Avenue into a dead end street. The project will be rebid. 3. Litter: Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the lot referenced in the sound off is a private lot, however, whoever called it in should contact him and he and those individuals could approach that homeowner and offer to clean it up. 4. Oil Spill: The oil spill is not a $200,000 project. Part of the cost is $90,000 for a new floor lift. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked how many more of these issues did the Council need to listen to. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the Council sat through 1 1/2 hours of the Mayor’s agenda. 8 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 5. Picking up loose debris: Commissioner Thomas McTygue said loose debris is picked up for a limited time. It is not cost effective to have the loader driving all around the City picking up loose debris all summer long. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said that he would continue to the Sound Off items to the Council. Transfer Accrual for Employee from DPW Hourly Union to City Hall Union (07-80) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded that the accruals and the step date for Stephani Voigt be transferred from the DPW hourly contract to the City Hall Unit contract effective April 18. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said while he did not support the original motion, he would support this because the employee should not be penalized. Ayes: four; Nays: one (Mayor Valerie Keehn). Motion carried. Permission for Mayor to sign Curb Work Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign a curb work contract with the resident at 185 Regent Street for the City to install 50 linear feet of granite curbing in the amount of $1,600. Ayes all. Clean up at City Garage Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the remediation work at the garage continues. The old in ground lift and soil have been removed. They continue with the work plan as approved by DEC. With the completion of this phase, they are now ready to restore the floor area. The will continue to work with Aztec and DEC on full compliance. He noted that DEC has told them that they have seen far worse sites than this one. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Lake Avenue Fire Station Apron Change Orders Commissioner Ron Kim moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to amend the capital budget in the amount of $7,020 to cover the change orders in connection with the Lake Avenue Fire Station Apron project. Ayes all. Accept Donation from Saratoga Lions Club Commissioner Ron Kim moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded to accept the $720 donation from the Lions Club for the DARE program. Ayes all. NYRA Contract Commissioner Ron Kim moved and Commissioner Matthew McCabe seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the contract with NYRA for fire service coverage during the track season in the amount of $62,000. Ayes all. Water Rescue at Kayaderosseras Creek Commissioner Ron Kim said recently the firefighters were called for a water rescue at the Kayaderosseras Creek. The individual was treated for hypothermia as well. The individual was saved due to the highly trained professional firefighters in the City. He commended staff on a job well done. DPS Awards/Promotion Ceremony 9 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 Commissioner Ron Kim suggested that the DPS Awards Promotion Ceremony be held at 6:15 p.m. before the next Council meeting. Council members agreed. SUPERVISORS Cheryl Keyrouze NY Horse Park Committee: Cheryl Keyrouze said there was good news in that the NYS Horse Park was now a not-for-profit entity. She said they recently attended the first National Equine Economic Development Summer in North Carolina. There were many experts in this field and much information was gained. She noted that pleasure and show horses bring more money to the County than the race horses. The average horse owner has an income from between $25,000 and $40,000. The horse park business does $102 billion nationally. Saratoga Environmental Expo: Cheryl Keyrouze said this was a very successful event. Maintaining Farms and Open Space: Cheryl Keyrouze said there has been discussion on a percentage of the NYS Horse Park income going back to the farmer and agriculture businesses through the County. Citizens Transportation Committee of Saratoga County: Cheryl Keyrouze said it was a busy week with both CDTA and Dennis Brunnelle attending their meeting and sharing their transportation experiences in connection with social service people with the committee. Joanne Yepsen Lake Lonely: Joanne Yepsen said the log jam at Lake Lonely is problematic but the good news is that the Army Corp of Engineers has agreed to issue a permit so that the County DPW crews can remove the log jam. The work will be done towards the end of the summer. Small Business Expo: Joanne Yepsen said there will be a small business expo at the City Center on May 10. This will be a good opportunity for small businesses to obtain information on start up costs, doing business in the state, insurances, taxes, etc. There will be several speakers as well. There will be a strategic planning session on the economic vitality of the Beekman Street area. There are some concerns with the artists having a hard time in meeting their rents in that area. Grants to You: Joanne Yepsen said the fourth session of the Grants to You program will be held on May 18 and 19. It is funded through a member item from Assemblyman Jim Tedisco. Saratoga Race Track: Joanee Yepsen said the Governor will make an announcement in the next couple of weeks on the race track franchise. She is working with SSPF on the sensitivity of maintaining the buildings and grounds at the track. NYRA jobs: Interviews are this weekend for anyone interested in working at the track this summer. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Mayor Valerie Keehn opened the second public comment period. There being no one wishing to speak, Mayor Valerie Keehn closed the seconded public comment period. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Matthew McCabe seconded to adjourn the meeting at 10:00 p.m. Ayes all. There being no further business, Mayor Valerie Keehn adjourned the meeting at 10:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Moran Clerk 10 of 11 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 1, 2007 Approved: 11 of 11