A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY was held on Monday, January 26,2004 at the Municipal Building, Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520.
The following officials were present:
Mayor Elliott Trustee Grant
Trustee Schmidt Trustee Wiegman
Attorney Waldman Trustee McCarthy
Manager Herbek Treasurer Reardon
1. CALL TO ORDER:
Mayor Elliott called the meeting to order at 8:05 pm. Everyone joined in the Pledge of Allegiance.
2. APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS:
On a motion by Trustee Grant, seconded by Trustee Schmidt, the vouchers were approved unanimously as follows, subject to review by the Audit Committee
General Fund $ 43,390.51
Water Fund 29,651.01
Capital Fund 15,443.64
Trust & Agency 16,171.18
Total $104,656.34
3. PUBLIC HEARINGS:
a. To consider Local Law Introductory No. 7 of 2003 amending the Floor Area Ratio requirement in the General C-2 District from 2.0 to 0.5.
Discussion: Manager Herbek explained the reason for this law being proposed at this time; there was an oversight when the revisions to C- 1 and C-2 took place in early 2001 and these FARS were intended to be included at that time. Mayor Elliott and Attorney Waldman pointed out that this was previously discussed and it was the intention of the Trustees to approve this as part of the previous approval in early 2001. Trustee McCarthy asked about the relationship of FAR to parking. Comprehensive Plan Committee Chair Ann Gallelli responded that parking requirements can ultimately control the size of a building. The motion to approve was made by Trustee Grant, seconded by Trustee Schmidt and approved unanimously. Upon adoption the law became Local Law No. 1 of 2004.
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Local Law Filing 41 STATE STREET, ALBANY, NY 12231
Village of Croton-on-Hudson
Local Law No. 1 of the year 2004
A local law to amend the Floor Area Ratio requirement in the General C-2 District
Be it enacted by the Board of Trustees of the
Village of Croton-on-Hudson as follows:
Section 1. Section 230-35 of the Zoning Law, which prescribes the allowable floor area ratio for the General C-2 district, is hereby amended from 2.0 to 0.5.
Section 2. This Local Law shall be effective upon filing in the office of the Secretary of State.
4. CORRESPONDENCE:
a. Kenneth Verschoor, Department of Technical Services, Town of Cortlandt, re: Application for an amended site development plan for the construction of a garage building located at the Amberlands Condominium Complex. Mr. Verschoor advises that the Public Hearing on this application will be held on February 3, 2004.
b. Kenneth Verschoor, Department of Technical Services, Town of Cortlandt, re: Public Hearing regarding a zoning code change regarding contractor s yards.
c. Croton Free Library Board of Trustees, re: request for help from Department of Public Works to hang a “Book & Bake Sale” banner twice a year. The banner would be hung at the intersection of Maple Street and Albany Post Road.
Discussion: Trustee Schmidt said we should follow our own code and was this consistent with it. He asked about its size; it would be about the same as the Run Against Hunger sign. The matter was left up to Manager Herbek.
d. Richard Keil, State Board of Real Property Services; are: Notice of Tentative Special Franchise Assessment.
Discussion: Manager Herbek stated that this was not good news. These franchise numbers are factored into the village budget. Because of the tentative rate we currently have on the equalization rate (it s going down), this Special Franchise assessment will result in a 30% hit; it will cost us about a $400k or more loss as a result. Trustee Wiegman asked if we have any recourse. Manager Herbek said the village has challenged the equalization rate and that challenge is pending; the hearing is not until March; he is not sure how successful we will be. He and Treasurer Reardon have talked to the person in charge and were walked through the formula the state used, but it appears they are using the Towns assessed valuation numbers and applying them to Villages; they no longer do
separately for Towns and Villages. He and Treasurer Reardon are meeting with the Town Assessor to learn more about whether a challenge will be worthwhile. The Town took a big hit last year when Indian Point was removed from tax roles. Trustee McCarthy asked if it was worthwhile for someone to attend the hearing. Manager Herbek said he was planning now on attending. Trustee McCarthy said we need to reevaluate now whether we should merge our assessing function with the Town s. Manager Herbek said that the Town Assessor, Sal D Onofrio, is most knowledgeable about this issue and that maybe a work session on this would be a good suggestion. Trustee McCarthy stated that this is another factor that might change our previous decision to wait until the County did a revaluation; she thinks we might need to take another look at it. Treasurer Reardon said it still wouldn t impact this particular franchise assessment. Manager Herbek said that a revaluation would have the
effect of driving the assessment evaluation rate higher which would be beneficial in driving the franchise rate higher; some towns have gone ahead without waiting for the County. Trustee Wiegman asked about the likely dollar rate loss to the village as a result of this $400k loss. Treasurer Reardon said he could figure that out and will email all Trustees tomorrow with the figure. Manager Herbek said he had two other issues to bring up at this time. He was notified that the railroad ceiling is going down from $211k to $205k, only small decrease, which is sort of good news. The other issue is the residential assessment ratio; after making our case on 67 property sales and Joe Sperber s efforts, it has been raised to 3.71 from the lower initial ratio.
5. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION:
Maria Cudequest, 84 Grand Street. It s nice to see skaters at Duck Pond thanks to Trustees for restoring the pond. She and neighbors routinely pick up at Duck Pond and other parks. They are finding an increasing amount of waste generated by truck traffic - generated by Metro Enviro. They have seen the trucks and seen the flying debris and some debris is identifiable; she requests more diligence in cleaning up the site. On the County fine from the Solid Waste Commission, the first hearing was held in Dec. 2003 and adjourned to this week January 29th will anyone be there; Treasurer Reardon will attend it. Did the village get the Dec. 10th transcript; no. She has it if anyone wants it. Ms. Cudequest commented on Manager Herbek s
memo on the concrete storage site in the area of the well fields. It is an inappropriate site. She has some information to say and she does not want to be interrupted. She has forwarded it to the press and all relevant police enforcement agencies. The document indicates that there is C & D waste buried on the Metro Enviro site. It is possible that some of this is related to the missing waste associated with the cleanup of the former site in 1998; no waste tracking documents could be found for the missing tonnage. Also in the documentation is correspondence between Manager Herbek, Attorney Waldman, Michael Zarin, and others about this. The berm created during the cleanup is alleged to contain this waste. She doesn t know how much is buried in this berm, but on her own inspection, it looks likely that this was the case. She is not inclined to take anyone s word on what or what is not buried there and neither should anyone in the
Village. The Village might want to have this burial site tested by a lab of the village s own choosing; should consider retesting this site again. Documents indicate that the burial extends beyond property lines and onto the DOT right of way. Her documents indicate that in addition to the village, the DEC and DOT also know about this. She finds it upsetting that Trustee Grant still wants to blame others for this; she and Mayor Elliott are responsible. She has asked over the years if any waste was buried on the Metro Enviro site and never got an answer. It is clear that some had full knowledge of this burial and chose to remain silent. She doesn t understand this. This was not a cleanup, not by federal standards and not by hers. She doesn t know if Mr. Mack, the former federal monitor, ever saw these documents and she has sent them to him. She is not providing the administration with copies because you already have them; they are from your
files.
Richard Pellicci, Radnor Ave. He is angry about dumping on route 129 in the area of the well fields. Mr. Pellicci said he was lied to in a response to his earlier request about what was happening there. He thanked Dan O Connor for meeting him there. He brought photos that he took when he visited himself. He has been emailing Trustees and Manager Herbek about this and Manager Herbek and Trustee McCarthy have responded. We need to devise a plan to get rid of this now and in the future. He also commented about trash on Route 9A in Croton coming from debris from trucks going to Metro Enviro. Trucks are still lining up in the morning going into Metro Enviro; has anything been done about this? Trustee McCarthy said we have a right to ask them to stop this queuing up. Manager Herbek said his understanding is that queuing up is allowed but no operations are permitted before 8 am. Trustee McCarthy does not recall it being allowed. Trustee Grant asked if there were any police
complaints about this. Manager Herbek said he had not heard of any. Trustee Grant said she remembers that queuing was ok in the down ramp area of entrance but not in the street/road. Trustee McCarthy said that queuing violates their traffic study. Trustee Schmidt asked if they are tying up traffic. Mr. Pellicci said yes. Trustee McCarthy wants to ask Mike Gerrard if it is ok to ask the Police to monitor this for two weeks and see if there is a problem there; her recollection is that Metro Enviro would try to minimize this; she wants to know what companies are down there. Mayor Elliott said we should confirm with the Police that there is, in fact, a problem. Trustee Grant said she thinks that if there was a problem, she would hear about it from citizens who are affected by it. Trustee Schmidt said we need to look at their permit as it pertains to this. Attorney Waldman will check but recollects there is no prohibition on pre-8 am queuing. Trustee McCarthy said they were
supposed to take active steps to eliminate this but they apparently haven t done anything. Trustee Grant said maybe Joe Sperber could go and check it in the mornings. Mr. Pellicci stated that he goes around and picks up garbage and weeding plant beds around Croton and he has an idea for the Duck Pond. He has realized that some drains go into Duck Pond; what about decals on drains saying they drain into the Duck Pond. Trustee Wiegman stated the village is already ahead on this and a program is under way. Manager Herbek said a lot of the observed litter is coming from trucks on the way to the Charles Point Recovery Facility.
Tom Brennan, 121 N. Riverside. Ms. Cudequest s report seems mind boggling. Did Attorney Waldman have direct information about the berms being used to dispose or bury waste? Attorney Waldman said he will check but cannot recall and does not have an independent recollection of it. Manager Herbek? Mr. Herbek said this was years ago and he cannot recollect exactly perhaps a foggy recollection of possibly some railroad ties. Regarding the debris stored off route 129 - is the debris on the well fields? Manager Herbek said no, it is several hundred feet away. Mr. Brannan guesses that 20% of the debris is asphalt. Mayor Elliott said there could be some from years ago. Mr. Brennan said it is in the middle of the piles. Manager Herbek stated that we have no plan at
the moment to remove the concrete but if directed by the Trustees, they will do it; he needs to know where; there maybe some asphalt in there but he doesn t think it is that much. It is the village s intention to recycle that concrete by crushing it; had intended to do it by end of Dec. but couldn t get to it; it is valuable material to village because it becomes base materials for future sidewalks and projects; recycling material like that is environmentally sound; there is no harm to the well fields. Mr. Herbek stated that ultimately the area will be cleaned up but he can t give a time frame right now. We have an excellent contractor who has done excellent sidewalk and wall work in the village at an attractive rate based on a place where these materials can be stockpiled. We don t have space anywhere for this type of activity; right now we have no other location; they have considered other areas but they were more impacted than this one. This area was considered
better because over years past it has been used for this purpose. The village is trying to do this in a cost effective way keep costs down and get the most linear feet of sidewalk built. Broken concrete cannot be hauled out of the village in small quantities without driving the costs up drastically. Mr. Brennan said the asphalt is an oil-based material which leaches into the Croton river when it rains; he is concerned about it. Trustee McCarthy stated she has expressed the opinion that it should not be there. Mayor Elliott stated that Manager Herbek told the entire board about the storage area and no one objected to it. Mr. Brennan said we are supposed to be an environmentally friendly community and we are involved in a legal fight based on well field damage. He asked about bidding on sidewalk work. Do others get to bid on it; Yes. Trustee Wiegman said everyone bids on the same specifications. Mr. Brennan said the village
makes a deal with the contractors to allow them to stockpile debris for these sidewalk projects and others it just doesn t make any sense. Manager Herbek stated that, even more than contractors, our DPW needs places to put stuff. Mr. Brennan said that making deals with contractors to put stuff there in order to have sidewalks is counter productive. Manager Herbek said he told DPW to put debris at the Sewer Treatment plant - the skatepark location. Mr. Brennan said that the village is contaminating the well fields; Manager Herbek stated that is not so. Trustee McCarthy said she wants the material out of there. Mayor Elliott said it should be discussed at the next work session on Feb. 9th. Mr. Brennan asked who paid to move debris from the Skatepark area to the well field area; the contractor paid for it. Mr. Herbek said that when crushing occurs, the asphalt will be separated out. If the village moves it to another area now
it will cost about $20k to $30k. Crushing will cause dust, Mr. Brennan said. Manager Herbek said it has not created excessive dust in the past.
Mr. Brennan stated he was also concerned about the cars at the station getting damaged due to flooding; the Village should look into fixing it or alerting the public when there is flooding danger; shut it down or fix it. Mr. Herbek stated that the policy right now is to rope it off when we know a tidal storm is expected but there are times when they don t know. The area of concern is about 50 200 spaces. Raising the level of the parking lot - based on engineering studies it would require 5-8 feet would be an extremely high cost project. Mr. Brennan stated the Village should either eliminate those 50 200 spaces or pay for raising the level of the lot; sooner or later you will a face a lawyer who will beat you in court.
James Moore, Irving Ave. Mr. Moore asked Trustee Grant about comments by her and reported in the previous week s Gazette. Trustee Grant said she and others have sat here for the past years getting battered and bruised without entering into debate with residents. She stated that she never said she made a mistake in voting for Metro Enviro, contrary to Ms. Cudequest s statement. The Village has spent extraordinary amounts of time in studying this; they were told by professionals that we probably could not have won in a legal suit given the studies performed at the time and, if that happened, then the Village would not have been able to put all the conditions on the permit that ultimately we did put on it. If Metro Enviro had complied with the conditions we all would have
been happy with it and even Ms. Cudequest might have been happy with it. But they didn t. Mr. Moore said that Trustee Grant let them in and now you are blaming others. Trustee Grant said, as a Board member, she feels we should not try to litigate everything which Trustee McCarthy wants to do she is after all a litigator. Trustee Grant stated that she felt there was no way she would be able to convince the opponents of Metro Enviro of anything. Trustee Grant said she suggested that the debris under previous discussion might go to other places as well and she takes responsibility for the suggestion to put the debris at the route 129 location. Trustee McCarthy stated that when she came on the board there was no legal research going on and she was astonished; the only legal issues researched were ones she raised.
Tom Burniston, 7A Wells Ave. Mr. Burniston thanked the Board for their actions on the McClure property and the Housing Network for meeting your obligations to affordable housing. He appreciates the concern shown for Alex Zalszberg, the one tenant there and a long time resident a WWII veteran, disabled, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and a Purple Heart recipient. He asked for assurance that he would not be uprooted and to keep him advised. That was purpose of his coming tonight. He comes when he has an issue to address as with the ETPA issue of the previous year. Trustee McCarthy asked if Mr. Zaltzberg would economically qualify for an affordable housing unit. Mr. Burniston did not know but the Croton Housing Network said they would address this on his
behalf. Mr. Burniston said we can tell it is politics time by the discussion tonight. Mr. Burniston critiqued the innuendo provided by Ms. Cudequest regarding Attorney Waldman, Mayor Elliott and Manager Herbek, and yet she provided no documents although she said she would have them available. He asked for them earlier and she told him to ask Manager Herbek. She had indicated that they were available to the public. Mr. Burniston said she should not come to the Board meetings using the name of CCC1 which is neither a registered organization nor a corporation or listed as doing business and saying it somehow represents the people of the community. If it represents the Republican candidates, he expects the Republican candidates to adopt it, support or repudiate it. He expects all organizations to identify their support of particular candidates and to specify what that support is. To do accusations by innuendo is offensive. If they have, or anyone
has, a complaint against a Board member or an individual, they should file it with the District Attorney s office, or the Police. He is appalled by it; that some secret organization is allowed to get up at Citizens Participation and say it speaks for some group. CCC1 should be registered.
Don Daubney Bungalow Rd. Mr.Daubney said faint hearts never win the battle. When we first voted against it (Metro Enviro) we were advised we could win the battle. There were some elements we thought would not be good for the village. They did what they had to do, so to speak, because that s who they were and what they had to do is what they did. And so they had to be litigated against. Mr. Daubney said it is his knowledge that Ms. Cudequest is not a Republican; she is an activist against Metro Enviro. Materials should not be going out to the site on Route129. The sidewalk program stuff was put at Municipal Place for years; it didn t look great but it wasn t damaging drinking water. He was astounded when he heard; can t believe it. He has been there
personally and knows there is asphalt in the pile. You don t want to dump stuff on top of your wells; it is a gateway to the village; find another place for it.
Susan Konig 37 Elmore. Ms. Konig showed some brown water in a jar. She stated this was not a problem she has but she got this from someone else to show it. People don t pay attention or care if they don t have the problem personally. Some people have it all the time and it is terrible. About the debris on the road from trucks, she is a stay at home mother and she travels the route where the debris falls and sees it flying out of trucks from Metro Enviro. This might be something for the police to make some revenue from ticketing these trucks; a public safety issue.
Charlie Kane, Truesdale Dr. Mr. Kane spoke as the Water Control Commission chairman on the Storm Drain Stencil program which the WCC has been working on. He will be presenting it to the board next month.
Tom Brennan, 121 N. Riverside Ave. He never before got up and mentioned his candidacy; only spoke as a concerned citizen. He reminded Mr. Burniston that he is running against Greg Schmidt and Tom Brennan two strong candidates. Mr. Brennan stated that Trustee Grant shouldn t have said that we would have lost any suit against Metro Enviro; she was just speculating, in his opinion, and that was wrong of her.
Maria Cudequest, 84 Grand St. She is concerned about what has transpired tonight. She is a registered Independent. CCC1 in an information clearinghouse; it assembles and disseminates materials without opinions. She is concerned about the implied threat; it is difficult to get up without being concerned about being threatened by a fellow citizen. Trustee McCarthy stated that the recent Metro Enviro decision still leaves us in control since it requires the Board to supply conditions to new permit.
6. RESOLUTIONS:
a. Amending the Master Fee Schedule to add charges for false alarms.
Discussion: Trustee Schmidt asked if the false alarm situation has improved over time? Manager Herbek said he thinks it has. Treasurer Reardon explained how the permitting works now; if the annual fee is not paid, it can be added to the tax bill. Trustee McCarthy stated that in her opinion a law to pay a yearly fee for an alarm permit is wrong to begin with; it is just a revenue-raising measure and it is offensive to her. You never know if it might be a real incident so police have to go to every occasion of an alarm going off. Manager Herbek stated there has to be a reasonable explanation for a police response not to be considered a false alarm; he feels this is reasonable; it acts as a deterrent, and almost every community in the County has a similar law. Trustee Schmidt asked
that the landlord be notified of delinquent bills along with the tenant.
On motion of TRUSTEE Schmidt, seconded by TRUSTEE Wiegman, the
following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York on a vote of 4-0-1 with Trustee McCarthy abstaining.
WHEREAS, on October 7, 2003, the Village Board of Trustees adopted a master fee schedule; and
WHEREAS, this fee schedule does not include the charges associated with false alarms; and
WHEREAS, the Village Treasurer would like to make the false alarm charges part of the master fee schedule,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Board of Trustees hereby amends the Master Fee Schedule to add charges for false alarms as follows:
Number of False Alarms Charges
1 $0
2 $25
3 $50
4 $100
5 $200
6 or more $250
b. Authorizing Village Manager to sign agreement with the Town of Cortlandt regarding the Mt. Airy/Quaker Bridge Fire District Protection contract.
Discussion: Manager Herbek stated that the amount is based on formulas which are based on assessed evaluation and capital costs.
On motion of TRUSTEE Schmidt, seconded by TRUSTEE Grant, the
following resolution was adopted unanimously by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York:
WHEREAS, the Village and the Town of Cortlandt annually execute an agreement whereby the Village provides fire protection to the Mt. Airy/ Quaker Bridge Fire Protection District in the Town, and
WHEREAS, on December 9, 2003 the Town Board conducted a Public Hearing in regard to this proposed contract covering the period January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004, and
WHEREAS, the agreement provides that the Fire Department will give fire protection to the Mt. Airy/ Quaker Bridge Fire Protection District at a total contract price to the Town of $188,710.00 with $37,742.00 to be paid to the Fire Council and the balance of $150,968.00 paid to the Village; and
WHEREAS, this is an increase of $10,859.00 from the 2003 agreement,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Manager is hereby authorized to sign the Agreement with the Town of Cortlandt whereby the Village will provide fire protection during 2004 to the Mt. Airy/ Quaker Bridge Fire Protection District at a total contract price of $188,710.00 with $37,742.00 to be paid to the Fire Council and the balance of $150,968.00 paid to the Village.
c. Budget amendment re: Capital Fund decrease to General Fund.
On motion of TRUSTEE Grant seconded by TRUSTEE Wiegman, the
Following resolution was adopted unanimously by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York
WHEREAS, the Village had funded a portion of the Comprehensive Plan expenses in the Capital Fund from monies transferred from the General Fund; and
WHEREAS, all the Capital Fund expenses have been satisfied; and
WHEREAS the remaining funds must revert to the General Fund, the Village Treasurer wishes to amend the 2003-2004 General Fund Operating budget effecting the following account;
Increase 001-9953.900 by $ 6,307.79 (Transfer to Capital)
Decrease 003-8660.200.0001.0049 by $ 6,307.79 (Comprehensive Plan)
Now Therefore be it resolved that the Village Treasurer amend the 2003 - 2004 General Fund and Capital Fund budgets to reflect these changes.
d. Appointment of Election Inspections for March 16th Village Election.
On motion of Trustee Grant, seconded by Trustee Wiegman, the following resolution was adopted unanimously by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York:
RESOLVED: that pursuant to Article 15, Section 116 of the Election Law, the following persons are hereby appointed inspectors of election to preside at the Village Election of March 16, 2004:
DEMOCRATIC: Carol Seaver
Ann Harbeson
Margaret Opie
Mabel Collymore
Laura Seitz
REPUBLICAN: Audrey Gabrielson
Lucy Agosta
Ruth Waitkins
Regina Montana
Mary Santella
And be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: that the compensation for each inspection of election shall be fixed at $175.00 per day, and $200.00 for each chairperson.
e. Approving an updated schedule of fees for Arnold and Porter.
Discussion: Trustee Grant said this is the second increase; the hourly rate for Mr. Gerrard is now up to $558. Trustee McCarthy said that, while it might not look like it, we get the municipal discount; that s the way these types of firms operate. We are paying for their expertise. She stated that the Village could ask for it to be frozen until the litigation is over; she doesn t think it is unreasonable to ask. They will probably balk because we are getting the municipal rate already. Trustee Schmidt said that in the future the Village should ask for fees to be stable over the term of the contract. Mayor Elliott said Manager Herbek would ask about freezing the rate.
On motion of TRUSTEE McCarthy, seconded by TRUSTEE Grant, the
following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York on a vote of 4-0-1 with Trustee Grant abstaining.
WHEREAS, the Village has appointed the firm Arnold & Porter as the Village Council for the Metro Enviro litigation; and
WHEREAS, the firm has provided the Village with an updated fee schedule to accurately reflect the current charges for partners, associates, law clerks, senior paralegals, and paralegals; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Board of Trustees hereby accepts the current fee schedule as outlined in the January 26, 2004 letter to the Village Manager from Michael B. Gerrard,
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that the Village Manager is hereby authorized to sign the letter agreeing to the current fee schedule.
f. Authorizing the Village Manager to sign and Intermunicipal Agreement with the Town of Cortlandt.
On motion of TRUSTEE Wiegman, seconded by TRUSTEE Schmidt, the
following resolution was adopted unanimously by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York:
WHEREAS, the Village of Croton on Hudson has benefited from several inter-municipal agreements with the Town of Cortlandt over the years with respect to bidding by the Town Purchasing Director, shared use of equipment and the removal of freon from appliances; and
WHEREAS, the Village is desirous of continuing these inter-municipal agreements for another year;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Manager is hereby authorized to sign the three Intermunicipal agreements which deal with bidding by the Town Purchasing Director, shared used of equipment and removal of freon from appliances.
7. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
On a motion by Trustee McCarthy, seconded by Trustee Schmidt, the minutes of the Meeting of January 5, 2004 were approved as amended by a 4-0-1 vote with Trustee Wiegman abstaining.
8. REPORTS:
Manager Herbek: In November 2003, the Village s website had 98,248 hits with 2836 unique visitors. The most popular page is the calendar; least popular is the minutes. It was similar in December with 2601 unique visitors. The website address is changing, have shortened it but both will still work. A pamphlet has been developed for residents with important information, including the web site, phone numbers, important regulations, etc. He will get out to the Trustees and committees for further review. It will be printed and available at the counter and they will also give to real estate brokers. He thanked Emily Fannon an intern who put the pamphlet together. Trustee Schmidt suggested that maybe they could get a sponsorship to pay for it.
Trustee Reardon: On the water bills, the automatic transponder of one citizen was incorrect so please check your bill. The pilot program had no problems at all, less than 1% had a problem. Call for an appointment if you are still filling out the meter card and the Village will put in a transponder. We are learning some things from experience.
Trustee Wiegman: He likes the pamphlet idea. The website has a nice picture of the Duck Pond. He noted there is one dead deer in the median on Benedict Blvd. The Martin Luther King service was terrific thanked all the congregations very appropriate this year. On the Yacht club dredging project, the WAC is eager to know when results are available. The VEB has received 9 proposals for the new logo design and will submit an update to the Manager and request to start the process in this fiscal year by allocating $3k for that purpose. Trustee Schmidt asked if the VEB is considering how much money it will cost to actually implement the logo? Trustee Wiegman said that was not part of the RFP.
Trustee McCarthy: She will propose an amendment to the Noise law. Paul Rolnick and Rhoda Stephens from the ZBA have volunteered to liaise with the Comprehensive Plan Committee. The Jackson variance was denied. On Steep Slopes, will the proposed practice hole at HNGC need a hardship permit? Attorney Waldman has been talking with Dan O Connor about what the project area is. Slopes calculations have not been provided yet. She wants to know when we know. The Cleveland and Gerstein intersection has two stop signs and also a sign about signs ahead. She finds it confusing. Trustee Grant said she recalled a discussion of it at the joint school/village meeting.
Trustee Schmidt: On Sunday, Feb 1 the Arboretum is having their tree walk; learning how to identify trees in the winter. Westchester County is looking to reduce bus routes. We should tell them we are not in favor of this in regard to the bus from Yorktown which brings many train riders; our lot can t handle the extra cars. Bus service like this does have to be subsidized. Recreation field-use allocation was today with a lot of bargaining going on for time slots. Someone suggested that Manes field be astroturfed. They asked if could be looked at. Practices might be reduced due to lack of field availability. We need a field at Croton Landing as soon as possible.
Trustee Grant: The school/village meetings have had lengthy conversations about problems with difficulty with parking in the spring and summer due to construction at the high school. Right now we don t know where it will be but Tiny Tots cannot be at PVC this year. Thanks to Bob Scott about his public service on the water meters. Thanks to the Fire Department for flooding the Duck Pond; it was like glass yesterday. It s thrilling to see it used so much after so many years. Bad news - a major storm is predicted for tomorrow night get your cars off the road; there are actually still some cars snowed in from earlier storms now iced in; they deserve tickets.
Mayor Elliott: Thanks to the Fire Department for their flooding of the Duck Pond.
On a motion by Trustee Wiegman, seconded by Trustee Schmidt the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 10:45pm.
Respectfully submitted
Ann H. Gallelli, Secretary
__________________________
Village Clerk
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