Board of Trustees Meeting
Alright. Good evening, and welcome to our November 4 regular meeting of the Croton on Hudson Board of Trustees. I'm mayor Brian Pugh. Please join me in the pledge of allegiance.
the flag of The United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, Okay. Alright. Our next item of business will be the approval of vouchers treasurer.
Hi. Good evening. For the general fund, we have a $168,217.46. For the water fund, we have $8,497.50. The Sewell Fund is for $2,434.05. The Capital Fund is a $101,991.13. And the trust fund is for $11,084.02.
Motion, by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. All in favor? Aye. Alright. We proceed to the first of several public hearings. This one is on local law number 16 of 2026 to amend chapter two thirty zoning, to implement regulations, regarding cannabis dispensaries. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. Manager, would you like to briefly summarize the, proposed amendment? Sure. Thank you, mayor. So after,
a couple of discussions with the village board, this law was drafted in September to provide some clarifications and definitions in the zoning code for, cannabis retail dispensaries and public youth facilities as well as update the definition for vape and tobacco shops, and as well as adding in supplementary regulations for dispensaries, with some of the state language that comes from the, state law, the marijuana regulation and taxation act. So that information is being, proposed to be added to our village code as well as allowing future dispensaries as a special permit use and limiting them to the following areas. The Central Commercial, which is the C 2 outside the gateway districts, the Riverside Commercial, the C 1 R A, and the light industrial zone, as well as a special permit use in the North End Gateway, which is zoned o one and C one. So outside of those areas, they would not be a permitted use or a special permit use. So that's that's what we have proposed in this law. You've, received comments back from the planning board, the county planning board, and the Waterfront Advisory Committee, which is all included in the, backup for this meeting.
Okay. Alright. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Alright. Very good. The public hearing is open. Anyone wishing to comment on this local law specifically, this is your opportunity. Please state your name and address.
Ed Riely from Truesdale Drive. Obviously, the pot store is an embarrassment to the bill... This village board, two of whose members and one current employee approved this, bringing cannabis shops into Croton when you could have opted out. You could have opted in later, but you didn't. You opted in thinking that you could outsmart a businessman, who decides to locate it at the perfect spot for him, when ShopRite wouldn't have any part of it. So it's an embarrassment to this board. And now you're trying to regulate any future cannabis shops to, say, Croton North Station or someplace off the map. Some of the impetus was, how many cannabis shops are in Pecora now? Four, five, six? And and going up, whatever it is, I think it's four. Austin, how many they got? Two, three? So embarrassingly, you're trying to close the barn door after the horse is gone. And this guy located without doing any exterior changes, the ice cream store where kids used to go to get ice cream and guys used to go from church to get their newspaper. Great choice. Perfect location right next to a residential area. Two residential areas. It's a small residential area. Crossing the firehouse and, of course, Yonge Avenue takes the brunt of just about everything you do. But what I find interesting is, one, in in this entire inquiry, you know, when they regulate booze, they regulate the proof of booze. How much how much alcohol is in the booze? Never heard any discussion, with the vendor who sat right here and his lawyer twice. The lawyer embarrassed the hell of you, by the way. It was funny. It was funny to watch. He did the same thing with the zoning board, till he had to put him down in retaliation over the sign, but it just embarrassed you and embarrassed the zoning board. It's funny to watch. Anyhow,
no one ever asked about potency, things like that. No questions were asked. Can I take a joint and walk down Grand Street in front of the high school, smoke my pot? No discussion of that. No discussion of strength. The equivalent would be proof if it was booze, which is not. And this is what really amuses me, and it brings a smile to my face. We have on this board somebody who is so well connected to the state legislature that housing deals are done back and forth. And we have another person who attends every housing conference, shakes hands with the governor every chance he can get. And there was no proposal to change the cannabis law. Recommendations to the state when we have such powerfully connected politicians sitting on this board with the state, the governor, the state senator who has the ear of the governor. No proposals coming out of Croton when this guy plops a pot shop 200 feet from a church. So they changed it to the door across the street from a preschool nursery school, which used to house at least 12 or 13 public schoolers attending it. So I call it a public school. Right? And pops it in that neighborhood. So violates everything you would everything you would attack a liquor store for. So now you're in the embarrassing situation trying to put the second liquor store in a closet and maybe the third liquor store in a garage somewhere. Congratulations on your wisdom. When you elect people, you elect them to have
some forethought, some vision of the future. What are the worst things that may happen? And that should have been an opt out provision. Instead, I think you opted... Some some of you opted, three of you. Two are still here. One's an employee. Opted to get a short range tax bang out of this place. And, of course, statewide, the tax receipts from cannabis operations have been overestimated by 400%. Thank you.
Alright. Seeing no one else wishing to comment on this local law, do I have a motion to close the public hearing? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Very good. Alright. We proceed to our next public hearing on local law seven of 26 to amend chapter two zero four taxation of the village code to add a full tax exemption for the primary residence of qualifying veterans with a 100% service connected disability. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler.
Manager, would you like to, summarize this exemption? Sure. So, we had talked about this exemption at a work session earlier in the fall. This is a new exemption that is being offered through New York State. It was adopted by the legislature last year, and it was actually, at one point, it was a mandatory exemption that we were not going to have to opt into, and then there was a change in the law that turned it into an optional exemption. So that's why we are, having a public hearing on this law tonight. Basically, this... If adopted, this law would give a full, property tax exemption, for qualifying veterans, from their village taxes. And so, you know, we have... We've done a little research on this, under the data provided by the town assessor,
there are 11 properties in the village that would be eligible for this exemption.
You know, those those properties have an assessed valuation of 70,693, and, you know, about half of that value is already exempted because those people are receiving veterans exemptions already, but just not a full exemption. So under the proposed legislation, an additional assessed valuation of 25,225 would become exempt, and using the median residential assessment of 6,950,
the median tax bill on a residential property would increase by $5.07 if you were to adopt this exemption.
One of the questions that came up was could there be an income requirement added to this? You know, in speaking to the village attorney,
we feel that that that we would not be able to do that because state law does not explicitly, allow for that.
So, so that would not be a possibility. The deadline to file the exemption paperwork with the town is is May 1 of each year. So if the board was to adopt this legislation tonight, people would be able to file their exemptions, with the town, and
it would go on the 2027 town assessment roll, which the village would use for its twenty twenty twenty eight, 2029 tax bills.
So there's still... There's a little bit of a lag time before this would actually go into effect, but, that's just the way that the schedule works. And then, so far, Westchester County has already adopted and signed this exemption into law. The town of Cortlandt had a public hearing on it on October 20. They held the public hearing open until their November meeting, And the... I spoke to the school district, and they have not, discussed it yet with their board, but they said that they're reviewing the information on it. So that is all the information I have on that. Okay.
Alright. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Alright. The public hearing is open. Anyone wishing to comment on local law 17 of 26? This is your opportunity.
Alright. Seeing no one wishing to comment, do I have a motion to close the public hearing? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. All in favor? Aye. Aye.
Whereas New York state has recently enacted legislation that allows municipalities to provide a full tax exemption to veterans of the armed forces who have a 100% service connected disability, and whereas the village board of trustees discussed this tax exemption option in a work session held on 09/09/2026. Whereas local law introductory number 17 of 2026 has been drafted for such purposes, and whereas proposed local law is considered a type two action under the state environmental quality review act, whereas the village board of trustees opened and closed the public hearing on local law introductory number 17 of twenty twenty six on 11/04/2026. Now therefore be it resolved that the village board of trustees hereby adopts local law introductory number 17 of twenty twenty six provide a full tax exemption to veterans of the armed forces who have a 100% service connected disability, which upon adoption becomes local law number 14 of twenty twenty six.
Oh, mayor, I I think, it's, just so appropriate that we're doing this, within a week of Veterans Day. So I'm I'm glad that we're taking this action. We had a representative of, the organization that's been very involved in this come and visit with us a couple of times. Unfortunately, I guess he's not not able to be with us this evening, but we had a very good discussion previously on the the background and and the importance of this. And so I'm just very grateful that that we're doing it, and we're doing it at at this time.
Timing is great. Mike, I do have a question. Is is there any possibility for the exemption to take effect immediately rather than waiting until 2028?
I I don't believe so. Right? No. Based It's on the apply to the next taxable status date. So you fix that taxable status in accordance with the statute, and so there's no ability to do that effective until the next taxable status date. Understood.
Manager, it sounds like we know roughly the number of 100% service connected disabled veterans in the So
are we gonna reach out to them once this law is approved? Don't I don't think there's anything that they'll have to do because because they're already receiving an exemption. So they're they're already receiving a veteran's exemption. So that's how that's how the town assessor was able to tell us which ones have a 100% disability because they've had to submit their paperwork. So I don't think they'll have to file any...
in our... In the newsletter because Mhmm. There could be... Potentially, there could be somebody else out there who's not getting the exemption right now who's entitled to it. Mhmm. So...
This one is a little harder to get because it requires that documentation. Yes. Specific documentation which is in the statute and the assessor's aware of what those documents need to Mhmm. Be. So Mhmm.
So I'm glad there's a mechanism for people to know about this, but I guess also once this... Can we also... Like the newsletter is a great way, but can we also maybe share it through our veterans organizations or whatever that is so that it can be Also, I appreciate you, you know, I... As as you know, because I reached out to you about it, the receiver of taxes in the town reached out to me to talk about the specific dollar amount that this was... Just the more financial ended questions of regarding this. Yep. So I appreciate you doing the research and I I... Not that I had... I... There is... I have no hesitation that... In doing this, but I... It is good to understand what the financial impact will be just so we can understand that as we are moving forward. So I appreciate you doing that bit of research Yep. Absolutely. That was brought to our attention.
Further discussion? Alright. Well, thank you everyone for getting us here today. Alright. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Alright. We proceed to local law number 18 of 2026 to amend, chapter two fifteen of the village code. Do I have a, motion? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. Manager, would you like to, summarize this amendment?
Sure. So this was, also discussed at a work session of the board over the summer. This basically, this law was proposed after we received a number of comments and complaints from this past winter, about parking for the businesses. You know, we had a lot of snow last year. We had big snowstorms. We also had little snowstorms. And so, you know, obviously, everything is closed during the big snowstorms, but not everything is closed during the little snowstorms. So, you know, I worked with the chief of police. I worked with our superintendent of public works, to try to come up with a balanced approach that would allow us to continue to keep the streets clean, keep them open for emergency vehicles while also, you know, trying to be responsive to some of the, complaints that were received. And so this local law was drafted to
allow parking on one side of the street in our business districts, even after two inches of snow falls,
It would allow it from 7AM to 7PM. So there would still be no on street parking overnight,
but it would it would be allowed during the day in, certain areas. So, that is what we have before us tonight.
Great. Very good. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Alright. Public hearing is open on law 18 of twenty six. Anyone wishing to comment, this is your opportunity.
Hello. I'm Brian Dale from the Association of Business in Croton. I remember speaking on this issue, last year, or during the spring of of this year. And, yeah, I find that this is a is a very good law. I just like more communication between the village and businesses. You can send it to us, and we will spread it out to the other businesses that, hey, 7PM is the cutoff. I'd also like to try and get us to do something with pre storm things, like create it so that people could park in the train station underneath the canopy so that it's easy to move their cars right after the storm, and then they can go back to the village and park where they need to. Perhaps using the shuttle as a a vehicle for that in the beginning before the snow hits so that you can get the cars and, oh, I I need to ride back from the train station. You can use the shuttle to to possibly do this. And, you know, I know the businesses that I've spoken to find that this is a very good idea to to to use because, of the way it was done last year was a... It was a little bit... How much is two inches of snow? We don't know because nobody... Down by the river, you get different snowfall than you do up in here in the upper village. It's just the way the hill works, and and we won't know down by the river how much snow is falling. So if it's seven 7AM to 7PM, I can confidently say that I will go home. I never go home. But if it's if it's done like this, where I know a time frame, it's like, listen, I gotta go. It's 06:30. I gotta leave and get home.
And I'll feel more comfortable with that knowing to tell my, customers and patrons. And and, you know, this this affected the community as well who were picking up their food from restaurants and things. They got ticketed, and they were like, hey. Why did I get a ticket? Well, the snow started. It was more than two inches, so you gotta go. So I find this to be, very helpful, and I will put the word out to the business community at large. And then if I'm given a message from the village saying, hey. We're gonna do this today. I'll make sure that, everyone I know is contacted. And then that way, we can send out, messages through Facebook and Instagram, not just the village, but we'll share your post, and then we'll be able to do that and further give people information. Because I think that's what was... That was a major thing because we cleared the roads. We... There were no cars, and then the snow removal has to be done in a more efficient manner. And if we could do it this way,
I think it'll work out to the greater benefit of everyone in Croton.
Does anyone anyone else wish to comment on this local law? Alright. Seeing no one wishing to comment, do I... All in favor? Or do I have a motion to close the public hearing rather? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. All in favor? Aye.
the village code currently prohibits vehicles from remaining parked on any street or public highway during a snowfall of two inches or more until the snowfall has ended and the roadway has been cleared. And whereas the village board of trustees desires to amend chapter two fifteen vehicle and traffic of the village code to allow the village manager to exempt certain streets in the business districts from this prohibition at certain times and days. Whereas local law introductory number 18 of twenty twenty six has been drafted for such purposes. And whereas the proposed local law is considered a type two action under the state environmental quality review act. Whereas the village board of trustees opened and closed the public hearing on local law number 18 of twenty twenty six on 11/04/2026. Now therefore, be it resolved that the village adopts local law number 18 of 2026 to amend chapter two fifteen vehicle and traffic of the village code to exempt certain streets in the business districts from the seasonal parking prohibition at certain times and days, which upon adoption becomes local law number 15 of 2026.
Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee, Nachtaler. Discussion?
Mayor, not... Nothing in particular on on the, well composed, draft up there. I just wanted to mention, to, mister Dale who who gave us such excellent comments. So I I recollect that you've got an an all business meeting coming up next week. I think it's on the tenth. And we'll we'll make sure to... Twelve. Twelve. That's what that's what I meant. We'll make sure to get you information that you can distribute to the businesses that are in attendance.
I have a question. When there's, like, announcements of snow and stuff like that, is there a way to have, like, all the business owners on, like, a text message thread that you can just sort of, like, give a blast? No. I mean, they can sign up for our emails and, they can get text through the alert system that we have.
So, I mean, I I think many of them are on there already. Okay. Yeah. So we can share that information too for next week.
I'm just grateful that we were able to have this conversation with the business community. And then, you know, I know that there was a lot of frustration last year with for the businesses and for residents for the way this was done. So I am glad to hear that this solution we think will solve the problem and that we'll be able to get it in place long before there's snow in the forecast.
No snow this winter. Not this winter. So far, so good. Right? Yes. Yeah. We're good so far. Remember the year for Halloween snow?
Can I interrupt you for a second, mayor? The the gentleman that has spoken with us a few weeks in a row regarding the veterans exemption just came here shortly after we closed that public hearing. So could we I I know it would, it's a little atypical to maybe We can't. Ask him to speak if he wants to out of the order of the meeting or to let him know what just happened because I assume that's why he is here and I don't, I would like to be respectful of his time. And Yeah. Since it's... It is good news and you missed it by a second. Mhmm.
So could I... If I could be... If I could request that. Do I have a motion to invite Chester Edward to speak on behalf of the Veterans Organization of Westchester? So moved. Re... Reopening. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Slippen. All in favor? Aye. Mister mister Edwards, please join us.
Thank you, mayor. The the law has been adopted officially. Just so...... Exception.
I apologize. I got caught up in a bunch of traffic coming across. Good evening. My name is Chester Edwards. I am a US Navy combat veteran, member of the Westchester County Veterans Advisory Council, and a veteran advocate. Having known that this has passed, I will say thank you for adopting the ex... Exemption authorized by RPTL four five eight a subdivision 11. Your action provides meaningful assistance to qualifying veterans who live with permanent and total disabilities resulting from military service. It also recognizes the families and caregivers who help them manage those disabilities every day. For those veterans, the consequences of service continue long after the uniform comes off. Daily life may involve medical appointments, limited mobility, assistance at home, and responsive... Responsibility shared by a spouse or adult child. Reducing a recurring property tax burden can make the practical difference.
It can help a veteran manage household expenses and remain in the home and community they know. For an older veteran, that home may already be adapted for physical needs. Family may live nearby. The neighbor may provide transportation or check-in regularly. Medical providers may understand years of treatment and care. Your decision can help preserve those connections. It also affirms that veterans remain valued members of your community as they age and their abilities change. Their experiences, relationships, and contributions continue to matter. I recognize that this board serves every resident and must weigh competing needs. You're considering this measure while carrying that broader responsibility. Thank you for listening and giving it your attention and voting to provide this assistance. Thank you also to the municipal staff, veterans, family members, and residents who participated in the process. Their questions and perspective helped bring the needs to qualifying veterans. As implementation moves forward, helping veterans learn about the exemption and how to apply will extend the value of your decision.
Tonight, my message is one of appreciation. You have given qualifying veterans and their family another reason to feel secure, welcome, and valued here. On their behalf, thank you for turning their recognition of military service into practical support.
Thank you. Alright. We will resume our regular order, which is the LWRP review of the New York State Department for the biannual painting of long lines on state roadways. Yes. Thank you, mayor. So,
this was a request that you received from the New York State Department of Transportation. It was forwarded to the WAC for their review. They met on October 19. I'm sorry. October 29, and they reviewed the 44 policies and determined that none were applicable. Yep. And so they have given you their, recommendation of consistency with the LWRP. Very good. So,
assuming that nobody has any additional policies to add, I will go ahead and read the resolution. No. I I was just gonna add, manager, that the the the thrust of the WAC meeting was, everyone appreciated the repainting and and redoing the the markings on the state roads and and just... We just wanted to... If we could just add repaving, you know, to that. So... But but we know we can. So... Yeah. We'll we'll we'll... You're trying. Yeah. We'll continue... We're... We're... We're... Pushing for that. Yeah. I know.
So whereas the village of Cortlandt Hudson has adopted a local waterfront revitalization program to guide the use of its waterfront in adjacent areas in a manner consistent with sound waterfront planning and environmental protection principles, whereas whereas the village of Cortlandt Hudson has received a referral for the review of the biennial painting of long lines on state roadways. Whereas on 10/29/2026, the village's waterfront advisory committee reviewed the proposed project for consistency with the policies of the LWRP. And whereas the WAC has evaluated the policies of the LWRP and determined that none are relevant to the proposed project. Whereas the WAC has issued its recommendation of consistency with the LWRP. Now therefore be it resolved that the village board of trustees hereby declares the proposed project, the biennial painting of long lines on state roadways to be consistent with the village's local waterfront revitalization program.
Alright. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by, Tristan Nachtaler. Refresh. Discussion? All in favor? Aye. Aye. Very good. Alright. Now we proceed to the SECRA and LWRP consistency review of OCA law 16.
Yes. Okay. So, as a reminder, we are going to go through the 11 questions in the short EAF part two, and the answers are either no or small impact or moderate to large impact. And this is not for any particular project. This is just on the local law itself. Okay. So, number one, will proposed action create a material conflict with an adopted land use plan or zoning regulations? No or small. No or small. Will... Number two, will the proposed action result in a change in the use or intensity of use of land? No or small. No or small? Number three, will the proposed action impair the character or quality of the existing community? No or small. Number four, will the proposed action have an impact on the environmental characteristics that caused the establishment of a critical environmental area? No or small. Five, will the proposed action result in an adverse change in the existing level of traffic or affect existing infrastructure for mass transit, biking, or walkway? No small. Number six, will the proposed action cause an increase in the use of energy and it fails to incorporate reasonably available energy conservation or renewable energy opportunities? No or small. Number seven, will the proposed action impact existing public or private water supplies? No or small. Seven b, will the proposed action impact existing public or private wastewater treatment utilities? No or small. Number eight, will the proposed action impair the character or quality of important historic archaeological, architectural, or aesthetic resources?
Nine, will the proposed action result in adverse change to natural resources? No or small. Number 10, will the proposed action result in an increase in the potential for erosion, flooding, or drainage problems? No or Number 11, will the proposed action create a hazard to environmental resources or human health? No or small. Okay. So
Alright. Thank you. Moving on to the LWRP review. So the WAC has met on October 6 to do their review for this meeting... I'm sorry, for this project, and they determined that three policies were applicable and consistent, which were policy five, encourage location of development in areas where public services and facilities essential to such development are adequate. Policy five a, when feasible, development within the village should be directed within the current service area of existing water and sewer facilities or in close proximity to areas where distribution lines currently exist. And number six... I'm sorry. Policy six, expedite permit procedures in order to facilitate the siting of development activities at suitable locations.
we will, have the resolution for the statement of consistency for next meeting as well.
in this section, I'm going to, answer some of the questions that were raised at the last meeting in the public hearing specifically on the sign law. So there were four questions that, were asked by a resident. And so, the first question was, is the eight foot height for noncommercial and exempt signs measured from grade? What about where grades differ? Yes. It is measured from the existing grade. The grade is measured at the base of the sign. Question number two, do existing flagpoles need variances since new flagpoles will require building permits? The law has been clarified to state that flagpoles are not considered structures and do not require building permits. Number three, will no trespass signs attached to trees be covered by the prohibition? The law has been clarified to state that no trespass signs are considered exempt signage required by state law. There'll be a grace period of one year for signage currently affixed to trees to be reposted in a conforming way. And then the fourth question, is there a time limit to obtain a variance for a preexisting nonconforming sign? They would obtain a nonconforming sign permit and can maintain it for two years before they need to make the sign conforming. Okay.
Any questions on that? Manager. And these have been added to our current law that we're gonna be Yes. Specifically doing. The changes are... Have been clarified and edited directly in to to make those clarifications.
Yes. Thank you. I just wanted to call that out for the public. In front of you tonight. That version. You. Would it be appropriate to add
somewhere in the backup materials to add those questions and the Sure. Answer? I don't I don't know where that would go if it would go on the I can just put it under I can put it under this section. I just wanna make sure that Yeah. Those questions that were... It's very clear that those questions were raised and answered as as we're considering this law tonight. Yes. Thank you. Yep. And incorporated, and that's Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. But I just don't want... I mean, because now that would be included under your comments, so it would be very... I wouldn't be able to find that in the minutes. You'd have to watch the whole meeting. Oh, no. I am watching the whole meeting. Thirty eight
Thank you. Alright. Thank you. We proceed to public comment on agenda items. Anyone wishing to comment on any agenda items? This is your opportunity. And please state your name and address.
Good evening. Name is Rick Craig, Loudensbury Road. I believe this is an agenda item because there's gonna be a vote tonight on the... To declare an emergency situation for the potable water on Loudensbury Road, which will allow to bypass the the building... Bidding requirement for the refiling work and awarding a contract to undertake the work. I hope that is the case. I hope it's an agenda item, so it's okay to speak now. I want to first off thank trustees Slippen and Nachtaler. You've been very communicative about this, which has been a nice change of pace for the situation, and and I know you're taking it seriously, and I do appreciate it. I apologize. There was another open question that came through. Didn't have a chance to answer it today.
busy at work. I ran here just in time. And as I was walking out the door, my wife told me, and I hope I got this correctly, our next door neighbor at 12 Lounge, very Joan Dem, she has had to go to the ER twice for skin issues because of this situation. And I'll just leave that there. It... It's unreal. So hopefully, this does move forward, finally. Hopefully, this does get taken care of, targeted by the end of the winter or for the freeze comes. Let's hope that comes through. The last thing for me on this is I'm hearing a bit more that more people are impacted on Loudsbury. I know, historically, there's been a point person or two the village may... Village manager has been speaking with. I would ask that we stop that one point person and do a full communication, please, to any and all potentially impacted people on Loudounsbury Road. It should not be on the residents to make sure we're all up to speed.
It should be on the Croton On Hudson community and management to make sure we're all up to speed. I don't know exactly which houses are and are not impacted by it. So you guys can figure out what to do, please.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Alright. Anyone else wishing to speak on agenda items? This is your opportunity.
Ed Riely from Truesdale Drive. Number one, which is always an irritant, is all the money the village spends. They cannot figure out how to buy a proper video screen that is available for everybody to see, including the people in the back row. I suggest you buy a smart board, which school started by twenty years ago, and you can see everything and anything that you ever present. You can turn it sideways, upside down. But we would like to see the stuff, and, your board doesn't accommodate that. This is the only the twelfth time we talked about that, but I'm not betting on it. Item two is in the course of some of the controversies, including the ones that are in here. In the past, when appropriate, you would think... And and some very thoughtful trustees have done this, not very often. When you're speaking on a subject of which you don't know much about, like pigeons, let's say, A thoughtful trustee may ask the question, how do you train those pigeons? How do you train those pigeons not to get away? How do you train those pigeons not to sit outside the bird store on the telephone wire and come back? How do you train those pigeons in two months not to poop in your neighbor's deck and house? Blah blah blah. Questions like that. It didn't have to be pigeons. It could be something else like water. We're gonna have a lot of water problems, not just on Lonsbury. What's in the water supply right now? Including, a lot of things, which we'll talk about later. Then in reading this thing, I'm glad you, the
village manager told us what long lines are. Long lines in the old days used to be the certain type of lines that AT and T ran. You know, AT and T long lines. So, I appreciate his clarification. And then I... Down there, I was looking at Govea Park, which is one of those problems that just keeps on giving. It says, we wanna transfer funds from a regional resilience grant. And when I read the words resilience, I think of coming back from an earthquake, coming back from a flood. So I don't know what a resilience grant is, but I find it hard to believe that you can use a resilience grant for landscaping in Govea Park. Then this is timely because of our leaf rower situation here. Under resolutions, we're giving a generator maintenance contract to somebody, Genette Tox, across the river. I wonder whether those are battery powered, gas powered, plug in generators. What kind of generators are they? Especially if they're to be used in an emergency when there is, excuse me, no electricity. I would be interested in knowing that. And then I looked down further, and you wonder why New York State has problems. It used to be when I sold financial products, you go down to the section where you sell New York State products, and it would say, what are the risks associated with New York State? And it said New York State, as far as their bonds, they had a credit rating right there down there on 9504950 with Louisiana at the time. So under New York State dormitory authority, the New York State dormitory authority is gonna give Croton a bus for $156,000. And historically, and nobody ever does this because the state's out of control, we gotta rein in those authorities.
There were schemes that Rockefeller developed to do all sorts of stuff without having to approach the state legislature. There's a perfect example. Getting a bus for senior citizens from the New York State dormitory authority. And then, what attract my attention on the last page was I attended that work session. And if you're a citizen of Croton, one of the most terrifying phrases, sentences ever to come out of the village manager is talking about locating cell towers, cell, small ones, big ones. The village can exempt itself from its own zoning. Can you imagine this village board exempting itself from its own zoning? I find that terrifying, especially when it has additional rights, not only regulatory authority, but proprietary authority when it's using village property. God help us. Thank you.
Hello. Hello. My name is Judy Lewis. I'm, 49 Sunset Drive. I'm the cochair of Friends of Croton Parks, and I'd like to share a quick story with you. Years ago when the village first considered transforming land along the river into a public park, it sparked a spirited debate. Many questions of the investment suggesting housing was a better path. Today, that is our Croton Landing. It is a cherished gem of the Hudson Valley endured by walkers, fishing enthusiasts, dog owners, runners, and cyclists. As cochair of Friends of Croton Croton Park, I see the same transformational potential in Ghevea Park. Just as Croton Landing became our waterfront oasis, Ghevea Park can become our woodland counterpart. At 15 acres, Ghevea Park offers extraordinary canvas. The Friends of Croton Park is currently applying for an 85,000 resilience grant to support our pathways to nature initiative. Guided by the landscape architects master plan, this funding will directly support an ADA compliant interior parkland trail loop, native pollinator meadows, and at Croton's third community garden with dedicated plots for food pantry, potentially the rewilding school, and other nonprofit organizations. Additionally, we are building upon this comprehensive plan presented by the architect by incorporating a permanent art platforms to display sculptures by local artists. Designed around the universal design principles, Ghevea Park will be an exclusive sanctuary connecting art, ecology, agriculture, and performance for people of all ages and abilities. This project will not draw on resources... Draw resources away from our existing parkland, but it will elevate our entire park system and protect a sensitive piece of our local environment for generations. On behalf of Friends of Croton Parks and our coalition of community partners, I want to sincerely thank and please support our initiative for the resilience grant. I thank mayor, board of trustees, and the village manager for your leadership and considering our request for a letter of support. Your partnership is an essential... Is essential as we bring this vision to life. Thank you.
Alright. Seeing no one else wishing to comment on agenda items, we proceed to the manager's report.
Thank you, mayor. Just... I'll address two things from the public comment section regarding the relining on Loudounsbury.
I will be doing a mailing to everyone on the street following the outcome of your vote tonight.
So we'll have an update to provide everyone. And then in... With regards to the question on our generators, they're a mix of propane, natural gas, and diesel generators. So it it just depends on which area of the village they're they're located in. So with regards to the balance of my report, DPW has reopened the parking lot at the end of Brook Street as of Monday.
Total of 16 spaces are now available for the winter for residents to use. Construction of the new retaining wall will take place in the spring. And then once that's done, there'll be, even more spaces.
I think it will be a maximum of 20 once the work is done in the spring. So I I drove past it today. It looks like lots of people are using it, so happy to see that. Milling work resumed today on the remaining streets that are going to be repaved next week. We anticipate receiving the paving schedule tomorrow, and that will then be shared with the community through our normal, communication methods. You know,
Leaf pickup started this week. Schedules will be sent out each Friday through the village website. Pickup continues through December 23.
Village offices will be closed on Wednesday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day. No change to the garbage schedule
because it is on a Wednesday this year. DPW is working in Scenic Ridge this week. They are replacing the drainage line on Amber Drive between Scenic Drive and Lark Lane. That road will be closed during the daytime from 7AM to 4PM while that work is going on, and the work should be done by next Monday, November 9. And we are awaiting the repaving schedule from Con Edison for Scenic Ridge for the electric... Underground electric work that they did up there. We're expecting that they're gonna be paving up there towards the end of next week. We don't have a firm commitment from them yet. We also have not gotten an answer yet as to when they will be repaving Old Post Road North, but they are supposed to be doing that before December 1. So we will do our best to hold them to that. So that is what I have to report.
Excellent. Thank you, manager. Yep. Thank you. Alright. We proceed to, the consent agenda. Do I have a motion on the consent agenda? So moved. Motion by motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. Discussion?
Oh, mayor, just on on the on the item for the the DASNY grant for the for the bus, I just wanna let everyone know how grateful we are to to DASNY for for those funds, but also who's gonna be most grateful are the the dozens of seniors that trustee Nachtaler and I meet with on most Fridays. They will they will very much appreciate, particularly, the better springs Right. You know, in the in in the seats. So this gets us one step further... One step closer to a a new transportation source for our seniors, and I know they're gonna be very grateful. But I should also add that since our our our ABC business representatives are with us, they have been using the old bus, you know, for the shuttle. And, I I see, you know, mister Deo agreeing with me in advance. It's been, it's been very successful, as connected to, the blaze activity with a number of stops. And, you know, we've seen some of the ridership figures, and it's it's going... I think it's going very well. And, of course, the new bus, I think, will will increase that possibility or that that factor when when folks know that they're gonna have a brand new comfortable ride. So very much looking forward. Manager, could we estimate, you know, from this point on, you know, how the procurement might go for the bus?
I've... I I know we have a quote already. I don't know Okay. If it's on the lot somewhere or if we have to wait for it to... Soon. Yeah. But hopefully hopefully soon. Imminent. Yes. Okay. But... Yeah. Or close to being imminent. Yeah. And what do we do with the current bus? Do we auction that? Or Yeah. If if it was determined that we don't that we don't have a purpose for it, then it would be, declared surplus and then auctioned. Yep.
Question about the Govea grant, which I think is wonderful to be seeking a grant. In the letter, says, we're seeking specific financial estimates from the village to ensure our application reflects accurate project costs and municipal contributions. So I just wanted to ask, because I think the resident spoke and and said that there's no requirement for the village to seek this grant. But is there a financial
But to to apply for this grant, do we need to, in the application, say that we're committed to investing a certain amount of money and... You mean, like, is there a match? Yeah. A match or an amount.
And if you don't know... Yeah. I I I don't know the answer to that. I'm sorry. Okay. Yeah. I don't I don't... What... How it was explained to me, I don't believe there is because that was not mentioned. But
Okay. If you can just let us know just Sure. Because it... It sounded like there wasn't, but because the letter says, looking for project costs and municipal contributions, I just wanted to know what that might be.
It could... I just... I'm just reading it here. It it could mean in kind contributions, like maybe our labor for for DPW. But I I... Again, I'll have to look into it. Okay. I'll let everyone know.
Further discussion? Thank you to the Friends of Curtin Parks for spearheading the resiliency grant. Right. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay. Moving on. Alright. We now move to proposed resolutions.
Okay. Whereas the village board of trustees wishes to update the language in the village code regarding commercial and noncommercial signage, including their placement, size, attachment, illumination, movement, and material quality. Whereas under the direction of the village board, the village manager has worked with the village attorney and the village planner to develop language that will that will provide... Sorry. That will provide conformance to the latest guidance provided by the courts in the New York Conference of Mayors. And whereas local law introductory number seven of 2026 has been drafted for such purposes. Whereas the villagers received comments back on the local law from the Westchester County Planning Board, Village Planning Board, and Waterfront Advisory Committee. Whereas the village board reviewed a revised draft law to work session held on 09/09/2026, whereas the village board held a public hearing on 10/21/2026. And whereas on 09/30/2026, the village board of trustees undertook the process and review described in detail in parts two and three of the short EAF determination of significance attached tier two. And, whereas the village board has received a recommendation of consistency from the waterfront advisory committee with the village's local waterfront revitalization program, whereas the village board must make its own determination of consistency with the LWRP policy standards and conditions. And whereas on 10/21/2026, the village board reviewed the LWRP policy standards and conditions and found none to be applicable. Now therefore be it resolved as follows, Based upon the above, the village board of trustees confirms its determination that the proposed action to update the language regarding commercial and noncommercial signage complies with the policy standards and conditions set forth in the village's LWRP, and be it further resolved the village board of trustees hereby issues and adopts EAF parts two and three determination of significance attached tier two and adopts a negative declaration in connection with this action and be it further resolved that the village board of trustees hereby adopts local law introductory number seven of twenty twenty six to amend chapter two thirty zoning of the village code to update the language regarding commercial and noncommercial signage, which upon adoption becomes local law number 16 of 2026.
you know, I I did I did wanna add, you know, I think I might have mentioned this previously, you know, but, first I want to thank the attorney and her team for kinda walking us through this, including Valerie, you know, Municipal, our planner. And just from a comparative purpose, we had a certain challenge, you know, to to look at our own laws, you know, following the legislature, making certain amendments to SECRA. And as I sit around, at least on a monthly basis, with some of our other communities in in the region, I find that we're a little bit ahead of the game, you know, by having enhanced our own local statutes to take into account some of the tools that we need, you know, to ensure that we're we're providing all of the necessary environmental analysis for any project that we take on. So I'm grateful that we're doing this, and and I I think it puts us in in good shape for the future.
I mean, I think it's it's come a long way. I think it's, you know, it's in a strong place. I know we've talked about
as we, consider dark skies laws that we will wanna circle back and and approach how we regulate illumination of signage,
because that's an opportunity there on this. But as as it stands now, I think this is, a strong law.
Whereas the village board of trustees seeks to amend the text of chapter two thirty zoning to provide clarification and streamline review of land use applications to better serve the public, Whereas under the direction of the village board, the village manager has worked with the village attorney and the village planner to develop language that would provide the planning board with additional information as part of the application process and allow them to request more information on certain aspects of a project if deemed necessary during the review process. And whereas local law introductory number 13 of twenty twenty six has been drafted for such purposes. Whereas the village has received comments back on the local law from the Westchester County Planning Board, Village Planning Board, and Waterfront Advisory Committee. Whereas on 10/21/2026, the village board of trustees undertook the process and review described in detail in parts two and three of the short EAF determination of significance attached here too. Whereas the village board held the public hearing to consider local law introductory number 13 in 2026, which was opened and closed on 10/21/2026 in the Georgiana Grant Meeting Room of the Stanley H Keller House Municipal Building. Whereas the village board has received a recommendation of consistency from the Waterfront Advisory Committee with the village's local waterfront revitalization program, whereas the village board must make its own determination of consistency with the LWRP policy standards and conditions. And whereas on 10/26/2020... Sorry. 10/21/2026, the village board reviewed the LWRP policy standards and conditions. Now therefore be it resolved as follows, the village board of trustees makes the following findings regarding the applicability of the LWRP policies and the consistency of the proposed action with those policies and conditions of the LWRP which you found applicable. Policy 5A, policy six, policy 7E, policy 7F, policy seven gs,
policy 11, policy 11A, policy 12, policy 13, policy 18, policy 19, policy 19B, policy 23, policy 25A, policy 30, policy two, policy 33, policy 33 a, policy 37, policy 37 a, policy 38, policy 39, policy 44, policy 44 a. And be it further resolved that based upon the above, the village board of trustees confirms the determination that the proposed action to provide clarification in the review of site development plans complies with the policy standards and conditions set forth in the village's LWRP. And be it further resolved that the village board of trustees hereby issues and adopts the EAF parts two and three determination of significance attached here too and adopts a negative declaration in connection with this action. And be it further resolved that the village board of trustees hereby adopts local law introductory number 13 of twenty twenty six to amend chapter two thirty zoning of the village code to provide clarification and streamline review of land use applications to better serve the public, which upon adoption becomes local law number 17 of 2026.
Alright. Do I have a motion? So moved. Do I have a second? Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Berger. Discussion.
Well, mayor, just like... As as I was mentioning earlier with respect to the previous item on signage, just, you know, the way we've been able to, with the attorney's help, update our signage laws, bring it into sort of the modern era given, you know, various court cases, you know, various evolutions over over the years. I think with respect to the secret changes made by the state legislature, we've elevated our game here by taking into account, you know, some of the things that we can do by enhancing our own local codes. So I think with... As as I said, similarly with signage, you know, some of our colleagues, cities, municipalities in in the area look very favorably on what we've done as a good example of of being able to adapt to change. So I'm I'm looking forward to this implementation. I think I think it's worthy of adoption.
Thank you. Yeah. I I think given the secret changes, I feel with the planner's input that we had a good process with, you know, filling in some of the gaps and providing protections. I will support this, this law, but it has some reservations. And I'm asking that we just, in the future, continue discussions around tree protections because I think that the CAC and the work done, I'm sure, by members of this board previously helped strengthen tree laws, but I think that
to you know, increase, establish a tree fund, to increase protection of steep slopes, protect root systems, etcetera. So, you know, and think about recognize trees as green infrastructure. So, I mean, feel good about this, but I've been on the record just asking if in the future we can, you know, revisit with the CAC how we could, you know, have even, greater laws around tree protection.
We do we do have a tree fund, just so so you know. That's that's in the that's in the tree lot. Actually, it paid for all our tree plantings that we did this fall.
Okay. Yeah. That's good. So... But, yes, we can look at one just went in front of Yeah. Thermos, which is nice. But we can certainly look at those other things. Yep.
Whereas the village has been working with WSP USA to complete the design for the water main relining along Lansbury Road since February 2025 when the village board adopted resolution 21 of 2025 to begin the design process. Whereas this project is part of the village's ongoing goal of improving and maintaining its aging infrastructure. Whereas initial funding for this project was approved as part of the twenty twenty three, twenty twenty four capital plan with the... Excuse me, with additional funding being approved as part of the twenty twenty five, twenty twenty six capital plan. Whereas the initial design plans were submitted to the Westchester County Department of Health for review and approval in January 2026. Whereas the Westchester County Department of Health responded to the additional... Sorry, to the initial design plans with comments in July 2026, which were answered in September 2026. Whereas the health department approvals were not received in time to repair a bid for fall twenty twenty six construction, whereas the homes on Lansbury Road have been experienced decreased water quality from the extreme corrosion of the pipes in this location. Whereas the village has requested and received a proposal from Ducon Inc of Basking Ridge, New Jersey in the amount of $626,550 for the relining of the water main along Loudsbury Road from Jasper Road to Old Post Road North. Whereas general municipal law section one zero three, subsection four allows for the village board to let a contract without public bidding where necessary due to a public emergency arising out of an unforeseen occurrence or condition. Whereas the village superintendent of public works has recommended that the village proceed with this work on an emergency basis, whereas it is the intent of the village to bid the remaining relining work along Lansbury Road from Jasper Road to Fox Road in early twenty twenty seven. Now therefore, be it resolved that the village board hereby declares the potable water condition on Lansbury
Road from Jasper Road to Old Post Road North to be an emergency situation and be it further resolved that the village manager is authorized to accept the proposal from Ducon Inc in the amount of $626,550 to complete this work pending final approval from the Westchester County Department of Health and be it further resolved that this amount will be charged to capital account H13262.
Manager, you've been working and and I've been working both of us through, separate channels to, get the county to accelerate the very last of the approvals that they need for this work to be done particularly after we adopt this resolution. Would you say we're imminent on on...
I I I really I hope so. You know, unfortunately, I think the the county has been busy with other things the past twenty four hours. So... But, yeah, we haven't... Yep. We reached out again yesterday Yep. And we have not gotten anything. So
we're we're in that seven day zone, so hopefully not too much longer before they give us the green Yeah.
It's been... Yeah. It's been over the seven days, so... I mean, I don't think the same people who are working on the boat situation are the people who... I I just... No. It's... I... It's the people that we're contacting. No. I... No. I I understand. I I just... I'm very frustrated by this situation, especially because it could be any of us who are in this situation where we have water that we can't use. And my water bill has only gotten exponentially more higher, not more higher, exponentially higher in the last, couple years. So I do... I I am frustrated. We haven't we haven't raised the rates in two years. By the situation? Right. I'm... But I'm just saying, like, water in... The water in Croton when you have good... You know, when it... When the quality is high, it's high, but it's not free. So I'm glad that this is able... That we're able to do this. I am also... I'm I'm concerned about our ability to... I... And I know that you and I talked about this. I just wanna make sure that all the neighbors who need the information are getting the information. I know that there is I don't have a specific... I mean, I could come up with them, but I don't have a specific suggestion about how I think the village should be communicating with folks on, who are impacted by this. But I do think it's important to make sure we know who's being impacted, and we know that they're getting the information that they need. So I am grateful that this is moving forward, but, you know, it is frustrating how long... You know, it sounds like we were waiting... Part of the holdup was waiting for the county to respond.
Right. Yeah. So I think that that is... So I appreciate your efforts, but there's only so much that we can do when we need to get approvals from the county that we can't get. The other thing I just wanna mention is when I go on to the the agenda, it...
we just have to update because this was only added today. So we need to update the PDF
on the new website. So... Right. So... But I'm just saying, like, it's not totally... It was... I was confused because it was showing up on some agendas I was looking at. It was not... I knew it was gonna be there, but I didn't know where to find it.
It's not about this specifically, but this is... To the people who are looking for this, this is super important, and it's possible that they could not see it if Well, they were all they were all told. In a certain place. Yeah. Okay. I just think that that is a situation that we'd like to be, you know Mhmm. I would like to... What's on the agenda to be.
Well, when... Are the, consulting engineer, when he dropped off the plans, he told us that we should expect to hear from the county in seven days. Okay. So I I think it's been four... Fourteen now. If not, maybe... It may even be three weeks. I I have to go back and look and see. It's been at least two weeks, so... And we haven't heard from them.
So... And we have been... We've been working both with the county executive's office and with our county legislator to accelerate the This is my bottle. The house department approval.
So... And I guess I have one other question. If this were not... If, if we weren't undertaking it in this emergency channel that we're... We are doing Yeah. Do we have a sense of what... Is the cost heavily... I mean, because we're not going out to bid with this. I'm happy to... No. So superintendent Balbi it's gonna Yeah. Superintendent Balbi reviewed the the bid... Sorry, the estimate that we received the proposal
based on current labor costs and material costs and found it to be in line with what we would So we're not paying exponentially more because we're at... This isn't... We're classifying this as an emergency and not bidding it. Correct. We're
we're just saving time because it takes about thirty days to do the bid process.
We have to really try to get this done in the next, like, thirty to forty five days. And then... And that is how long the whole project is? Like, are we able to give the the neighborhood an estimate of what we think? Well, I mean, it's going to... It is...
But they can't mobilize until we get the approval from the Right. Department of health. Right. So... And the first thing they do in a project is
provide an alternate source of water. In other words, it's not gonna be the... Water's turned off for the duration of this project. They have to lay the temporary main.... Lay a temporary main,
which is why this is an emergency because you don't wanna have an above ground So as soon... Main. What the attorney is trying to say is as soon as the project starts, the water will greatly improve because it won't... It will be out of the Oh, I see what I see what you're saying. Okay. Yeah. So Okay. As soon as we can get it started, the water quality will improve. It's just getting it started. Okay. Great. So gonna Yeah. Lay that temporary main as the first... They have to as the first stage. They can't take it out of commission until they have... Is this, like, priority number one to get in touch with the county this week and... We've we've been we've been we've been doing it. We've been trying to... I know you have... We've been contacting them multiple times this week. We we haven't gotten any answers. So... I I mean, I haven't gotten any answers. Yeah.
Yeah. We have to receive a letter from the the health department saying that the project is is approved. Move forward. K. I just have a quick question. Yeah. There's,
like, some talk about it, the water not being portable. Has the water been tested, and is it portable?
As far as far as I'm aware, the the water... The test results of the water show that it is safe for consumption.
I mean, the water department takes samples from our water and brings it to the the lab. I'm not sure if they took it from That's a requirement. Yeah. But I'm not sure if they took it from somebody's faucet or if they took it from the hydrant or if they took it from, you know, outdoor spigot. I'm not exactly sure where they where they took it from. Well, I mean, it's my understanding that some people have
undertaken huge expense to put in a filtration system so that they can use the water. And as mister Craig just shared with us, some other people were not able to do that and there have been negative consequences for them. So I think, you know, all hands on deck to get... We're trying... Yeah. We're... I mean, we're... Listen, I am
If if if I thought that they would let me in, I would. Right. Yeah. Right. Okay. Thank you. Yep.
get the information from all the neighbors that may be affected and do, like, blast, like, every time there's an update? Yeah. So as part of the letter that I'm gonna send out,
I'm gonna specifically ask everyone to call me or email me with their cell phone number and email and email address.
So... Because I... We probably... Like, you know, I have the people that I've been in contact with, but, you know, there are other people. Think there's one resident that doesn't use email, so her via email is... There's at least one. Right. So reaching her is not... So I think we'd... Like, it sounds like we're being creative here and this is moving Yeah. In the right direction. Yeah. But if it... If it's just... Let's just say it is only one resident that doesn't have email,
you know, and when we send it by email, right? I mean, it's not... That's not... Right. Okay. We just need to get everyone's contact information, which I will add. I just feel like if this could easily be any of our streets. Right? So I'm glad that... I mean, listen, we... You know, the... As the resolution states, this is a long term project to improve our infrastructure. We've spent well over $10,000,000 on relining in the past, you know, fifteen years. And because of the age of our infrastructure, this is gonna be a process that just continues as we go from street to street. Right. So...
Yep. Alright. Well, I'm glad we're taking this emergency measure. As the manager said, certainly, not... No no effort can be spared on this front. So all in favor? Aye. Aye. Alright. We proceed to public comment on non agenda items. Anyone wishing to speak this... On any item, this is your opportunity. Please state your name and address.
Sonia Ferrante, North Riverside Avenue. Speaking as a member of the Association of Business in Croton, I'm very appreciative that the village also assisted us with having the shuttle run during the month of October. The tracker alone had over 7,000 views over this month. And to my knowledge, I believe that is nearing the amount of residents in Croton. Although, I believe that the ridership included a mix of residents and nonresidents. People have been asking if the shuttle is going to continue to run because it was fairly fairly popular. People were also concerned that it did not run on Halloween weekend. To my knowledge, there was an issue with the drivers. I believe there's only two drivers for this kind of job, but we have connections with other drivers in other school districts who may be willing to pick up the slack if we are unable to continually have a driver on the weekends. I do believe that there is room for this kind of program to grow because consistency is key with this kind of thing. If people, you know, visit Croton during the fall, maybe they'll wanna visit in the winter or the spring. And if there's no shuttle, that may disincentivize them from coming to our village. So I do wanna appreciate and extend my thanks to the village for helping pay for the shuttle since it ran on both Friday and Saturday. Half was paid by the village, half by the ABC, and we hope this partnership can flourish.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Sonia. Sonia, if you could send me the information on the drivers. Oh, ask me. Yeah. Thank you.
Are they CDL? Is that... The drivers need to have a CDL license? I think that might be it. Yeah. Okay. So I didn't know the size of the vans. Yeah. Okay.
Anne Riley from Drive.
In the subject of pigeons, change... It's interesting. I was looking through the, Croton website. Two things. One is that for this event, usually, are there are substantiating documents, background documents. With this calendar and this agenda, there were no background documents. Perhaps it has to do with the arrangement of the website, etcetera. The agenda was available, but there were no easily recognizable background documents to us. So maybe that's an administrative problem we have. I'd like to remind people there's a continuing boycott against CVS Pharmacy, which is one of the largest abortion, corporations in The United States, an evil corporation, extending their reach to killing old people, which New York State is very good at since they killed fifteen thousand people with their policies during COVID so we can be like Canada. Some wag said with, gallows humor that if Tennessee wanted to kill that lady, that murderer down in Tennessee, they should have sent her to a Canadian hospital. Well, pretty soon, you'd be able to send that lady to a New York hospital. So we'll begin killing our old people and our children like Holland and Belgium and Canada. So CVS doesn't have anything you need. If your pharmaceuticals have to go through there, don't buy all that other crap in there. You can go to a dollar store and get better stuff and cheaper. Item two is that in the past, trustees of this village ran down to Brook Street to console a Hispanic family who had their breadwinner, I assume, taken away by ICE. Of course, that individual and the individual was taken to chop right. Nobody bothered looking at the charges that were against both those persons, which is interesting. But neither one of these trustees nor did the other trustees nor the mayor race over to Yorktown
and console the family of Sheridan Gorman, who was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been deported multiple times and came back into The United States to kill this lovely child. No trustee, no official of this village raced over to Yorktown to extend your sympathies to their family, which I find interesting. Now the the elephant in the room is the idea committee. The idea committee has been one of those committees that just screws up one time after another, doesn't follow directors on how to run a committee. Even when there's three sitting or former trustees in the room still don't run their committee according to the, regulations that you have set down for committees. And the worst thing I've ever seen in this village was what the village manager did last public meeting. He threw his clerk under the bus and said, oh, we're getting in inundated by a FOA request. Most FOA requests are done by commercial entities, not by individuals, which is a pain and should be legislated against. But to throw the clerk under the bus when the people on the idea committee submit the recordings, how is that clerk supposed to distinguish who the hell these people are in that committee? Who's on that committee? Who's speaking? How are they supposed to do that? And in that committee, speaking for the village of Croton, denigrate two of your business owners, two of the best business owners in this town, the police department, the chief of police, me, I love the moon. I am a lunatic. I love Moonstruck. I'll take it any day. But when you threaten my house, you cross the line. So I've submitted a police report, and I followed up with the detective. I wanna know who made this threat. I wanna know by name, and I want to order protection against him. And I want this idea committee
investigated by independent person, not a wonderful attorney. She's a wonderful attorney who's paid by this village. It should be an independent arm because this idea committee is gonna keep on giving. And it's supposed to be the diversity committee. There's one man on that committee. The rest is all women. The guy never shows up, and there are no conservatives on that committee. None. No. Thank you.
Hi. Dave from Farrington. Thank you for this time to speak. So as gas powered leaf blowers get discussed, whether I'm talking to someone on their porch or in in person or comments I see online, I hear some of these ideas tossed around, and I'd like to respond. The first one is my property, my rights. Well, can you keep the carcinogens and hearing damage on your property? No. You cannot. Just like Metro North cannot keep their noise and air pollution contained, gas leaf blower noise and carcinogens cannot be contained by property lines. To complain about Metro North two and a half miles away from one's house and then strap on your own gas leaf blower and disrupt your disrupt your immediate neighborhood is hypocritical, to be polite. Hey. Can you have a meth lab on your property? How about landing a helicopter in your backyard? How about a rooster? A tiger? No. We're living in a community, a society. There are rules for all, and one shouldn't aim carcinogens at their neighbors and their neighbors' kids. I've heard battery isn't strong enough. How do people in towns with ordinances manage? That's a joke. Don't expect a little handheld battery blower to compete with a gas backpack. Instead, get a full backpack battery blower to compare. Do a fair equipment challenge and you'll see that battery is a viable substitute. Then there's cars are pollution too. Cars have catalytic converters, mufflers, and annual DMV inspections. What do gas leaf blowers have? Nothing. Raw toxins, unregulated hearing damage causing noise. Gas leaf blowers are hundreds of times more toxic than a car. Here's one. You'll put landscapers out of business. Really? There's no landscapers in Rye, Dobbs Ferry, White Plains, Larchmont, Irvington, Mamaroneck, Montclair, Maplewood, South Orange, Washington DC? Of course, there are. They adapted just like the ones in Croton during our seasonal ban.
These are professionals and they take their jobs seriously. You mean to tell me they can't adapt or are you saying they choose not to? Because everything is lining up for an easy transition. The cost of gasoline is rising continuously. Workers' safety and satisfaction will go up, and now you have a two six five seven a. This legislation literally gives you money to buy battery equipment. No more excuses. But wait, you know who I do wanna put out of business? Oncologists. Pediatric oncologists. Croton prides itself in environmental stewardship, gets clean energy awards, values conservation, gas leaf blowers don't fit in with that. I see that Croton has been named the number one clean energy community in New York. Mayor, congratulations. But if you don't end the gas... The use of gas leaf blowers, you should probably give that award back. And, sir, your monarch pledge sounds like a great thing until you consider that gas leaf blowers harm monarch butterflies and milkweed habitats through high velocity air blasts, soil disturbance, and heavy chemical pollution disrupting their sense of smell to be able to find the milkweed. So how does your pledge to help butterflies coexist with the most toxic gas machine made? It can't. I'd like to give a shout out to Hastings on Hudson who have a full... Who will have a full year ordinance starting 01/01/2027 after four years of seasonal strict... Restrictions. Another town beating Croton to the punch. They will have landscaper registration, and fines will start at $250. That's how a town takes care of its people and takes this issue seriously. This is not about fall clean up. This is not about property rights. This is not a business decision. This is a public health issue. Right now, public health is threatened in Croton by gas powered leaf blowers and there is a safer alternative for everyone.
Big picture. Westchester has the second worst air quality due to landscaping emissions in New York, and we can directly make that better or worse in our village. The time is now to end gas powered leaf blower use in Croton year round. No exemptions. Thank you.
Good evening, esteemed village board and members of my community. I'm Susannah Moscoso, and I live at 52 Farrington Road. I'm an oncology clinical research nurse working specifically with underserved populations, particularly those who are uninsured and underinsured. I'd like to address those who feel a full ban of gas powered leaf blowers is inequitable to immigrant landscape workers. A study conducted in 2021 entitled mortality and morbidity effects of long term exposure to low level PM 2.5, black carbon, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone. An analysis of your European cohorts in the ELLAPS project looked at whether breathing low levels of air pollution over many years affects people's health. They studied more than 28,000,000 adults across Europe, making this one of the largest population studies on air pollution ever conducted. The pollutants they studied, including those that have been discussed in this forum repeatedly, PM 2.5, nitrogen dioxide, and black carbon, pollutants which have been extremely well documented and proven scientifically to be emitted from two stroke engines such as gas powered leaf blowers. The main finding of this study was that people exposed to levels of PM 2.5, nitrogen dioxide, and black carbon had a greater risk of illness and death even when those pollution levels were below current air quality standards. In other words, air pollution appeared harmful even at levels that many governments currently consider acceptable. Long term exposure to these pollutants is associated with higher risks of heart disease, stroke, lung diseases such as COPD, asthma related illness, lung cancer, diabetes related death, and overall risks of dying from natural causes. The researchers did not find a clear safe threshold below which pollution caused no health effects. Even at very low pollution levels, health risks were still observed. In fact, the increase in risk was often steeper at the lowest pollution level suggesting that reducing pollution
can provide health benefits even in relatively clean areas. According to the US US Bureau of Labor Statistics, standard mowing and leaf blowing crew workers earn on average 17 to $19 per hour, and the majority are not offered health care benefits. We know that underserved and vulnerable people rely on their wages to provide basic needs for themselves and their families. As a result, there is little room for them to speak out on working conditions, health care benefits, or pay. There is no stand alone landscapers union in the state of New York to represent these workers. Landscape workers are mandated by their employers to operate machinery that is scientifically proven to be harmful to their long term health, and they're not provided with any health care benefits to assist them when they do fall ill. They don't have bargaining power to demand safer, more equitable working conditions. When landscaping companies refuse to bear the burden of responsibility for the health and safety of their workers, then it is my responsibility as a health care practitioner to speak up on their behalf and to ask US civil servants to enact legislation to protect the vulnerable people that live and work in our community. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Same topic. Chris O'Connor, 64 Grand Street. So I don't have all the stats and stuff, but to me, it just seems like common sense that we should try to get rid of all of the gas powered leaf blowers and even the lawn... The lawnmower. Anything we can get rid of gas power, think, is great both for the hearing and for, air pollution. So I'm hoping the village is going to move into that, you know, that next step of just getting rid of all of it with no exceptions. Thank you. Thank you.
Hi. Carrie Andrews, twenty Hunter. I'm talking on this, same topic. And to be quite honest, I was thinking what's the big deal, but, I've been reading more about it. And the environmental and health issues are overwhelming. They are toxic. They they spew carbon dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, particular matter into our environment. And I was just walking past one of my neighbors, and they were blowing their leaves around. And I I I was a little ill from it. It was a lot higher of a dosage of effect than I realized. The other thing that hasn't been spoken to as much is is regarding the decibel levels and especially for children where their ears are still developing and the high high intensity noise of of leaf blowers are... Really can affect even a hearing loss. And a lot of times, you don't see workers protected by, or homeowners wearing, protection for their ears. It's a public health issue, and I think we should recognize this. I know there's controversy about it, but I think it's time to do the right thing, and that is to ban... Have a year round ban.
Hi. Ned Rust, Morningside Drive. You may recall from the last session, that even while the leaves were still green and firmly attached to the trees, I could hear gas blowers running for more than three and a half of the daylit hours during a day here in September. Well, October's result was over five hours. Again, there are six hundred minutes. That's ten hours between 8AM and 6PM. And this month, one could hear blowers occupying three hundred six of those six hundred minutes. In other words, you step outside on a non rainy day here in Croton, at least over in my Harmon neighborhood, and most of the time, you will hear a droning, whining, roaring nineteen fifties technology gas blower. Look. I know it's convenient. I know it's cheap. And I know as a society, we are drowning in a culture of unquestioned cheap conveniences. But you know what else is cheap and convenient? Back in the first part of the twentieth century when our parents and grandparents and great grandparents just burned leaves right there on their property, or when they all heated their houses with wood or with coal, and when when there weren't codes around septic fields. And you could do, that on the cheap and just... You know, stuff just ran down into the streams and rivers. And it was convenient for us when PCBs were cheap because Con Ed didn't have to worry about the remediation costs on them. Back then, they could just dump them in the Hudson and forget about them. Remember how cheap electricity was back then? Look. We've heard on the health issues with the gas blowers. We've heard on the noise levels. We've heard on the pollution. We've heard about the harm to the ecosystem. And I've touched on the hypocrisy of us all living up here and many of us signing up for anti racist diversity programs
in our white collar day jobs, even as we never mentioned the fact that every single one of our domestic servants just happens to be from Central Or South America. Look. It's simple. It's clear. If we say we care about landscaping employees having jobs and this is a priority for us, then let's pay them enough to invest in safer equipment or pay them longer hours to rake, which is actually good exercise, doesn't damage their hearing, doesn't give them cancer, and is dignified work. And if we say we care about the environment, then why are we using a device that kills millions of native bees and butterflies and lightning bugs and for every every half gallon of gas that you put into the machine puts a pint of gas and oil right back out into the air and all over our homes and into our groundwater. We care about our neighbors' quality of life and their enjoyment of their homes, then why are we encouraging this 80 decibel outdated technology? Alright. Finally, I'll follow-up about this I'll follow-up about this separately, but I received a mailer ahead of the election. Arguably, it's the most attractive, well designed flyer I've received in my twenty two years here in the village. I believe Eleanor Quay appears to have illustrated a map of Croton on one side, and it's just gorgeous. It is, however, highly inaccurate. It shows sturgeon, geese, striped bass, a heron, raccoon, but it's missing the largest and hardest to miss creature in our village, the gasoline powered leaf blower. I'm not very good with art, but if any of you know Eleanor's contact info, I've updated my flyer to indicate where they should be painted in on her map. It should be pretty easy to get that update ahead of next year's election.
Thank you.
Hi. My name is Max Bluestein from Farrington Road. I'm also in favor of a full ban on gas powered leaf leaf blowers. I'm proud of the progress that we've made environmentally, locally, in a lot of different ways. There was a time where we used pesticides that were hurting a lot of animals, and we banned those. There was a time where we had a a dump... A landfill on Croton Point that we kept, and now we're making the land nicer. And, also, we've shut down Indian Point nuclear facility, and that's helped to grow in the Hudson River greatly. In each of those cases, we became aware of the environmental damage that was being caused, and we made the change. There were always people that were resistant. However, it was more important to do the right thing to stop the damage that was being done, to heal and repair the ecosystem, the land, and the Hudson River. Because we want our future generations to grow up and experience the beauty of Croton's environment. We have an opportunity to make another big positive change by banning gas powered leaf blowers as soon as possible. The studies are showing that gas powered leaf blowers are polluting the air. There's another option that won't cause the pollution and also won't cause the noise. It's well worth the minor inconvenience to make the switch because it's going to help Croton's future. The technology is there for most yard tools to go fully electric now. And I'll add that many landscaping crews eventually find the electric tools more convenient because if they... If they're set up properly, everything can be charged in their trailer, so they didn't need to make runs back and forth to the gas station. Let's grab this opportunity and stop damaging the air and make another change that will help Croton's future.
Good evening. My name is Dave Becker. I live on Ackerman in the village. Much of the board's job is balancing the competing interests of people who live close together. The board did exactly that a few years ago with a fair compromise. Gas blowers banned half the year and allowed the seasons that the work demands it. Enforcement has admittedly been weak and spotty, but a full year ban won't fix that. An all or nothing ban is troubling. It abandons the balance that this board is supposed to strike. I'll also raise two practical problems tonight, fire safety and whether battery equipment can actually do the November job. First, fire safety. Battery blowers run on lithium ion batteries, and they aren't small ones. A commercial battery pack pack blower takes two packs of about 560 watts hours each over eleven thousand hours per machine. A typical e bike battery is only about 400 to 500. I know firsthand what these batteries can do. About two years ago, a lithium ion battery pack for a phone, a much smaller one, burst into flames in my house. I got it outside, but I burned my hand badly doing it. We were lucky it didn't become a house fire.
This is a leaf blower battery pack, much bigger than the than the, you know, lithium ion batteries that we have in our tablets, in our phones, in our external chargers. It holds many times the energy of a phone pack, like, that burned my hand, and it lasts about ten minutes. To do my lawn, I need six of these. I don't want six of these in my house. These fires are getting worse. So far this year, the fire department in New York City reports 401 lithium ion fires in New York City, seventy four injuries and six deaths, all from lithium ion battery fires. This summer, an East Guder battery set a house on fire in Peekskill. Here in Croton, we've had a large house fire on an observatory a couple years back from a lithium ion battery. Last month, Westchester made lithium ion batteries the focus of fire prevention week. In fact, this past Friday, Croton FD, Croton, County Hazmat, and other first responders were called to Wheelan Avenue for a lithium ion battery. The fire department posted about it, but the post came down within minutes with no follow-up. That's unusual. The department in Croton Fire Department posted its calls in false alarms in neighboring towns. So I'd ask, why was this taken down? And how many other lithium ion calls has Croton responded to that the public never heard about? Public safety should be this board's number one priority. The November 10 panel on gas leaf blowers includes a police officer, but no one from this fire service. Firefighters with firsthand knowledge of the growing number of lithium ion batteries should absolutely be part of that discussion. Second, effectiveness. We've been told countless times that battery equipment does a job just as well even with November cleanup for people with large properties.
The village's own experience says otherwise. In June, this board awarded the long maintenance contract for the village to La Teja. It prohibited gas blowers and for the first time added added November to the contract. This past Saturday at about ten in the morning, I was outside this very building, and what did I see? La Teja was clearing leaves with a gas ride on blower and two backpack blowers. The exact same two stroke engines that everyone seems to be against. I recorded it, and I'll be emailing the the video to the board, after this meeting. None of this should surprise anyone. Croton one hundred pushed for a school district, our school district, into expensive electric buses, and that's been a debacle. Their range of performance fell far short of what was promised. As far as blowers, in 2024, village public... Village owned public works memo said there were large areas that cannot be properly maintained with battery operated equipment. That was a quote, including Croton Landing, Dallas Field, and Black Rock Park. This year, the village dropped those exceptions, required electric everywhere, and held this contract up as proof that it can be done. Only one company bid. The village is paying $23,685 more per year, a 51% increase for the one contractor willing to take on that job. I'm not criticizing the crew. They use the tools at work, and the village isn't alone. Much of Croton relies on commercial landscapers, and I've been surprised at how many people have a clear... A quite clean Croton sign in front while a landscaper runs a two stroke blower behind that sign. The people who do this work use the tools that get it done. A ban won't change that. It will only raise costs and push the work into noncompliance. In closing, lead flows are a nuisance. Nobody disputes that, but community deals with the nuisance through reasonable time limits on place, duration, and time, not absolute bans. This isn't a hypothetical. Members are quoting... Quite clearly quoting, even tonight, have suggested what's been batting next other other gas powered items, like snowplowers and other devices. Thank you for your time, Brady. Thank you. Thank you.
Good evening, mayor and board. I'm here again. I believe Croton can do better. We we moved to the ranch. So 33 Scenic Drive. Thank you. I'm here again because I think, Croton can do better with this outright ban on gas blowers. First, we need to distinguish between professional landscaping companies, with everybody made my case much stronger tonight, and homeowners who maintain their own properties. When residents complained about two or three gas blowers running at the same time, suggest to me that's a single property. Not several homeowners doing their own yard work. I believe roughly 60, 75% of homeowners hire landscaping companies here in Croton, while perhaps 25, 30% do their own yard work. These are estimates, not official statistics. But they raise a fair question. Why should homeowners who maintain their own properties to save money be punished with an outright ban when professional landscapers use this equipment commercially day after day? Why should a homeowner who uses a blower a handful of times a year be treated the same? Many of us use these blowers primarily in the fall for our leaves, perhaps once a week, sometimes every two weeks. We're not operating them every day year round. And what's the difference between a battery pack blower and a gas blower? It's still blowing debris into the air. I'd like to address something else, the speaker said. Little changed today, but in six hundred minutes, he heard two hundred and twenty two minutes of leaf blowers. I'm curious how that number was established. Was he outside for ten hours recording every blower he heard? Without some kind of document method, it's not reliable information. It's just hearsay. Somebody needs to show us the math. We need facts that are verifiable in reality, not all these exaggerated claims of fiction.
Another claim was that a gas blower travels 800 feet, which is true. But multiple blowers do not travel distance of 1,600 feet. That's how sound propagation works. Multiple blowers can increase the sound but doesn't make it double the distance. If someone's going to claim that hundreds of properties are being affected, let's see the actual decibel readings at measured distances, exposure times, supporting data. Also, Croton was mentioned it had the second worst air quality in the state. That's not credible. Where did that ranking come from? The American Lung Association report from 2026 establishes Croton's ozones and particle pollution measurements that Croton is not the second worst community in New York state. Fact is, Croton's air pollution has declined since 2010. Then he made some very serious claims towards the board, your inaction that you were poisoning people and giving cancer throughout our community. I see no documented evidence of a single case in Croton of a blower causing cancer or poisoning our residents. Like I said, I lived in Croton for seventy years, and I know gas blowers came out back in the seventies, but I personally have never known of a case of cancer and poisoning in Croton due to leaf blowers. If you're going to make accusations as serious, bring the documented facts because fear and speculation is not evidence. And decisions should be made on evidence rather than singling out one source. I've also heard the argument that Croton is like the last community to adopt a complete ban on gas leaf blowers. Let's put that statement into perspective. Westchester County has 45 municipalities and only seven have adopted a full year ban while 38 have not. So I don't believe that Croton should have to feel we need an outright ban where somehow we're behind the times.
We should be looking at reasonable options and compromises that respect our residents and homeowners that maintain their own property. Croton is its own community with its own residents and its own circumstances. We should have confidence to think for ourselves. Give our residents a fair chance. Let Croton find a balanced solution of its own. And remember, a fair can't compromise isn't one where one side gets everything it wants. It's one where both sides give up something. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
K. Seeing no one else wishing to comment, we proceed to reports, from members of the board. Trustee Slippen. Thank you.
Don't have that much, say. I do wanna address election day a little bit and thank everybody for early voting. I wanna thank the village for finding the space for early voting in Croton, because it has... It's robust in our little village. And I'm really glad that... And I know... But I know that it's an inconvenience, especially people who work in this building. So... And I know there's a lot of events that happen in the community room have to be moved, so thank you for accommodating that. Obviously, the results are are not definitive in a lot of places, but the one bit of good news is that the, proposition that was on the back of our ballot in support of our volunteers. The LOSAF proposition passed. I think there are still more votes to be counted, but right now it's passing with 88%, and I assume that will only increase. So, kudos to my fellow board members for put... Getting that on the ballot and to all the residents for voting for it.
The... Thank you to you everybody for coming out and talk... Continuing to talk about the leaf blowers. I'm glad that we are... You know, this has been a process, and the CAC is hosting an event on Tuesday at 06:30, a Zoom. So hopefully, we can continue to move this conversation forward because I know there are strong opinions on both sides and people who are... Have been being told for a long time that we're gonna make make a decision about this. So I am glad that we're gonna be putting ourselves in a place to make that decision. As somebody who drives up and down Brook Street frequently, I can already see that the improve... The parking improvement has relieved some of the parking situation there. I I guess I do wanna under... I I guess we'll see how it will continue to improve it and if it will impact the parking for neighbors and parking for businesses and how that's all gonna work out. But I... Just in the last... I don't know. I think it opened on the end of last week. I can already... Is that what is that what I I think it was Monday. It was Monday? Yeah. It's a... You know, this week has been a month, but I do think I can already see it as somebody who lives on that side of the village. There's gonna be a lot of improvement, so thank you to... For for making that happen.
The police advisory committee has their study out. It was included in the village newsletter, but I hope that we're gonna continue to pass it around. Do we have an up... Do you have an update? I know you shared an update with the board about how many people had responded to it, but it... I don't know if put you on the spot. I think it's something like 60 people so far, something like So hopefully we can get those numbers up. Think if we can con... You know, we talked about sending it through the school district and maybe posting it on the web on the... On social media so more people could respond. It's pretty short, and I don't think you're committed to answering every question. If you just answer the questions that you... It's meaningful feedback. You know, our police department is very important to us, and so having that feedback about it is important. And also the police advisory committees worked very hard on it, so I appreciate their work on it. Finally, the harmonic... There's an event this weekend on art installation called Harmonic Landing is... Has been installed. The DVW did great work on it. A local Croton artist worked to bring this, like, internationally renowned piece of art here, and we are going to be celebrating its installation and his, you know, and recognizing his life because sadly he passed away, after it was installed, but before we could celebrate it. So it is gonna be a very... It's a great addition to the landing and a nice celebration of Bruce on Sunday at 03:00 at landing. 03:00 at landing.
And that is it. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Yes. I... Because the election results here locally are not official yet, I don't want to jump ahead but I am, know, want to just say congratulations to trustee Slippen and trustee Simon because your strong results. Oh, sorry. I'm saying that the unofficial... There... The election results locally here in Croton are still unofficial, and it may be another day or two or even more until we get the final results. But based on what we know, I wanted to congratulate trustee Slippen and trustee Simon on their, reelection and the and the results. So I know, there's another... The village justice is still, outstanding, so nothing to report on that. So as far as report, I know trustee Slippen mentioned the PAC, your liaison on the PAC. I am not, but I did the survey and I thought it was outstanding. So I just wanna thank you for your work on that and the and the PAC. I encourage people to take this police survey. It's it's really well done. I attended the senior club Halloween party as liaison and I have to say their costumes were pretty amazing. At least 30
to 40 seniors, had the most amazing costumes and we have wonderful pictures that we'll put in the newsletter. And as liaison to planning board, I was really excited about Rebel Studio opening up here, where the Village Bloom shop used to be. Rebel Studio is a ceramics, and an arts, business. And I know they're catering to children and adults, so I'm, you know, excited to personally take a ceramics class and try it out. And that was really nice to see. And, I think that's that's it for my update right now. Thanks.
Just a few things. Our bicycle and pedestrian committee met, the evening of October 22. Spent a lot of time talking about, the daylighting concept, which had been part of our, work session, previously. And to follow-up on that, Scott Marsh of DPW will attend the next bike ped meeting to begin discussing with the committee some of the hotspots that impede visibility around the village and how best to approach them. So we'll be hearing eventually from the bike head committee on some some recommendations on that based on conversations with DPW. We also, gave the, the committee an update on project mover, and the committee is also working on, the next version of, of its master plan. So they've got a busy agenda ahead. On October 23, we, Croton had its first, porch fest and just wanted to congratulate, the Croton Council on the Arts, for their coordination of this. Porch fests are terrific, wherever they occur around the country. It was fun to attend one personally as well, and, I've seen them work in other communities. So, hopefully, everyone had a good time, and maybe we can we can, do this on a regular basis. On October 27, the mayor, manager, and I attended the fire council and, the monthly monthly meeting, and we were able to update them on the progress that we've made in moving forward on the Harmon Firehouse roof in terms of getting the architectural firm up and running on that. And then we were able to brief them on the fact that the governor has signed the tax credit bill that that we we work for in Albany that increases by fourfold from 200 to 800 the annual tax credit that that firefighters can take off of their state taxes. And we heard from them as well, and I I was pleased to see their view that at this point with some of the renovations and and maintenance work that's been done, that the firehouses are in are in pretty good shape.
On October 29, senator Harcom visited CET on the the morning to see how the district has utilized the the state grant, the CREST grant that he acquired for them to purchase new playground equipment. And it was an honor to be invited of... To to attend by the superintendent. Our board was invited, and I was able to to to to be there with the superintendent and his team and senator Harcom. And it was actually the... I think the best part of it in addition to the great new equipment was to be there at 08:00 in the morning to see the kids coming in and just very, very excited about about their day ahead. So it was great... Always great to be at any of our schools. On on October 29, yes, in fact, the governor did visit Van Cortlandt Manor on Thursday, last week to present them a check for $3,000,000, for their renovation project. I was, very honored to, to represent the village there. The governor's office had invited us, through the mayor. And the, it's always good to see the governor, and to talk a little bit about... With her very briefly about some of the things that we're doing here in, in Croton. And also being right in the heart of the Blaze when when she was doing the presentation, I invited her to come back to to visit the Blaze, and and she seems interested in doing We've talked previously this evening about our whack committee on October 29, which was great. Halloween and and Halloween were terrific. You know, I think that that Saturday with Halloween, the the goblin walk in the morning and Halloween in the afternoon, these are among the best days of the year in Croton. So I want to thank our recreation department,
our our DPW, EMS police, and and and the fire department. And trustee Nachtaler, the mayor, and I were were judges, which is hard work to... Because not not only do you have to make difficult decisions, but you have to make them real fast. So... But it was it was just great to be there. As I think we mentioned earlier this evening, Veterans Day is upon us. It'll be Wednesday the eleventh at at 11AM at Veterans Corners. And I wanna thank American Legion, Fox Eckloff five zero five for all their hard work in putting that together. If you look at your newsletter this week also, you'll see your your... This month's village newsletter. There is the official form for the rotary turkey trot the morning of Thanksgiving, November November 26. You can sign up for it. It's $5 per individual. A 100% of the money goes to the Marie Risaccia Children's Hospital. So we had a wonderful rotary turnout there, about 300 to 400 people last year. So take a look at that in the in the village newsletter. I thank trustee Nachtaler for her kind comments regarding the election. I'm going to defer until any any comments on my own with respect to the election until it is official other than to say it is remarkable to see the the collection of workers at the at the various polling places. You know, we we learned just just yesterday that there's over 300 polling places in Westchester County, and we've got a lot of them in in the village and in the in the general region. These these workers, they... Yeah. They get they get compensated, but relatively modestly. And they're there from 05:00 in the morning, whether it's early voting or or election day. 05:00 in the morning until,
until things wrap up at the end of the day. Yesterday, for those of us that happened to be helping out a little bit on our own just by watching polls, they were... Some of them were there from 05:00 in the morning till one or two in the morning, you know, because of some of the some of the issues that we had to deal with. So I just wanted to tip my hat, take my hat off to all of the the the volunteers and other workers that that make our election process go forward, and and we'll we'll have more to say on that in... As we go forward. So that's... Yes. Thank you. That's Thank you. That's it for me. And, of course, very pleased with the resounding success of our EMS, LOSAP, I think, Yeah. Trustee Slippen indicated.
Yep. I wanna colleague, congratulate my colleagues, on their reelection. I know that they're too modest to to declare victory now, but I I think it's pretty reasonable to look forward to another two years with them on the board. Thank you, man. I do wanna express my appreciation for everyone that ran for office locally and on up. I know firsthand, that it is not easy to be a candidate, and so I appreciate everyone who makes democracy possible, by offering us the offering the voters a choice. Speaking of making democracy possible, I also wanna extend a special appreciation to our election workers and even the volunteer poll poll watchers who had probably a more exciting, I don't know if exciting is, the right term, but definitely a longer, day yesterday than they anticipated due to technical problems. Now, there is no doubt, that all the votes will count, perhaps not as quickly as traditional, but, it it will be happening, in in short order and, accurately and with finality. But, because of those technical issues, people had to be flexible, and, that included, our own police department, including the chief himself, who I called at approximately 11PM. I don't think he was actually in bed, but he had every right to be in bed, and, we were able to, dispatch police to help escort, ballots, over to the, Port Of Elections facility in Ardsley, where they're currently being counted. The kind of gymnastics around that also deals with the fact that the court order for managing or overseeing this kind of very special counting process was not issued until after the poll. So it had, in fact, closed, which, again, added to the complexities of the evening Mhmm. For all the election workers and volunteers. But thank you again for all those folks that have served our community in that way.
And speaking of serving the community, I wanna extend my thanks to Faith Rivers on... For her service as chair of our idea committee. They did outstanding work on their program of events this year from pride to Juneteenth, to, the Hispanic Heritage, Festival earlier this month or rather at the end of last month. And I also wanna take this opportunity to appoint Kyla Black, currently as vice chair, now acting chair of the idea committee. And, with this, the the actual head as well as, Justin Johnson and Scott Levine, to be members of the committee as the the other two individuals as members of the committee. And I think it's also just important to reiterate that there has been some debate, you know, conversation about this. But as the manager pointed out in his reports previously,
there was a recording that was released, that was, for a conversation that was not part of the idea committee meeting.
I want to make it very clear, that those views don't reflect the view... You know,
the views expressed in that conversation don't reflect the views of the committee.
And, that's something that's been reiterated by the leadership of the committee, including, chair the... Chair Kyla Black or, the vice chair, acting chair. And, you know, we look forward to the work of the committee continuing to speak for itself. Alright. And with that, do I have a motion... Or
I'd like to appoint, Kyla as chair and, Justin Johnson and Scott Levine to the committee.
Very good. Okay. Mayor, if I could just thank Mary Lynn Debola too for stepping up for trustee Absolutely. Apologizing.