Documents

minutes 9 pages

A Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY was held on Monday, June 20, 2011 at the Municipal Building, Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520. Mayor Wiegman Trustee Gallelli Village Manager Zambrano Trustee Murtaugh Village Attorney Feldman Trustee Schmidt Treasurer Bullock Trustee Raskob 1. CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Wiegman called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. Everyone joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. 2. APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS: Trustee Gallelli made a motion to approve the vouchers as follows, subject to review by the Audit Committee. Motion was seconded by Trustee Raskob and approved with a vote of 5-0. 2010-11 General Fund $ 58,654.48 Water Fund 15,074.50 Sewer Fund 866.53 Capital Account 36,275.00 Trust & Agency -0- Total $ 110,870.51 Trustee Gallelli made a motion to approve the vouchers as follows, subject to review by the Audit Committee. Motion was seconded by Trustee Murtaugh and approved with a vote of 5-0. 2011-12 General Fund $ 108,209.05 Water Fund 1,797.29 Sewer Fund 1,201.43 Capital Account 8,412.71 Trust & Agency 3,375.00 Total $ 110,870.00 APPROVAL OF PURCHASE ORDERS FISCAL YEAR 2011-2012 Trustee Schmidt made a motion o approve the purchase orders for fiscal year 2011-12 as presented by Treasurer Bullock, second by Trustee Raskob; approved with a vote of 5-0 3. PRESENTATION by Dick Nagle on the status of the Croton EMS: Mr. Nagle stated that the Croton EMS is a voluntary organization; he has met with several individuals and groups regarding the EMS and his presentation is based on information from Village Board Meeting June 20, 2011 these meetings; he believes that the Croton EMS is in great need of improvement; the minimum crew of a driver and an EMT are necessary; 54% of the time, they must call for mutual aid from other municipalities. He stated that a contingency plan is necessary and a draft RFP has been drawn up, meetings have been held, it is now time to move forward with this proposal, but he will continue to work with Croton EMS to determine their immediate needs. Mayor Wiegman opened the meeting to questions for Mr. Nagle. Trustee Gallelli stated that the RFP which was submitted has not gone any place except to the Village attorney for review. Trustee Murtaugh asked Mr. Nagle to elaborate on how other communities handle EMS. Mr. Nagle replied that five other communities have contracted with other EMT providers basically for daytime hours; it is difficult to get people to commit to something like EMS and the work is around the clock; the core group of Croton EMT’s are doing an incredible job with little resources; hiring a daytime driver would be of great help. Trustee Murtaugh asked what would be the number for a volunteer contingent that would address our not being in this situation. Mr. Nagle stated that several have left this past year because of the time commitment; the more people you have, the easier it is to spread out the work; there are currently empty slots that should be covered Trustee Gallelli asked if there is an optimal number that would be right for Croton. Mr. Nagle replied that it depends on the hours people work; 60 or 70 people would be a good start and we are not close to that; it takes a long time to process a new member. Trustee Schmidt stated that volunteers put in a lot of time and it is a hard thing to do; we have been approached by Ossining OVEC for a program; why are we not pursuing that program for now. Mr. Nagle replied that is what we are proposing right now. Trustee Raskob asked what the standard salary is in this area for a full time EMT. Mr. Nagle replied that a full time EMT can get $25.00 per hour. Trustee Schmidt stated that while this may be a financial cost to the Village, there is reimbursement by billing out EMS services and it is not a total cost to the Village; since we are not responding to all EMS calls currently, the other municipalities are doing the billing. Mayor Wiegman stated that we do bill insurance providers and the Board is committed to finding a solution to bolstering the coverage of EMS. Ginny Calcutti, 19 Hunter Place, stated that she is confused as to the fly car from Ossining; she believes that the police always come first, then the fly car; are any Village employees paramedics? Mr. Nagle replied that there aren’t, nor are any Village employees currently on the roster of Croton EMS; the tri community fly car is for the paramedic for Ossining, Briarcliff and Croton and brings a high level of service. Ms. Calcutti asked if someone during the day could answer a call by himself. Mr. Nagle replied that they want to get the ambulance on the road then use radios to get the information out so volunteers can respond and perhaps meet at the call area rather than the EMS station. Discussion followed about having Croton village employees, who would be released during the day, to respond. Julie Woodward stated that she recently signed an application for EMS training and no one has called her. Betty Laguna stated that she has been a recipient of service from Croton EMS; throwing it money does not necessarily make it better; they have always responded quickly and efficiently; if it is money, then send a bill. John Flynn, not a resident, read a written statement expressing his grave concern about EMS in Croton; he has corresponded with many involved in Croton; EMS in Croton is totally broken and must be repaired; he asked to put in place that if the Croton ambulance is not able to respond, they must immediately send out a neighboring EMS; we need to understand several things before a RFP is sent out or we will not be able to understand respondents; he offered to meet with Trustees and explain several issues. Discussion followed about whether the county dispatch center could dispatch outside assistance automatically when there is no one available. Trustee Raskob questioned how long does it take for someone from Ossining to get Village Board Meeting June 20, 2011 here. Mr. Flynn replied that the tri-village fly car takes more than 10 minutes on average and they cannot transport. Jay Dinkler, a senior in high school and a member of EMS, stated that he went on a mutual aid call today for Cortlandt; the police are trained and are at an emergency quickly; it does not take 10 minutes to get from Ossining to Croton under normal conditions; our response time is not low, but we do need more volunteers; what would help most is recruitment and retention. Charles O’Connor, an EMS volunteer, stated that the response time is within the recommended time; we really need EMTs which are hard to recruit; there is a long waiting time for results and people need to be available. Mark Dickey addressed the RFP and stated that he does not want the Village to be biased by personal opinions. Mayor Wiegman stated that the EMS did a good job with the terminology so we know exactly what we are getting into. Village Manager Zambrano stated that he is making sure we are covering all the bases; many things need to be included in the RFP before it is sent out and the Village Attorney is working on this. Lynn Harmony asked if there are ongoing recruitment efforts. Mark Dickey stated that EMS has been having membership difficulties; the budget item for recruitment and retention was not approved by the Village this year, but he is hoping to work something out; at this time they do not have funds for recruitment and retention and are stretched on volunteer hours. Mr. Nagle stated that interested residents can download an application form from the Village EMS web site. Don Ewing, a member of Croton EMS, read a statement which included the need for people including helpers, drivers and those who want to be EMTs. Trustee Schmidt commented that, hopefully, everyone can get together and find a short term and long term solution; he looks forward to everyone working together. CORRESPONDENCE: Village Manager Zambrano read the following correspondence (full text available at the Village Office): a) A letter from Village Engineer Daniel O’Connor requesting an extension of a building permit for 7 Ackerman Court. Trustee Gallelli made a motion to approve the request, but would like to see certain conditions regarding exterior work as a part of the extension. Trustee Schmidt seconded the motion as stated by Trustee Gallelli, approved with a vote of 5-0. b) A letter from Myrlin Valerio, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, offering a thank you for supporting their 5K walk which benefited the Cortlandt Food Bank. c) A letter from NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services regarding the 2011 Tentative Equalization Rate which is 3.71, up from 3.32 last year. Trustee Raskob inquired when the last assessment was done. Village Engineer O’Connor responded that it was in 1967. d) A letter from Jeannette Phillips, Executive Director, The Preservation Company regarding their CDBG Application for their life skills training program and offering to make a presentation. 5 CITIZEN PARTICIPATION (agenda items): a) Betty Laguna, regarding the evacuation zone, questioned where she would be evacuated and how long she would have to wait. Ms. Laguna asked if there are any suggestions from the public with what we do to replace the energy if Indian Point is closed. Mayor Wiegman replied that this is the subject of the second resolution. Village Board Meeting June 20, 2011 b) Julie Woodward stated that she presented another suggested resolution at the last meeting; 10 or 50 miles should not be portrayed as a possible evacuation; must look at the whole situation; it is not possible to do the plan as it is now. Mayor Wiegman replied that most people have been consistently wary of the plan. 6. PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS: a) On motion of TRUSTEE Schmidt, seconded by TRUSTEE Raskob, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a vote of 5-0. WHEREAS, the Village and the New York State DOT have entered into a snow and ice agreement which will expire in 2013; and WHEREAS, the Village has received an amendment to this contract reflecting the severity of the winter for the 2010/11 period; and WHEREAS, under this amendment the estimated expenditure has been increased from $18,433.60 to $31,871.69; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Manager is hereby authorized to sign Amendment B of the Indexed Lump Sum Snow and Ice Agreement with New York State Department of Transportation expiring in 2013. b) On motion of TRUSTEE Gallelli, seconded by TRUSTEE Raskob, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a vote of 4 ayes and 1 opposed: WHEREAS, the nuclear disaster at Fukushima has resulted in widespread dispersal of radioactive material in the air, land and water, and President Obama of the United States and Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Jaczko have called for the evacuation of all Americans within a 50 mile radius of the stricken plants; and WHEREAS, radiological contamination from Fukushima has extended 140 miles to Tokyo reservoirs, and the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants are situated within twenty miles of the New Croton and Kensico Reservoirs which supply large parts of New York City’s drinking water; and WHEREAS, the New York State Emergency Evacuation Plans were thoroughly evaluated by former FEMA director and evacuation expert James Lee Witt in 2003 and found to be inadequate to protect the public from radiological exposure; and that evacuation plan flaws and deficiencies remain unresolved; and WHEREAS, the spent fuel rods at both Indian Point reactors are stored in warehouse-type buildings with commercially available steel roofs, have no independent electricity or cooling Village Board Meeting June 20, 2011 systems and are not constructed with the same containment capabilities and back-up systems used to protect the reactors; and WHEREAS, new techniques and advances in seismology have disclosed additional information about the two fault lines near Indian Point and plant construction standards fall far below potential earthquake magnitude; NOW, therefore, in order to safeguard the health and safety of United States citizens, be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson call for the emergency evacuation zone around Indian Point to be extended from 10 to 50 miles; and be it further RESOLVED, that the flaws and deficiencies identified in the 2003 Witt report be remedied; and be it further RESOLVED, that full containment, as well as independent back-up electricity and cooling for the spent fuel pools be established and spent fuel rods be moved as quickly as possible into hardened dry cask storage which is more secure than the spent fuel pools, and be it further RESOLVED, that new seismological data be taken into consideration and infrastructure upgraded accordingly for the continued operation of Indian Point; and be it further RESOLVED, that this resolution be transmitted to Governor Cuomo of the State of New York and to our Congressional and state legislative delegation and to the Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino. Discussion: Trustee Schmidt stated that this information will not get us anywhere and does not accomplish anything. Trustee Murtaugh responded that it is a symbolic gesture and draws greater insight on how difficult the solution is. Trustee Raskob added that it also brings Manhattan into the evacuation zone. Mayor Wiegman stated that the 50 mile area was brought to light by the Japan disaster. Mayor Wiegman stated that the resolution does request that the owners of the facility become more diligent about moving spent fuel from the pool into the dry cast system which will make the spent rods safer in the long run. Trustee Schmidt stated that he would support a resolution on that basis to make sure they are keeping up with the deficiencies, but this resolution does not accomplish anything. Mayor Wiegman added that this is a solidarity resolution and a number of municipalities are being asked to adopt this resolution. Trustee Raskob stated that this resolution does not call for closing down Indian Point, but calls for cleaning up; however, ConEd does not want to do it because it is expensive. Mayor Wiegman stated that we should have more information from operators of the system and the State. Trustee Schmidt stated that Indian Point needs to be shut down at some time, but right now we rely on the power; we are a country that uses a disproportionate amount of power; many are in favor of ultimately shutting down Indian Point and having the country get off the grid, but we need to do more in conservation and are not doing enough; we don’t want this is our backyard but are Village Board Meeting June 20, 2011 willing to do it in others’ backyard. Trustee Gallelli stated that she agrees that this is a symbolic statement and brings out the absurdity of having it at all c) On motion of TRUSTEE Raskob, seconded by TRUSTEE Gallelli, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a vote of 4 ayes and 1 opposed: Whereas, the New York State Energy Planning Board is in the midst of preparing the 2013 State Energy Plan; and Whereas, the electricity load in the metropolitan New York City area, including Westchester County, has grown historically at about 1 percent per year; and Whereas, the Indian Point Energy Center nuclear power plants provide a significant percent of the electricity for Southeastern New York region, and Whereas, uncertainties exist over the future of Indian Point’s continued operation, and Whereas, the State does not yet have a detailed, independent analysis of how electricity generated by Indian Point would be replaced should Indian Point cease to operate for any reason, and Whereas, several options exist that, collectively and in conjunction with other actions, could replace the need for Indian Point’s electric generation capacity, Now therefore be it resolved that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson hereby request the following of the Governor of the State of New York: That the Governor initiates a study immediately by an independent professional agency or commission to examine concrete steps to replace the electricity currently generated at the Indian Point Energy Center, including, but not limited to, suggestions such as the following: 1. Support for the Champlain Hudson Power Express high voltage transmission line being developed now to bring 1,000 megawatts to the region from Canada; and 2. Support for the Cross Hudson Line high voltage transmission line being developed now to bring 660 megawatts from New Jersey to New York City; and 3. Support for the installation of 300 to 600 megawatt gas-fired combined cycle power plants at the site of the former Lovett Power Station in Tompkins Cove in the Town of Stony Point, a site already equipped with a natural gas supply and power station infrastructure; and 4. Support for simplifying access to state and utility incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy installations in order to counter or reduce the annual electricity load growth in the New York City metropolitan region. 5. Support for new public policies that would accelerate private market participation in ramping up energy efficiency and renewable energy through state-wide adoption of policies, which are already being deployed in other states, such as Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) to empower consumers in aggregating their electricity supplier choices, Private Efficiency Portfolio Standards (PEPS) to create a private sector incentive for increasing Village Board Meeting June 20, 2011 efficiency, and Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) to improve long term revenue and grid access for reliable renewable energy installations both large and small. And be it further resolved that the Governor stipulate that such a study be delivered within twelve months or sooner after being commissioned. And be it further resolved that this resolution be transmitted to Governor Cuomo of the State of New York and to our Congressional and state legislative delegation and to the Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino. Discussion: Trustee Schmidt stated that he is concerned some of the recommendations put us in a vulnerable position in regard to Millennium pipeline; the biggest part is how we start using less; how to replace the electricity and how to seriously conserve electricity; he cannot say yes to all those things in the resolution. Mayor Wiegman stated that the Millennium Pipeline has been halted across the river close to this Lovett Power Station; the supervisor of the town of Stony Point has come out in favor of using high efficiency gas fired electricity to replace much that is now coming out of Indian Point; we never opposed the Millennium pipeline except for the faulty procedures and faulty paperwork that was filed with Millennium. Trustee Schmidt stated that we should not allow us to be open and vulnerable; some of the suggestions should be left out; it is all about conservation. Mayor Wiegman stated that these five suggestions are things the State is already working on. Trustee Schmidt replied that this is not a long term solution. 7. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION (non-agenda items): a) Jay Vitale, Philipstown, formerly of Croton, spoke on behalf of Guinan Aurora, a non-profit organization that collects bikes for children who get good grades, attends school and cannot afford a bike; he has recycle centers and five big bicycle shops on board. Mr. Vitale stated that he has seen in the basement of the Municipal Building, that there are a lot of bikes that can be put to good use. He added that several individuals are looking for bikes; he can be contacted on Facebook. Trustee Murtaugh asked the Village Manager to get this information on the Village’s web site and advised Mr. Vitale that he needed to go through the Police Department and the Village Manager about the bikes. Village Manager Zambrano stated that they will discuss how this can be handled. Trustee Schmidt added that we can also put this on the DPW web site as another way to recycle. b) Mary Cronin, 201 Cleveland Drive; thanked the Board for passing the resolution regarding Indian Point and stated that she feels that the NRC has been lowering their requirements and that the plant is not safe; the area cannot be evacuated and the plan does not serve anyone’s needs. 8. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Trustee Murtaugh made a motion to approve the minutes of the Special Meeting held on April 29, 2011. Trustee Schmidt seconded the motion. The Board approved with a vote of 3 “ayes”, 2 “abstain”. Trustee Gallelli made a motion to approve the minutes of the Special Meeting held on May 23, 2011. Trustee Raskob seconded the motion. The Board approved with a vote of 5-0. Village Board Meeting June 20, 2011 Trustee Raskob made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Board Meeting held on June 6, 2011. Trustee Schmidt seconded the motion. The Board approved with a vote of 5-0. Trustee Schmidt made a motion to approve the minutes of the Special Meeting held on June 13, 2011 as corrected. Trustee Raskob seconded the motion. The Board approved with a vote of 5-0. 9. REPORTS: Village Manager Zambrano thanked Dick Nagle & the Croton EMS for working together to resolve this issue. He reminded everyone that taxes are due by June 30th; offices are open to four pm each day and staff will be available later on June 30th. Village Treasurer Bullock reported that the utility bills went out June 15th and are due by July 15th. Trustee Schmidt reported that the Clearwater Festival that was held this past weekend was a great event; however, we need some serious conversations about moving cars around and encourage Clearwater to use our police personnel to direct traffic off the highway. Village Manager Zambrano replied that this was discussed this morning. Trustee Schmidt suggested collecting $5.00 and don’t worry about meters; we should have people collecting the five dollars and have a notice for cars to park; it is a big day for the Village. Village Manager Zambrano stated that we were not notified by Westchester County Police until the morning of the event; this has happened with other events; we are taking steps to avoid problems during the Toughman event and will do so for Clearwater next year. Trustee Murtaugh stated that he understands the County Police were called to the plane crash in Armonk and parking was left to those who were not trained; he agrees we have a whole year to work this out. Trustee Schmidt suggested exit ramps have signage that a shuttle is available from our parking lot. Trustee Schmidt reported that restaurant owners have said because we do the summer concert series on Friday nights, there is no restaurant business on that day of the week and suggested discussing this for future scheduling. He added that when movies are scheduled, we could think about how to do the movies in the Upper Village or at different locations. Trustee Raskob reported that a lot of boats were on river this weekend and Clearwater had a peaceful, huge crowd. He added that concerning Indian Point, we all remember Love Canal where the chemicals did not go away from there and elsewhere; he is not against nuclear power, but is against having it in the middle of populated area; who is going to look after the waste after were are no longer here; dry storage is the only one that should be contemplated; homeowner and auto insurance policies do not cover nuclear accidents; he discussed the BP oil spill and the Japan nuclear disaster with his son and noted that these are not being widely covered by the news at this time, but there are still issues and it hasn’t gone away. He stated that we must insist upon better storage of nuclear waste. Trustee Gallelli stated that the discussion on the EMS tonight should not be construed as the Trustees not being in full support of the EMS volunteers; we are thankful and appreciative of all volunteers who go out at the worst conditions and times of the day. Village Board Meeting June 20, 2011 Trustee Murtaugh stated that he seconds what Trustee Gallelli said; as Mark Dickey said, we were pretty stringent with the budget this year on cutting back on lines; perhaps we could take another look at recruitment and retention. Village Manager Zambrano stated that he believes that the Board left it with once they came with a definite plan, the Board will support whatever they need. Trustee Murtaugh added that it falls on the shoulders of few and that the 27 active volunteers cannot do it all; membership needs to see an increase. Mayor Wiegman stated that they will be working this week to finalize the wording of the specifics of the RFP for a paid EMT for some portion of the hours when they get the most calls; it is our belief that if there were a guaranteed staff, that may bring back members who were not able to commit to the many hours that were required. Mayor Wiegman reported that he attended a conference in Philadelphia about how cities are making energy work; there were presentations on the work being done on this; he will bring the information back to Northern Westchester Energy Consortium. Mayor Wiegman reported that the Clearwater Festival had nearly double the participation this year and some County police were pulled away for an emergency; they will continue to work more closely with Clearwater about the event; he did not have a problem getting there because he rode his bike to the festival; there is a free bike valet service at the entrance. Trustee Gallelli made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Raskob seconded the motion; approved unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 10: 20 pm. Phyllis A. Bradbury Phyllis A. Bradbury, Secretary Village Clerk