City Council

Village of South Blooming Grove Reorganizational meeting Monday April 12, 2021 7:00 P.M.  Call to order o Mayor Kalaj called to order the Village Board Meeting at 7:03 p.m. on April 12, 2021, via Zoom Meeting Number 950 5607 6088 for the Village of South Blooming Grove located at 811 State Route 208, within the Village of South Blooming Grove, and having a mailing address of Monroe, New York.  Roll call The following persons were present: o George Kalaj – Mayor o Abraham Weiss – Deputy Mayor o Yitzchok Feldman– Trustee o Asher Guttman - Trustee o Zalmon Rosner – Trustee o Scott B. Ugell, Esq. – Village Attorney o Isaac Ekstein - Legislative Aide o Joel Stern - Confidential Assistant  Correspondence o April 12, 2021 letter from Fusco Engineering regarding Stonegate Project.  Mayor’s Comments o We are working together with the Town of Blooming Grove for Spring Cleanup on April 24 & 25th. If there are any interested volunteers, call village hall. o The water main on Route 208 and Mangin Road has been fixed finally thanks to the Town of Blooming Grove. It will be a couple of weeks before we can pave that area. o The filtration system, we are hoping, will be online this Wednesday, this will be confirmed but the Mayor was told 99.9 % it will be online this Wednesday. This is great news we have been waiting for a while for. o We have a new water operator, JCO, and they will be taking over as of May 1, 2021. The village negotiated a contract with JCO and Delfino Electric. This contract will save us around $50,000.00 a year. An additional employee will be provided to work with the village. There will be no overtime in the event of an emergency, weekdays or weekends. o Negotiated a verbal contract with Palamar well from $5,000 per month to $2,000 per month. We are waiting for the written contract. o After the filtration system is online, well #5 will go online and produces approximately 45 gpm, this is great news. The village is working on installing a smaller filtration system for Well #9 (by the village hall) and this well produces approximately 45 gpm.  Public Comment 1  Village of South Blooming Grove Reorganizational meeting Monday April 12, 2021 7:00 P.M. o Patty Morrice inquired about the liaisons and why there are no women participating. o Michelle Rivera thinks it is very disrespectful that the Mayor did not reach out to the Planning Board Members to let them know that they were not going to be needed any longer. She thinks it is very disrespectful that they found out on an agenda, when they have served their Village through a pandemic and everything else. Very distasteful. o Dennis Williams asked as he has been an alternate to the ZBA would he now become a regular member of the ZBA opposed to an alternate. He feels that the newer members should be an alternate and not himself. o Barbara Hanley is curious why board meetings are changing from two (2) times per month to one time and feels this is less transparent. She believes Donna Douglas did a superb job as the Planning Board Chair and that she has been fair and has done her best to live up to all the regulations and finds it unfortunate that she is being removed. She is worried about those qualities not being important to the board. She is interested to know about the qualifications of the Emergency Management Liaisons and what makes them good representatives in this area. o Lydia Terwilliger said the buses are a continued problem and continue to be inappropriate in picking and dropping off students. In today’s time, the village should be cognizant of having diverse representation of our community, women especially. The village should represent our community, be it gender or ethnicity. o Scott Morrice reminded the board about the pothole at 69 Duelk Avenue. The Mayor advised it is an extensive job and will be addressed in the near future. Asher Guttman and Zalmon Rosner, nice to meet you. Who do we reach out to if the Mayor is unavailable on a weekend? The Mayor advised he is always around and if not, there will be somebody available. Who arranged for the extra garbage pick up and it would have been nice to be invited/informed. o Sue Anne Vogelsberg there is a trial for the 185 Prospect Air B and B set for May 13, 2021 in the Town of Blooming Grove. There is now a segregated municipal board, all white males in the 21st Century in New York State. She is optimistic that this segregated board will be responsive to the needs of all the citizens of South Blooming Grove. What are the plans for the annual Community Day. Attorney Ugell corrected that the next court date regarding 185 Prospect is not necessarily set for a trial but he will double check that. o Eric Vogelsberg inquired about the qualifications for Village Historian. o Brian Mullen the road is sinking in at 42 Duelk Avenue. o John Hickey stated that Mayor Kalaj has systematically dismantled what was once a beautiful diverse place to live. Nothing he has done has been for the village residents en masse and nothing he has done through the guidance of his counsel Mr. Ugell whose professionalism he finds to be extremely lacking, condescending and rude. He feels that it is time for the people of the Village of South Blooming Grove tomuster some strength and to fight this opposing board that we have. Thank 2  Village of South Blooming Grove Reorganizational meeting Monday April 12, 2021 7:00 P.M. you. o Sonia Ayala, Ward 4 representative announced that the Blooming Grove Clean Up will be on April 25th and 26th. Trash bags will be available to pick up at the Town Hall and if the Village would like to join in that would be very helpful to clean up in our area. o Joel Stern representative for the United Jewish Community (UJC) in Blooming Grove wanted to address concerns regarding the garbage pick-up conducted March 17, 2021. The UJC organized a special garbage pick up which was paid for by the residents themselves, it cost a lot of money, so that the people could get rid of the remaining bread that was left over from Sabbath. The appropriate residents were made aware of the pick-up and were able to use the service that was arranged for by them and paid for by them. The special garbage pick had no relation to the Village. I would like to raise awareness that on January 4, 2021 there was an acknowledgment and release form signed by the Mayor and the Town Supervisor authorizing the Town to use the previous Village Engineer, Michael Weeks, and Village Planner, Bonnie Franson. After further research, I learned that neither the Mayor nor the Village Board agreed to and the Village Board never did pass a resolution authorizing this acknowledgement and release form and that the form was deliberately snuck in between the sheets of an Intermunicipal Agreement where the Village retains the services of the building Inspector of the Town. I forwarded this document to the Board of Trustees and the Village Mayor and the Village Attorney and since there is no record of a Resolution from the Board of Trustees authorizing the Mayor to execute the said Acknowledgement and Release and it was never passed, I ask the Village Board to make a Motion to pass a Resolution invalidating the aforementioned acknowledgement and release form and they should determine who is responsible for deliberately deceiving the village in this manner. He asked the Board to make a motion to pass a resolution to abolish and nullify this letter immediately. Motion made by Trustee Rosner, seconded by Deputy Mayor Weiss. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner.  Trustee Comments o Trustee Asher Guttman 34 Merriewold South is humbled and honored to be elected as a Trustee of this great Village of South Blooming Grove. I am glad to be a part of the young dynamic that is part of this future community. I am looking forward to learning from all of my new colleagues and all of you who live in our great Village of South Blooming Grove. It is my honor. Road safety for the children, he has spoken with residents and he feels we should look into it further. There are a lot of children on the streets and summer months are starting and we should look into what we can do to prevent something serious from happening to our dear children. o The Mayor advised that all should slow down while driving in the streets. Slow down! It was recommended that the village look into speed bumps etc. He is looking forward to working with the new trustees and welcomed them. o Trustee Zalmon Rosner 382 Lakeshore Drive thanked all the residents of the village for coming out to vote and show the people of the village that they care. He is looking forward to working with each and everyone and the Mayor and the great journey ahead of you. Thank you so much. 3  Village of South Blooming Grove Reorganizational meeting Monday April 12, 2021 7:00 P.M. o Deputy Mayor Weiss asked to reconsider speed bumps to slow down the speed of drivers. o Trustee Feldman inquired about placing the Village’s safety signs in the road this coming week. There are many garbage cans left out for days after garbage collection and what is being done regarding this. The Mayor replied that the building inspector is sending letters to residents. o Resolution No. (010) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove adopting the procurement policy of the Village of South Blooming Grove. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Rosner. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (011) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove designating Rosemarie Vega as Records Access Officer and Kerry Dougherty as the Records Access Appeals Officer. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Deputy Mayor Weiss. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (012) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove adopting retention and disposition schedule for New York Local Government Records (LGS-1). Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Guttman. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (013) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove authorizing the Mayor to execute an agreement for water and sewer operations with JCO Inc Environmental Services and Delfino Electric. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Deputy Mayor Weiss. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (014) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove adopting an updated meeting schedule for Village Board Meetings and Work Sessions for 2021. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Feldman. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (015) - Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove setting a time and place for a public hearing on a proposed Local Law amending Chapter 235 of the Village Code establishing house of worship special permit. Motion to accept by Trustee Feldman seconded by Mayor Kalaj. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (016) - Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove approving correspondence to the NYS Department of Transportation stating that the Village is not interested in donating village property for the purposes of widening State Route 208. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Deputy Mayor Weiss. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. 4  Village of South Blooming Grove Reorganizational meeting Monday April 12, 2021 7:00 P.M. o Resolution No. (17) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove retaining Fusco Engineering & Land Surveying, P.C. as Village Engineers/ Planning Board Engineers/ZBA Engineers. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Guttman. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (18) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove designating The Reis Group as the official insurance broker/advisor for the Village. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Rosner. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (19) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove designating Munistat Services, Inc. as the official financial advisor for the Village. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Weiss. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (20) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove Designating Sterling National Bank as the official depository for the Village Funds. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Weiss. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (21) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove designating mileage allowance of $.56 cents per mile. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Rosner. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (22) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove designating The Times Herald-Record and the Orange County Post as the official newspapers for the Village. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Guttman.Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (23) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove retaining Ugell Law Firm, P.C., Scott B. Ugell, Esq. as the attorney for the Village. Motion to accept by Trustee Feldman, seconded by Mayor Kalaj. . Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (24) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove retaining Dennis E. A. Lynch and Bleakley Platt & Schmidt LLP as Special Counsel to the Village. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Rosner. Resolution passed. . 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. 5  Village of South Blooming Grove Reorganizational meeting Monday April 12, 2021 7:00 P.M. o Resolution No. (25) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove retaining Daniel Kraushaar, Esq., as Counsel to the Village Planning Board and Village Zoning Board of Appeals. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Rosner. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (26) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove retaining the Law Firm of Hawkins, Delafield & Wood, LLP as Special Bond Counsel for the Village. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Rosner Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (27) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove retaining Fusco Engineering & Land Surveying, P.C., as Planners for the Village Board and the Planning Board. Motion to accept by Mayor Kalaj, seconded by Trustee Rosner. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. o Resolution No. (28) – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove Appointing Rosemarie Vega as Village Deputy Clerk term expires the first Monday of April 2022. o Resolution No. (29) – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove Appointing Rosemarie Vega as Clerk to Boards term expires the first Monday of April 2022. o Resolution No. (30) – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove Appointing Joel Stern, Isaac Ekstein and Asher Guttman as Village Emergency Management Officers . o Resolution No. (31) – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove Appointing Asher Guttmen as Village Historian. o Resolution No. (32) – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove Appointing Solomon Weiss as Chairperson of the Village Planning Board. o Resolution No. (33) – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove Appointing Abraham Klepner as a member of The Village Planning Board. o Resolution No. (34) – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove Appointing Yoel Ungar as a member of The Village of South Blooming Grove Planning Board. . o Resolution No. (35) – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove Appointing Simon Schwartz as a member of The Village of South Blooming Grove Planning Board. o Resolution No. (36) – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove appointing Raleem Broadhead- Moses as a member of The Village Planning Board. 6  Village of South Blooming Grove Reorganizational meeting Monday April 12, 2021 7:00 P.M. o Resolution No. (37) – . – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove appointing Yehoshua Bitman as a Chairperson of The Village Zoning Board of Appeals. o Resolution No. (38) – – Resolution of the Mayor of The Village of South Blooming Grove appointing Chaim Goldstein as a member of The Village Zoning Board of Appeals. o Resolution No. (39) – Resolution of the Village Board of the Village of South Blooming Grove appointing Board Members as Liaison to Various Committees (see below): Orange County E-911 Liaison / County Sheriff Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein Census 2020 Coordinator Trustee Yitzchok Feldman NIMS Officer Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein Liaison to the Moodna Creek Watershed Trustee Asher Guttman Intermunicipal Council Orange County Office of Emergency Management Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein Liaison to the Planning Board & ZBA Trustee Yitzchok Feldman Liaison to the Washingtonville School District Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein Liaison to the Highway Department Trustee Asher Guttman, Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein Liaison to the Blooming Grove Police Department Trustee Asher Guttman, Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein Liaison to the Water & Sewer District Operators Trustee Asher Guttman, Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein Liaison to the South Blooming Grove Fire Dept. Trustee Asher Guttman, Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein Liaison to the Senior Citizen of the Village Trustee Asher Guttman Liaison for Village Parks Trustee Zalmon Rosner & Abraham Weiss Liaison to Orange & Rockland Trustee Asher Guttman, Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein Liaison for Blooming Grove Ambulance Corp Trustee Asher Guttman & Isaac Ekstein Liaison for the Town of Blooming Grove Mayor George Kalaj, Joel Stern & Isaac Ekstein o Resolution No. (40) – Invalidating the acknowledgment and release form signed by the Mayor and Town of Blooming Grove Supervisor on January 4, 2021 authorizing the Town of Blooming Grove to use the previous Village Engineer Michael Weeks and previous Village Planner Bonnie Franson. Motion made by Trustee Rosner, seconded by Deputy Mayor Weis. Resolution passed. 5 Ayes - Mayor Kalaj, Trustee Weiss, Trustee Feldman, Trustee Guttman and Trustee Rosner. Minutes respectfully submitted by Kerry Dougherty, Clerk 7