Town Board
September 8, 2020
CLOSED SESSION
Personnel and litigation
OPEN SESSION
1. Revised Town Hall hours
Beginning next week, town hall hours will be 8am to 4pm. Announcing the change, Supervisor Slater said the new hours would be more convenient for residents. Appointments must be made. (Note: the supervisor did not indicate whether the new hours applied to other town departments located in different buildings.)
2. New York State Executive Order 203 (Police Department issues)
(See Yorktown for Justice summary, Town Board 9/1/2020.) Explaining the the state still has not released proposed new regulations, Supervisor Slater suggested that using the program’s published guidelines, the board might want to start the “listening” phase of the process. After a lengthy discussion during which board members indicated their support for the town’s police department, noting that any discussion be limited to Yorktown, not national issues, Supervisor Slater asked the board to come up with suggestions on how the listening process should be organized. Options include the Town Board holding the sessions (board members are police commissioners) or have a separate resident group.
Mr. Tegeder provided the board with a draft of proposed changes to the zoning ordinance in order to accommodate this use. He explained that the critical issue was the visual impact the facility would have from the street. The board directed Mr. Tegeder to put his proposed changes in “legislative format” so that it could be referred out at the board’s next meeting. In the meantime, pursuing a dual track process, the applicant is expected to appear at the September 14 Planning Board meeting.
4. Planned Design Development Districts
Supervisor Slater advised the board that his office has fielded several calls about the proposed new districts and that the board should proceed to adopt the proposed changes to the zoning code. He did not offer any specifics about the calls. The board advised Mr. Tegeder to put his draft into legislative form so that it can be referred out at the board’s next meeting.
The town’s consulting engineer reported on the results of the Inflow and Infiltration flow study that was done as part of the town’s compliance agreement with the DEC. The study found that two out of 12 possible areas showed high flows and needed further investigation to determine the cause of the flows; the problem could be defects in the pipes that would show up by sending tv cameras through the pipes or the need to clean out the pipes. The DEC has 60 days to review the report and during that time, the engineers will develop a work plan on how to address the problem. As per the agreement with the DEC, the town has 18 months to resolve the problem.
Town Engineer Quinn advised the board that one of the problem areas was in the Hunerbrook area that has been experiencing high flows. He suggested that if the cause of the high flows can be resolved, the town could avoid the need to increase the capacity of the Hunterbrook pump station and that that, in turn, would provide additional sewer capacity for new development in the sewer district.
The consultant’s flow report will be posted on the town’s web site.
6. Getty Station, 3700 Barger Street
(See Town Board, 12/17/2019 and click here for 2017 discussions.) The applicant has submitted revised plans that reflect changes requested last year by the Planning Board and Town Board and follow up meeting with the supervisor and planning director The changes include eliminating the northern most curb cut, repositioning the building and a revised landscape plan.
Based on a records search, the applicant advised the board that the ownership of the abandoned strip of East Main Street is unclear.
The board determined that the revised plan did not have to be referred out and voted to reconvene the public hearing (adjourned last December) for October 6.
7. Highway Department Equipment
The board okayed the department going out to bid for a used street sweeper. Mr. Paganelli advised the board that the town could purchase, as used, the sweeper it has been renting at a cost this year of $36,000, for $140,000, compared to $235,000 for a new sweeper. He said he was comfortable with the used sweeper because he knew its history and hoped that it came in as the low bid.
Looking ahead, Mr. Paganelli advised the board that he may want to refurbish a sewer department vactor truck that the department is no longer using and which is “rotting” on the hill. He anticipated it would cost about $80,000 to refurbish the equipment. He explained that the vactor could be used by the water and sewer departments in addition to highway.
8. Highway garage upgrades
Mr. Paganelli advised the board that he has subitted plans to upgrade the building’s ventilation system with the repurposed $350,000 state grant and that he is working with John DeVito to finalize more detailed plans for changes in the building’s interior repurposing the state’s $375,000 grant. He also referred to a $70,000 grant for “your speed is” signs but the details were not clear.
Mr. Paganelli informed the board that in May he was told by a vender that the five boilers that heat the garage are beyond repair and that if nothing is done to replace them soon, the building will not have any heat in the winter. The heating system is not part of the ventilation system that is being installed with the grant money. Councilman Diana said he would visit the garage to assess the situation to see if the boilers are beyond repair. If new ones are needed, the board advised Mr. Paganelli to decide exactly how he wanted to replace the existing system so that he could prepare bid specs.
Reacting to the discussion that called for spending close to $1 million on the 1950 building, Supervisor Slater talked about the need for an overall assessment of all town buildings. When Mr. Paganelli said that a new garage would cost $10-$15 million, Mr. Slater said that the town needed “true” numbers, adding that the town had no choice now but to proceed with the upgrades to the garage.
The board agreed on the need for a facilities assessment for all town buildings and said it could be included in a 2021 capital plan.
9. Solar and Battery Storage legislation
After a brief discussion, the board agreed that it was comforatable with the last proposed changes to both pieces of legislation and that it was ready to vote on them at an upcoming meeting.
10. Fitness Court at Granite Knolls
The board viewed a presentation from the National Fitness Campaign to inst6all a 40 x 40 square foot fitness workout area at the existing putting green. The cost would be $130,000, plus installation and the Campaign would provide a $30,000 grant. The town would have to come up with the remaining $100,000 and/or find sponsors for the project, possibly by selling advertising on the park’s fences. Parks Superintendent Martorano said he would discuss the availability of Trust and Agency funds for a portion of the town’s sharee with the Recreation Commission. Councilwoman Roker and the supervisor said they liked the idea but were concerned about the money.
11. National Food Truck Association
Although a representative of the Association was unable to participate in the meeting, Supervisor Slater explained the plan based on phone calls he has had with the person. The plan would be for the town to collect a fee for allowing food trucks to park in specified locations. The board appeared to support the idea which would give residents options for quality food. Councilman Roker said the town code would have to be modified to permit the trucks. The town currently allows a food truck in the commuter parking lot next to town hall. The issue will be rescheduled when the Association representative is available.
12. Park Department equipment
In an item not on the agenda, there was a brief discussion about a piece of equipment the department purchased new in 2017 that has had repeated problems. The board discussed, but dismissed the idea of trying to apply the “lemon law” and instead opted to try to work out a trade in with the vendor who has been aware of the multiple problems.
13. Nutrition Center
In an item not on the agenda, the board approved an agreement with the Town of Cortlandt to supply a total of 120 meals for homebound and non homebound residents.
14. Westchester Ballet Center
In an item not on the agenda, the board voted to remove rooms 223 and 228 from the school’s lease at the ACCCC and reduce the rent accordingly.