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minutes 12 pages

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY was held on Monday, August 15, 2022, in the Georgianna Grant Meeting Room at the Stanley Kellerhouse Municipal Building, Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520. The following officials were absent: Trustee Horowitz Trustee Rosales 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Pugh called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. Everyone joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Trustee Simon made a motion to approve the following Fiscal Year Vouchers, claims numbered 22230381 through 22230708 and 22230827 through 22230830. The motion was seconded by Trustee Gallelli and approved with a 3-0 Vote. $299,322.09 Water Fund $19,473.96 Sewer Fund $9,042.80 Capital Fund $17,612.11 Trust Fund $12,924.80 3. PUBLIC HEARING A motion was made by Trustee Gallelli to open a Public Hearing to consider the issuance of a “Special Permit” for a twenty-nine-unit multi- family development located at 1380 Albany Post Road. Motion was seconded by Trustee Simon and approved with a 3-0 Vote. Kory Salomone, from the Law Firm of Zarin and Steinmetz stated that they believe the project is fully compliant with the new “Gateway District Regulations” that were adopted in Local Law #3 of 2022, the plan calls for the demolition of the existing building, replacing it with a 33,400 Mayor Pugh Trustee Gallelli Village Manager Bryan Healy Trustee Simon Village Treasurer Tucker Village Attorney Linda Whitehead Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 square foot building that will contain twenty-nine residential units (eighteen one-bedroom apartments, eleven two bedroom apartments, and forty-four at-grade parking spaces), some of the amenities include a roof-top deck and lounge, a fitness center, a community event room, EV charging stations, barbeque area, and bocce court. Mr. Salomone stated that as outlined in his letter, they believe that this project complies with all of the “Special Permit” criteria. https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2021- 10/202a5f89ed6e60847c278adf8ccc75693b502ada.pd Trustee Gallelli stated that she and Trustee Simon as members of the Waterfront Advisory Committee and liaisons to the Planning Board have watched this application progress to this point and she believes that this project not only complies but is in the spirit of what we want to see in the North End Gateway Overlay Zoning District and is supportive of this application. Trustee Simon stated that as we enter Croton from the north end it is going to be an important development for Croton and represents good planning and decision making on the part of the developer. Trustee Simon commended the developer for their decision to forego retail in favor of additional housing units and while we support retail, our Housing Task Force reported that we have a real need for additional housing opportunities in Croton and supports this application. There being no further comments to come before the Board, a motion to close the Public Hearing was made by Trustee Gallelli. Motion was seconded by Trustee Simon and approved with a 3-0 vote. Resolution #122 of 2022 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON 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 3-0 vote. Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 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 0-1 Limited Office and North End Gateway Overlay Zoning Districts of the Village, where multi-family developments are allowed by special permit, and WHEREAS the Board of Trustees issued a negative declaration under SEQRA and a statement of consistency with the Village’s LWRP in connection to this project on March 7, 2022, and WHEREAS the Board of Trustees referred the application to the Planning Board on July 5, 2022, and WHEREAS the Planning Board reviewed the request and has submitted a memo in support of the application, and WHEREAS ten percent of the dwelling units will be affordable as required by Section 230-48 of Chapter 230 of the Village Code which will result in three units, two (2) one bedroom and one (1) two-bedroom apartments; and WHEREAS on August 15, 2022, a public hearing on granting a special use permit to the Matra Group was opened and closed, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby issues a special use permit to the Matra Group for a 29-unit multi-family development at 1380 Albany Post Road subject to the following conditions: 1. That an application for site plan approval and subdivision approval (consolidation) be submitted to the Planning Board. 2. That project amenities be included and detailed further in site and architectural plans. 3. That a reasonable number of charging stations for electric vehicles and bicycles be incorporated into the project. 4. That the applicant work with the Planning board and NYSDOT to provide reasonable pedestrian facilities which may include use of the bike and walking trail on the West Wind HOA property in addition to other facilities. Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 4. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY EMAIL – none 5. CORRESPONDENCE a. Letter from Cynthia Lippolis, Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce Board Member, dated August 5, 2022, requesting to conduct a Scarecrow Contest in the Village during the last week of September and through the month of October. https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 08/4e88d139e207bf07f55972e6b2e6fc7ce2beb8c2.pdf Resolution: On motion by Trustee Simon and seconded by Trustee Gallelli the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton on Hudson approved the request from the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce to conduct a Scarecrow Contest as detailed in their letter dated August 5, 2022. Motion was approved with a 3-0 vote. b. Email from Joshua Karpoff, 1st Assistant Chief of the Croton on Hudson Volunteer Fire Department dated August 2, 2022, regarding their Annual Fire Fair. https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 08/6fb242e8108a12ce0a42cae60eee1520bbedbcaf.pdf Resolution: On motion by Trustee Gallelli and seconded by Trustee Simon the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton on Hudson approved the request from the Croton on Hudson Volunteer Fire Department to hold their Annual Fire Fair as detailed in their email dated August 2, 2022. Motion was approved from the 3-0 vote. c. Memorandum from Daniel O’Connor, Village Engineer dated August 3, 2022, requesting a Building Permit extension for 7 Lexington Drive. Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 08/139e1649a8d97dc5a5d7be40706782ad1db4c3ed.pdf Resolution: On motion by Trustee Gallelli and seconded by Trustee Simon the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton on Hudson approved the request for a Building Permit extension for the property located at 7 Lexington Drive. Motion was approved from the 3-0 vote. d. Memorandum from Daniel O’Connor, Village Engineer dated August 1, 2022, requesting a Building Permit extension for 3 Mount Airy Road. https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2022- 08/7e85fbc7915e14049385a3960f6863ca370f7b11.pdf Resolution: On motion by Trustee Gallelli and seconded by Trustee Simon the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton on Hudson approved the request for a Building Permit extension for the property located at 3 Mount Airy Road. Motion was approved from the 3-0 vote. 6. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS Ed Riely, 110 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson stated that he does not support the urbanization of Croton and emphasized that there should be a height limitation of three stories rather than five stories for any new housing projects, continued to urge the Board to put pressure on the three largest landholders which are all public entities (MTA, County of Westchester and the School District) to give back to Croton. Mayor Pugh stated that while greater height limits are being considered as part of the Transit Oriented Development District, which is narrowly centered around Croton Point Avenue, no amendment to the Code has been adopted at this time. 7. RESOLUTIONS: Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 Resolution #123 of 2022 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, 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 3-0 vote. WHEREAS the Water Department uses handheld water meter readings to obtain accurate data on water usage; and WHEREAS the premium support contract with the software company, Rio Supply, expired on June 30, 2022; and WHEREAS an updated support contract has been drafted for the period of July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, at a cost of $5,550, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Manager is hereby authorized to execute the contract with Rio Supply for the period of July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, at a cost of $5,550; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that funding is available for this contract in the following account: F8310.4000 (Water Administration – Contractual). Resolution #124 of 2022 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, 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 3-0 vote. WHEREAS all dogs in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson four months of age or older, unless otherwise exempted, are required to be licensed, and WHEREAS the Village utilizes the Clerk I Software by Edmunds GovTech of Northfield, New Jersey to process, store, and renew dog licenses, and WHEREAS the Village desires to add a third user license to this software and WHEREAS the Village has received a quote from Edmunds GovTech for an additional Software License for $1,60, and Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 WHEREAS funding for this expense was not included in the 2022-2023 General Fund Budget, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board hereby authorizes the Village Treasurer to transfer $1,600 from A1410.1100 to the following account: A3510.4000: $1,600 Resolution #125 of 2022 On the motion of TRUSTEE GALLELLI, seconded by TRUSTEE SIMON, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton- on-Hudson, New York with the following 3-0 vote. WHEREAS the aluminum railings along Elliott Way have been damaged and are a safety concern for residents walking along the river, and WHEREAS the railings will need to be removed and replaced in four phases in order to completely stabilize the entire railing system, and WHEREAS the Village has received a quote from Mancon, LLC of Yorktown Heights for a total of $12,960 for the removal and replacement of the railings, and WHEREAS the Village has received a quote from Santella Welding of Putnam Valley for a total of $4,800 for welding of the new railings, and WHEREAS the Village has received a quote from Reliable Plating Corp. of Bridgeport, Connecticut for a total of $1,704 for final anodizing of the railings and WHEREAS funding for this expense was not included in the 2022-2023 General Fund Budget, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board authorizes the Village Treasurer to transfer $19,464 from Contingency Account #A1990.4000 to the following account: A7110.4140: $19,464 DISCUSSION: Village Manager Healy explained that these railings are between the elevated walkway and Senasqua Park, we have been in discussions with our insurance Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 company to have this covered but we have not been successful thus far, in the meantime, until this is resolved with our insurance company it is necessary to make the repairs to make it safe for people to traverse this area. Resolution #126 of 2022 On the motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, 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 3-0 vote. WHEREAS the Village of Croton-on-Hudson wishes to resurface various roadways located within the Village limits, and WHEREAS on July 14, 2022, the Village advertised for invitations to bid on these improvements (Bid #02-2022); and WHEREAS six sealed bids were received at the bid opening held on August 9, 2022, and WHEREAS the lowest responsible bid was submitted by ELQ Industries, Inc. of New Rochelle in the amount of $448,737, and WHEREAS because a work history does not exist with the Village, staff has contacted the references provided by ELQ Industries, Inc. in the bid packet, and WHEREAS all references provided positive feedback regarding past projects completed by ELQ Industries, Inc., and WHEREAS after reviewing the bids received, the recommendation to award the bid to the lowest bidder, ELQ Industries, Inc. of New Rochelle, New York, has been made by Frank Balbi, Superintendent of Public Works, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board authorizes the Village Manager to award the contract to ELQ Industries, Inc. in the amount of $448,737, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Village Treasurer is authorized to charge this amount to the following Capital Accounts: H5110.2106.23437: $448,737 Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 DISCUSSION: Village Manager Healy stated that funds from various State programs should cover the costs. Resolution #127 of 2022 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON and 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 3-0 vote. WHEREAS Local Law No. 3 of 2003 was approved at a regular Village Board Meeting held on October 7, 2003, and WHEREAS this Local Law called for the setting of Village Fees through Board Resolutions, and WHEREAS the Village Board approved vendor registration fees for the 2022 Fall Festival / Oktoberfest to help cover some of the costs of the event at a regular Village Board Meeting held on August 1, 2022, and WHEREAS after receiving feedback from local businesses, the Village desires to revise the vendor registration fees for the 2022 Fall Festival / Oktoberfest, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees approves the below revised fees for the 2022 Fall Festival / Oktoberfest: Early Bird (until August 26) Regular (after August 26) General Veor $150 $175 Non-Profit/Civic $50 $60 Food Vendor $250 $275 Alcohol Vendor $300 $325 Food & Alcohol Vendor $550 $600 8. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Rolf Lamar, 228 Hessian Hills Road, Croton on Hudson, stated that he opposes the proposed Homeland cell tower, he believes that any claim that Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 the tower will improve emergency communications for the community is misleading, it is his understanding that no one has done a basic analysis to ascertain if there will be any benefit to the Fire Department, Police Department or the DPW Department, Fire and Police Department communication frequencies are different than wireless carriers and to improve these communications the very first step is to test the entire coverage area to identity the existence, locations as well as geographic boundaries that may have gaps and only if this information is determined then you can begin the process to figure out the best location to install a tower. Mr. Lamar stated that it does not make sense to build a new tower and move over antennas in the hopes that it will improve emergency services communications because no one has made the effort to figure out the UHF and VHF coverage status and by not determining these factors it will be detrimental to the Village because we will end up with more towers than we actually need. Signe Bergstrom, 228 Hessian Hills Road, Croton on Hudson, stated that this proposal appears to be based on an anecdotal assessment, as far as she can tell no comprehensive assessment has been done to determine gaps in our Village, when asked at a meeting to see that data, the Board was told that they did not have that information on hand, when the assessment was done why wasn’t the findings not present in the proposal and why have they not been shared with the public, without a real assessment of the scope of the problem, Croton residents will be subject to a hodgepodge leaving an irresponsible approach to selecting sites, the construction of a tower of this size will require a crane on a large flat bed truck, the roads to this site are extremely narrow, lined with trees making it very difficult to get to, trees will most likely have to be taken down on both Glengary and Hessian Hills Roads, she knows that the Village owns this land and can break any of its Zoning Codes but the chances of a private resident building such a tower on the property line of their neighbors would be very low, Homeland specifically targets municipalities that have not enacted codes governing communication towers and while the FCC grants municipalities the right to enact their own codes, Croton which has sparse codes must operate using the FCC codes which limit municipal government controls, the installation of the Homeland Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 cell tower at the train station was deemed successful and positive and suspects that this feedback is based on the fact that it is not in a residential area. Ms. Bergstrom said that anyone can google Homeland Towers and see scores of pending lawsuits and legal maneuvers between Homeland Towers and municipalities in Westchester, residents need to understand that Homeland reached out to Croton and because of that the site selection was made by them, not the Village and no alternative locations or co-locations were discussed, there is no doubt that Croton should improve its cell service, but decisions must be made by our Board who understand the needs of our community. Ed Riely, 110 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson, addressed environmental issues, the New York pension system and suggested that the Board reach out to the three largest landowners in Croton requesting special privileges for Croton residents, as well as land givebacks, payment in lieu of taxes, urged the County Legislature to meet in public, and addressed issues with the County’s Sewer Plant and Playland. 9. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Motion to approve the minutes as amended of the Regular Meeting held on August 1, 2022, was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Rosales and approved with a 3-0 vote. 10.REPORTS: Trustee Simon advised that on August 3rd he attended a webinar sponsored by an organization called Elected Officials to Protect America, the organization is looking to pull together local officials in New York State to support New York State’s Climate Action Plan, on August 6th he met with neighbors and users of the Black Rock Dog Park and good suggestions were discussed, August 10th he attended the Planning Board meeting where they reviewed the landscaping plan for 23 Nordica Drive, they did not approve the plan and another presentation will be made at the next Planning Board meeting, sat in on meetings regarding the Fall Festival, attended the first meeting of the “125 Anniversary” committee last Thursday, this afternoon he Village Trustees Board Meeting August 15, 2022 listened in on another webinar of the Cannabis Board and effective August 25th they will begin to take applications for retail dispensaries. Trustee Gallelli stated that the first meeting of the 125 Anniversary Committee gave members the opportunity meet each other and address their objectives and what they would like to see happen as part of the year’s events, last Friday Croton seniors were invited to attend a picnic at Senasqua Park and thanked Shoprite for providing all the food and DPW who did all the cooking, reminded everyone that the Westchester County Bee Line busses are still free until September 5th, the Yacht Club will be holding their River Day on September 10th, September 11th the Tri-Municipal 9-11 Ceremony will be held at Croton Landing, Village-wide tag sale will be held on September 17th, Fall Festival on October 1st and the Fire Fair on October 2nd. Information about these events can be found by logging onto to the Croton Calendar: https://www.crotononhudson-ny.gov/calendar/month/2022-10 Mayor Pugh advised that this past Friday he had the great honor of attending the “Eagle Scout Honor Court” and congratulated Conner Cadarino on achieving that status and attended the Ecuadorian Festival at Croton Point Park. Village Manager Healy reminded residents that it is time to renew or purchase quarterly train station parking permits, we continue to see modest increases each month, we are 25% higher than last year and we hope to continue to see these numbers go up. There being no further business to come before the Board, a motion to close the meeting was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Gallelli and approved with a 3-0 vote. Meeting adjourned at 8:00pm Respectfully submitted, Judy Weintraub, Board Secretary _______________________ Paula DiSanto, Village Clerk