MINUTES

 

VILLAGE OF PELHAM

BOARD OF TRUSTEES SPECIAL MEETING

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2004, 8:00 PM

VILLAGE HALL – 195 SPARKS AVENUE, PELHAM, NY

AGENDA

 

 

1.                   Call Public Meeting To Order

2.                   Pledge of Allegiance

3.                   Mayor’s Report

4.                   Trustees’ Reports

5.                   Village Administrator’s Report

6.                   Public Comment                                                                                         Approximate

                                                                                                                                          StartingTime

      #       Agenda Items:                                                                                                   of Discussion

 

 

Parking and Traffic

 

 

8:05 p.m.

 

7

 

 

Public Hearing on the application and Resolution authorizing a grant application and acceptance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for $257,408 obtained through Congresswoman Nita Lowey, to fund the Planning and Design of Intermodal Parking Facilities in the Village of Pelham.

 

 

 

8

 

 

Resolution authorizing additional on-street pre-paid parking on Wolfs Lane. 

 

 

 

Housekeeping

 

8:20 p.m.

 

 

9

 

 

Old Business/New Business

 

 

10

 

 

Adjournment

 

 

* Next meeting of the Board of Trustees – Tuesday, July 20, 2004

 

Agenda is subject to change until the night of the meeting.

 


 

MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE

VILLAGE OF PELHAM BOARD OF TRUSTEES

VILLAGE HALL, 195 SPARKS AVENUE, PELHAM, NEW YORK

July 13, 2004

 

Mayor Michael J. Clain called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m., and the pledge of allegiance followed.

 

The following members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) were present:

Mayor Michael J. Clain

Trustee Ciro Greco

Trustee Edward Hotchkiss

Trustee David Merrick

Trustee Peter Potocki

Trustee Mia Homan

Absent – Trustee Michael Rozycki

 

Village staff attending the meeting were:

Village Administrator Richard Slingerland

Village Attorney Robert J. Tracy

 

Item #3.  Mayor’s report

a.                  Culvert collapse on First Street.  The Mayor reported on the situation regarding the punctured storm-water culvert at the Ginsburg Development Corp. site on First Street.  The Mayor explained that during their construction, GDC’s workers had excavated the pipe and caused the storm-line to collapse completely.  Water-pumps worked well enough to manage the flow, and the storm-water culvert was rebuilt to its prior dimensions.  GDC’s engineer certified the repair as temporary, but the Village is going to be seeking a permanent solution.  The Police Department and Fire Department volunteers handed out flyers Tuesday.

            The Mayor explained that there would be an internal meeting of Village officials on Friday to review the situation.  Trustee Greco mentioned that GDC’s engineer originally had stated that the culvert would be okay during construction, but it has turned out not to be okay. 

            The Trustees discussed the matter, including the fact that GDC has neither accepted nor denied responsibility, but that they have made the repair.  MTA has also made it clear they need to be involved in any long-term, permanent solution.

b.                 Downtown Consultant Report.  The Mayor reported that the Downtown Consultant Betsy Rodgers has been busy taking notes about the downtown, and she has categorized retail businesses, and performed an inventory and analysis.  The Mayor noted that surprisingly, specialty retailers are a small percentage of the downtown retail market.  He said he would like to have her work with one-on-one with retailers, and that she was working on the reviews and would be coordinating with Barbara Bartlett and Bruce Withers to make a downtown brochure.

c.                  Retail Committee.  The Mayor announced that he would be appointing a retail committee who would take the assessment from Betsy Rodgers and try to implement her recommendations.  He noted that the Village would like to explore the alternatives and with the help of the Village and the consultant actually effect some real changes.

 


 

Item #4.    Trustees’ reports:

·                  Trustee Greco – Reported on the ongoing negotiations with the Pelham Firefighters.  He also noted that he would be reviewing the building department procedures, including those for site plans and subdivisions, trying to effect some changes and streamline the processes.

·                  Trustee Potocki – Reported on the beginning negotiations with the Pelham Police.  He also mentioned the Village was looking into parking meter keys; looking into adding parking spots by La Gravinese; adding parking spots by the former Grand Union on 5th Avenue by the Sanborn Map Building; and doing a survey of the parking area by Wolfs Lane for the diagonal parking, or interior parking configurations.

·                  Trustee Homan – reported that there would be a bargaining session with the CSEA on Friday, July 16, 2004.

·                  Trustee Hotchkiss – Reported on his attendance and discussion with the ARB and Planning Board, and suggested revisiting Zoning and application guidelines.  He suggested enacting a moratorium on subdivisions, but the Mayor was not sure a moratorium was necessary.

 

Item #5.  Village Administrator’s report:

a.       The Village Administrator reported to the Board the School’s request to allow use of leaf blowers past the leaf season.

b.      Reading of the continuation of the contract with David R. Coldrick, LLP, for financial advisory services shall be continued at the same rates (no objection from the Board to continue using this consultant, finding his services very useful and of value to the Village).

c.       FTA meeting report on the Intermodal grant (formerly Pelham Trolley).

 

Item #6.  Public Comment:

 

Patricia Yak of 3rd Avenue asked why the removal of the pumps by Ginsburg was not publicized.  The Mayor explained that the Police Department and the fire department volunteers had handed out flyers on Tuesday.

 

Joseph Parisi of Manning Circle asked whether the Village would be replacing Lisa Stiefvater, who had resigned.  The Mayor explained that the Village would be replacing her with a full-time person.

 

Maggie Klein of the Pelham Weekly commented that the Village could not advertise events on the cable channel, and David Merrick and the Board advised that the Village would look into the matter.

 

Item #7.  Public Hearing on the application and Resolution authorizing a grant application and acceptance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for $257,408 obtained through Congresswoman Nita Lowey, to fund the Planning and Design of Intermodal Parking Facilities in the Village of Pelham. 

 

Gwen Miller Tapogna of 175 Sparks Avenue spoke about the grant.  She supported the Village’s efforts to obtain funding for planning and design of parking decks, but felt that the site has unsafe and non-conforming conditions.  She mentioned that Tiffany’s, a tenant in the Pico Electric Building, had been operating a night shift of about twenty-five (25) people for the past six months.   She commented that she felt there would be a great benefit Village to close the Sparks Avenue entrance to the Hutchinson River Parkway, and said that in the past a petition had been submitted to request the entrance be closed.  She said that the NYS Department of Transportation had responded that Pelham would have to fund and perform an Environmental Impact Statement to support a request for the closure.

 

Trustee Potocki asked if the Village would have to prove there is little or no use of the entrance.  Mrs. Tapogna complained that cars speed on Sparks Avenue to get to the entrance, and then have a short entry lane onto the parkway.

 

Mrs. Tapogna commented that the Public Works operation is an issue.  She also commented that she and residents of Manning Circle are concerned about the proposal for the Pelham Picture House and the proposal for offices to be consolidated at the Village Hall site.

 

Mayor Clain shared her concerns, and informed her that the Village plans to look at the parking lot and the whole project.  He explained that the Village would be looking at Planning Firms to produce a master-plan for the site and the area, which would include a traffic study.  He said that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) proposal would not take place on its own, but as a part of the larger project, but that the Village had to meet the FTA’s deadline of July 17th to submit all the information and execute the agreement.

 

After discussion and on the motion of Trustee Homan, seconded by Trustee Merrick, the following resolution was adopted unanimously by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham by vote of six in favor, none opposed, as follows:

 

RESOLUTION

 

AUTHORIZING A GRANT APPLICATION AND ACCEPTANCE

FROM THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION (FTA)

FOR $257,408 TO FUND THE PLANNING AND DESIGN OF

INTERMODAL PARKING FACILITIES IN THE VILLAGE OF PELHAM

VIA SECTION 5309 FUNDS

FOR FYs 2004-2005 AND 2005-2006

 

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham acknowledges receipt of notice from Congresswoman Nita Lowey that she has obtained a grant in the amount of $257,408, through the United States FTA, and notice of this grant through the FTA’s New York City Office that the Fiscal Year 2004 Section 5309 Funds are available, requiring a match from the Village of Pelham of between 10% and 20%, depending on reimbursement from the New York State Dept. of Transportation (NYS DOT) of 10% of the total, or half the local share; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Board of Trustees authorizes the submission of an application by the Village of Pelham by the Village Administrator to the FTA, that the Village finds that the work to be performed on the Planning and Design for Intermodal Facilities in the form of parking structures and related improvements on the Village-owned property currently known as “Public Parking Lot 7” behind Village Hall at 195 Sparks Avenue and the Village-owned property currently known as “(New) Public Parking Lot 1” on First Street, Pelham, constitutes work under a “categorical exclusion” from NEPA review, since Planning and Design constitutes no construction at this stage of the project; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Board of Trustees authorizes the acceptance of Federal Funds from the appropriate Federal Agency, and State Funds from the appropriate State Agency, including the FTA and the NYSDOT in the approximate amount of $257,408, with a 10% local match of at least $32,176 by the Village of Pelham, with the Village to apply for an additional 10% from the NYS DOT to cover the remaining 10% of $32,176, for a total estimated project cost of approximately $321, 760 to accomplish the planning and design of parking structures and related improvements; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Village Administrator is authorized to submit the application and sign all the necessary documents and make all the appropriate and necessary assurances; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor, the Village Administrator, the Village’s Engineering Consultants (retained after Request For Proposals), and the Village Attorney are authorized to take the necessary and appropriate actions to effect this grant application, grant acceptance, and completion of the planning and design of this project.

 

Item 8. Resolution authorizing additional on-street pre-paid parking on Wolfs Lane.

 

Trustee Potocki reported that the Village had sold approximately 32 spaces, and that more merchants had expressed interest in the spaces.  Trustee Homan asked if he was concerned that the permits would take up too many spaces; Trustee Potocki did not think so.  John Cassone of 7th Avenue asked if there had been any request from the people in the lots to go back on the streets, and the Village had not received any such requests.  Trustee Hotchkiss was concerned about adequate regulation by the Village, and reported a rumor that some of the permits were being sold to commuters.  Will Cavanaugh of Pelhamdale Avenue reported a rumor that the gas stations on Wolfs Lane are selling spaces in their parking lots to commuters for $900 a year, and putting their customers’ cars on the street.  The Board also discussed complaints about refrigeration trucks parked at the gas stations.  Lastly, the Board asked the administrator to draft a set of rules regarding adding pre-paid parking spaces to pass by the Board.

 

After discussion and on the motion of Trustee Homan, seconded by Trustee Potocki, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham by vote of five in favor, none opposed, one abstention (Trustee Hotchkiss) as follows:

 

RESOLUTION

 

ENACTING ADDITIONAL PRE-PAID PARKING METER SPACES

 

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham hereby enacts additional Pre-Paid Parking Meter Spaces in the Code of the Village as follows:

 

§ 90-56.1  Schedule XVIIA: On-Street Pre-paid Parking Meter Zones as follows:

 

Zone 1:

Name of Street              Side     # of Meters       Hours of Use     Location

 

OLD LANGUAGE

Wolfs Lane                    East      First seven        6 a.m. to 6 p.m. north of Second Street

(7) Meters                    

NEW LANGUAGE

Wolfs Lane                    East      First fifteen        6 a.m. to 6 p.m. north of Second Street

(15) Meters

 

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Village Administrator, the Village Attorney and the Village Clerk are authorized to take the necessary and appropriate actions to effect this change, including filing it with the Village’s Code Publisher; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Village Administrator and the Mayor may make such changes to the list of Pre-Paid Parking Meter spaces as they may determine from time to time; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that promptly upon enacting any change to the list of Pre-Paid Parking Meter Spaces, the Village Administrator shall distribute to all Board Members an updated list of such spaces to be ratified at the next subsequent Board of Trustees meeting; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a complete list of Pre-Paid Parking Meter Spaces will be maintained at Village Hall and will be made available to any member of the public upon request; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all Pre-Paid Parking Meter Spaces be marked clearly as such.

 

Item #9.  Old Business/New Business:

 

Joseph Parisi asked about a rumor he had heard about the City of Mount Vernon being in discussions with a developer to build a 25-story residential building on Sandford Boulevard, by the new Stop & Shop off of Union Avenue.  Neither the Board nor the Administrator had heard of any news, and the Village had not received any zoning or planning notices from the City.

 

Item #10.  Adjournment:

 

On the motion of Trustee Greco, seconded by Trustee Potocki, the Board voted five to none, one abstention (Trustee Homan), to adjourn the meeting at 9:21 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Richard Slingerland, Administrator/Deputy Clerk