Yorktown Town Board
June 5, 2018
1. Fluoridation
(Note: Due to a software problem, previous discussions may not be accessible at click here. We reget the inconconvenience.)
Town Engineer Michael Quinn announced that the town has received a state grant of $901,000 that will cover the full cost for the design and construction of a fluoridation system at the Catskill facility of the Northern Westchester Joint Water Works. The town will have up to 18 months to complete the project. The next step will be issuing an RFP to design the project with advertising for bids in early 2019 and construction to begin in April, 2019. While the facility will be operated and maintained by the NWJWW, it will only serve the Yorktown distribution system. Supervisor Gilbert noted that by a local law Yorktown is required to fluoridate its water.
2. Courtesy of the Floor
YCCC: Gil Kaufmann, speaking on behalf of the Senior Citizen Committee, asked about the status of the security cameras in the building. In response, a town employee advised the board that the cameras have been ordered.
Sewers/Breslin Realty: Ann Kutter, speaking on behalf of 9 property owners on Old Cromprond Road, between the Lowe’s site and Best Plumbing, asked the board for its assistance in a dispute they are having with Breslin Realty over the construction of a sewer line along Old Crompond Road. According to documents she presented to the board, as part of the approvals for Costco, Breslin agreed to construct sewer lines from the street to their septic systems. The company is now proposing to negotiate a different agreement with the property owners.
Tennis courts: Larry Killian asked the board what was being done to address what he called an emergency situation with the town’s tennis courts. He asked that the town give priority to the lower Downing courts because they have lights. Later in the evening, the board approved a resolution to advertise for bids to resurface and reconstruct the town’s courts. During the second Courtesy, after Mr. Killian and Susan Siegel, the person writing this summary, asked for more specifics about the bid, including what courts were included in the bid and where the money to pay for the work would come from, Town Clerk Diana Quast, who is also the chairman of the Recreation Commission, responded that the bid would include all the town’s tennis courts but that the Commission had no idea what the cost would be until it received the bids. She said the work could be funded by the Trust and Agency and that the town would seek grants.
Depot Square: Dan Strauss expressed his displeasure that Councilman Lachterman made a presentation in support of Depot Square at a meeting of the Senior Advisory Committee. After he spoke out against the project, Tony Grasso spoke in favor of the project and asked the board to “stop spinning its wheels” and vote to either proceed with or cancel the project.
3. Sober home, 482 Underhill Avenue
Town Attorney Richard Abbate explained that he was recommending that the board vote to settle the lawsuit filed by the new owners of the sober home after the previous Town Board revoked the facility’s 2015 special permit. Under the terms of the settlement, the new owners agreed to drop a federal lawsuit charging the town with violating the Fair Housing Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act and asking for what could potentially result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in monetary and punitive damages. The settlement also covers the second lawsuit involving the revocation of the special permit. Under the terms of the settlement, the facility will be allowed to operate as a family without any restrictions or conditions, other than those that already apply to single family residences.
During the Courtesy of the Floor portion of the meeting, and before Mr. Abbate’s comments, Susan Siegel, the person writing this summary, urged the board to be proactive and revise the Zoning Code to add a new definition of the word “family” and add a new special permit section that would cover sober homes. She gave the board copies of a NYS Department of State legal memorandum that offered suggestions for redefining the term “family.”
During the second Courtesy, after Ms. Siegel raised the issue of a new definition of family again, some board members acknowledged that what constituted a family today has changed over time but they thought it would be difficult to arrive at a satisfactory definition. Supervisor Gilbert added that the board supported future state legislation that would regulate sober homes.
4. Mohegan Lake Improvement District/Wetlands Permit public hearing
Ken Belfer, head of MLID, gave a brief overview of the group’s activities and its efforts to eradicate the algae bloom that has resulted in the closure of the lake in past seasons. Once the permit is issued, the group will be introducing DEC approved chemicals into the lake on a prescribed schedule in the hope of stopping the algae blooms. The board voted for the permit.
5. Con Edison Wetlands Permit for work on Gomer Street
(See Town Board, 4-17-2018.) Comments from several homeowners and the owner of the Corner Deli at the corner of Gomer Street and Granite Springs Road focused on the lack of communication between Con Ed and the affected property owners. Contrary to what Con Ed representatives said they were going to do to keep residents informed, including letters to affected property owners and providing the town with updated status information that would be uploaded to the town’s web site, it appeared that these measures have not been implemented. The Con Ed representative said he would be in touch with town staff to rectify the problem and the board expressed interest in holding an informational meeting at a future date. There were no comments about the wetland issue and the board approved the permit.
Councilman Lachterman said that there have been no problems in his neighborhood, off Hanover Street, where Con Ed is replacing some old gas mains in a less controversial project.
6. Granite Knolls Sports Complex
Without any discussion, the board passed the following resolutions:
n Advertise for bids for the installation of the pavilion and adaptive dugouts
n Waive building permit fees
n Hire Site Design Consultants, at a cost of $1,500 to draft a sewer easement site plan through the Shrub Oak International School property
7. Miscellaneous resolutions
Highway Department: Extended a variety of bids involving street pavement markings, maintenance of equipment and paving.
JV Mall. Approved, but put on hold, a resolution to hire an outside firm, at a cost not to exceed $15,000, to review the site plan for the new Seritage building that will occupy the first floor of the current Sears building. The board wants more information from the building inspector as to why he was making the request.
Police: Authorized the payment of an annual stipend of $3,832.50 to the officer who cares for the police dog during his off duty time and payment of tuition, at a cost of $1,077.49 to another officer.
Teatown: Supported a grant application from Teatown Lake Reservation for an Environmental Protection Fund grant.
Parkland alienation: approved the resolution requesting the state legislature to approve the alienation for the cemetery plot on Illington Road.