Board of Trustees

Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 250 THREE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY-SECOND REGULAR MEETING Rutherford Hall Village Hall June 13, 2017 A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale was held in Rutherford Hall in Village Hall on Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at 8:00 P.M. Present were Mayor Hochvert, Trustees Callaghan, Finger, Pekarek, Ross, Samwick, and Veron. Also present were Village Manager Pappalardo, Assistant Village Manager Cole, Assistant Village Manager Richards, Village Attorney Esannason, Deputy Village Attorney Garrison, Village Treasurer McClure, Village Clerk Conkling, and Assistant to the Village Manager Ringel. ******** The minutes of the Board of Trustees Regular Meeting of Tuesday, May 23, 2017 were approved on a motion entered by Trustee Samwick, seconded by Trustee Finger, and carried unanimously. ******** Bills & Payroll Trustee Samwick reported that he had audited the Abstract of Claims dated June 13, 2017 in the amount of $437,550.61 which includes $18,162.04 in Library Claims previously audited by a Trustee of the Library Board which were found to be in order and he moved that such payment be ratified. Upon motion duly made by Trustee Samwick and seconded by Trustee Veron, the following resolution was adopted unanimously: RESOLVED, that the Abstract of Claims dated June 13, 2017 in the amount of $437,550.61 is hereby approved. Trustee Samwick further reported that he had examined the payment of bills made in advance of a Board of Trustees audit totaling $115,909.23 which were found to be in order and he moved that such payments be ratified. Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 251 Upon motion duly made by Trustee Samwick and seconded by Trustee Finger, the following resolution was adopted unanimously: RESOLVED, that payment of claims made in advance of a Board of Trustees audit totaling $115,909.23 is hereby ratified. ******** Mayor’s Comments Mayor Hochvert stated that he wanted to thank the residents who advised their landscapers that gasoline driven blowers are not permitted by Village Code between June 1st and September 30th. He has noticed that the noise levels have dropped. Anyone who has not had an opportunity to advise their landscapers that gasoline driven blowers are prohibited during this period should advise them of such. Mayor Hochvert stated that on Sunday, he attended an event where there were 7 Gold Award Girl Scouts. Most of their achievements were in the area of looking after people who needed help. There were also a couple of unique ones – one was a Scout who taught kids how to play games so they would form a more social environment. Another one brought some kids information on astronomy. This was followed by an event with three Eagle Scouts in an Honor Court also. All three of them were builders of some sort. Mayor Hochvert reported that the other events he was involved in since the last Board meeting was an affair held by the Community Support Council at a Forum meeting. People were asked to consider what they could do to help others in the Village. One of the conclusions reached was that it all starts in neighborhoods. Everyone is working very hard on the Neighborhood Associations. At a recent SNAP meeting, they elected a new President, Ira Silfin, following up on Matt Martin, who did a great job keeping that organization moving ahead. ******** Manager’s Comments Village Manager Pappalardo stated that he had a few reports this evening; however, first he called Library Director Elizabeth Bermel to the podium to give an update on the fund raising efforts of the Library Board relative to the Library project that is underway. Library Director Bermel reported that the Library has received nearly $3.8 million in commitments to date. Of that $3.8 million, they have received a total of $3,226,580 in cash which includes the resolution being approved tonight by the Village Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 252 Board, and it includes the amount paid by the anonymous donors for the first quarterly match. As the Board may recall, there are two anonymous donors who are doing $1 million dollar matching grant apiece, and they are doing this on a quarterly basis. They have nearly $500,000 in written pledges, and as of yesterday the Library will receive $511,242 in matching funds for the second quarter. The quarter ends at the end of the month so they anticipate to have more in at the end of the month as well. Without any additional matching funds, the total amount raised will be $4,284,351 – almost $4.3 million and rising. She thanked the entire community for their generosity. Trustee Veron asked for the number of families that had contributed to date to the Library Project. Library Director Bermel replied that there have been 135 families that have donated to date. Trustee Callaghan asked Ms. Bermel how much cash they had on hand. Ms. Bermel responded that they had $3.2 million in cash, but some of that has been spent. Over $1 million was encumbered at the last meeting, but she did not have the exact number this evening. Ms. Bermel stated that she would get back to the Board with that information. ******** Village Manager Pappalardo then began his report, beginning with the road resurfacing project. He stated that subsequent to various curbing work that has been done, the Village began to resurface roads this week. It is a contract service that is managed very closely with the Engineering staff to make sure the work is done in accordance with the contract. The roads that were paved this week are Drake Road in its entirety, a section of Fox Meadow Road from Butler Road to Highland Way, and the section of Butler Road from Highland Way to the Bronx River Parkway. They continued paving today, completing the section of Penn Boulevard, from Weaver Street to Swarthmore Road, Stratton Road from Weaver Street to Franklin Road, and sections of Boulevard, Carman, Bradley, and Potter will be paved over the balance of the week to complete the paving cycle. These roads encompass roughly two miles. During the month of July and part of August, additional roads planned for paving will be prepared with curbing and other work with the intent to conduct another two miles of road resurfacing prior to the commencement of the school year in September. The budget for curbing and road resurfacing is approximately $1.3 million. This consists of a combination of a General Fund transfer of $167,500 at the time the Board adopted the budget, New York State grants totaling $588,000 – this is a combination of CHIPS money, a Pave New York grant, and a Winter Recovery Grant. He stated that we do anticipate an additional transfer of $500,000 from General Fund fund balance subsequent to 2016/17 Year End closeout review, and that would be transfer to Capital Fund for roads. With the $1.3 million, the Village has four miles of paving planned and is hoping to do a few more sometime in August. Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 253 Village Manager Pappalardo next reported on the 2017 Tentative Assessment Roll, which was completed and posted on June 1st. All information is posted on the website on the Assessor’s departmental page. In accordance with the 2017 roll, a total of 165 Change of Assessment letters were mailed to homeowners. With the issuance of the Tentative Roll, the statutory grievance period has commenced, with property owners able to file grievance applications with the Assessor’s office until Grievance Day which statutorily is the third Tuesday in June, which is June 20th this year. Applications are available on the Village website and at the Assessor’s office in Village Hall. Homeowners wishing to speak to the Board of Assessment Review on Grievance Day may do so as well. They should schedule a time slot with the clerk when they submit their grievance application at the Assessor’s office. If you are going to speak to the Board of Assessment Review, you will need to provide six copies of your grievance application for each member of that Board. Mr. Pappalardo next gave an update of the 449 small claims assessment reviews (SCARS) filed for the 2016 assessment roll. He stated that a total of 396 have been settled and/or adjudicated with 53 SCARS still pending. The Assessor will continue to negotiate the remaining SCARS until the June 20th Grievance Day. At that time, the Board of Assessment Review is authorized to review grievance applications. Those 2016 properties still unsettled on June 20th will have to refile their grievance for 2017 and await the BAR’s determination and the final Assessment Roll which must be filed by September 13th. If still unsettled, or the property owner is unsatisfied, they can file another SCARS for 2017 and again commence settlement discussions with the Assessor. ******** Other Committee Reports None. ******** Liaison Reports Trustee Veron gave a report on the Ad Hoc Committee for Communications. She stated that the first e-newsletter will be launched tomorrow to those in the community who have selected to hear from the Village through the ‘Notify Me’ process on the Village’s website. She stated that you will first be alerted to the fact that you will be getting an e- newsletter – if you are not interested you may decline, but the Committee is hoping you will be interested and encourage your friends to sign up. It is a collaborative effort between the Ad Hoc Committee for Communications and the Village staff who worked very hard to get this done. The e-newsletter will be sent out approximately twice a month, with news from the Village Board meetings and various updates. Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 254 Secondly, she stated that there is a survey from the Ad Hoc Committee for Communications which is open for response through July 1st. The Committee would like those interested in completing the survey to go to the following link: tinyurl.com\Scarsdale- survey. You can also go to the search bar on the Village website and look for the Communications survey. The topic is about the quality and quantity of information that one receives from the Village government and what could be done better to ensure a dialogue with residents. Trustee Veron stated that she attended a SNAP meeting and had an incredibly engaged crowd of SNAP Presidents. She presented the functionality of the website and spoke about all the ways the website will help improve communication to the community. The Presidents attending the SNAP meeting wanted to invite the members of the Ad Hoc Committee for Communications to come and provide that input to their organizations. Trustee Veron offered to any group in the community that is interested in sharing the robustness of the website that the Ad Hoc Committee would be willing to do this. There are also tutorial videos on line at the Village’s website. Trustee Veron next reported on the Library, noting the exciting news related by Library Director Bermel earlier in this evening’s meeting. She stated that there is so much activity – the community should be very proud of the Library Board and the Friends of the Scarsdale Library. Newly redesigned Bookmarks will be mailed to residents with photos and a lot of information. This will also be sent as an e-blast. This highlights the programs that currently exist that will expanded, such as homebound delivery to make the library more accessible to those who are homebound. Trustee Veron added that the Library book sale is proceeding – it will be the last opportunity to do the book sale in the current building. Design development has been launched and a communications committee has been initiated along with plans for a new website. With regard to the Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, Trustee Veron stated that the results of the survey done with the high school students are in; the data will be shared – she will announce where one can get the information. The Task Force will be sending out factoids with information that the community should know. They are working on formalizing their Board structure and finalizing their logo. They are working hard on their mission. Trustee Veron stated that she hoped the community got to see in Chase Park the installation proposed by the Scarsdale Arts Council, supported by the PRC and authorized by the Board of Trustees the Pearl Necklace. There is also cooperation from the business community. If you go to Wilson and Son’s Jewelers you will see the display in the window. It is an incredible collaboration between the business community and the Scarsdale Arts Council in an effort to bring in foot traffic and revitalize the Village Center. Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 255 Mayor Hochvert pointed out that the pearls hanging in Chase Park were done by a Scarsdale resident artist, Simone Kestelman. Trustee Callaghan reported that tomorrow evening the Board of Appeals will be considering a variance to change the Scarsdale Historical Society’s property back to a residential building. Trustee Callaghan next reported for the Advisory Council on Scarsdale Senior Citizens and the Council on People with Disabilities, stating that the Police Department put together a form that is available on the Village’s website. The form will indicate whether any of your family members have disabilities – mental and/or physical. For those that submit this form, the Police Department will make a telephone call every day and if they don’t hear back from you in three hours, they will dispatch a patrol car to your address. The Police Department has extensive training in mental and physical disabilities. At the Old Scarsdale Neighborhood Association, Trustee Callaghan reported that the Police Chief explained how the police patrol the neighborhoods during the evening hours. He told a short story which indicated how well the police check the neighborhoods. Trustee Callaghan reported that SVAC has been involved in several emergency drill procedures and those members are getting extensive training in disaster management response. Reporting as Fire Commissioner, Trustee Callaghan stated that the Fire Department is down volunteers. There used to be 150, and they are now down to 70 volunteers. He asked those listening this evening to give consideration to being a volunteer. The Village and the community needs your help. Mayor Hochvert noted that he had the privilege of sitting down with Company 1 and Company 3 who are a great bunch of volunteers. He stated that the ranks are thinner than they should be. It is a great opportunity and you learn a great deal as a volunteer and you provide a great service. Trustee Pekarek reported on a Police Awards Ceremony that occurred on May th 30 . She stated that there were a variety of awards that acknowledged a job well done of the Police Department. She noted that we don’t often hear about the kinds of things they do – they are ‘unsung heroes’. She noted that she read the resolutions at the Board’s last meeting citing the commendations for these police officers and she read the highlights of each one at this time. She stated the ceremony was wonderful in celebrating these good works. Trustee Pekarek stated that the Scarsdale Family Counseling Center will have their annual meeting on Thursday evening, July 15th in the Scott Room of the Library. Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 256 During the meeting she attended, they reviewed and they will review for the public the myriad of services they provide for the community including in school support and counseling for both middle school and high school students. They have parent support groups. There are links with the Drug and Alcohol Task Force, the Coalition for Healthy Relationships, and many others. Trustee Pekarek stated that she and the Mayor attended the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association meeting and many topics were discussed. The value of advocacy for neighborhood associations was discussed. She noted that the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association was crucial in convincing Westchester County to position the proposed pathway along the Bronx River Parkway on the west side, rather than the previous proposal to position it on the east side of the parkway. Trustee Pekarek reported that she attended a ‘Project Worthy’ on June 7th. This was sponsored by the Westchester County, “Westchester Opioid Response Teams Helping You”. This is the latest extension of our safer communities’ initiative of Westchester County and draws on public and private resources from around the County with the key being integration of services and mobilizing all available services to deliver effective and long lasting results. The opioid epidemic is of huge concern to every neighborhood and every community in the United States. Trustee Samwick reported that last evening the Freightway Steering Committee held th its 4 meeting which was the first public workshop. It was extremely well attended; he estimated that there were over 100 people present. It was a very helpful and constructive meeting. One of the main goals of the Freightway Committee is to hear from the community. He borrowed some of the comments from the Chair of the Committee, former Mayor Jon Mark made at that meeting to give more of an overview of the Committee: “In general, it is the goal of this Committee to try to determine two main points: first, what improved use for the Freightway site might be acceptable to stakeholders in the Village; and second, of the possibilities that might be considered, what might have the best chance of succeeding from an economic standpoint. This second point is as important as the first, since a wish list of proposed ideas for the site will not get out of the starting gate if it doesn’t make sense economically. It is not the goal of this Committee to reach any sort of final conclusion of what should be done. Rather, the Committee’s objective is to determine what sorts of proposals might work in the manner mentioned so that as a next step, requests for proposals that address might be learned might be issued to the development community. Our present timeline for completing the Committee’s work extends into the first quarter of 2018 so there will be many, many more opportunities for public contribution and input. That said, a conclusion to do nothing would not be a particularly satisfying result of the Committee’s work, nor for the Village – although it must be recognized as the reality for the Freightway site has been discussed for at least the past 30 years. In 1995, a Citizens’ Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 257 Advisory Committee dealing with Freightway had this to say: “Without improvement and enhancement, the Village Center will deteriorate. Downtowns are never static: they either grow in vitality or decline. Scarsdale is no exception. Thus ‘doing nothing’ is not a viable alternative.” That observation is as true today as it was then – and perhaps resonates even more loudly today. The viability of our Village Center is very much on our minds as we see the number of vacant store fronts increase and remain so for extended periods. The challenge faced by brick and mortar stores in the face of the rising acceptance and use of e-commerce is as apparent in the Village as it is in village centers and cities across the region and the country. While development of the Freightway site will not address that situation at present – or directly -- it has, among other things, the potential of fostering a broad sense of renewal that could benefit the entire Village’. Trustee Samwick stated that this is a process that really is highly reliant on public interaction. He urged people to go to the Scarsdale website at www.scarsdale.com/fw - there is an enormous amount of information there. There will be at least two more public workshops as well as other meetings. All meetings are public and open to everyone. You may also send an email with your comments or rsvp to freightwaystudy@scarsdale.com. He stated he was very pleased to see the participation and positive reaction last evening. Mayor Hochvert added that a very unique tool was used at the meeting last night – on the live broadcast, people could use their device to participate in a survey and the results were displayed on a panel. During the process, it was learned that people watching live could use their device from home to participate in the informal survey. Trustee Finger stated that he attended the Heathcote Neighborhood Association Annual meeting last week. It was a well-attended meeting and it was a good opportunity for him and the Mayor to hear about some of the things that are going on. One of the items discussed was Wynmor Park and the improvements that have been budgeted for that site. One of the issues of concern that they need the community’s help on is the driving and traffic. They need the help of those who drive their kids to school and when they pick them up from school to drive safely and adhere to the No Standing and No Parking signs as that makes a big difference in the traffic patterns. This is clearly an issue in the Heathcote area. Hopefully we can count on everyone to help out with this issue. Trustee Ross reported on the Cable Television Commission, stating that the Village will be shortly renegotiating its franchise agreements with Verizon and Altice (formerly Cablevision). On June 6th, members of the Commission and Village staff met with Sue Buske of the Buske Group, the Village’s consultants in this matter, to discuss the needs assessment being undertaken by the Village in anticipation of renewal of those franchise agreements. As part of the needs assessment, there will be outreach to the community. The Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 258 public will have an opportunity to make their feelings known and he encouraged all residents to do that. ******** Public Comment Marty Rolnick, 113 Lee Road, gave the following statement: “The number of vacant store fronts in our Village of Scarsdale recently reached a high of 15. I think that revitalizing Scarsdale is one of top priorities for us as a community. There’s a strong collective effort underway by a number of citizens to solve this problem, yet we need to do much more and fast. Just like advancements in technology can be a major cause of what looks like the impending death of retail, it can actually save retail in Scarsdale. As a philosopher, marketing lunatic & ideaholic, my craft is all about the conceiving and spreading of ideas. Together with a technology genius, I’ve developed an idea for a smart phone application called Virtuous Scarsdale. It has great potential to revitalize Scarsdale! It will satisfy the hunger of our small businesses imperative to increase foot traffic and sales, quest the thirst of Scarsdale Not-For-Profit (NFP) Organizations to maximize fundraising efforts while harnessing the passion of Scarsdale Residents who desire to make a positive difference in our community. It’s a sustainable business model that will keep your hard earned money in circulation throughout our Scarsdale Community 365 days each and every year! Hence the name, Virtuous Scarsdale! Any local merchant and NFP wanting to participate would be programmed into the user friendly, turn-key Virtuous Scarsdale App. All Scarsdale NFP’s who choose to participate will have one month to unleash the power of social media and call out to all the friends and family members of their favorite organization to spend as much money as possible for the goods and services of the participating small businesses of Scarsdale. A Virtuous Scarsdale App Leadership Committee would be formed representing Scarsdale Village Government, 501 C3 Clearing House, Scarsdale Local Merchants, Scarsdale NFP Organizations, Scarsdale Residents, Scarsdale Village Landlords. This committee will decide the particular month in which each NFP will participate. The goal is to space out equally over the year all the NFP’s month of fundraising so there will be consistent and significant foot traffic every day, 12 months a year throughout the Village. Here’s how it works: first, the Virtuous Scarsdale App needs to be downloaded. After a shopper makes his/her purchase at a participating downtown merchant, she/he opens the app, searches and clicks on that merchant, then does the same for their favorite NFP, enters the purchase total and then takes a picture of the receipt. When she clicks Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 259 ‘submit,’ 10% (or whatever % the business decides) of that purchase is immediately designated for her chosen NFP. Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 260 All this data would be seamlessly pooled to a designated 501 C3 organization like Scarsdale resident Jane Veron’s TAP. Because it is also a 501(c) (3), the 10% (or x%) that is sent by the merchant may qualify for a tax-write off. In addition, another benefit of the transactions generated from the Virtuous Scarsdale App would result in the acquisition of real time data that could be used to help our business community grow. TAP or a similar 501C3 organization could also become the village’s de facto marketing resource available for all Scarsdale merchants. It would provide expertise in advertising, email and promotional campaigns, exterior signage and more. Wouldn’t that be a good value added incentive to attract potential businesses to our community? Through the power of technology, the Scarsdale Virtuous App will be programmed to send out monthly invoices for reconciliation, auto debit the funds from the merchant’s accounts and deposit the funds raised directly into the NFP accounts. The Virtuous Scarsdale App will allow all stakeholders to have real time access to all transactions. Each stakeholder will have a dashboard along with a user id and password to access the data. It’s a powerful tool for both the economy and the ecology of our community. A recent empty nester, I’ve been a proud resident of over 17 years in Scarsdale and have experienced the incredible generosity of our community. Together with my wife Marguerite, we raised three wonderful children who were fortunate to graduate and benefit from the amazing Scarsdale School system. I love living in Scarsdale. And it’s because of this I want to give back! The price to develop the Virtuous Scarsdale App would require only a $12,000 investment with a $250 monthly hosting & maintenance fee after it went live. It will be owned by our community! For the record, I will not be receiving any financial benefit from the application. I would like this to be my contribution to the Scarsdale community. I’d welcome any thoughts and help to move this idea from conception to execution. Living with the Virtuous Scarsdale App will revitalize our downtown and will benefit us all.” Robert Harrison, 65 Fox Meadow Road, stated that he appreciated all of the liaison reports from the Trustees. He noted that there is a resolution on the agenda to hire a consultant to review the Assessor’s office. He stated that he did not see any dollar amount in the resolution. He suggested that the amount be placed in the resolution. In the tax levy resolution on the Board’s agenda this evening, Mr. Harrison noted that it shows that the Assessor’s office in the budget is $569,111 for the coming year. Mr. Harrison spoke about his efforts over the years to build a summer tennis league for the youth in Scarsdale. In the early mid 1990’s there were 2,700 tennis permits Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 261 sold. He would like to FOIL the information to see how these numbers have declined. Only 850 tennis permits have been sold this year encompassing adults, seniors, and youth. He noted that he had submitted a letter to the editor of the Scarsdale Inquirer urging the youth of Scarsdale to join the 33rd season of the Scarsdale Youth Summer Tennis League. He also stated that tennis attendants are needed to supervise the tennis courts to insure that those playing have permits from the Village to do so. This is a revenue area that has declined substantially. The program starts on Monday, July 10th; it is a four week program, four nights a week. The brochure for the spring and summer programs from the Recreation Department went out a few weeks ago. The applications will be accessible on the Recreation Department’s website later this week. Eligible youths are between the ages of 6-18 years. The fee is $50.00 – included in that fee is a t-shirt, a pizza and ice cream party at the end of the program, participation trophies, and a tournament. There will be a travel team at the end of the tournament. Mr. Harrison stated that the new assessment roll came out; Village Manager Pappalardo did an excellent job in reviewing what is coming up with Grievance Day. He noted to those listening that residents have up until June 20th to file a grievance papers and he is available to help anyone with their grievance filings at no cost. He said that at the last meeting he asked for help with the Real Property law books and the Village Attorney’s office did allow him to look at those books. He stated that he would still like to get some help on what the statutes are and the numbers that relate to filing grievances. He reviewed the grievance application form for the audience. He stated that the problem with this package is that it doesn’t give any details as to why you might not be able to apply. Information should be within the packet. It would be nice to know if you can apply again if you already got a reduction last year. Mayor Hochvert thanked Mr. Harrison for his comments and for mentioning that the amount to be paid to the consultant for review of the Assessor’s office was not included on the resolution. That resolution will be amended as the Board gets to that item on the agenda this evening. There being no further comments, Mayor Hochvert closed the public comments portion of the meeting. ******** Finance Committee Upon motion entered by Trustee Finger, and seconded by Trustee Ross, the following resolution regarding the Levy of Village Taxes for 2017-2018 was approved by a unanimous vote: Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 262 WHEREAS, Pursuant to the provisions of Section 17-1722 of the New York State Village Law, the Board of Trustees must levy Village taxes for the current fiscal year not later than the twenty-fifth day of June; and WHEREAS, in order to allow sufficient time to process the tax bills, it is necessary that this resolution be adopted at the June 13, 2017, Board of Trustees meeting: now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that pursuant to Village Law Section 17-1722 there be levied and assessed against the taxable property in the Village of Scarsdale, as contained on the last completed single Village/Town assessment roll, the sum of $39,297,482.00, being the net amount to be assessed and collected in accordance with the 2017-2018 Budget adopted April 25, 2017, which sum together with the other revenues estimated in said budget shall be applied to the purposes set forth in said budget, as described in the attached Tax Warrant summary; and be it further RESOLVED, that pursuant to Real Property Tax Law Section 1432 (1), the Village Treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to collect said amount; and be it further RESOLVED, that pursuant to Real Property Tax Law Section 1432 (2), the Board of Trustees hereby determines that on all such taxes remaining unpaid after August 1, 2017, a two percent (2%) penalty will be added for the first month and an additional one percent (1%) for each month or fraction thereof until paid; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Clerk shall cause to be published in the Scarsdale Inquirer notice of collection of the taxes levied herein. ******** Upon motion entered by Trustee Finger, and seconded by Trustee Samwick, the following resolution regarding Acceptance of Gifts for the Scarsdale Public Library Addition and Renovation Project was approved by a unanimous vote: WHEREAS, the Scarsdale Library Board completed a Master Plan dated June 10, 2013, which identifies a number of building renovations and additions that will increase the capacity of the library to provide a broader range of rapidly evolving library services while maintaining popular traditional collections and programs by offering a more balanced utilization of the building space within a safe, attractive and Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 263 inviting comfortable environment, said master plan supported by the Scarsdale Village Board of Trustees via resolution dated April 8, 2014 (attached); and WHEREAS, the improvements identified in the Master Plan will transform the Library into a multi-purpose community asset for future generations, maintain its preeminent status among free public libraries in the County and State, enhance its technological capacity to further library services and create a physical environment that will be a welcoming and versatile learning center; and WHEREAS, the Scarsdale Public Library Board, at their October 21, 2013 meeting, authorized the retention of the fund raising consulting firm of Plan A Advisors, P.O. Box 165, Thornwood, NY 10594, to design and conduct a capital campaign to implement such a project, subsequently identified in the July 20, 2015, Schematic Design Report prepared by Dattner Architects, at an estimated construction cost of $16,500,000 and total project cost of approximately $19,500,000; and WHEREAS, in accordance with a Village Board request at a March 07, 2016, Committee of the Whole meeting, the Library Board and Architect value engineered the schematic design plans, reducing the total project cost to $17,900,000, as identified in Option A-1 (attached), which the Architect presented at the July 19, 2016, Committee of the Whole meeting; and WHEREAS, on December 13, 2016, the Village Board of Trustees authorized a $9,900,000 bond to pay part of the $17,900,000 addition and renovation of the existing Scarsdale Public Library Building, with the remainder of the $17,900,000 to be paid by private donations and grants; and WHEREAS, on January 09, 2017, and with thanks to Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, the New York State Dormitory Authority awarded the Village of Scarsdale a $500,000 State and Municipal Facilities Program grant in support of the project, with the execution of a grant agreement pending upon completion of various program review requirements; and WHEREAS, the following donations have been offered to the Scarsdale Public Library Addition and Renovation Capital Improvement Project: $25,000 from William and Diane Stern, and $48,304.13 from the Friends of the Scarsdale Library; and Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 264 WHEREAS, pursuant to Policy #106: “Gifts to the Village of Scarsdale” of the Village of Scarsdale Administrative Policies & Procedures Manual, acceptance of all gifts valued at $500 or greater must be approved by the Village Board of Trustees; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Village Board hereby accepts the following gifts toward the Scarsdale Public Library Master Plan Improvement Project: $25,000 from William and Diane Stern, and $48,304.13 from the Friends of the Scarsdale Library; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Treasurer take the necessary steps to complete the transaction and accept these financial gifts totaling $73,304.13 and deposit said funds into the Library Capital Campaign Account; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby extends their heartfelt thanks and great appreciation to the above donors for their generosity and commitment to the Scarsdale Public Library and the community it serves. ******** Upon motion entered by Trustee Finger, and seconded by Trustee Veron, the following amended resolution (amended on the floor by a motion entered by Trustee Finger, seconded by Trustee Samwick and carried unanimously) , regarding a Professional Services Agreement with Management Partners, Inc., for an Organizational Assessment of the Town/Village Assessor’s Department was approved by a vote of 6 – 1 as indicated below: WHEREAS, the Village of Scarsdale places a high level of importance on trust in local government and the effective, efficient, and ethical delivery of public services, including those of the Assessor’s Department, which directly influence the lives of every Scarsdale resident and homeowner; and WHEREAS, community controversy arising from completion of the 2014 and 2016 revaluations precipitated the need to thoroughly examine both the Village’s approach to conducting and overseeing future revaluations, and also the Assessor’s Department overall structure and operations; and WHEREAS, although Village staff has developed reasonable insights into the key issues and concerns surrounding the 2014 and 2016 revaluations, the Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 265 production of an independent, comprehensive, thoroughly researched analysis and report inclusive of actionable recommendations and reflective of external stakeholder perspectives and feedback is prudent; and WHEREAS, such a comprehensive, objective organizational assessment of our approach to revaluations and the Assessor’s Department staffing and operations, policies, procedures, and protocols not only requires a significant amount of time unavailable to staff, but also recognizes that the credibility of such an undertaking would be greatly enhanced if performed by a qualified third party; and WHEREAS, after soliciting and evaluating proposals from qualified local government management consulting firms, staff recommends award of a professional services agreement for an Organizational Assessment of the Assessor’s Department to the firm Management Partner’s, Inc., of Cincinnati, OH, a management consulting group with demonstrated ability to successfully execute the scope of work, having also submitted the lowest bid proposal received for the project; and WHEREAS, this item appeared on the February 14, 2017, Village Board agenda, having been referred to the Committee of the Whole (COW) for further processing and resident engagement; and WHEREAS, through the course of two subsequent COW meetings, the first on February 28, 2017, and the second on June 06, 2017, Management Partners presented a qualified assessment subject matter expert to assist with their work, effectively addressed Village Board questions and concerns, and conveyed necessary insights to residents in attendance; and WHEREAS, a majority of the Village Board members at the June 06, 2017 COW meeting, indicated their desire to place the item on the Board’s June 13, 2017, regular meeting agenda for positive action; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Village Manager is herein authorized to execute an agreement in the amount of $34,990, in substantially the same form as attached hereto, with Management Partners, Inc., 1730 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45206, for an Organizational Assessment of the Assessor’s Department; and be it further Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 266 RESOLVED, that the costs associated with this agreement be charged to the Assessor’s Department Operating Budget Account # A 1355 ADMIN-ADMIN 400-459, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Manager is herein authorized to undertake all administrative acts as may be required pursuant to the terms of the agreement. AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Finger Trustee Callaghan None Trustee Pekarek Trustee Ross Trustee Samwick Trustee Veron Mayor Hochvert Before the roll call was taken for the above vote, Mayor Hochvert explained that there was a meeting held last week and the comments he heard from the people the Board represents were very much in favor of this action. He then asked for a roll call. Trustee Callaghan explained his vote of opposition to this resolution, stating that he had asked the representative of the consulting firm what the common deficit was that he has found in his experience in examining and analyzing an Assessor’s office – he never received an answer. Also, the founder of this firm published an article regarding organizational reviews and not one of those items is listed in their proposal; he doesn’t know where they are coming from. He then questioned why the Board is doing this now, since in two years the Village will have a new Assessor in place? The Village should be spending its time looking for a new Assessor now because it takes time. Trustee Callaghan continued, stating that these consultants did not go into what their basic job requirements are. There are many of them including their knowledge, their skills, their mathematics – they didn’t touch them at all. Noting that he was in the consulting business for 45 years, Trustee Callaghan summed up his opinion, stating that they always followed a model from Wayne Gretsky, the great hockey player. His success, he says is not knowing where the puck is, but where it is going to be. Trustee Callaghan stated that he did not think that these consultants have that facility. Trustee Finger stated that he would vote in favor of the above resolution. With respect to Trustee Callaghan’s comments, he stated that he thought the consultant’s presentation was excellent. He stated that he is not willing to presume where they will be in Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 267 two years. In order to be where we want to be in two years it is important to start the process now. Trustee Pekarek stated that she would also be voting ‘aye’, echoing the words of Trustee Finger. She felt that this consultant will give the Board future orientation and will help them make better decisions as they move forward with work on assessment. Trustee Samwick stated that he would also vote ‘aye’ and would like to comment that in his opinion this process is to see exactly where the puck is going. There are a number of different elements to this consultant’s task – how do we move forward with assessment; how do we do that in an efficient and professional way that gets us as close to accurate assessment for as many people as possible. Trustee Veron stated that she would also vote ‘aye’, stating that she respected Trustee Callaghan’s position. She felt that the consultant was very thorough in response to the Board’s questions and understood the importance of best practices and gathering analysis from other areas. She also felt that they were very responsive to their initial concerns when the Board felt that the initial expert brought to them didn’t meet the criteria they had established so they brought back an expert with more relevant experience. She was also encouraged that the consultant was very clear about what their expertise was and was not. She stated that she appreciated the scope being very clear. Mayor Hochvert stated that he would vote ‘aye’; he admired the experience of the individual the Board heard; he looked at all of the people who had awarded him praise as well as his vast experience over the years. Mayor Hochvert stated that he thinks he is the right person to help them make improvements in the way assessment is done in Scarsdale. Trustee Samwick added that the consultants were vetted thoroughly – references were checked and that certainly helped the Board get to this decision. ******** Municipal Services Upon motion entered by Trustee Veron, and seconded by Trustee Samwick, the following resolution regarding Authorization to Execute a Professional Services Agreement for Updating the Existing Pavement Management System was approved by the vote indicated below: WHEREAS, The Village of Scarsdale (Village) maintains approximately ninety one center line miles of roadway, approximately seventy nine of which are owned by the Village; and Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 268 WHEREAS, for nearly the past two decades, Village Engineering and Public Works staff have utilized a 1998 Pavement Management System (PMS) as a tool to assist with the analysis, budgeting and programmatic scheduling of maintenance and resurfacing activities for Village roads; and WHEREAS, in 2008, the Village solicited proposals from vendors qualified to develop pavement management studies to upgrade/replace the 1998 PMS, ultimately awarding a contract to MHM Associates of South Bend, Indiana for $40,800 with the resulting PMS completed in February of 2009; and WHEREAS, since 2009, roughly 30 miles of Village roads have been resurfaced utilizing the grading system identified in the PMS, while the conditions of others roads also changed, making the report less useful in the staff’s annual analysis of roadway conditions; and WHEREAS, it is therefore prudent at this time to update the 2009 PMS report to capture these changing roadway conditions; and WHEREAS, on March 6, 2017, the Village Engineer received a cost proposal from Mr. Jerry H. Mohajeri, of MHM Associates in the amount of $44,900 to prepare an update to the 2009 PMS; and WHEREAS, Engineering and Public Works staff evaluated the proposal and determined that certain costly and sophisticated technological tools to capture video of road surfaces were not essential to identifying the pavement conditions of the roadways and as such, eliminated these components and negotiated a revised fee of $29,600; and WHEREAS, a professional services agreement has been drafted by the Village Attorney and reviewed and executed by MHM Associates; now therefore it be RESOLVED, that the Village Manager is herein authorized to execute a professional services agreement on behalf of the Village of Scarsdale with MHM Associates, Inc., 50805 Ravenna Court, South Bend, IN 46628, to update the Village’s existing 2009 Pavement Management System, in the amount of $29,600; and be it further RESOLVED, that all costs associated with this work be charged to the FY 2016/17 Department of Public Works Operating Budget Accounts in which Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 269 adequate funding exists, as determined by the Village Treasurer and Superintendent of Public Works; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Manager is herein authorized to undertake administrative acts as may be required pursuant to the terms of the agreement. AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None None Trustee Finger Trustee Pekarek Trustee Ross Trustee Samwick Trustee Veron Mayor Hochvert ******** Recreation Committee Upon motion entered by Trustee Callaghan, and seconded by Trustee Veron, the following resolution regarding Acceptance of Gifts – Protective Sports Netting for Boulder Brook Field and an Equipment Storage Shed for Supply Field was approved by a unanimous vote: WHEREAS, The Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department in conjunction with the Advisory Council on Parks, Recreation and Conservation, annually partners with certain Independent Sports Organizations (ISOs, comprised of community volunteers, to provide youth sports programs to the community; and WHEREAS, the existing protective sports netting between Boulder Brook Field and the associated adjacent parking lot is deteriorated and in need of replacement, while the on-site sport equipment storage space at Supply Field is inadequate for current needs; and WHEREAS, the Scarsdale Youth Lacrosse Association (SYLA), a recognized ISO, wishes to gift to the Village of Scarsdale a protective mesh netting system for Boulder Brook Field, designed to stop soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse balls, as well as a 10ft. x 10ft. equipment storage shed at Supply Field to provide additional storage for SYLA use, said netting system and storage shed valued at approximately $2,100 and $3,500, respectively; and Village Board of Trustees 06/13/2017 270 WHEREAS, Village of Scarsdale Facility Maintenance Staff will install the protective netting system along the eastern side of Boulder Brook Field, as well as the storage shed at Supply Field, while the Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation will assume maintenance of these items once installed; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Village of Scarsdale Administrative Policy #106: “Gifts to the Village of Scarsdale”, acceptance of all gifts valued at $500 or greater must be approved by the Village Board of Trustees; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Village Board of Trustees hereby accepts the gifts of one protective mesh netting system to be installed at Boulder Brook Field, and one storage shed to be installed at Supply Field, cumulatively valued at approximately $5,600; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Board of Trustees hereby extends its gratitude to the Scarsdale Youth Lacrosse Association for their generosity to the community. ******** Written Communications All communications received that are written to the Mayor and Board of Trustees can be viewed on the Village’s website, www.scarsdale.com under the Board of Trustees or Village Clerk section. Village Clerk Conkling reported that no communications were received since the last regular Board of Trustees meeting. ******* There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 P.M. on a motion entered by Trustee Veron, seconded by Trustee Pekarek and carried unanimously. Donna M. Conkling Village Clerk