Parks & Recreation Issues

See also: Navajo Fields, Granite Knolls field & barn, Woodlands Legacy, Trail System, Shallow Creek , Miscellaneous, Dog Park, Granite Knolls Sports Complex

Special joint meeting with Town Board, Planning Board and Recreation Commission

The overall purpose of the meeting was to increase coordination between the three boards, two or three of which may be involved in various aspects of the same proposed project.  During the free ranging discussion, reference was made to several past approvals that have resulted in ongoing problems as well as development projects currently under review.

For example, all three boards are involved in decisions regarding how residential development plans  will satisfy their recreation requirement. Options include:

·         Having the developer construct an on-site recreation facility, e.g., a playground or ball field

·         Setting aside 10% of the site and transferring ownership to the town for the possible future construction of a recreation facility

·         Paying a per lot fee that goes into a special Trust and Agency Fund that can be used only for open space acquisition or park improvements, but not ongoing park maintenance. For subdivisions the fee is $10,000/lot; for site plans (multi family developments), it’s $4,000/unit.

A second issue in need of coordination, primarily between the Town Board and the Planning Board, involves stormwater plans. For example, if the Planning Board is reviewing a plan that includes a stormwater detention pond, the issue becomes who will maintain the pond over time: the developer, a homeowner’s association or the town?  Also, if the town will be responsible for the maintenance, does the site plan provide access to the pond?

Below is a summary of more general issues raised during the meeting. Except as noted, no specific follow up actions/decisions were taken.

Money for park improvements

Al Avitable, a member of the Recreation Commission, wanted to know when the Town Board will release the $1.5 million Spectra money to the Commission for use for park improvements.  He said that the Commission went along with allowing Spectra to use Granite Knolls and Sylvan Glen parkland for the pipeline construction on the assumption that the money would go to them. In response, Supervisor Grace said that the $`1.5 million is in the General Fund and that the Town Board has not discussed what to do with the money. When Supervisor Grace said the town was under no legal obligation to use the money for park improvements, Mr. Avitable said that there was, at least, a “moral obligation.”

Supervisor Grace asked the Commission to come up with a priority list of its desired projects, including a budget,  that could be used as a guide when the Planning Board is reviewing site plans that will have a recreation component. He advised Commission members of the competition for limited town funds.

Diana Quest, chair of the Recreation Commission, noted that while the town has received $117,000 from the state for the rehabilitation of the Route 202 fields, last year’s bid came in at $340,000.  (Note the project is expected to be rebid later this year.)   In response to her question whether the recreation fee could or should be increased, the supervisor said that they were in line with current land costs. Mr. Tegeder added that the $10,000/lot fee was increased only a few years ago from $5,000/lot.

As part of the discussion on the use of the funds generated by the recreation fee, it was generally agreed that because a private developer, unlike the town, was not subject to paying prevailing wages, the money in the Trust and Agency fund would go further if a private developer could construct the park improvement, even if it was at an off-site location of the town’s choosing. (See discussion below about the location of park improvements.)

Another benefit of coordination  and having an available list of priority projects would be when the Planning Board becomes aware of a project that has free clean fill to be disposed of that might be suitable for a town location. 

Supervisor Grace discussed the history of, and limitation of the $30 open space fee. (See Town Board, 2-24-2016.) He noted that if the $400,000 a year the fee raises could be used as a revenue for the General Fund and used for other purposes, it would have a 2% impact on the tax rate, i.e., it could lower the tax rate.

Types and location of park improvements

It was generally agreed that small neighborhood tot lots no longer made sense. 

There were differing opinions as to where to locate larger projects, such as pickle ball courts. Supervisor Grace said he didn’t think it made sense to have new pickle ball courts built as part of the proposed Fieldstone Manor subdivision in Mohegan lake, a location he felt was isolated; he thought a better location would be Holland Sporting Club, a site he said he would like to see put to use. (He suggested that the Fieldstone Manor developer be allowed to build more houses on the land set aside for the courts and open space.) Another participant, however, felt that the proposed location, which was once used as a sports field and is next to a school parking lot was an ideal location for the proposed pickle ball courts.

Diana Quast, Rec Commission chairperson, advised the Town Board that her group would be ready to make a presentation to the Town Board, and public, sometime in May on a priority list of projects. She noted that plans are moving forward for the construction of an additional field at Hunterbrook and the renovation of the Route 202 fields. Also, instead of the previous plan to “flip” the Woodlands field, the Commission is now considering fencing off the field.

Planning Board member John Kincart noted that if open space is taken as part of the recreation requirement, the discussion should include whether the open space would be part of larger recreation plan, e.g., a trail network, or just left as open space that might invite inappropriate uses.

Vacant parkland

It was pointed that that the Parks Department is responsible for maintaining an inventory of isolated parcels that have been designated as “parkland” but which have no value as future park or recreation sites.  The parcels range from Tall Timbers in Mohegan Lake to a single building lot off Hanover Road that was set aside as part of the subdivision approval process for a ball field even though, at the time, the Recreation Commission said it did not support a ball field on the site. 

It was suggested that if these parcels could be sold off as part of a parkland alienation plan with the proceeds going to the Trust and Agency Fund to be used for park improvements. Brian Gray, Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, said he has a list of parkland properties that fall into this category.

General coordination

Richard Fon, chairman of the Planning Board, noted the benefits of having Councilman Bernard, the Town Board’s liaison to the Planning Board attend Planning Board meetings. It was suggested that although the Rec Commission receives copies of development plans that include a recreation component, it would be helpful if a member of the Commission also attended Planning Board meetings in order to facilitate the give and take dialogue.  Mr. Tegeder noted that the developer shouldn’t be the “messenger,” being sent from board to board with his/her plan.

(see also separate discussions below dealing with Granite Knolls)

Town Board, 10-18-2016

DEC Atlantic Bridge public hearing:  Rebecca Berlin and Susan Siegel, the person writing this summary, both commented on the October 19th hearing.  Ms. Siegel asked the supervisor to confirm his earlier comment that the hearing was being held by FERC, not DEC, and also whether the town was going to say anything at the hearing. Supervisor Grace said representatives of the town would be there to listen but that it made no difference what the town said because the town didn’t have any jurisdiction over the issue. Ms. Berlin asked that the town try to get the hearing rescheduled because there were several conflicting community events that evening. The supervisor said the town had no say over the scheduling.

Susan Siegel, the person writing this summary, asked if the town was going to review and comment on the project’s FERC issued Environmental Assessment report  by the June 2 deadline. She noted that the project will impact hundreds of town residents, several town owned properties and the town’s major north-south roads. There was no response

The board approved a resolution holding the town harmless relating to a blasting permit issued to Spectra.

The board referred an amended SWPP (stormwater plan) to Mr. Barber for the AIM project. No details were provided.

Representatives of Spectra were called into the closed executive session. When leaving, they told the CIY observer to expect a resolution at the board’s next meeting. The inference was that there would be a settlement of the Almar lawsuit challenging the town’s 2015 license agreement with Spectra.

Spectra pipeline/Atlantic Bridge. I noted that a proposed resolution authorzing the supervisor to submit a “Notice to Intervene”  petition to FERC for the Atlantic Bridge project had been removed from the agenda at the request of three board members.  I explained the reason why I believed filing the motion, which had no costs associated with it, would be in the town’s interest. There were no comments from the other board members. At the end of the meeting, I made a motion to approve the resolution; it was defeated by a 2-3 vote, with only Councilman Patel and me voting for it. The other members did not explain why they voted against it.

Junior Lake Wetlands Permit (Spectra pipeline project)

As previously discussed, Spectra will undertake a forest restoration project at Junior Lake Memorial Park as part of its off-site mitigation requirement. Before implementing the plan, Spectra needs to obtain a wetlands permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as from the town.  While the project meets the criteria for the town permit to be handled on the administrative level by the town engineer, Supervisor Grace suggested that the Town Board hold a hearing on the permit request to clear up what he said was confusion about the project.  While I had no problem with holding the hearing,  I said that the Junior Lake project had been discussed at several previous meetings and I didn’t think there was any confusion, or opposition to it. I said the public clearly understood the difference between the work Spectra would be doing at Junior Lake, and the disturbance to parkland at Sylvan Glen and Granite Knolls.

The board voted to advertise the public hearing for June 16.  As part of the project, the Town will also have to approve a restrictive covenant for the property preventing future development from taking place on the site. If the text of the agreement is ready by June 16,

Atlantic Bridge/Spectra pipeline

Town Board, 5-19-2015

Closed session: Negotiations related to Spectra’s use of temporary work space at Sylvan Glen and Granite Knolls during the AIM project and an off-site wetlands mitigation plan at Junior Lake Park.

At Courtesy of the floor,Paul Moskowitz accused Spectra representatives of lying at the April 14th work session when they minimized what he said was the danger from radioactive waste products in the pipeline. He also noted that as a limited liability company, the amount of insurance available to cover potential damages would be limited.                 

Representatives of Spectra Energy will be at the April 14^th work session meeting for a presentation on both the AIM and Atlantic Bridge projects.  The presentation is scheduled for 7:30pm.  Supervisor Grace was non-committal when I asked that the meeting be televised and that the public be allowed to ask questions directly to Spectra personnel.

With no discussion, the board approved a resolution to send a six page comment letter to the DEC asking the agency to delay issuing air and water quality permits for the pipeline project until a long list of unanswered questions were addressed. The letter was prepared jointly by Bruce Barber and myself.   A copy of the letter will also be sent to FERC. Copy of the letter.

During Courtesy of the Floor, Roseann Brackett asked why the town had ignored several FOIL requests involving the pipeline and whether the town followed established protocols about notifying town advisory groups about Spectra’s plans to do off-site wetlands mitigation at Junior Lake. In response, Town Clerk Roker stated that she had responded to all FOIL requests and Town Attorney Koster said there were no documents that addressed what the FOIL was seeking, both points which Ms. Brackett refuted.

Paul Moskowitz advised the board that, contrary to some public statements that had been made, the health and safety issue was not the radon gas that flowed through the pipeline but the radioactive material that is deposited in the pipeline when the radon decays and is cleaned out during the pigging operation. He said the town should not allow the pigging operation, which he called an industrial facility.

The board approved two home rule messages requesting the alienation, each one specifically mentioning the Senate and Assembly bills that have already been introduced, 89673A (Assembly) and S7484A (Senate).

Town Board, 5-27-2014

Without any discussion, the board approved the checklist explaining the alienation request that is part of the required submission to the state. There was some confusion as to whether a home rule message that included the alienation bill numbers was needed and Supervisor Grace advised the town attorney to check with Assemblyman Katz’s office. A home rule message without the bill numbers was passed at an earlier meeting.

Town Clerk Roker handed board members a 3-page document that she said was related to the parkland alienation issue. When Councilman Bianco said he wanted to read the document before voting on it, Town Attorney Koster explained that the document was a questionnaire that had to be sent to the state Parks Department as part of the town’s alienation request. On the suggestion of Ms. Koster, the board agreed to permit her to forward the draft responses to the questionnaire as long as it was clear that document was only a draft.

Representatives of Spectra Energy, operators of the Algonquin gas line that crosses Yorktown, outlined the pipeline upgrade project.  (See Town Board, March 25, 2014 for opposition to the project.)

The focus of the discussion was Spectra’s need for a temporary easement from the town along the existing gas line during the two year construction period, a 10 acre staging area to be used during construction, and a permanent easement for approximately one acre of land to house some above ground equipment. The project would involve both the Sylvan Glen Nature Preserve and the Granite Knolls park site. In return for the easements and staging area, after the construction is completed, Spectra would redevelop the disturbed staging area into a recreational facility that would include two lacrosse fields, a baseball field, an access road from Stoney Street, and a parking area. (Note: the staging area is where the town has created two athletic fields just south of Phoenix House. The town’s existing trail system linking several park sites runs through the site.) 

As explained by Supervisor Grace, the proposal would benefit both parties and would provide Yorktown with recreational facilities that it would otherwise not be in a position to afford.  He said he had had several meetings with Spectra to discuss what he called a “consideration” for granting them the easements. While not all the details of the “consideration” have been worked out, such as possible monetary compensation for giving up one acre of parkland, Supervisor Grace said that negotiations should not be done in public. Councilman Bianco wanted to make sure that the town wasn’t giving Spectra one acre of land for $1.00.

One of the key issues that remains to be resolved will be the need for the state legislature, acting on the town’s request, to approve the “alienation” of the parkland, both for the temporary and permanent easements.  Explaining that time was a factor because the legislature only deals with alienation requests  in June, the Spectra representatives were hoping for a resolution approving their request that evening and both  Supervisor Grace and Councilman Murphy were ready to act, seeing the plan as a “no brainer.”

However, Councilman Bianco expressed some concern over the permanent alienation of the one acre site; he had no problem with supporting the temporary easements that would facilitate the construction project.  He also wanted the Recreation Commission to weigh in on the alienation issue.  Deputy Town Clerk Diana Quast, who is also the chairperson of the Commission, advised the board that while the Commission has reviewed the overall development plan for the Granite Knolls site, it has never discussed the Spectra plan and was not aware of the request to alienate the one acre parcel.  She said that the Commission will review the plan at its upcoming May 1 meeting which should enable the Town Board to act on a resolution at its May 6 meeting.  Spectra was not clear on exactly where the one acre parcel would be located.

Councilman Bianco also wanted to give residents who live in the area an opportunity to comment on the proposal.

Update on parks projects

Diana Quast, chairperson of the Recreation Commission, along with Parks & Recreation Superintendent Brian Gray, gave the board an update on the following projects.(See separate summaries below for specific sites.)

In line skating rink. The Commission is requesting $15,000 to prepare design and bid spec documents for the repair. The project will be funded, in part, with the $150,000 state grant, but the town has to lay out the money.

Route 202 ballfields.  The Commission is requesting $16,000 to prepare design and bid spec documents for the repair. The project will be funded, in part, with the $150,000 state grant, but the town has to lay out the money.

Hunterbrook multi purpose field.  The Commission will be getting three quotes to conduct soil tests on the mounds of dirt currently on the field. The soil was tested in 2007 but no one can find copies of the results. Ms. Quast explained where the proposed field would be located in relation to the existing field.

Holland Sporting Club. She said the Commission would work with the DEC to rectify the violation.

Downing Park. A  Master Plan for the park based on the proposed relocation of the Parks garage to Greenwood Street is being prepared . The plan includes eliminating the upper tennis courts (currently not in use), constructing an indoor basketball court, areas for summer camp use, a general clean up of the site, and other plans.

Shallow Creek. The Commission wants the town attorney to draft three agreements with the non-profit entity that submitted a proposal for the site in 2011 in response to an RFP. The agreements would include:  to operate the golf course, to operate a restaurant, and  for a golf pro shop (this last part was not clear to the public).  Councilman Bianco said he wanted to know if the group had submitted any updated information as he remembered that there were questions about the proposal in 2011. Ms. Quast said she would provide him with an updated submission.  She added that the 2011 Kevin Chin plan for the site fell through because the project’s financial backers would not accept a revocable license but that the new proposed user did not have  any problem with this arrangement.

Granite Knolls barn;  The Commission wants the board to prepare bid specs for its removal.

In general comments, Councilman Bianco that the plans were “a lot to do” and asked Ms. Quast to submit a written report. Councilman Murphy asked if a partial cover could be placed over the in line rink.  And Councilman Patel asked about the status of the current closed tennis courts in Downing Park and Shrub Oak Park.  In response to Councilman Patel, Ms. Quast said that there were usable courts at Blackberry, that the lower three courts at Downing were still usable even though they had cracks, and that three new courts were going to be built as part of the Catucci subdivision (Note:  See Fieldstone Manor development.) Overall, she said, there will be a gain, not loss, in the number of tennis courts.

Councilman Patel also wanted to know who maintains the Patriot Garden site, adding that the plants need to be watered.

(see 4/22/14 updates above)

Councilman Patel said there was still an open DEC violation on the site and that he wanted to see a plan for how the site was going to be cleaned up and added that the town hadn’t saved a penny on the project that now will have to undergo a third clean up.

In response to Mr. Ciffone’s question during courtesy of the floor about the status of last year’s DEC violation notice, Supervisor Grace said that the property had been cleaned up and that there were no current violations.  However, Councilman Patel challenged that statement and said that as recently as last week he had been told that there was still an open violation.

In a dialogue that became contentious at times, Highway Superintendent DiBartolo criticized Councilman Patel for raising the issue about the demolition debris and Councilman Paganelli, reading from the March, 2013 DEC Notice of Violation, said that the only issue was that the Town was clearing debris without a permit.  He said the debris was not hazardous. Supervisor Grace added that the highway department workers were at the site for two days and has  “pulled out some wood debris.”   Mr. DiBartolo said that the work was finished and that he would be contacting the DEC.

When Councilman Patel asked why he hadn’t been informed about the Notice when  the town first received it, Mr. DiBartolo said he had just sent a copy of the Notice to the Supervisor that day and the Supervisor’s  assistant confirmed that Patty Cole, a highway department worker, had hand delivered a copy to the Supervisor’s office that day.

Councilman Murphy also said that the Notice was not a violation, but just the need for a permit and he reminded Councilman Patel that there were no buried oil tanks on the site.

Councilman Patel also expressed concern for the safety of town employees, noting that they had not been wearing the required protective gear when he had visited the site.  There was no response to this comment.

The  Board considered the issue of the debris removal closed.

Town Board, 3-19-2013

Saying that it was never his intention to use the 86,000 cubic yards of fill at the Holland Sporting Club, Supervisor Grace said that Town staff will be developing plans that will identify both the quantity and quality of fill that would be needed to rehabilitate existing ball fields at Hunterbrook fields, Legacy, Curry Street, and Granite Knolls. Some fill will also be needed to implement the future plan for the Holland Sporting Club that has been developed by the community and briefly discussed at the March 14 Recreaction Commission meeting.  Supervisor Grace  likened the recent discussions regarding the fill to the children’s game of telephone where information gets distorted as it is passed along from one to another.  

Regarding the fields at Granite Knolls: Supervisor Grace said that the planned work along the Algonquin gas line will require a staging area and that this might help provide parking and an access road to the fields which he said could accommodate two lacrosse fields.

Regarding Holland: Councilman Paganelli suggested that the BOCES forestry program be used to help identify invasive species on the site that should be weeded out.  Future plans for Holland are to be discussed at the April 9 work session.

George Tolli, a representative of Ecco III Enterprises, the company that will be doing the excavation work for the Route 202 widening project, met with the Board to discuss the issue of the availability of fill for town projects.

The widening project will take about 18 months to complete, but the fill will start becoming available in April at the rate of approximately 1,200 cubic yards per day. Based on soil borings that have been done, Mr. Tolli said the fill is clean, drains well and was compressable. While the state does not require the fill to be tested, Mr. Tolli said it was his company’s policy to test the fill as a protection for the company.

Supervisor Grace said the fill could be used at several Town locations including: Hunterbrook field, Legacy field (for flipping the existing field), Granite Knolls, Holland Sporting Club and possibly to extend the rear parking lot behind town hall. (There was no discussion of the plan for ball fields at the Holland site.) One of issues would be where the Town could stockpile the fill until it had a use and what erosion control measures would be needed during the stock piling. Mr. Tolli said his company might be able to work something out with the town regarding erosion control measures such as silt fencing and hydro seeding. If the Town had to purchase fill, the going price is $20/cubic yard.

Mr. Tolli said that his company would consider “pushing and rolling” the fill only in larger quantities of between 5,000-10,000 cubic yards.The Town did not know how much fill was needed at the different locations cited by Supervisor Grace.

Regarding the Granite Knolls site, when Councilman Bianco noted that the entrance road does not belong to the Town, Supervisor Grace said that the company that owns the gas line has plans to do some work along the line and that possibly their access road could be used for any work to be done at the ball fields. Supervisor Grace also said that a stormwater permit will be needed for work at the site.

Mr. Tolli said that his company will also be offering millings to the Water Department.

Phyllis Bock, co-chairman of the Conservation Board, advised the Planning Board that her group was concerned about the environmental impact of the proposed ballfields close to the lake shoreand that without a plan, it was difficult to give a more detailed review.She added that the Town should follow the same review process that other applicants would be required to go through. J. Patrick Francois, another member of the Conservation Board expressed concern that the Town was being pressured to make a decision by April.

Planning Director Tegeder noted that the proposed 86,000 cubic yards of fill was a “stupendous” amount and the equivalent of 6,000 dump trucks. He questioned whether the site had the capacity to accept that amount of fill.Ms. Kutter and Mr. Francois both raised concerns about the quality of the fill and Mr. Flynn said he was not ready to sign on to the idea that more ballfields were needed. Mr. Kincart saw the need for more fields. Mr. Fon said that the Board couldn’t make any judgments without a plan and that there was also concerns about SEQRA compliance and a possible segmentationissue if the fill issue was considered separate and apart from a plan for the site that would be a later submission.

In item not on the agenda, Supervisor Grace said the NYS DOT can give the town 86,000 cubic yards of clean fill once it starts work later this year on the Route 202 widening project. Calling the offer a “golden opportunity,” he is proposing that the fill be used to create a lawn area and ballfields on the eastern side of the Holland Sporting Club property. The state will also “push and roll” the fill which would also be a cost savings to the Town. Because of the state’s timetable, the Town will have to decide quickly if it wants the fill. If it does, the work would be done between April-August and the project could be completed by the end of the year. The Board voted to refer the plan to advisory boards and also to Mohegan area homeowner groups. No date was set for a follow up discussion.

In a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Patel voting no, the Board decided to leave the chimney and bathroom building standing on the site. This paved the way for the building inspector to “sign off” on the demolition permit which had included the removal of both structures.In voting to keep the bathroom building, Supervisor Grace said that it may be needed in the future.

Supervisor Grace reported that the oil tanks referred to in previous meetings by Councilman Patel had been taken out in 2007 and told Mr. Patel that he had been told this at the press conference. Councilman Patel said he had not been given this information.

Regarding the left over debris, Mr. Winter said that this was not a Building Department issue and that according to a conversation he had with Jeff Econom, a former Yorktown deputy town engineer, the debris was more of a “landlord” issue and that it was up to the Town whether it wanted to leave the debris buried on the site.Mr. Patel remained concerned about the possible environmental hazards from the remaining debris and said he would contact the Conservation Board. Supervisor Grace said that the site was “fine” and he saw no problem with people playing in the wood chips if they wanted to.He added that he was glad that the site had gotten the attention it needed and that a nuisance had been eliminated.

Supervisor Grace said that the wood chips at the entrance should be removed and replaced with a fence in the event Town staff needed to access the site. He added that in the fall, although the Town was in a fiscally tight situation, it should prepare a plan for the site and that the plan could deal with what’s left in the ground.

Asking whether the demolition job had been properly finished, Councilman Patel emptied a plastic garbage bag containing debris from the site onto the lawn. He said that the debris, 6” below grade, had to be cleaned up and the site left in a state where it did not hurt anyone. In response to his question whether the building inspector had certified that the project had been completed, Supervisor Grace said that the building inspector had signed off on the job.The supervisor also stated that the site was in “great shape,” that town employees had done a good job and that based on his visits both during the demolition and earlier in the day, all the debris had been removed, citing 48 containers of debris that had been removed from the site.Also in response to Councilman Patel’s assertion that there were buried oil tanks on the site, the supervisor said that if there were any, their removal was not part of the original bid specs.

Councilman Murphy stated that the Town had done the job properly, that it was an “extreme improvement” over what had been there before but acknowledged that some additional clean up was needed. He asked Councilman Patel to show him where the tanks were. In response, Councilman Patel said that he had been told three years ago by an employee of the Parks Department that there were oil tanks on the site.

Councilman Bianco applauded Mr. Patel for his vigor and stated that he had seen debris buried under the wood chips. Adding that the job was “not a Cadillac job, but a Toyota job,” he said that the final arbiter would be the building inspector who had told him that the job was a “bit sloppy.” He said someone had to check whether there were problems with any of the remaining debris.

Supervisor Grace rejected the notion that fill should have been brought in to fill in the foundations, stating that it didn’t make sense to bring fill in now if it would have to be removed later once the Town decided what to do with the site. He added that the decomposing wood chips would make good top soil. He acknowledged that more work had to be done clearing brush on the site.

During Courtesy of the Floor, Linda Miller, raised questions about the potential environmental hazards from the debris left on the site and asked if the Conservation Board had been consulted prior to the demolition. In response, Supervisor Grace said that he had inherited the project and that that would have been something done by the prior Board. He added that given the distance of the demolition work to the lake, he didn’t think the demolition created any environmental problems.

Public access to the lake: Ms. Miller, a Yorktown Heights resident, also raised the issue of access to Mohegan Lake by non-Mohegan residents. She specifically mentioned the ability to use the lake for canoes, kayaks or fishing boats. In response Supervisor Grace stated that the lake is for the enjoyment of the entire town and Ken Belfer, chairman of the Mohegan Lake Improvement District noted that non-Mohegan residents could use two of the beachesmaintained by homeowner associations as long as they paid the same membership fee. He added that the Town owns lake front property along Mohegan Avenue, just south of Route 6 and Councilman Bianco added that the Town also owned some dock lots abutting the lake but that no one was sure exactly where they were. 

As an aside during a discussion on road paving, Supervisor Grace said that the demolition work had been completed and Highway Superintendent DiBartolo said that the building inspector would be signing off on the project. Either Mr. DiBartolo or Councilman Paganelli explained that the old bathroom building had been left standing because it might have some future benefit. The chimney was not taken down because the town’s machine could not knock it down; Mr. DiBartolo said that some people liked the chimmney and that it should be kept.

When Councilman Patel expressed concern that some oil tanks might still be located on the site, Town Clerk Roker said she thought that the facility used propone tanks and Supervisor Grace told the councilman to go look for them; he did not think there were any tanks.

Supervisor Grace reported that the buildings had been demolished at a total cost of $29,748.75 and Highway Superintendent Eric DiBartolo who was in charge of the work reported that the job took 4 or 5 days to complete and that 304 tons of debris were removed. Wood chips were spread over the area of the demolished buildings. Supervisor Grace noted that the low bid on the job was $89,000, resulting in a $60,000 savings for the town by using town staff. Board members praised the staff for their work and dedication. Councilman Patel said that there should be a final written report on the project and that it should include the cost of town labor to do the work.

Commenting on what he called the “next chapter” for the site, Supervisor Grace said that the Parks & Rec Commission and ACOS should do an audit of the town’s open spaces and come up with a plan for the property that he said should not lie fallow for another 20 years. He encouraged area residents to be part of the discussion over the future use of the property.

Supervisor Grace said he anticipated that the demolition would begin this week, although Highway Superintendent DiBartolo said that the work might be postponed due to the emergency nature of the Greenwood Street bridge repair.

Town Board, 5/15/2012

Supervisor Grace explained that on Friday, May 11^th, while four members of the board were present for the opening of the nutrition center, the board convened a special emergency meeting to approve a $7,200 change order in the Holland Sporting Club asbestos abatement project. The roof of one of the buildings had collapsed, he explained, and that changed the nature of the project. Because the contractor was already mobilized to begin the work, the board had to act quickly in order not to delay the project. A variance was obtained from the Department of Labor.

Supervisor Grace said that the abatement work will begin this Friday and that by the end of the month the Board would be able to discuss what to do next with the site.

Resolutions authorized the Supervisor to sign a contract with Geo Environmentalfor air sampling, PCM analysis and project monitor final inspections for a total of $10,000. Supervisor Grace explainedthe history of the problems with the abatement bid and why this contract was necessary. (See previous meeting summaries.) Susan Siegel , the person writing these notes, thanked the Board for moving the project forward, but stated that the contract did not comply with the Town’s procurement policy that required an RFP or three written quotes. She asked why, after voting to advertise an RFP for the monitoring service on April 3^rd, the Board decided not to advertise and instead give the contract to Geo Environmental. Supervisor Grace said the contract complied with the procurement policy as Geo Environmental had done the original asbestos survey for the buildings and that because he knew the firm, he felt comfortable knowing that it would do a good job.

What started out as a discussion about the outstanding invoice for NYCB Engineering, the consulting firm that drew up the initial specs for the asbestos abatement and demolition, ended up as a discussion about the latest problem with the abatement contract.

As explained by Supervisor Grace, the latest problem was the need to have a microfilter operating 24 hours while the project was in progress but it was unclear who would be responsible for providing the electricity to run the filter, the abatement contractor or the monitoring contractor, and how the electricity would be provided as there is no service to the site, a condition that was known to the companies that bid on the job.According to SupervisorGrace, the contractor or the Town could get a variance from the state Department of Labor waiving the 24 hour requirement but it would take 3-4 weeks to get the waiver. Also at issue was who would be responsible for getting the variance.

By the time the discussion ended, it was not clear if the Town was going to take legal action against the vendor who was awarded the abatement bid but would not give the town a credit for the monitoring work, and/or whether the Town would have to rebid the job, and/or whether the Town had already advertised for the monitoring job (see 4/3/2012 below) and how the Town would coordinate the work of the abatement contractor with the monitoring contractor.

In regard to the NYCB invoice, the board felt that the consulting firm should have known about the requirement for the separate monitoring company when it prepared the initial specs and that if the job ended up costing the Town more money, perhaps the firm should be held responsible for the added costs.

The board voted to advertise bids for asbestos air sampling and project monitoring for the Holland Sporting Club project.

Town Board, 3/20/2012

In response to Mohegan resident Alan Most’s request during Courtesy of the Floor for an update on the asbestos abatement contract, Supervisor Grace said that the town was still reviewing its options which included renegotiating the contract or rebidding the contract, plus doing a separate bid for the air monitoring. He said that he had hoped that the scope of work for the monitoring contract would have been ready by this evening’s meeting but it wasn’t.He could not give Mr. Most a time frame when the contract issue would be resolved.

Supervisor Grace explained that two related issues had arisen with the contract for the asbestos removal at the site. The first was that the contractor could not lawfully fulfill the terms of the contract because, by state law, he could not do the required site monitoring that should be contracted out. The second program was that if the contractor couldn’t do the monitoring, then it would cost the town an additional $10,000-$15,000to hire a separate contractor to do the monitoring.

Bob Violante, an asbestos inspector, said that the contractor had anticipated not doing the monitoring and found a way to “drive a truck thru the bid specs.”It was his cost estimate that Supervisor Grace used covered the three required monitorings:interior , interior and exterior, and visual.

Councilman Paganelli asked why the town would “eat” the additional monitoring cost if it was in the bid and Supervisor Grace asked the town attorney how the town could get out of the contract. “I’m glad I’m the supervisor, not the attorney,” he said. Town Attorney Koster said she would have an answer for him by next Tuesday.

In the meantime, Supervisor Grace asked Mr. Violante to prepare a scope of work for the monitoring with the specs. There was some additional discussion of whether this should be a bid or an RFP used for professional services. Comptroller Joan Goldberg said that the town’s procurement policy would require 3 RFP responses but that a bid would be okay if it only had 1 response.

If the asbestos removal is to be rebid, Supervisor Grace said that it should include a time frame for the work, and possibly include longer days so that the number of days is reduced as the cost of the monitoring is related to the number of days the monitoring is required.

Holland Sporting Club: The board awarded the bid for the rental of containers and disposal of debris for the demolition of the Holland Sporting Club buildings to CRP for a total estimated cost (based on 40 containers and a fixed tonnage) of $30,650.Supervisor Grace said, however, that the town had not decided whether the job should be done by an outside contractor or the Highway Department and that awarding the bid simply locked in the price but gave the board future options.

Town Board, 2/21/2012

Pat Cumiskey raised several questions about the bid specs for the rental of containers to be used when the town undertakes the demolition. He was concerned that the specs, as written, did not have provisions if the number of containers exceeded the estimate in the bid specs and he questioned the estimated number of containers that would be needed for the job. Stating that he wanted to be of assistance to the town and that he wasn’t being an obstructionist, he wanted to know how the town arrived at its 40 container estimate.

In response, Supervisor Grace said that the specs had been drawn up by himself, working with Dan Ciarcia, a local engineer, and Highway Superintendent DiBartolo. Mr. DeBartolo added that the estimate was based on his experience demolishing the former Parks Department administration building and that he doubted that the number of containers would exceed 32.He also stated that his department had the necessary excavator with a 19.5” reach to do the job. Supervisor Grace said that some vendors had indicated to some town officials that they would not charge for the drop and pull containers but only for the tipping fees.

Mr. Cumisky also asked if the town had requested the extension of the bid from the low bidder for the demolition job.

In response to Councilman Bianco’s question about how many days the job would take, Mr. DiBartolo said 3-4 and that he would be using 2 equipment operators and one other person. Mr. Bianco also asked for a cost analysis of the project but Councilman Paganellii noted that this might be difficult because there could be down time involved for town staff.

Councilman Murphy stated that the project was not going to “flop”and that the town was going to make sure that the job was done.

Councilman Patel raised the issue of whether the wood chips that are being proposed to fill in the foundation might leach into Mohegan Lake. Mr. DiBartolo said that this wasn’t an issue as the chips were used in the town’s playgrounds and were safe.

Town Board, 2/7/2012

The board voted 3-1 vote with Councilman Patel voting No, the board voted to advertise for the rental of containers for the demolition of the Holland Sporting Club. In voting against the bid advertisement, Mr. Patel wanted an itemized list of all the expenses likely to be incurred if the town did the demolition job and said he wasn’t comfortable with the a la carte approach.

Supervisor Grace said that the town estimates it will need about 30 containers and that the job will take three days. The only additional cost will be the diesel fuel to run the equipment. Both Supervisor Grace and Councilman Murphy said that the town had all the equipment it needed to do the job (Highway Superintendent DiBartolo said he had the excavator and claws needed for the job) and Councilman Paganelli said that during a time of budget crunch, the town should do what he could to save $36,000. Mr. DiBartolo said that the foundations would be filled in with wood chips from the Hill and that if they “sunk” over time, more would be added. He said that the existing foundation stones would be stored on the Hill and made available to town residents. Mr. Paganelli added that the town should have faith in its employees and not denigrate them.

During the second Courtesy of the Floor, Susan Siegel asked for a clarification on the bid and whether it included disposal costs. Mr. Paganelli said that the bid was for “drop and pull” and “per ton” and that while the town did not know exactly how many containers it would need, the town would still be saving money even if the original 30 container estimate was increased to 50 containers. Mr. Grace said that the low bidder for the demolition work would be asked to extend his bid so that it would still be valid after the bids came in for the container rental.

Town Board, 1-24-2012

After considerable discussion about the need to pay prevailing wages, the board voted unanimously to award the asbestos abatement contract to the low bidder for $68,000 and rejected, by a 2-3 vote, a motion made by Councilman Bianco and seconded by Councilman Patel to award the demolition contract.  Supervisor Grace explained that the vote against awarding the demolition contract should not be taken as a rejection of all the bids, but instead, just a vote not to award the bid that evening.

During the discussion, Supervisor Grace said that because the bid specs for  the abatement required five years of experience, it raised the cost of the project because the prevailing wage requirement necessitated hiring more experienced workers who were more expensive. He said that the work for both the abatement and demolition was laborer type work that didn’t require more expensive workers. Initially agreeing with the position that including an experience factor in the bid specs could lead to increased costs, Town Attorney Koster later explained that the experience requirement applied to the company and not the actual employees used by the company who had to be paid according to prevailing wage rates.

On the demolition issue, Councilman Bianco asked how the debris would be disposed of and Supervisor Grace responded that the town would pay the tipping fee. He did not explain where the construction debris would be disposed of. He also said that the Highway Department had all the equipment it needed to do the job and Councilman Paganelli said the town was in the process of getting cost estimates for the dumpster. Supervisor Grace said that if the town wasn’t prepared to decide on the demolition contract within the 60 days that the bids were good for, the town could ask the bidders to extend the time limit for the bid, a practice, he said, that had often been used in the past.

Town Board, 1-17-2012

Four Mohegan homeowners urged the board to move forward with the asbestos abatement and demolition of the Holland Sporting Club buildings and not delay the project while it considered whether to have the Highway Department do the demolition instead of hiring an outside contractor. Patrick Cumiskey noted that the low bids received for both jobs had come in $100,000 less than projected and he urged the board to hire a professional demolition firm. He said that if the town were to do the project, in addition to the cost of renting dumpsters, there would be added out-of-pocket costs for the rental of equipment, wear and tear on town equipment, disposal costs, which he estimated were about 50% of the total project cost, plus liability issues.

Town Board, 1-10/2012

Listed on the agenda as “Award bid for demolition at Holland Sporting Club,” Supervisor Grace said he wasn’t prepared to move forward on the recommendation of the Building Inspector to award bids for the asbestos abatement of the building and also the demolition.  He said that while the town needed to hire an outside company for the abatement, he wanted to look at doing the demolition in house.

The low bids were $68,000 for the abatement and $77,000 for the demolition.

Councilman Paganelli asked if the demolition work could be done in house and Highway Superintendent DiBartolo said, “Yes.” He said the town would only have to rent out dumpsters and that he would get prices and report back to the supervisor. He estimated that the job could be done in 4 days and that he would use wood chips to “dress” the site after the buildings were taken down. He reminded the board that he took down the former Sparkle Lake building in 1½ days.

Councilman Patel expressed concern about environmental issues for nearby Mohegan Lake but Mr. DiBartolo said that the Sparkle Lake project was also by a lake.

Navajo Fields Project (Creative Living)

Granite Knolls Fields/Barn

(see also the discussion of the possible  use of some of the Route 202 fill for the Granite Knolls Fields elsewhere on this page.)

(see also Spectra Engery at the top of this page.)

Town Board, 12-16-2014

The board awarded a bid to Capital Industries Corp. for $26,800 for the demolition of the barn. I explained that Brian Gray, Superintendent of Parks & Recreation had fully vetted the company and was satisfied thata the company could do the job. He said that the wide disparity in the bid prices was explained by the fact that Capital Industries was a demolition company and already had the necessary equipment for the job whereas the other bidders were contractors and would have had to rent the equipment.

The board tabled a resolution awarding a bid for the demolition of the barn so that it could get more information on why there was a spread of $26,800to $269,000 in the seven bids that were received. 

Granite Knolls  fields. Susan Siegel (the person writing this summary) and Jonathan Hyman, representing the Kopple family, asked for an update on the town’s response to the engineering report Mr. Hyman had submitted at the September 2 meeting  (see below) that highlighted safety issues with the driveway access to the fields, as well as other issues related to the use of the fields.  Mr. Hyman noted that he had not heard back from either Supervisor Grace or Diana Quast, chairman of the Recreation Commission, regarding the report.  He also said he had been told that the Yorktown Athletic Club (YAC) had had a meeting to discuss the use of the fields and decided to continue using them.

In response, Supervisor Grace said that he was working with Phoenix House on a solution to the access problem and hoped that the safety issues would be solved. He said it was nonsense that the town didn’t need more fields, adding that the town’s existing fields needed to be rested. He said that the Recreation Commission had developed an incredible plan for the site and that the Spectra plan would enable the fields to be built for nothing. The entire Town Board, he noted, had voted to go ahead with the SEQRA study for the plan.

When Supervisor Grace asked Mr. Hyman if he wanted the fields shut down, Mr. Hyman said, "Yes."

Bob Kohl and Matt Talbert of the YAC  thanked the board for getting the fields ready. Mr. Talbert, who is in charge of the group’s football program, said that the club is staggering practice hours in order to mitigate the traffic issue. He also contradicted Mr. Hyman’s statement that the YAC had met to discuss the traffic issue. Both he and Mr. Kohl stressed that the town needed more fields, especially a 90’ baseball field.  

Councilman Bianco said that when the Granite Knolls property was purchased by a 3-2 vote, it was for open space and both active and passive recreation. He said the existing fields were a great place for the sports teams to practice. He said the only complaint he had ever received from Phoenix House about the use of its driveway dealt with buses for people using the trails, a use that had been stopped.

Jonathan Hyman, speaking on behalf of the Stoney Street Kopple family, advised the board that the town was in violation of the August, 2011 license agreement it had entered into with Phoenix House that allowed town residents to use the Phoenix House driveway to access the Granite Knolls ball fields. He said that according to the agreement the license was to give the town time to build its own road into Granite Knolls but that the license agreement contradicted an earlier board resolution that stated that the ball fields were for a minor temporary use of the land.  He also pointed out that Supervisor Grace has said on two occasions that the driveway access was substandard and unsafe and shouldn’t be used: once when the site was being considered for the dog park and on August 13, 2014 at the Keep Yorktown Safe meeting.  He added that five days after the August 13 meeting, the town opened up a 120 space parking lot on the site.

Mr. Hyman gave the board copies of an engineering report that updated a 2013 report that detailed the deficiencies of the site and charged the town with not holding the town to the same standards it holds private developers to in terms of complying with town and state laws.  When Supervisor Grace said he had no problem looking at the report, Mr. Hyman suggested he take a “hard look.”

Reminding Councilman Murphy that he said the fields were “all about the kids,” Mr. Hyman asked the councilman what he was going to do about the safety issues and whether he would renounce the use of the unsafe driveway.     Councilman Murphy did not respond.

In a related discussion, during Courtesy of the Floor, Ed Ciffone questioned Supervisor Grace’s comment at the August 13 meeting that the ball fields were not connected to the Spectra project. In response, Supervisor Grace said that when the town purchased the property it was with the clear intention of creating ball fields and that some fields already existed on the site.  He said he could schedule a community meeting at which time the athletic clubs could present their case as to why more fields were needed.  

Susan Siegel (the person writing this summary), asked the board to clarify what its intentions were regarding Granite Knolls. Pointing out that, to date, the town had only a one page concept sketch map of what the future complex would look like, she said that before a SEQRA review of the sports complex could be done, a real plan was needed.  There was no response to her questions of who would prepare such a plan and what the complex might cost taxpayers.

Authorized going out to bid for specs on demolition and removal

Supervisor Grace said the barn had basically already fallen down and nothing more had to be done. Also that there is an existing bid for dumpsters that can be used at a future date.

In a separate discussion about parks, Supervisor Grace advised the board that a master plan for Granite Knolls that would cost the town “very  little” and would be on the agenda for the board’s April 26 meeting.

There was no response to Mr. Ciffone’s comments during courtesy of the floor about what was being done about the deteriorating condition of the barn.

Based on information from the building department that the middle portion of the barn was collapsing, the Board agreed to ask the highway department to demolish the structure.  Supervisor Grace said that the asbestos in the barn had already been removed and that there was an open DEC spill number on the property because of an oil stain on the floor.

Ms. Daniels asked the Board to waive its policy of not using herbicides on town owned land in order to eliminate an invasive species in the area around the barn that cannot be removed simply by cutting back the plant. The Board asked her to put her request in writing. In response to her comment about having the barn removed, Supervisor Grace said it would be attended to soon.

Steve Gardner, speaking at the first and second Courtesy, called attention to the fact that the company that did the work to grade and seed the ball fields had not installed proper erosion control measures, such as silt fences, or utilized ground cover to protect the grass seed.  “Why was this allowed to happen?” he asked. Acknowledging that he had submitted a price quote for the job, he said his quote was based on what he knew a proper job would entail and that the Town should have questioned the lowest price. When Supervisor Grace said that about six vendors had submitted quotes ranging from about $16,000 to $6,200, Gardner said that since most of the quotes were at the higher end, the Town should have been cautioned about the lowest price.

In response, Supervisor Grace said that he would check into the site.

Gardner also noted that there is no silt fencing to protect against erosion at the Holland Sporting Club.

See Miscellaneous below for discussion about a master plan for the site

As part of an overall presentation on recreational facilities, it was announced that the fields have been seeded and the Town will wait two growing seasons before usage can begin. Supervisor Grace said he was having discussions with Spectra, the owner of the Algonquin gas line, about whether the staging area they’ll be using to work on the line will/can eventually provide the town with an access road to the site, a parking area, and possibly and additional field/s.

Supervisor Gracereported that the asbestos abatement company has changed its mind again and will do the work at the barn.He also said that he will ask the Highway Department to demolish the barn.While Councilmen Bianco and Patel said they were opposed to the department doing the work, the issue was never put to a vote.

An item not on the agenda, Supervisor Grace brieflymentioned that the contractor who was selected for the asbestos abatement job for the barn has withdrawn his offer. (It was not clear what the reason was.)He said he would now seek a new third quote before proceeding.

The Board awardeda $6,200 contract to All County Contracting NY of Croton-on-Hudson to remove stumps, roots, re-grade, fine rake and level and seed the Granite Knolls field.Five prices quotes had been received for the job.

Dog Park:  David Rocco, president of the Dog Park Committee, advised the Board that because the Granite Knolls Barn site was too small to accommodate separate fenced in areas for both large and small dogs, the site was not be acceptable to the group. He asked the Board to look for an alternate location. Supervisor Grace said that it might be possible to create a separate facility on the opposite side of Stony Street where the ball fields are located, but Councilman Bianco said that any additional town usage on the western portion of the Granite Knolls property would need the approval of Phoenix House which is allowing the town to use its driveway as access to the town property. Supervisor Grace added that in the current difficult financial situation the Town was trying to use the resources that it had and that the location of the dog park could be looked at again once the barn was taken down.

Asbestos abatement/demolition:  As part of the discussion of the dog park, Supervisor Grace announced that three quotes had been received for the asbestos abatement, ranging from approximately $1900 to $3300, with the lowest quote coming from the first contractor who had been contacted. In a separate action, the Board voted to award a bid to AAA Carting at an estimate cost of $14,862 to supply dumpsters and remove debris for the demolition of the barn. The actual cost will be determined by the amount of debris that will have to be disposed of. In response to Councilman Bianco’s question of who would actually do the demolition, Supervisor Grace he was planning on having the Highway Department do the job but that any final decision would be discussed by the Board once the asbestos job was completed.

Supervisor Grace announced that Geo Environmental, the firm hired to check for asbestos at the barn, had found some and that the company has recommended an abatement vendor who would charge $1400 to remove the asbestos.Supervisor Grace said he didn’t want to get three quotes for the abatement job as he was satisfied with the recommendation from Geo Environmental. The Board voted to authorize the expense of up to $2,000; the funds will come from the $25,000 that was set aside in 2010 for improvements to the Granite Knolls property.

The Board also approved advertising for bids for the rental of roll off waste containers to be used during the in-house demolition of the barn.When Councilman Patel asked if the demolition work would be done according to OSHA standards, Supervisor Grace assured him that they would.

Once the barn is demolished, plans call for the site to become a multi-purpose site, to be used for parking for people accessing the trails as well as a relocated dog park. “Everyone will benefit,” said Councilman Paganelli.

Board members, joined by members of the Recreation Commission, the Parks Department and representatives of the NY/NJ Trail Conference, recently participated in a clean-up at the site that included removing discarded Jesuit artifacts from the barn and clearing brush.

An item not on the agenda, the Board voted to have an asbestos study done on the building prior to any demolition. (Note: As the discussion was brief and not always audible, the observer cannot report anything more about plans for the site.)

 Councilman Murphy thanked the Highway Department for doing an “awesome” job at the fields. Tree stumps have been removed and seeding and raking remain to be done.

During a special meeting to discuss the Yorktown School District's temporary use of the multi purpose field at Legacy (see below, under "Miscellaneous") the following discussioni took place about the Granite Knolls Field.

Regarding the Granite Knolls field, Supervisor Grace said that the Town would either have to spend money to sod it or seed it and allow ample time for the seed to take. The tree stumps also have to be removed. And questions remained as to who would maintain the field. He said that the Parks Department did not have staff to take on additional mowing responsibilities and that there were issues, which he did not explain, involving the clubs doing the maintenance. One additional option, he said, is to accept the offer of a local landscapre contractor to maintain the field.)

During Couresty of the Floor: Ed Ciffone said that Town should take down the barn, using the unused funds from the $250,000 that the board set aside to demolish the Holland Sporting Club buildings.

Stating that the town had earlier set aside $25,000 for the Granite Knolls field, Ed Ciffone asked how much money to town had spent to make the field usable and what would be done with any money that was saved. Supervisor Grace explained that the town had “anticipated” spending up to $25,000 for the field but that no money had actually been set aside for the project. Highway Superintendent DiBartolo explained that his department has actually spent only about $500 on the project for diesel fuel and chain saws.

In response to Mr. Ciffone’s questions about the Granite Knolls barn, Supervisor Grace said that there was no asbestos in the barn.

Town Board, 2/21/2012

Mr. Paganelli reported that Highway Superintendent DiBartolo has completed about 95% of the grading and tree removal work at Granite Knolls so that the site can be used as a practice field for the athletic clubs. Town Attorney Koster said that the agreement with the clubs for them to maintain the field has not been finalized.

Miscellaneous

(see 4/22/14 update above)

Condition of town parks; Barbara Walt (sp?) asked the town to take a leadership role in repairing the town’s tennis courts, especially the ones at Downing Park that have night lights, and cleaning up town parks. In response, Supervisor Grace called the condition of Downing Park “atrocious” and a “junk yard” and referring to his plan to relocate the Parks Department garage to Greenwood Street said , “good things are coming down the pike.”   He added that a master plan for Granite Knolls that would cost the town “very  little” would be on the agenda for the board’s April 26 meeting.

Town Board, 4-1-2014

Ken Belfer and Laura Kobar (sp?) of the Mohegan Lake Improvement District advised the board that the group has applied to the DEC for a permit to add alum (aluminum sulfate) to the lake in an effort to control the existing phosphorous problem in the lake bed, which, in turn, creates the algae bloom problem that has closed the lake to swimming for the past two seasons.  They explained that the last time alum was added , in 2002, it helped the lake. They explained  that the alum would bind with the phosphorous and prevent its release. While sewers and fertilizer restrictions have helped reduce the introduction of “new” phosphorous into the lake, they explained that the limnologists who have studied the lake believe that the problem is the phosphorous already in the lake.   Because MLID will also need a town wetlands permit, or an amendment to its existing permit, the speakers asked to be put on a board work session as soon as possible so that their request could be processed as quickly as possible. They explained that in order to be effective, the alum had to be added to the lake in the spring before the algae had a chance to grow.

Town Board, 3-25-2014

The board authorized the supervisor to sign a Grant Disbursement Agreement with the state so that the town could receive a $150,000 grant to be used to renovate the Route 202 ballfields and the inline skating rink at Shrub Oak Park. The grant was first announced by Senator Ball several years ago.  Supervisor Grace explained that the town will have to lay out the money first and then seek reimbursement.

Shrub Oak Pool

Town Board, 6/5/2012

 The board approved a change order for an additional $2,050 to replace the underlayment of the pool tiles that was rotted, bringing the total cost of the proj3ect to $18,360.

 The Board voted to authorize the Supervisor to sign a contract with Phil Aversano Tile & Marble to replace the damaged tiles at the Shrub Oak Pool at a cost of $16.310. While Mr. Aversano’s price of $16,310 was $764 higher than another contractor’s, the Board’s selection was based on the fact that Mr. Aversano’s price included several different warranties, each for different periods of time and including one which was a lifetime warranty, while the lower price contractor only offered a manufacturer’s warranty.

This observer learned the day after the meeting, that after the meeting broke up, and without any announcment that the Board would continue meeting to discuss other issues, and after most people, including the CIY observer, had left the building, that the Town Board discussed the quotes that had been received for the replacement of tiles at the Shrub Oak pool. According to the Deputy Town Clerk who was contacted the morning after the meeting, the Town will be getting additional quotes and the Board may vote on the issue on May 1st.

Pool Concession Contract

Town  Board, 2/28/2012

Trail System

 Mohansic Trailway

(For other discussions about the dog park, do a keyword search  for "dog" on this page.)

On a referral from the Town Board prior to an August 6 public hearing on a wetlands application, the Planning Board reviewed the proposed location of a dog park in the existsing “classroom” area of the nature preserve.

Ann Kutter, the Board’s liaison to the Conservation Board, reported that the Conservation Board is opposed to the location for a number of reasons, including the impact on the nearby wetlands, the effect on local animal life, including box turtles, and the possibility that the dog park would encourage more off leash use of other parts of the nature preserve.

John Schroeder, speaking as a member of the Yorktown Land Trust and the Advisory Committee on Open Space said that both groups opposed the location saying that a dog park was not what was envisioned when the town acquired the property as a nature preserve. 

Calling attention to the inadequacy of the Town Board’s submission, Mr. Flynn noted that based on the submitted drawing, it was impossible to figure out exactly where the proposed dog park would be located within the preserve and its relationship to the hiking trail.

The Board will send a memo to the Town Board stating that it does not consider Sylvan Glen an appropriate location for a dog park and that the town should look for an alternate site.

Town Board, 6-25-2013

At the request of Councilman Paganelli, the Board voted to advertise an August 6 public hearing on the proposed dog park at Sylvan Glen.

See Miscellaneous, Master Plan above.

(See Granite Knolls Barn, 9-18-2012)

(See Granite Knolls Barn, 9-4-2012 above regarding a new location for the proposed park.)

Councilman Paganelli reported that he met with Linda Cooper, former town supervisor and now in charge of the regional office of the NYS Parks and Historic Preservation Office. They rejected FDR park as a potential site; Councilman Paganelli cited the $8 parking fee.The Town is still working with the state on the Trump Park site. He was optimistic that something would be worked out.

Town Board, 5/15/2012

During Courtesy of the Floor, Jonathan Nettlefield, vice chairman of the Dog Park Committee, asked for a clarification of the status of the Town’s proposed use of Trump Park for the dog park. He said that at a recent meeting with the Recreation Commission, it was said that the Town may only be interested in leasing a small part of the 153 acre park from the state as opposed to the entire park.Supervisor Grace said that the Town was “working on it,” noting that we may be in a better position vis a vis the state now because former Yorktown Supervisor Linda Cooper now works for the state Park’s Department.

Granite Knolls Sports Complex

(Note: As the discussion over the future of Granite Knolls has evolved, the discussions have been organized under different headings on this page, e.g., about the Spectra pipeline or about ballfields.  Beginning with the 11/22/2016 Town Board meeting, all discussions involving the parkland will be under this heading. For earlier referernces, it is suggested that the reader do a keyword search.)

Joe Riina of Site Design Consultants walked the board through what appeared to be a slightly revised concept plan for the sports complex that would include multi purpose fields, a ball field, restored basketball and handball courts, a pickleboard court, an open pavilion and playground, walking trail, bleachers, lights, bathrooms, and a gravel parking lot.  There did not appear to be any discussion about what the complex would cost to construct, or when, how and who would construct it. The board voted to declare its intent to be the lead agency for SEQRA purpose and to refer out the concept plan and the Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) that had been prepared by Bruce Barber, the town’s environmental consultant. Comments are due back December 22nd.

There was also a brief mention of the town signing a formal contract with Site Design Consultants to prepare a more detailed plan. No cost was mentioned and it was not clear if a vote authorizing a contract had taken place.