Dear neighbor, Here is the 495th installment of Decoding Village Agendas to keep Croton residents informed of the actions of the Village Board at their meetings.  I continue to add recipients to this email update on agendas so you may be receiving it for the first time. I enjoy getting your feedback and hope to continue to hear from you.  If you do not wish to receive these periodic email updates from me, please reply to this email and your name will be removed from the email list.

Ann Gallelli

 

 

 

Decoding Village Agendas – June 1, 2020

Regular Meeting of the Village Board

6:00 pm

(Zoom )

 

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PUBLIC HEARINGS:

1. Public Hearing to consider a special permit for Verizon Wireless for the co-location of a personal wireless services facility located at 26 Veterans Plaza. This is a renewal application for an existing wireless facility at the train station.  It was initially approved in 2010 and renewed in 2015.

 

1. Public Hearing on Local Law Introductory 4 of 2020 to amend Chapter 191 of the Village Code, Sewers, to reflect the sending of sewer bills via email.  If approved, this resolution would permit the sending of sewer bills via email.

 

1. Public Hearing on Local Law Introductory 5 of 2020 to amend Chapter 172 of the Village Code, Commercial Soliciting, to allow vendors the use of public streets on a license basis. The proposed amendment to the Village Code on Commercial Soliciting would allow licensing vendors to use public streets. It would allow the Village to issue a permit for a fixed location with days and times specified.

 

CORRESPONDENCE:

1. Memo from Daniel O’Connor, Village Engineer, requesting an extension of a building
2. permit for 370 South Riverside Avenue.  This is a request for 6 month extension to allow completion of ongoing work.
3. Email from Claudia & Raul Castro of 152 Old Post Road South regarding a neighborhood petition to limit parking on Old Post Road South.  The Castro’s would like parking restrictions on Old Post Road South similar to those recently imposed on Truesdale, Nordica and Cedar.  They include a petition with several neighborhood signatures.
4. Letter from Steven Jennings, President of the Croton Sailing School, regarding payments owed for lease of property.  The Sailing school operation which includes teaching sailing, offering charters, and operating a youth camp has been run by Mr. Jennings for 34 years.  Since last year’s operations were curtailed due to the Covid-19 virus resulting in a reduction of use in the facilities, he is asking for a prorated reduction in lease fees of $3517.68.  In regards to a renewed lease for 202 season, he would like it reduced on a prorated basis depending on when operations can resume.
5. Memo from the Village Manager regarding the value of the Croton Police Department.  The Village Manager has reviewed the existing contracts for Police coverage for the Town of Cortlandt, Mount Kisco, and between the Town/Village of Ossining.  Manager King demonstrated that from a financial perspective, the Village pays less for more coverage by having its own Police department.  Included in this review are the costs of facilities, Overtime (not included in other contracts), numbers of officers and overall hours/days of coverage.  Additionally, the report points out that many aspects of local policing are at the direction of the Village which would not be possible if coverage was part of a contract with an outside agency..

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS:

1. Consider authorizing the Village Manager to execute Change Order 4 with Hendrickson Fire Rescue Equipment of Islandia, New York, for changes made to the design of the 2018 Triple Combination Pumper, in the change amount of $13.60.   This change order would result in the additional charge of 13.60 for the item in question.  This is the 4^th change order so far in the design and building of this pumper with the over result being $11,000+ price reduction.
2. Consider authorizing the Village Manager to accept a proposal from Danzinger & Markhoff LLP of White Plains, New York, for actuarial services in relation to GASB 75 for the reporting of post-employment retiree benefits in the amount of $4,305.  This will ensure compliance with the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) with regards to these specified benefits.
3. Consider declaring Village property located on Hollis Lane to be surplus and authorizing the Village Manager to execute a contract of sale for this property with Bojan Petak in the amount of $100,000.  This property, outside the Village boundaries in the Town of Cortandt, is undeveloped and serves no us purpose for the Village.  Declaring it surplus allows the village to sell it.  There were multiple offers made on it.  The sale price is $100,000.

1. Consider adoption of the Village’s Street Vendor License Policy and adoption of a license fee.  This would allow merchants to set up booths and tables in certain areas of the Village at certain times subject to obtaining a license and paying a fee.
2. Consider adoption of the 2020-2021 Bond Resolutions for the purpose of funding the capital budget.  Eight bond resolutions will be considered for a total of $2,558,811 including $350,0000 for Water fund improvements.  These projects were approved by the Board in May when they approved the Capital Budget.
3. Consider authorizing the Mayor to execute the Sponsor Authorization Form for the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department Length of Service Award Program for 2019.  This is the final step in an annual process whereby members of the Fire Department are certified to have met requirements for the Service Award credit for 2019.

ReplyReply allForward

Dear neighbor, Here is the 494th installment of Decoding Village Agendas to keep Croton residents informed of the actions of the Village Board at their meetings.  I continue to add recipients to this email update on agendas so you may be receiving it for the first time. I enjoy getting your feedback and hope to continue to hear from you.  If you do not wish to receive these periodic email updates from me, please reply to this email and your name will be removed from the email list.

Ann Gallelli

Decoding Village Agendas – May 18, 2020

Regular Meeting of the Village Board

6:00 pm

(Zoom )

 

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PUBLIC HEARINGS:

1. Public Hearing to consider issuing a special permit for 1 Niles Road for a change of use from a non-conforming use to another non-conforming use.  The applicant is seeking to use the site as a storage place for personal vehicles.  The Planning Board has reviewed the proposal and issued a positive recommendation with several conditions.
2. Public Hearing to consider issuing a special permit for 34 Brook Street for a change of use from office to multi-family.   The applicant is seeking to change from its current use as an electrical contracting business to adding two apartments in its place. It is a change from one non-conforming use to another.  The Planning Board reviewed the application and has provided a favorable recommendation.
3. Public Hearing to consider issuing a special permit for 85-87 Grand Street for a change of use from office to multi-family.  The property has been used as a professional office.  The proposed new use would be to add two apartments, making it a multi-family use.  It is a change from one non-conforming use to another.  The Planning Board has made a favorable recommendation.

 

 

CORRESPONDENCE:

1. Email from John Munson, Fire Council Secretary, regarding membership changes in the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department.   Mr.  Munson apprises the Village Board of some membership status changes in the Fire Department.
2. Review of Village Board resolution dated May 3, 1993, regarding special permits issued for outdoor dining and/or displays.  As part of an upcoming discussion of permits for businesses to have on-sidewalk activities, the 1993 resolution is provided for discussion purposes.  It created a permanent special permit for sidewalk displays and sidewalk dining with certain conditions.
3. Letter from Assemblywoman Sandra Galef to the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation requesting the temporary closure of the Croton River Gorge Unique Area.  Assemblywoman Galef’s letter to the DEC is in response to a letter sent to her from Mayor Pugh, Supervisor Puglisi and Supervisor Levenburg, asking for Ms. Galef’s support in closing the Croton Gorge Unique area for the summer.  Last summer the Unique area was the source of a great deal of use and caused substantial  disturbance in the River area.
4. Email from Raul and Claudia Castro of 152 Old Post Road South regarding the Village’s summer weekends parking regulations near the Croton River.  The Castro’s are asking that Old Post Road South in the area close to Truesdale and Nordica be included in the list of streets with parking restrictions during the summer months.

 

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS:

1. Consider authorizing the Village Manager to execute Change Order 3 with Hendrickson Fire Rescue Equipment of Islandia, New York, for changes made to the design of the 2018 Triple Combination Pumper, in the credit amount of $4,826.13.   The pumper was ordered by the Village in 2019 and is being custom fitted.  This change order results in a credit to the Village of $4,826.13.  It is one of several credits that have been issued in the  project for an overall credit in excess of $11,000.

 

NOTE:  The following three resolutions are for sub-contracts to complete the design and drawings for the proposed Police Department renovation.  Although the renovation itself has been postponed, the contract for the complete design was previously fully funded.  This work is necessary to complete that work.

1. Consider authorizing the Village Manager to accept a proposal from Barile Gallagher Associates of Pleasantville, New York, for schematic design, design development and construction documents in regards to engineering services for technology infrastructure and security power installation for the police department renovation project in the amount of $20,150.  
2. Consider authorizing the Village Manager to accept a proposal from RPL Architects of Toronto, Canada, for their contributions during the design development and construction documents phase in regards to architectural services in police specialty areas for the police department renovation project in the amount of $23,000.
3. Consider authorizing the Village Manager to accept a proposal from Adelaide Environmental Health Associates of Brewster, New York, for asbestos abatement project design for the police department renovation project in the amount of $4,950.

 

1. Consider scheduling a public hearing for June 1, 2020, at 6 PM via Zoom Videoconference to issue a special permit for Verizon Wireless for the co-location of a personal wireless services facility located at 26 Veterans Plaza.  This is a renewal application for an existing wireless facility at the train station.  It was initially approved in 2010 and renewed in 2015.
2. Consider adoption of a resolution recognizing various days/months in celebration of Croton-on-Hudson’s diversity and inclusion.  The Diversity and Inclusion Committee is recommending the following dates be commemorated:

February: African-American History Month

March: National Women’s History Month, Irish-American Heritage Month

and National Deaf History Month (March 13 to April 15)

April: Diversity in Action Month

May: Asian Pacific-American Heritage Month, Older Americans Month   and

Jewish-American Heritage Month

June: Gay & Lesbian Pride Month and Juneteenth (June 19)

September: National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month (September 15 to

October 15)

October: National Disability Employment Awareness Month and National

Italian-American Heritage Month

November: National American Indian Heritage Month

December: International Migrants Day (December 18)

 

1. Consider scheduling a public hearing on Local Law Introductory 4 of 2020 to amend Chapter 191 of the Village Code, Sewers, to reflect the sending of sewer bills via email for June 1, 2020, at 6 PM via Zoom Videoconference.   If approved, this resolution would permit the sending of sewer bills via email.
2. Consider authorizing the Village Manager to execute a contract extension (under the authority of GML Section 103(4)) with NSI Worldwide of Middletown, New York, for the period of June 1, 2020, through November 30, 2020, at a cost of $3,276.00 per month.   This calls for an emergency extension of the current cleaning contract through November 2020.
3. Consider scheduling a public hearing on Local Law Introductory 5 of 2020 to amend Chapter 172 of the Village Code, Commercial Soliciting, to allow vendors the use of public streets on a license basis for June 1, 2020, at 6 PM via Zoom Videoconference.  The proposed amendment to the Village Code on Commercial Soliciting would allow licensing vendors to use public streets.

On May 12th Manager King issued an amendment to the April 8, 2020 Emergency Order banning the use of leaf blowers within the Village boundaries. The ban no longer applies to weekends. Leaf blower use is permitted again on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m., and on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m.

It is important to remember that the Emergency Order was always meant to be temporary. It was issued in response to residents’ complaints. The goal was to mitigate leaf blowers’ noise and air quality impacts, at a time when so many residents are home

almost 24/7 due to NY’s “Pause”.

Even before issuing the Order, the Board and the Village Manager planned to re-evaluate the ban during and after the Pause. Following discussion of the issue at the Board of Trustees Work Session held last Monday night, Ms. King amended the ban to balance quality of life issues with owners’ desires to properly maintain their property.

The temporary Emergency Order initiated a larger community conversation about leaf blowers. The Board and the Village Manager agree that any permanent policy changes concerning this subject must be enacted through the normal process of adopting a local law. Croton has regulated leaf blower usage under its Code chapter restricting excessive, unnecessary and unusually loud noises. (https://ecode360.com/9143210). As has been pointed out in The Gazette across the past few weeks, it is a trend in local government regulation to reconsider such laws. Communities are analyzing many relevant issues, including whether gas-powered leaf blowers should be banned altogether or phased out in favor of electric leaf blowers, and whether the use of leaf blowers should be limited to certain hours of the day and/or months of the year.

The Village government’s Conservation Advisory Committee, chaired by Ms. Janet Monahan, is now being asked by the Board to take a fresh look at both the letter and intent of the relevant Code language and provide recommendations. As part of this review process, the Board and the CAC welcome comments from the public to ensure diverse perspectives are considered. Kindly send your comments to boardoftrustees@crotononhudson-ny.gov, or call (914) 271-4848.

John Habib, Trustee

Dear neighbor, Here is the 493rd installment of Decoding Village Agendas to keep Croton residents informed of the actions of the Village Board at their meetings.  I continue to add recipients to this email update on agendas so you may be receiving it for the first time. I enjoy getting your feedback and hope to continue to hear from you.  If you do not wish to receive these periodic email updates from me, please reply to this email and your name will be removed from the email list.

Ann Gallelli

Decoding Village Agendas –   May 11, 2020

Work Session of the Village Board

6:00 p.m.

 

NOTE:  Please note that the meeting will start at 6 p.m.

The meeting will be conducted via Zoom (see information below) and will also be available on the Village Facebook page.

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Webinar ID: 880 7115 7362

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1. Further discussion on the right-of-way easement request from the owner of 41 Harrison Street.  This has been a long-running discussion between property owners and the Village about allowing the Village’s existing ROW over this property to be used for access to an newly created 2-car parking area.

 

2. Review of Village Code Chapter 172, Commercial Solicitation, and discussion on authorizing permits for street vendors.  The Board has received a memo from Village Counsel suggesting that the issue is one of public use of public streets and the Village’s ability to regulate such.  The memo suggests that if the Board wants to provide such permits it include limitations to specific areas, specific streets, and limits on times as well as on the number of such permits allowed in a given area to maintain availability of parking in the area..

 

3. Discussion on adopting no parking regulations for Truesdale Drive and Nordica Drive on summer weekends.  The Board will revisit its previous discussions on setting parking restrictions on certain streets that are vulnerable to a high influx of cars during summer months and proximity to the Croton River.  The Village has sought support from NYS Assembly person Galef and State Senator Peter Harckham on this matter as closing of public streets to resident-only parking must be approved by the State.

 

4. Discussion on the rental potential of the Gouveia House.   A report from the Village’s Assistant Engineer indicates that the building is in general compliance with those for a single-family residence.  The primary action needed if it were to rented as a residence, would be attention to safety railings or other measures for safety on the building’s surrounding decks.   The Board will discuss whether they  want to pursue rental as either a short-term or long-term use.

 

5. Review of the Village’s executive order on the use of leaf blowers during the state of emergency.  The decision to ban the use of  all leaf blowers , made by Executive Order in April, will be reviewed by the Board.  Prior to the ban, they were restricted to certain hours based on the Village’s noise ordinance.

Dear Neighbors,

At our May 4 meeting of the Board, Norma Drummond, Director of Planning for Westchester County, made a live presentation on the Westchester County Housing Needs Assessment Report published at the end of last year.  While the report includes the research, data, analyses, and recommendations for all municipalities, Ms. Drummond’s presentation was focused on the data for the Village of Croton.

The presentation is available to be seen from the Village’s website as well as on the Village’s Facebook page.  I highly recommend that residents take a look at it as it provides some very interesting information.  

The study covers the period from 2000 to 2017.  Interestingly, the study shows that while some 206,736 people commute out of Westchester to work, almost the same, 199,328, commute into Westchester for jobs because housing in the County is lacking and/or unaffordable.  

 With regard to Croton-on-Hudson, some 72% of housing in the Village is ownership and 28% is rental.  

While there are many interesting data presented regarding the Village, the report concludes that there is a big need for housing that is affordable, with the greatest need being for rental units.  The median renter income in the Village was $52,439.   Allocating 30% of income for housing costs makes $1,310  available monthly for a rental costs, falling well short of the average rental of $1,687 for a 2BR. The report indicates that there were 545 “Severely Cost-burdened” households in the Village, meaning they spend more than 50% of income on housing needs.  345 were owners and 200 renters.  

The current pandemic we are experiencing is undoubtedly going to have an impact on all these numbers, almost certainly in a negative way. There is much more of interest and local relevance in this report.  We all need to keep the findings of this report in mind while we make decisions and navigate our way through the current situation. 

 

Ann Gallelli, Deputy Mayor

Dear neighbor, Here is the 492nd installment of Decoding Village Agendas to keep Croton residents informed of the actions of the Village Board at their meetings. I continue to add recipients to this email update on agendas so you may be receiving it for the first time. I enjoy getting your feedback and hope to continue to hear from you. If you do not wish to receive these periodic email updates from me, please reply to this email and your name will be removed from the email list.

Ann Gallelli

Decoding Village Agendas – May 4, 2020

Regular Meeting of the Village Board

6:00 pm

(Zoom )

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PRESENTATIONS/OTHER:

Presentation by Norma Drummond, Westchester County Planning Commissioner, on the Westchester County Housing Needs Assessment Study.

CORRESPONDENCE:

Email from Lindsay Audin, chair of the Sustainability Committee, regarding Ecogy’s request to conduct interconnection studies for Croton Landing and Senasqua Park. In order for the studies to occur on these Village-owned properties, the Board needs to sign the Con Edison permission form.
b. Letter from the New York State Congressional Delegation to leaders of Congress regarding direct distribution of federal funding to local government. The letter from a bipartisan group of NYS Congressional representatives, Senators and Congressmen, asks for support of their work to get federal funding for local governments to offset the loss of revenues due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS:

The following three resolutions are simply setting a public hearing for the respective applications. All were reviewed by the Planning Board at its meeting on April 28.

Consider scheduling a public hearing for May 18, 2020, at 6 PM via Zoom Videoconference to issue a special permit for 1 Niles Road for a change of use from a non-conforming use to another non-conforming use.
Consider scheduling a public hearing for May 18, 2020, at 6 PM via Zoom Videoconference to issue a special permit for 34 Brook Street for a change of use from office to residential.
Consider scheduling a public hearing for May 18, 2020, at 6 PM via Zoom Videoconference to issue a special permit for 85-87 Grand Street for a change of use from office to residential.