Documents

minutes 11 pages

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY was held on Monday, August 1, 2022, in the Georgianna Grant Meeting Room at the Stanley Kellerhouse Municipal Building, Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520. The following official was absent: Trustee Gallelli 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Pugh called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. Everyone joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Pugh asked for a moment of silence to remember Bruce Laemmel, long time member of our Conservation Advisory Council and Thomas Waitkins who served as the Village Assessor. Trustee Horowitz made a motion to approve the following Fiscal Year Vouchers, claims numbered 22230172 through 22230380. The motion was seconded by Trustee Simon and approved with a 4-0 Vote. $377,572.92 Water Fund $79,539.14 Sewer Fund $32,116.55 Capital Fund $57,593.27 Trust Fund $9,095.70 3. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY EMAIL - none 4. CORRESPONDENCE a. Letter from Village Manager Bryan Healy dated July 29, 2021, updating the Board on the “Merwin Oak”. https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 07/72cc0442314a82d7a5b16c22c3833e8c10e080e7.pdf Mayor Pugh Trustee Horowitz Village Manager Bryan Healy Trustee Rosales Village Treasurer Tucker Trustee Simon Village Attorney Linda Whitehead Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 Village Manager Healy stated that in addition to what is being proposed in his memo he has also received a request from Village resident Marie Considine who is the Executive Director of NAMI of Westchester asking requesting some of the lumber to create benches and a request from Carolyn Whiting, Chair of the newly created “125 Anniversary Committee” requesting a piece of the lumber so they can incorporate it as part of their “125 Anniversary celebrations”. On motion by Trustee Simon and seconded by Trustee Horowitz the Board endorsed the various suggestions and recommendations for the “Merwin Oak” lumber. Motion was approved with a 4-0 vote. b. Letter from Annie Mykyta, formally requesting removal of the property at 1 Alexander Lane from the Ossining Sanitary Sewer District. https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 07/ff977c6c994587069c1147398a907f19733f43ba.pdf Village Manager Healy advised that now that we have a request from the homeowner, the Village can move forward to petition the County Legislature to start the process of removing this property from the “Sanitary Sewer District”. Village Manager Healy explained that he believes that when the County created the “Sanitary Sewer District” they just lumped everyone into the Sewer District even if they did not have sewers, over the years properties have been removed. On motion by Trustee Horowitz and seconded by Trustee Simon the Board of Trustees authorized the Village to petition the County Legislature to start the process of removing the property located at 1 Alexander Lane, Croton on Hudson, from the “Sanitary Sewer District”. Motion was approved from the 4-0 vote. Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 c. Email from Copernicus Crane, Assistant Director of Intergovernmental Relations of Westchester County, regarding upcoming public engagement sessions on bus mobility in Westchester County https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 07/20469a7cefe66a04e06046e5c5ba7e39f988f5bd.pdf d. Compilation of energy data from municipal buildings for 2021 in accordance with the Village’s Benchmarking Policy https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 07/1dabc42239ff63e7f0be727c0c5b15fcb3544b6b.pdf https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 07/f717d0d2ef008c28866173ea9af7f437c8bd5d02.pdf e. Letter from John M. Munson, President/Secretary of the Croton Fire Council, dated July 25, 2022, regarding a proposal to change residency requirements for the positions of Chief, First Assistant Chief and Second Assistant Chief. https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 07/c57523dde42927e153265ad9b61c7174fbdc5042.pdf Village Manager Healy explained that there is no action required on the part of the Board, this would be a By-Law change that the Croton Volunteer Fire Department would have to make. Village Manager Healy stated that since the four towns mentioned in their letter are quite expansive, he asked if the Board would like to consider passing a law limiting the distance requirement for Chief, First Assistance Chief and Second Assistant Chief. Trustee Horowitz asked if this is being considered because they are having difficulty recruiting people and since this is a change of policy she would like to hear from the members of the Department. Trustee Simon stated that they may be seeing some very promising volunteers who might have interest in moving up the ranks but do not Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 live in Croton and the idea is to remove that barrier. Trustee Simon stated that it is actually the members who live in Croton or who have held these positions for a while that are asking this change. Village Manager Healy explained that they are hoping to get more candidates by expanding these requirements. Mayor Pugh stated that there are specific qualifications to hold the positions of Chief, First Assistant Chief and Second Assistant Chief and he believes it is about retaining the pipeline of talent beyond the geographic standards. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS Ed Riely, 110 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson stated that he supports Village Manager Healy’s suggestion to put in distance requirements with respect to expanding the residency requirement for the Chief and Assistant Chief positions. Mr. Riely stated that he does not believe the County will cut back on bus service even though very few people are riding them. 6. RESOLUTIONS: Resolution #117 of 2022 On motion of Trustee Simon and seconded by Trustee Rosales, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4 - 0 vote. WHEREAS the Village Board of Trustees has received a special permit application from the Matra Group for a 29-unit multi-family development at 1380 Albany Post Road, and WHEREAS the project is located within the North End Gateway Overlay District of the Village, where multi-family developments are allowed by special permit, and WHEREAS on July 5, 2022, the Village Board referred the special permit application to the Village Planning Board as required by law, and Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 WHEREAS the Planning Board has provided the Board with a memorandum in support of the application, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby schedules a Public Hearing on Monday, August 15, 2022, at 7 PM to consider the issuance of a special permit for a 29-unit multi-family development at 1380 Albany Post Road, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that such Public Hearing shall be held in the Georgianna Grant Meeting Room of the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building, 1 Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, New York 10520. Trustee Simon stated that the developer did a great job presenting the project to the Planning Board and the Planning Board did a great job inquiring about many of the key aspects of the project and their memorandum speaks for itself. Resolution #118 of 2022 On motion of Trustee Horowitz and seconded by Trustee Simon, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4 - 0 vote. WHEREAS the Village of Croton-on-Hudson and the Housing Action Council have agreed to formally work together through the Housing Action Council (HAC)’s Technical Assistance Program to further housing and community development, and WHEREAS the HAC’s Technical Assistance Program will provide support and guidance to the Village, including technical assistance and education in constructive ways to local public officials, residents, and other stakeholders to develop affordable housing, and WHEREAS Westchester County has awarded funds to the HAC to assist and advise not-for-profit organizations, municipalities, affordable housing committees and affordable housing coalitions, and Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 WHEREAS the following services, outlined below, will be provided to the Village in response to the Croton Housing Task Force report: i. Provide recommendations for the adoption of an Overlay Affordable Housing Zone. ii. Explore the preliminary feasibility of developing affordable housing on lots owned by the Village through participation in the Fall 2022 Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program with identified leaders from the Croton Housing Task Force, municipality, Croton Housing Network and others as may be appropriate, and WHEREAS the Housing Action Council has provided the Village with an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) indicating that the period of performance shall take place from August 1, 2022, to December 30, 2022, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby authorizes the Village Manager to execute the Memorandum of Understanding between the Housing Action Council (HAC) and the Village of Croton for work under the Technical Assistance Program. Trustee Simon stated that there is a tremendous amount of work involved in implementing their recommendations and we are going to need a lot of resources to turn some of these things into reality and the fact that we can get some of these resources paid for by Westchester County is great news for Croton and looks forward to working with them. Resolution #119 of 2022 On motion of Trustee Horowitz and seconded by Trustee Simon, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4 - 0 vote. WHEREAS Local Law No. 3 of 2003 was approved at a regular Village Board Meeting held on October 7, 2003, and Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 WHEREAS this Local Law called for the setting of Village Fees through Board Resolutions, and WHEREAS the Village wishes to set the vendor registration fees for the 2022 Fall Festival to help cover some of the costs of the event, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees approves the below fees for the 2022 Fall Festival: Early Bird (until August 26) Regular (after August 26) General Vendor $100 $125 Non-Profit/Civic $50 $60 Food Vendor $150 $175 Alcohol Vendor $200 $225 Food & Alcohol Vendor $350 $400 Additional set-up Fee on Old Post Road South: $100 Resolution #120 of 2022 On motion of TRUSTEE HOROWITZ, seconded by TRUSTEE SIMON, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS there are a number of capital projects that have been completed and reviewed through the Village’s annual third-party audit, and WHEREAS the Village Treasurer recommends closing the capital accounts associated with these projects as follows: PROJECT # PROJECT BALANCE TEP Grant – Bicycle Ped Improvement $89,757.00 Engineering Design Parking Lot $64,961.78 Police Electric Hybrid Vehicle -$50,000.00 Electric Hybrid Vehicle $50,000.00 Hessian Hills Upgrade (Encumbrance) $13,204.22 Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees authorizes the Village Treasurer to close the above listed accounts as of May 31, 2022, and return $89,757.00 to the Debt Service Fund and $64,961.78 to the General Fund, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that $50,000.00 shall be reclassified from Project 20372 to Project 21383, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that an encumbrance of $13,204.22 shall be closed and deposited into the General Fund. Resolution #121 of 2022 On motion of TRUSTEE HOROWITZ, seconded by TRUSTEE SIMON, the following resolution was adopted unanimously by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS the Village of Croton-on-Hudson has received American Rescue Plan Act funds in the amount of $415,126.95, and WHEREAS this payment represents the second of two payments the Village will receive under this legislative act, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Treasurer is authorized to make the following budget amendment to the 2022-2023 General Fund budget as follows: GENERAL REVENUE Increase A1000.4089 FEDERAL AID, OTHER $415,126.95 GENERAL EXPENSES: CONTINGENCY $415,126.95 7. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 Renee Ivanoff, 233 Hessian Hills Road, Croton on Hudson, spoke out against the proposed Homeland cell tower. Ms. Ivanoff addressed the many homes that are rich in deep history in this area, many of which will be in direct view of the tower which will replace their beautiful greenspace view and urged the Board to protect the land and homeowners and find a more appropriate location for this proposed cell tower. Kurt Carlson, 231 Hessian Hills Road, spoke out against the proposed Homeland cell tower. Mr. Carlson stated that there are four towers covering the area already and we should be able to rectify any deficit with the existing towers and offered his services to assist the Village to working out a non-tower solution. George Ivanoff, 233 Hessian Hills Road, Croton on Hudson, stated that their home would be in direct view of the proposed Homeland cell tower, they currently have no tree coverage from the current emergency service tower that is sixty feet, and a one hundred a twenty-foot cell tower that would be less than two-hundred feet away from their home will loom over them. Mr. Ivanoff added that the tower will also include an emergency antenna for Croton bringing it to one-hundred and forty-feet, the thirty by eighty-foot base will result in any remaining trees being removed exposing them not only to the monopole but also to the high tension wires that are currently obscured. Mr. Ivanoff stated that a potential Croton trailways area would turn from a green space vision to an industrial site and is concerned that environmental issues are taking a backseat to the promise of dollars from Homeland. Mr. Ivanoff stated that this site was rejected in the 1990’s and urged the Board to look at the impact to its citizens. Lisa Carlson, 231 Hessian Hills Road, Croton on Hudson, stated that the area in question is beautiful, the hillside is covered with berry patches and other flowers, and it is proven that cell towers kill up to forty million birds a year and asked the Board to put more emphasis on protecting the environment. Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 Ed Riely, 110 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson, stated that the proposed cell tower would be near the Arboretum, and anytime the Village adds a cell tower or solar panels it just adds to the ugliness of Croton. Mr. Riely suggested that the Board encourage the School District to open their buildings as cooling centers. Mr. Riely complained that the County Board of Legislators has not held an open public meeting for two and half years and commended the Village Board for opening their meetings to the public. 8. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Motion to approve the minutes as amended of the Regular Meeting held on July 18, 2022, was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Rosales and approved with a 4-0 vote. Motion to approve the minutes of the Executive Session held on July 18, 2022, was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Rosales and approved with a 4-0 vote. 9. REPORTS: Trustee Rosalas encouraged everyone to commit to future Blood Drives and frequent our beautiful parks and is grateful to those who keep our parks running and safe. Trustee Simon advised that on July 20th the “Bicycle Pedestrian Committee” met to discuss the “Safe Streets for All Grant” as well as being briefed on the pedestrian portion of the Half Moon Bay project, on July 24th the “Sustainability Committee” met and received updates on the train station solar project, developments regarding Croton Landing, the solar roof at the Washington Fire Company, implementation of the “Stretch Code” as well as the “Food and Scrap Recycling Program”, on July 26th the Rotary unveiled its plans for their September 25th car show, attended the Planning Board meeting on July 26th and attended the Fire Council meeting where they received updates on their drills and training as well as their recruitment efforts, and participated in a meeting with the School District’s school bus transportation staff. Village Trustees Board Meeting August 1, 2022 Trustee Horowitz advised that the Conservation Advisory Committee has come up with new a program to augment the CAC’s very successful clean up campaigns, the new program called “Croton Clean Sweep” will enable people to sign up to clean any part of the Village they choose as long as it is deemed to be safe. Mayor Pugh advised that there are a lot of events coming up and encouraged everyone to read about them in detail on the Village’s Website. Village Manager Healy advised that in light of the installation of bollards at the “dummy light”, the School District’s Transportation Department will be doing a test drive this coming week to make sure that schools busses can successfully traverse that inter-section, the Harmon area parking survey for Benedict, Hastings and Young has been mailed out, informed residents to check the State Comptroller’s Website for unclaimed funds, thanked Assistant to the Village Manager Emily Mancini for preparing the “Benchmarking” report, the bid for road surfacing has been let out, the Blaze is hiring and encouraged anyone who is interested in working during this event to reach out to the Historic Hudson Valley Website and thanked DPW staff for installing the new Bocce Court at Black Rock Park as well as completing the work at the bath house at Senasqua Park. There being no further business to come before the Board, a motion to close the meeting was made by Trustee Horowitz. Motion was seconded by Trustee Simon and approved with a 4-0 vote. Meeting adjourned at 8:11pm Respectfully submitted, Judy Weintraub, Board Secretary _______________________ Paula DiSanto, Village Clerk