City Council

6/24/2020 Welcome to the Village of Wappingers Falls meeting of the Mayor and Board of Trustees today Wednesday, June 24, 2020, 5:00 PM. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: ROLL CALL BY THE CLERK OF THE VILLAGE: Mayor Alexander, Trustee Marcojohn, Trustee Davis, Trustee Komornik, Trustee Huber, Trustee Lammers, Trustee Paonessa, Village Attorney Wallace. KC Engineering Project Discussion. Hearing “Notice of Violation” Dutchess Avenue AKA 22 Garden Street. Tax Parcel ID: 135601-6158-17-198119 (High grasses and weeds) RESOLUTION NO. 262020 of 2020 RESOLUTION ORDERING THE ABATEMENT OF PROPERTY MAINTENANCE VIOLATIONS AT DUTCHESS AVENUE The following Resolution was introduced by Trustee _________________ and seconded by Trustee _________________. WHEREAS, Thomas Scianna is the last known owner of real property shown on the tax records and the tax map of the Village of Wappingers Falls as Tax Parcel ID # 6158-17-198119, having a street address of Dutchess Avenue (“Property”); and WHEREAS, there is no record of a mortgage on the Property; and WHEREAS, the Village of Wappingers Falls received complaints that the Property had become overgrown with grass and weeds and that it was unsightly; and WHEREAS, an Enforcement Official of the Village of Wappingers Falls observed the existence of weeds and/or grass on the Property that exceeds six (6) inches in height which violates § 114-6(F) of the Village of Wappinger Falls Code on June 11, 2020 and thereafter issued a Notice of Violation & Order to Remedy dated June 11, 2020, a copy of which is affixed hereto, which informed any person in control of the Property that they had an opportunity to appear and be heard at this meeting of the Village Board to offer proof that the Property is in compliance with the standards of Chapter 114 of the Village Code or that additional time is needed to take corrective action to cure the violation; and WHEREAS, an Enforcement Official of the Village of Wappingers Falls filed a written report with the Village Board of the Village of Wappingers Falls noting that he had inspected the Property and found that weeds and/or grass on the Property exceeded six (6) inches and the Property was not in compliance with the property maintenance requirements of Chapter 114 of the Village Code; and 1  WHEREAS, a public hearing was held on June 24, 2020 and all parties in attendance were permitted an opportunity to speak regarding the maintenance conditions of the Property; and WHEREAS, the Village Board of Trustees of the Village of Wappingers Falls, after due deliberation, finds that the height of weeds and/or grass on the Property exceeds six (6) inches in height and the Property is not in compliance with the property maintenance requirements of Chapter 114 of the Village Code; that such condition has continued after the Order to Remedy was duly issued and it is determined that abatement of the high grass and weeds in now required; now, therefore BE IT RESOLVED, that the Village Board of Trustees hereby directs that the Enforcement Official dispatch the Highway Department to the Property to cut the grass and weeds as soon as possible; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in the event that the Highway Department is unable to mow the Property, the Enforcement Official is authorized to engage the services of a landscape contractor to undertake such work as expeditiously as possible, which is not subject to competitive bidding; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that accurate records of the labor and materials costs required to perform the abatement work at the Property shall be kept so that they can be assessed and levied against the Property; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, a notice stating the total amount due and the nature of the charge shall be mailed by the Village Treasurer to the last known address of the person whose name appears on the records in the Office of the Village Treasurer as being the owner or agent or as the person designated by the owner to receive tax bills or, where no name appears, to the Property, addressed to either the owner of agent. Such notice shall have stamped or printed thereon a reference to § 114-6(F) of the Village Code. The property owner shall have ten (10) days, after a copy of the notice establishing the costs and expenses is received, to challenge any of the costs incurred by the Village; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that after expiration of the time period to challenge the determination of costs and expenses, the amounts thereof shall be reported to the Village Treasurer to be levied and assessed against the Property, and the expense shall constitute a lien and charge on the Property on which it is levied until paid or otherwise satisfied or discharged and otherwise be collected in the same manner and at the same time as other Village charges; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Village Clerk is directed to mail the annexed Order of Abatement, a copy of which is annexed hereto, within two (2) days hereof to the property owner at the address shown on said Order. The foregoing was put to a vote which resulted as follows: Yea Nay Mayor Matthew Alexander ______ ______ Kevin Huber – Trustee ______ ______ Bill Marcojohn – Trustee ______ ______ Ronnie Komornik – Trustee ______ ______ Mary Paonessa – Trustee ______ ______ Scott Davis – Trustee ______ ______ Bryan Lammers – Trustee ______ ______ 2  Dated: Wappingers Falls, New York June 24, 2020 Contract Mary Ross Park. Approval to award landscaping bid, Legal Notice #28123 SDN 6/10/2020 “Notice to Bidders Grass Cutting”. J.M. Karge, Village Clerk The Village of Wappingers Falls has entered into our Reopening Recovery from the Covid-19 quarantine. Our community has sacrificed much over the past few months. Prudent financial decisions are necessary as our Village government moves forward facing a drastic cut in revenue. Our Village recreation funding has been drastically reduced and we find ourselves in a position of not having many of the summer programs and activities that our Village community and neighboring municipalities have enjoyed participating in here in Wappingers Falls. Here is an update on our current programs. Summer Camp: In 2019, the Village of Wappingers Falls committed to applying for and obtaining a permit to operate a 7 week summer camp at Vet’s park in the Village. The camp was restructured to include weekly visits to the Grinnell Library, bowling at Spins Bowl, daily crafts and activities, water fun on Fridays and weekly bus trips to offsite locations. We had onsite visits from our Village Fire Department instructing our campers on fire safety and a Bike safety program presented by our Village Police PBA and Dutchess County. Special thanks to our PBA for adding a barbecue lunch to top off their program. We expanded our hours to offer before and after camp care. We participated in the Dutchess County subsidized child care program giving families the opportunity to apply and receive funds to pay for camp. Our staff attended training in first aid and safety, programming and planning activities and in methods of behavior management and child development. Looking forward to the 2020 camp, we had plans to initiate a Jr. Counselor-in-Training program and continue to provide our staff with additional training to offer new activities and additional onsite programs. Unfortunately, our plans will need to wait another year to be implemented. Despite our best efforts it would be impossible for Village Recreation to put all the necessary policies and procedures in place to comply with the CDC guidelines that have been recommended for summer camps. We would like to thank the Mayor and Village Board for supporting our efforts to develop a plan for 2020 camp. We have waited to pull the plug until we were 100% certain that we could not provide a service that was a safe and enjoyable experience for our camp participants. We realize that many of the families from last year will now find themselves in need of alternate child care options. We have been in contact with all of our local child care facilities and asked that they offer school age programs for the summer. Contact info on these programs will be posted on the Village Facebook pages and 3  website. Village Marketplace: We will not have the Marketplace this summer but do hope to bring it back next year. Summer Concerts: At present we will not be able to hold summer concerts due to several factors, including lack of funding, potential repurposing of Mesier Park to accommodate outdoor dining for our local restaurants and the challenges of necessary outdoor safety amenities. This could change and we will put out updates as the summer proceeds. Lake: Docks and launch ramps for lake access are open for kayaking, row boats and fishing. The Weed Harvester will be on the Lake addressing the water chestnut and weed growth. They will do their best to keep the Lake usable. Social Distancing or wearing a mask is required at all times when there are multiple people in the parks. Please follow the recommended guidelines. Hanging Baskets and Planters: The Mesier Homestead will once again have hanging baskets and our East Main downtown will have planters. This is a joint project with the Wappingers Falls Business & Professional Association and will continue this year. Fall Events: We plan to keep our options open as we move towards the Fall. If we can, we will make some adjustments to our Halloween Trunk or Treat and parade to allow for social distancing. We are sure we will have many new and creative masks on display… perhaps consider channeling your inner Lone Ranger. Christmas in the Park is already booked for the Saturday after Thanksgiving… and a backup date of Sunday. Start brainstorming ideas for floats for the Light Parade. Santa reached out to assure us that he will arrive. He was quite pleased to inform us that he will be wearing a clear protective mask if necessary when greeting all his friends in Wappingers Falls. He also asked us to remind everyone that he would like to see every family hang a personal ornament on the tree in the Gazebo. This is a great opportunity to show our solidarity as a community. Next Year…as we continue to emerge from Covid-19 and deal with a new normal, our Village of Wappingers Falls will celebrate its 150th Birthday! SW Johnson Fire Company will also be celebrating a significant milestone as well. Big plans are coming! And a Big Celebration in the Summer of 2021. Stay tuned for details. Cindy Latino Recreation Director wappingersfallsny.gov 2582 South Ave Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 SAFETY Accept resignation of PO Mark Voeltz. 4 RESOLUTION NO. 202020 of 2020 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING STIPULATION OF AGREEMENT WITH POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION OF WAPPINGERS FALLS ("PBA") IN CONNECTION WITH PERB CASE NO. U-37015 Adjourn 5