[00:00:01]
HASTINGS ON HUDSON BOARD OF TRUSTEES CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING AND, UH, CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND REGULAR MEETING FOR TUESDAY, APRIL THE 15TH, 2025.PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
[IV. CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING ON COMPREHESIVE PLAN ]
UH, CONTINUE WITH THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE? GOOD EVENING, DAVID SKOLNIK, 47 HILLSIDE.
UM, I WOULD USUALLY BE THE, UH, I WOULD HOLD OFF UNTIL EVERYONE ELSE HAS SPOKEN BECAUSE, UH, THAT'S HOW CONFIDENT I AM.
BUT THIS TIME AROUND, I ACTUALLY HAVE OFFERED TO GO FIRST BECAUSE I HAVE A REQUEST.
UH, GIVEN THE NATURE OF THIS PUBLIC HEARING, GIVEN THE NATURE OF WHAT IT'S ABOUT AND HOW, UH, LARGE A TOPIC IT IS, UH, AND GIVEN IN SOME RESPECT HOW FEW PEOPLE THERE ARE HERE WHO ARE ACTUALLY SPEAKING TO IT, I WOULD REQUEST THAT, UM, THE THREE MINUTE, UH, BE SUSPENDED OR AT LEAST, UM, EXTENDED.
UM, I'M, I'M REQUESTING THAT BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GET GOING, BECAUSE, UM, IT WOULD SEEM, PLEASE, WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND, UH, SO YOU JUST GO AHEAD PLEASE.
'CAUSE WE'VE ACTUALLY GOT LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO WANNA YOU DO ON OTHER ISSUES.
WELL, OKAY, THEN I'LL CONTINUE ALONG THE SAME LINES, BECAUSE BASICALLY, SO WHY DON'T, DON'T WE START YOUR, WE'LL START FROM WHEN, IF YOU, WE'LL START FROM WHEN YOU ARE READY TO LAUNCH.
UM, I AM GIVEN THAT HOW MUCH THERE ACTUALLY IS FOR, UM, IT CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IN MORE DETAIL THAN WE HAVE HAD TIME FOR.
UH, I'M NOT GONNA TRY, I'M GOING TO ADDRESS THE OVERVIEW OF HOW FLAWED THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN AND FROM ALMOST ANY WAY, UH, YOU LOOK AT IT, WHETHER IT'S THE ACTUAL, THE PERSONNEL WHO HAVE MADE, WHO IS SUPPOSEDLY ON THE COMMITTEE, WHO'S WRITTEN THE DOCUMENT, THE ASPECTS OF THE DOCUMENT THAT ARE VERY, UH, CHALLENGED AND OF, OF GREAT CONCERN.
AND THE IDEA COULD SPECIFICALLY, FOR EXAMPLE, ZONING, WHICH I, I'M HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY SOMEONE ELSE WILL TALK TO WITH A LITTLE MORE CLARITY.
BUT THE NATURE OF THIS PROCESS, THIS TIME AROUND COMPARED TO WHAT WAS DONE PREVIOUSLY IS, IS ALMOST UNRECOGNIZABLE AND IT DOESN'T INSTILL, UH, CONFIDENCE.
UH, THE MAIN CONCERN, IF I HAD TO GO TO IT, IS THAT GIVEN THE WORDING, UH, SPECIFICALLY WHEN YOU GET INTO THE HOUSING PART, BECAUSE A LOT OF IT, A LOT OF IT SIMPLY, IT'S, IT'S VERY NICE TO PLACE PLACEMAKING.
BUT THERE ARE ASPECTS OF THIS DOCUMENT THAT WILL COMMIT THIS VILLAGE IN WAYS THAT MOST PEOPLE HAVEN'T A CLUE.
AND I THINK BEFORE YOU, THE BOARD WHO ARE GOING TO BE HERE AFTER, UH, WE HAVE A NEW MAYOR, NEED TO ADDRESS THE REAL, UH, THE REAL CONCERNS, BOTH ECONOMIC AND WHAT IT DOES IN TERMS OF, UM, STRUCTURE.
UH, YOU ON THE COMMITTEE, 1, 2, 3, 4 OF YOU WERE ON THE COMMITTEE.
THREE OF THE BOARD WERE ON THE COMMITTEE.
WELL, YES, THREE OF THE BOARD, BUT I'M INCLUDING, UM, THE VILLAGE MANAGER.
UH, IT'S NOT, IT'S LESS A QUESTION OF WHO'S VOTING THAN THE IDEA OF THE PRESENCE ON THAT BOARD.
SO IN TERMS OF THE FACT THAT AS THE, AS THE, AS ATTORNEY HAS POINTED OUT, THIS DOCUMENT IS NO LONGER, UH, THE PROVENANCE OF THE COMMITTEE, IT'S NOW YOUR DOCUMENT EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT FOUR OF THE PEOPLE ON HERE WERE INVOLVED IN FASHIONING THAT DOCUMENT.
BUT I DARE SAY I, I WOULD BE CHALLENGED TO SAY HOW MANY OF THEM ACTUALLY WROTE THE DOCUMENT.
AND THAT'S BEEN A CONCERN TOO, BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, I WATCHED BASICALLY THE ENTIRE PROCESS.
AND IT'S, TO MY UNDERSTANDING FOR THE BEST I CAN SEE,
[00:05:01]
THIS DOCUMENT CAME FROM VERY SKILLFULLY, CAME FROM THE CONSULTANT, UM, WITH INPUT FOR SURE FROM THE COMMITTEE.BUT THIS WAS FASHIONED, UH, FROM THE CONSULTANT.
THE, UH, YOU NEED TO, THOSE OF YOU'RE GONNA BE HERE REALLY NEED, I KNOW WHAT I FORGOT THE DEADLINE.
MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE WILL PICK UP.
I ASKED TWO YEARS AGO WHY THIS DEADLINE AND I DON'T THINK I EVER GOT A REAL ANSWER OTHER THAN THAT.
BUT THAT WAS THE LENGTH OF THE, THE, UM, CONTRACT WITH THE CONSULTANT.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU ACTUALLY POST, POSTPONE THE DECISION ON THIS.
THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY.
WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE? NICE JOB.
I'M ALSO GOING ASK THE BOARD JIM METZKER 4 27 WALL BURTON AVENUE.
I'M GONNA ASK THE BOARD'S INDULGENCE ON ALLOWING ME A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA TIME, UM, WHICH I WILL ELUCIDATE WHY I BELIEVE THIS A PROBLEM.
UM, AT THE FIRST MEETING OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THEY WERE VERY NICE AND THEY, THEY ALLOWED ME TO SPEAK ON THE PROCESS THAT WE HAD FOR THE ORIGINAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WHICH MOST OF YOU KNOW, I WAS PART OF THAT COMMITTEE.
AND WE VERY SERIOUSLY DECIDED NOT TO ALLOW ANY MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATION ON THAT COMMITTEE TO EITHER SIT IN, WEIGH IN, BE PART OF THE PROCESS.
'CAUSE THE COMMITTEE SHOULD HAVE BEEN INDEPENDENT.
AND CLEARLY THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS COMMITTEE.
AND NOW THREE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE VOTING ON WHETHER TO ADOPT THIS OR NOT, THE THREE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE ON THE COMMITTEE.
AND I THINK THERE'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST THERE.
THE SECOND ISSUE IS THIS IS NOW A MASTERCLASS ON HOW NOT TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY ON SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE.
TO HOLD A MEETING DURING A WEEK WHEN THE SCHOOL IS OUT IS, IS JUST CRAZY.
WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
YOU NEVER HOLD A MEETING WHEN SCHOOL IS OUT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NOT GONNA BE ENGAGED.
THEY'RE GONNA BE OUT WITH THEIR KIDS TO HOLD.
THIS MEETING IS A PUBLIC COMMON SESSION DURING ANOTHER MEETING, DOES NOT GIVE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THE DUE DILIGENCE AND THE OVERSIGHT THAT IT DESERVES.
WE HAD MANY PUBLIC MEETINGS THAT WENT FOR HOURS, INCLUDING PRESENTATIONS BY OUR CONSULTANTS.
UM, WE HAD MANY BREAKOUT MEETINGS.
I KNOW THERE WERE A FEW PUBLIC MEETINGS, BUT TO PRESENT THE FINAL PLAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MEETING AT THE, AT THE, UH, COMMUNITY CENTER.
AND THE LACK OF OF NOTICE ABOUT THIS MEETING IS ASTOUNDING TO ME TO HAVE NO ONE FROM THE COMMITTEE PRESENT ON THIS PLAN EXCEPT MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MEANS WE'RE TALKING INTO A VACUUM HERE.
THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE ARE SAYING UNLESS THEY HAPPEN TO WATCH THIS MEETING.
AND I THINK THAT'S A REAL PROBLEM THAT MEMBERS OF THE BOARD ARE NOT HERE.
AND IT'S BEEN THE, MY EXPERIENCE HERE TALKING IN FRONT OF YOU IS THAT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU EVER ENGAGE IN A DIALOGUE.
SO ANYTHING WE SAY IS JUST GONNA GO OUT INTO THE ETHER.
IT'LL BE RECORDED ON A VIDEO SOMEWHERE, AND WE ARE UNLIKELY TO GET ANY FEEDBACK ON THAT.
WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO START MY COMMENTS ON THE PLAN ITSELF.
AND I DID READ ALL 184 PAGES OF IT.
THIS IS NOT REALLY A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
YOU'RE TAKING ONE IDEOLOGY OF SMART GROWTH AND USING IT TO ADVOCATE FOR HIGH DENSITY HOUSING WITH NO THOUGHT TO HOW THIS WOULD BE PAID FOR INITIALLY OR LONG TERM.
AND THERE IS ALMOST NO TALK OF COMMERCIAL.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE DOCUMENT, ONLY LIKE EIGHT TENTHS OF A PERCENT OR IS IS OF THIS VILLAGE IS COMMERCIAL.
THAT IS HOW WE ARE GONNA PAY FOR ANYTHING THAT WE WANT TO DO.
AND THIS PLAN DOES NOT ADDRESS THAT.
THIS SEEMS TO BE NO DISCUSSION ON THE CONFLICT OF, OF, UH, THE GREATER DENSITY DEVELOPMENT AND DEALING WITH THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
THOSE TWO THINGS HAVE TO BE LOOKED AT.
AND YET THERE ADDRESSES TWO SEPARATE PROBLEMS IN THE PLAN.
MAKING THINGS EASIER FOR DEVELOPERS IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA.
THEY HAVE NO INTEREST IN THIS VILLAGE EXCEPT FOR THEIR BOTTOM LINE.
AND TO TRY AND ELIMINATE ZONING REGULATIONS TO GIVE THEM FINANCIAL INCENTIVES WITHOUT ALLOWING THIS VILLAGE TO DO THEIR DUE DILIGENCE THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO OVER THE YEARS IS A HUGE MISTAKE.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS PLAN IS ADVOCATING FOR.
ASSUMING THAT WE WOULD EVER REACH A DENSITY HIGH ENOUGH TO FORCE AFFORDABILITY THROUGH EXCESS HOUSING STOCK IN THE RIVER TOWNS, IT'S RIDICULOUS ON ITS FACE.
WE WILL NEVER ACHIEVE THAT DENSITY.
ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN NEW THAT'S BEEN BUILT IN THIS VILLAGE.
THE ONLY THING THAT AFFORDS THAT PROVIDES AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS ZONING REGULATIONS WITH ZONING, WITH SET ASIDES FOR AFFORDABLE OR SOME SORT OF FINANCIAL INCENTIVES.
SO THIS CONCEPT OF, OF WE BUILD ENOUGH HOUSING, SOME OF IT WILL BE GOING EMPTY AND THEY'LL GIVE IT TO US AT A REDUCED RATE IS A RIDICULOUS CONCEPT.
[00:10:01]
THE REZONING AREAS OF THE VILLAGE HAD BETTER INCLUDE CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT.OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ON WALL BURTON AVENUE IS REZONED.
AND DESPITE THE BUNCH OF OUR NEIGHBORS ASKING OVER A PERIOD OF FOUR DIFFERENT MEETINGS TO COME BEFORE THIS BOARD AND DISCUSS OUR ISSUES, WE WERE TOLD BY THE VILLAGE PLANNER, YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN ZONING IN THIS VILLAGE FOR 26 YEARS.
I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN WAY MORE ZONING THAN ANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN.
AND TO HAVE THE VILLAGE, PERHAPS SOMEONE WHO WAS REPRESENTING THE VILLAGE SAY THAT TO ME WAS ABSURD.
THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION IN CURRENT DOLLARS, AND IT'S GOING TO GET MUCH WORSE, WILL PREVENT ANY ADUS FROM BEING PROVIDED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO BUILD AN A DU AND CHARGE WHAT WE CONSIDER AN AFFORDABLE RATE.
AND THEN YOU ADD THE TAXES ON TOP OF BUILDING MORE STRUCTURE ON YOUR PROPERTY.
WE ARE GRASPING AT STRAWS HERE, AND WE NEED TO LOOK DEEPER, BETTER, AND SMARTER.
THAT CAUSE CAUSE A REALITY IN A SUBURBAN COMMUNITY.
AND WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT ELIMINATING PARKING.
WE SHOULD ELIMINATE THIS AND ELIMINATE THAT.
THAT'S HOW PEOPLE GET TO WHERE THEY'RE GOING.
THE VILLAGE HAS BECOME A GROUP OF STORES, BEAUTIFUL STORES I MIGHT ADD, BUT THEY'RE MOSTLY BOUTIQUE STORES.
THEY'RE NOT SELLING THINGS THAT PEOPLE NEED THAT THEY CAN WALK TO AND TAKE HOME.
WE'VE HAD THAT ISSUE IN THE VILLAGE FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
SO WHILE THIS MAY BE A WALKABLE COMMUNITY, IT'S NOT GONNA BE WALKABLE FOR PEOPLE THAT NEED GROCERIES AND NEED TO GO BUY CLOTHING AND PROVIDE OTHER DURABLE GOODS FOR THEIR FAMILY.
THE CURRENT FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION MAY MAKE ALL OF THIS NAUGH IN THE COMING YEARS.
UM, IF ANY OF YOU, AND I'M ASSUMING THAT EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM HAS BEEN FOLLOWING WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE, WITH THE TARIFFS THAT ARE COMING DOWN WITH, WITH THE DEREGULATING OF INDUSTRY.
WE ARE SPITTING INTO THE WIND HERE AND WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AS A COMPONENT OF WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING HERE.
LACK OF COORDINATION WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD ON THEIR CURRENT BOND ISSUE IS REALLY DOING A DISSERVICE TO EVERYBODY IN THIS COMMUNITY.
THEY'RE PROPOSING A $36 MILLION BOND, WHICH I ASSUME IS PROBABLY GONNA GO UP TO $43 MILLION ONCE THE TARIFFS KICK IN.
AND YET YOU'RE LOOKING TO MAKE THIS COMMUNITY MORE AFFORDABLE TO NOT HAVE THE COMP PLAN COMMITTEE GO INTO DEEP DISCUSSIONS WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE PLANNING AND HOW WE'RE GONNA ACCOMMODATE THAT WITH GREATER DENSITY, MORE SCHOOL CHILDREN.
WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? IT CAN'T BE A FEELGOOD DOCUMENT.
IT'S GOTTA BE BASED IN SOME SENSE OF REALITY.
THE CHANGE THAT WE'VE CALLED FOR IN THE VILLAGE OVER THE YEARS.
BICYCLE LANES, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, DEER IMMUNIZATION FENCING OF HILLSIDE WOODS TO PROTECT THE WOODS.
DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA HOW EFFECTIVE ANY OF THOSE THINGS ARE? AND I AM SPEAKING STRICTLY FROM PERSONAL, UH, PERSONAL OBSERVATION.
I'VE SEEN TWO BICYCLES ON FARGATE IN SINCE WE PASSED AND PAVED THAT ROAD.
THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING IT'S ME IN PARTICULAR.
I'M NOT SEEING A GREAT NEED FOR BICYCLES.
AND YET THAT SHOWS UP ALL OVER THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
YES, IT'S GREAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT IS IT REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE CONCENTRATING ON IN THE VILLAGE? I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT IT IS.
WE ARE THE FINANCIAL IMPACT STUDIES OF EVERYTHING THAT'S BEING PROPOSED.
OH, WE HAVE TO BUILD THIS, WE HAVE TO BUILD THAT.
IT IS A KNOWN FACT THAT BUILDING RESIDENTIAL NEVER PAYS FOR ITSELF IN TAXES.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A STRONG COMMERCIAL BASE TO DO THAT.
SO EVERY TIME WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY AND PUTTING MORE PEOPLE IN, WE ARE GONNA NEED BIGGER SCHOOLS, MORE CLASSROOMS, AND THAT'S GONNA COST A WHOLE LOT MORE MONEY THAN WE'RE EVER GOING TO GET IN TAXES.
AND WITH 25 YEARS AND COUNTING ON THE WATERFRONT'S WITH ANOTHER, ANOTHER SEVEN, 10 YEARS PROJECTED, SORRY, EXCUSE ME.
I THINK IT WENT A WHILE AGO ACTUALLY.
SO HERE'S, HERE'S MY COMMENT ON THAT.
WE SHOULD HAVE HAD THIS MEETING IN THE MUNICIPAL, IN THE, UM, I'M SORRY, IN THE COMMUNITY CENTER.
THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADVERTISED.
THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN 50 PEOPLE BEHIND ME WAITING TO TALK WHO COULD HAVE ADDRESSED ALL OF THIS.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THIS WAS SET UP, WHERE THERE ARE FOUR PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP IN A ROOM ON A, ON A, A HOLIDAY MEETING, WE, WE HEARD THAT COMMENT.
I DON'T, I DON'T THINK YOU'VE HEARD IT.
I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE MAJOR ISSUES WITH THIS THAT YOU ARE NOT INVITING THE PUBLIC IN TO SPEAK ABOUT.
BUT I AM VERY DISTURBED AT THE WAY THIS THIS COMMITTEE IS PRESENTING THIS PLAN AND THE WAY THIS BOARD IS GOING TO VOTE ON IT.
WHEN A NUMBER OF THESE BOARD WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN WRITING THE PLAN, THERE'S A HUGE
[00:15:01]
CONFLICT OF INTEREST.IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET, UM, WATER? YES.
AND YEAH, IF YOU CAN TIME, HANNAH, IF YOU CAN JUST ALERT US.
UM, DANIELLE GOODMAN, 4 4 5 WAR BURTON AVENUE.
UM, MANY OF THE ILLS THAT MR. METZGER SPOKE TO ARISE FROM THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO FISCAL IMPACT STUDY DONE OF THE LAND USE PROPOSALS IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AS DRAFTED.
THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS DISJOINTED COMPLETELY FROM THE ECONOMIC REALITIES OF THIS VILLAGE.
AND I HAVE TO SAY THIS, UH, I AM REALLY OVER THE FACT THAT WE LIVE IN SUCH A DYSFUNCTIONAL COMMUNITY VIS-A-VIS THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THE VILLAGE BOARD.
THE TWO OF YOU REALLY HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO BUILD A BRIDGE AND START TALKING TO EACH OTHER BECAUSE THE FACT THAT YOU DON'T, AND THAT THIS VILLAGE TAKES ITS LAND USE, WHICH IS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE, IT'S A REVENUE GENERATOR, AND YOU GIVE IT ALL TO HOUSING, WHICH DOES NOT PRODUCE A POSITIVE NET REVENUE OR EVEN A NEUTRAL REVENUE, WE'RE IN THE HOLE.
AND WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT? AND I'M TIRED OF WATCHING MANY GROUPS LEAVE TOWN AGING RESIDENTS.
NOW THAT PUTS YOU IN THE HOLE BECAUSE WHEN WE LEAVE, PEOPLE THAT COME IN ARE YOUNG FAMILIES.
AND I DON'T, I DON'T, UH, UH, BEGRUDGE PAYING MY SCHOOL TAXES.
I'VE DONE SO WITHOUT A CHILD IN THE DISTRICT SINCE 2006.
YOU'RE DRIVING OUT AGING RESIDENTS.
YOU ARE DRIVING OUT THE GENERATIONAL FAMILIES WHO DID THE WORK OF THIS VILLAGE FIRE DEPARTMENT AMBULANCE.
AND I DON'T GET IT TO PROCEED WITH THIS COMP PLAN WITHOUT AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ECONOMIC IPL OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS IS IMPRUDENT IRRESPONSIBLE AND CRAZY IN THE FISCAL CLIMATE THAT WE'RE FACING? I COULDN'T DISAGREE MORE WITH THE COUNCIL'S ADVICE TO MY COMMENTS AT THE LAST HEARING.
THAT THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO CONDUCT A FISCAL IMPACT STUDY IS DURING THE ACTUAL REZONING OR WHEN THE PROJECT COMES.
AND I'M BASING MY OPINION ON TWO GROUNDS.
FIRST, THIS IS A TYPE ONE SECRET ACTION AND IT REQUIRES A GENERIC EIS THAT'S ONE ROUTE YOU CAN TAKE.
I DIDN'T SEE ANYWHERE IN YOUR DOCUMENTS.
IF YOU'RE NOT TAKING THE GENERIC EIS RATE, HOW ARE YOU ADDRESSING CCRA? MAYBE THERE'S A SOMEWHERE IN EAS.
WHERE IS IT? CAN WE READ IT? WHY ISN'T IT PART OF THE DOCUMENTS? I PRODUCED STUDIES FOR YOU THAT SHOWED THE KIND OF DEVELOPMENT YOU'RE CONSIDERING IS NOT AN ECONOMIC GENERATOR, NOT A POSITIVE ECONOMIC OUTCOME.
POINT TWO, I RAISED THE PRO HOUSING COMMUNITY PROGRAM IN MY COMMENTS AND IN RESPONSE TO THAT, THE MAYOR SAID, PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED, THEY'RE CONFUSING THIS PRO HOUSING COMMUNITY PROGRAM WITH THE PRO HOUSING COMPACT.
IT'S JUST THE HOUSING COMPACT.
SO I WAS NOT CONFUSED, I WASN'T CONFUSING THE GOVERNOR'S PRIOR PLAN WITH THE WORDING IN YOUR COMP PLAN.
IF YOU READ MY LETTER, I QUOTED FROM IT.
AND THIS RESOLUTION THAT YOU WANNA PASS DOES NOT BELONG IN A PLANNING DOCUMENT.
YOU HAVE NO, UM, YOU HAVE NO, UM, YOU HAVE NO GUARANTEES.
YOU'RE GONNA GET THE GRANTS AND YOU'RE GIVING UP.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS
[00:20:01]
THE BOARD? YES.HI, MY NAME IS TOM Z I'M AT 19 MAPLE AVENUE.
UM, I'M READING THIS ON BEHALF OF BILL SMITH FROM SHELDON PLACE.
THE BLT IS SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON THE ADOPTION OF A NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT WILL GUIDE VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE HOUSING SECTION OF THE PLAN HAS SOME ISSUES THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BEFORE THE PLAN IS ADOPTED.
AS I PREVIOUSLY NOTED, I BELIEVE THE VILLAGE IS FACING A POTENTIAL DENSITY PROBLEM.
NUMBER ONE, THE PLAN CALLS FOR THE IMMEDIATE VISION OF THE VILLAGE'S ZONING CODE TO ALLOW FOR GREATER DENSITY WITHOUT PROVIDING SUFFICIENT GUIDANCE WHERE THE DENSITY SHOULD BE ALLOWED OR WITHOUT SUFFICIENT ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT THAT GREAT DENSITY WILL HAVE OUR SCHOOLS SERVICES, ET CETERA.
TWO CLEARER HOUSING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AND APPROPRIATE FISCAL ANALYSIS MUST BE CONDUCTED BEFORE NEW PLAN IS ADOPTED.
THE PLAN RELIED ON HOUSING CENSUS DATA FROM 2010 TO 2020, WHICH NOTED A SMALL 3% DECREASE IN HOUSING UNITS, APPROXIMATELY FIVE UNITS.
THE PLAN TO START ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY THE NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED BETWEEN 2020 AND NOW, OR IDENTIFY THE NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS THAT COULD BE CREATED PURSUANT TO THE UPZONING ALONG WAR BURTON AVENUE.
THIS COULD BE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL HOUSING UNITS AND POPULATION THAT, AS NOTED, COULD PUT A SIGNIFICANT STRAIN ON VILLAGE SERVICES RECOMMENDATION.
THE VILLAGE AS ONE OF ITS HOUSING GOALS SHOULD CREATE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE TO TRACK FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE VILLAGE.
THE COMMITTEE COULD BE, COULD AT A MINIMUM CONSISTS OF A VILLAGE PLANNER, THE BUILDING INSPECTOR, AND THE VILLAGE MANAGER.
A CHART COULD BE CREATED THAT TRACKS APPROVED AND POTENTIAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS.
A SEPARATE SECTION COULD PROVIDE A HIGH LEVEL EVALUATION ON IMPACTS.
FOR EXAMPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, A METRIC COULD BE DEVELOPED TO ESTIMATE HOW MANY NEW STUDENTS WILL BE PRODUCED PER DWELLING UNIT, AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL INCREASE IN SPENDING REQUIRED FOR VILLAGE SERVICES DIRECTLY UNDER THE VILLAGE CONTROL.
THE VILLAGE ZONING CODE SHOULD NOT BE, UM, SHOULD NOT BE OVERHAULED UNTIL THIS ANALYSIS IS CONDUCTED.
AS NOTED, THE CURRENT ZONING CODE, EVEN BEFORE UPZONING ALONG WARBURG AVENUE, ALLOWED FOR MORE THAN 11% INCREASE IN POPULATION BETWEEN 2010 AND 20.
NUMBER THREE, THE PLAN CANNOT BE ADOPTED UNTIL WE KNOW IF THE LEGISLATURE IS GOING TO ADOPT THE FAITH-BASED HOUSING ACT THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THE CREATION OF HIGH-RISE DEVELOPMENT AS LARGE AS HASTINGS TERRACE ON OUR RELIGIOUS SITES LIKE THE VACANT ST.
THESE DEVELOPMENTS WHICH DEVELOPED WOULD NO HAVE NO CONTROL OVER, COULD HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON POPULATION GROWTH.
LASTLY, NUMBER FOUR, THE GOVERNOR'S PRO HOUSING COM COMMUNITY PROGRAM IS ILL-DEFINED IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
WE FROM THE PLAN ADOPTING THE PROGRAM WILL MAKE THE VILLAGE ELIGIBLE FOR GRANTS.
BUT WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS THAT THE VILLAGE IS AGREEING TO MEET BY BECOMING A PRO HOUSING COMMUNITY? FURTHER, THIS PROGRAM COULD BE FLEETING AND ELIMINATED.
IF A NEW ADMINISTRATION TAKES OVER IN ALBANY, IT SHOULD NOT BE A CORNERSTONE OF A 10 YEAR HOUSING PLAN.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ON THE ISSUE OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? SHALL WE CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING? WE WERE GOING TO CLOSE IT TONIGHT, BUT CONTINUE IT AT THE NEXT MEETING.
THAT IS WHAT I, I THINK WE EITHER CLOSE IT TONIGHT OR WE KEEP IT OPEN TILL THE NEXT MEETING, BUT WE ARE HEARING THE SAME COMMENTS FROM THE SAME PEOPLE.
SO I'M, AND WE ARE RECEIVING THE SAME LETTERS FROM THE SAME PEOPLE.
WHAT WOULD THE BOARD LIKE TO DO? YOU WEREN'T GONNA VOTE TONIGHT, RIGHT? WE'RE JUST CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO VOTE IN THE FUTURE.
I COULD SPEAK AGAIN WITH COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THANK YOU.
WE, WE, WE ARE HAPPY THAT YOU ALREADY SPOKE.
THIS IS NOW A CONVERSATION AMONG THE BOARD.
I MEAN, I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE SCHOOL IS OUT.
UH, I'M ON VACATION MYSELF RIGHT NOW, AND WE COULD GO ONE MORE MEETING JUST TO SEE IF WE CAN GET MORE PARENTS AND, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO SHOW UP AT THE NEXT MEETING.
I DON'T SEE ANY DOWNSIDE TO, UH, DOING THAT.
SO YOU ARE, YOU ARE SUGGESTING KEEPING THE PUBLIC HEARING OPEN FOR ONE MORE MEETING.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD, WHO WAS IN A DISAGREEMENT WITH THAT? WELL, I, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO MAKE A CLARIFICATION FOR THE RECORD.
TRUSTEE DRAKE, YOU AND I WERE ATTENDED MANY, MANY MEETINGS AND NONE OF THE PUBLIC ATTENDED IT.
AND THE COMMITTEE HAD TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS
[00:25:01]
AT LEAST, UM, THAT WERE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO PRESENT THE ENTIRE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.FIRST IN A DRAFT STATE AND THEN IN A FINAL STATE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY THEN CLOSED THEIR WORK AND THEN TRANSFERRED THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OVER TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
ALMOST NO MEMBERS OF THE VILLAGE ATTENDED ANY OF THOSE MEETINGS.
SO I THINK IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT, UM, IMPRECISE TO SAY THAT THERE HAVEN'T BEEN OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMMUNITY TO ATTEND THESE MEETINGS.
THAT BEING SAID, NEVER SAID THAT.
I'M ALSO, I'M NOT, I I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU SAID IT.
I'M JUST CORRECTING THE RECORD.
SO I I AM FINE LEAVING IT OPEN FOR ANOTHER, UH, FOR ONE MORE.
I'M ONLY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE POINT WAS BROUGHT UP TONIGHT.
I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.
AND I'M WILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE POINT THAT WAS BROUGHT UP TONIGHT AND, AND, UH, GO ALONG WITH IT.
AND, AND THE MEETING WHICH WE HAD WHERE THIS COM, THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, UM, PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED WAS NOT DURING A SCHOOL HOLIDAY WEEK.
SO, YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH HOLDING IT OPEN FOR ANOTHER WEEK, BUT I'M REALLY NOT HOLDING MY BREATH.
SO IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO, IS ANYONE AGAINST HOLDING IT OPEN FOR ONE MORE WEEK? NOPE.
SO WHY DON'T WE HOLD IT OPEN FOR ONE MORE SESSION, THREE MORE WEEKS, IN FACT.
YEAH, I WOULD, I I'M FINE WITH THAT.
IT WOULD BE, I DO AGREE WITH, WITH THE MAYOR, UM, AND WITH SLEEK THAT IT WOULD BE NICE TO, YOU KNOW, HEAR FROM OTHER PEOPLE JUST IN THE SENSE, IN THE SENSE THAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM, YOU KNOW, IF THIS IS OUR COMMUNITY, I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM MORE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO THAT'S ALL ALL CAN YOU PUBLICIZE? WE ALL OUR MEETINGS ARE PUBLICIZED.
ALL OUR MEETINGS ARE PUBLICIZED.
THE MESSAGES GO OUT FREQUENTLY.
AND EVERY TIME WE COME TO THESE MOMENTS, WE CONSTANTLY GET TOLD WE HAVEN'T PUBLICIZED IT.
SO I GET A LITTLE BIT, I GET A LITTLE BIT, UH, EXHAUSTED BY THAT COMMENT, QUITE HONESTLY.
I DO BELIEVE THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING, UM, THERE WAS AN EMAIL THAT WENT OUT, A BLAST EMAIL THAT WENT OUT ABOUT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT MENTIONED THAT THE HEARING WAS BEING OPENED ON APRIL 1ST.
AND WE'VE HAD, AND ALL OF OUR MEETINGS ARE, ALL OF OUR MEETINGS ARE PUBLICIZED REGULARLY.
THEY GET PUBLICIZED IN THE PAPER.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S PUBLICIZED.
THIS IS NOT A CONVERSATION WITH ALL OF YOU.
UM, WE WILL PUBLICIZE IT AGAIN AND, UH, WE WILL HOLD IT OPEN FOR ONE MORE MEETING.
YOU NEED A MOTION TO CONTINUE? SO, CAN WE HAVE A MOTION TO CONTINUE THE PUBLIC HEARING? MAY 6TH.
[V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES ]
ON TO APPROVAL OF MINUTES.THIS IS FOR THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR APRIL THE FIRST 2025.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS, DELETIONS, COMMENTS OF ANY KIND? IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED.
ALL IN FAVOR? A AYE, APPROVAL OF
[VI. APPROVAL OF WARRANTS ]
THE WARRANTS GENERAL FUND, AA $423,769 AND 83 CENTS, FEDERAL DRUG GRANT CD $4,680 POOL FUND, ER $2,888 AND 53 CENTS CAPITAL FUND, HH $105,255 AND 22 CENTS LIBRARY FUND, LL $18,410 AND 55 CENTS.PROFESSIONAL ESCROW TT $1,431 AND 24 CENTS PAYROLL FUND TT $3,432 AND 32 CENTS.
[VII. PUBLIC COMMENTS ]
ON NOW TO PUBLIC COMMENTS.IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? AND JUST TO REMIND YOU, IF YOU DON'T COME TO OUR MEETINGS FREQUENTLY, IF YOU CAN COME UP, IF YOU CAN SAY YOUR NAME, IF YOU CAN SAY YOUR ADDRESS AND IF YOU CAN MAKE YOUR COMMENTS BRIEF.
IF YOU AGREE WITH SOMEONE ELSE WHO'VE SPOKEN.
JUST SAY YOU AGREE WITH THAT OTHER PERSON, PLEASE.
YOU KNOW, WE DID GET THE MESSAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME, SO YOU DON'T NEED TO REPEAT IT MULTIPLE TIMES.
EVA LEVINE, DAVID LANE, DUDLEY STREET.
UM, I HAVE TWO DOCUMENTS HERE.
I'LL JUST QUICKLY SUMMARIZE WHAT THEY SAY AND THEN I WILL HAND THEM IN TO YOU.
[00:30:01]
FIRST ONE IS, WE ARE THE UNDERSIGNED OWNERS AND FAMILIES RESIDING IN RIVER POINT REQUEST AN ADJUSTMENT BY HASTINGS ON HUDSON'S CON CONSTRUCTION HOURS SIMILAR TO THE DOBBS FERRY AND YONKERS EXISTING CONSTRUCTION HOURS.WE UNDERSTAND, UM, HASTINGS HOURS TO BE, UH, FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF OWL, ELECTRIC OWL MONDAY TO FRIDAY, SEVEN TO 8:00 PM SUNDAY 10 TO FIVE, INCLUDING HOLIDAYS.
UM, DOBBS FERRY CODE IS MONDAY TO FRIDAY, NINE TO 5:00 PM NO WORK SATURDAY, SUNDAY AND HOLIDAYS.
THE SECOND ONE IS, UM, WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, OWNERS AND FAMILIES RESIDING ON DUDLEY STREET, DAVID LANE, UH, ALSO REQUEST, UM, A CHANGE TO YOUR CONSTRUCTION CODE TO MAKE IT LIVABLE FOR US.
UM, WE ARE WORKING PEOPLE BOTH DAYS AND NIGHTS.
WE ARE CHILDREN, WE'RE RETIRED.
WE ARE APPROXIMATELY 300, UH, FAMILIES TO BE SEVERELY INFECTED, INFECTED AFFECTED BY THIS, THE NUMBER OF HOURS AND DAYS.
THERE WILL BE NO TIME TO OPEN YOUR WINDOWS.
THERE WILL BE NO TIME TO SIT OUTSIDE AT NIGHT.
UM, THE KIDS CAN'T STUDY, PEOPLE WHO WORK NIGHTS CAN'T SLEEP DURING THE DAY.
IT'S REALLY, UH, REALLY A HORRIBLE KIND OF CODE.
CODE AND TO PUT ON TOP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE RIGHT ON THAT STREET.
UM, SO THIS ONE IS REQUESTING A SIMILAR CODE TO DOBBS FERRY, WHICH ALSO, AS I SAID, NINE TO FIVE, NO HOLIDAYS, NO WEEKENDS, UM, THAT THEY ALSO HAVE A, A NOISE REGULATION IN IT THAT, UM, BASED ON HOW AUDIBLE THE THREE, IT'S 300 FEET AWAY.
THEY STOP FOR 30 MINUTES AND CEASED THE NOISE.
WE ARE REQUESTING, UH, THERE'S ABOUT 120 SIGNATURES ON HERE.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? WE ALL AGREE.
AND, AND JUST TO RESPOND TO YOUR POINT, UM, WE GENERALLY TRY AND BE IN ALIGNMENT WITH MUNICIPALITIES AROUND US.
WE'VE TRIED TO DO THAT WITH LANDSCAPING LAWS AND OTHER THINGS.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD WILL LOOK INTO.
WE'LL ASK OUR ATTORNEY TO REVIEW IT AND, AND WE WILL COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT HOPEFULLY YOU WILL CONSIDER TO BE FAIR.
AND THAT'S MORE IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR NEIGHBORS.
SO IF THAT MAKES SENSE TO YOU.
THEN, UH, UH, IS EVERYONE IN AGREEMENT WITH ASKING LINDA TO LOOK INTO THE LAWS OF, OF DOBS, BERRY AND YOUNGS IN PARTICULAR? AND IF THERE'S GONNA BE ANY ADJUSTMENTS OR ANYTHING, WE WOULD KEEP PEOPLE IN, KEEP THE COMMUNITY INFORMED.
WELL, WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS YOUR CODE, YEAH, IT'S GONNA BE IN OUR CODE.
SO, UM, WE WILL HAVE TO ADJUST THE CODE, WHICH TAKES A FEW WEEKS AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO GIVE NOTICE AND THEN WE HAVE TO HAVE A HEARING.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE SHORTEST TIME IT CAN HAPPEN IS SIX WEEKS.
BUT NORMALLY IT TAKES TWO MONTHS TO GET A CODE CHANGE LIKE THAT.
SO IF SHE'S ABLE TO BRING US SOMETHING BY THE NEXT MEETING, WE CAN MOVE FAIRLY QUICKLY ON IT BECAUSE IT'S A RELATIVELY SIMPLE CHANGE.
CAN I ASK, PLEASE, PLEASE COME TO THE MIC.
AND ACTUALLY YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T 'CAUSE YOU'VE ALREADY SPOKEN, BUT I KNOW, BUT YOU'VE BEEN VERY GENEROUS IN SAYING THAT YOU'RE GONNA LOOK INTO IT.
UM, AND YOU SAID APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS, WOULD THAT HAPPEN BEFORE THIS PROJECT GOES INTO EFFECT? I THINK THEY'RE PRETTY FAR AWAY FROM STARTING IS MY IMPRESSION.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHEN THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF ISSUES THEY HAVE TO WORK OUT? SO I, IT WOULD, I WOULD HONESTLY FALL OFF MY CHAIR IF IT STARTS BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, SOONER THAN, THAN, UH, SIX WEEKS.
I'M NOT THE DEVELOPER, SO I CAN'T SAY THAT.
BUT OBVIOUSLY WE WILL LOOK INTO THIS AS SOON AS WE CAN.
UM, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? CAN I TAKE A MOMENT IF THEY'RE GONNA BE SPEAKING ON THE WAY OUT OR, SO FAR THEY SEEM VERY QUIET.
WHY DON'T YOU START YOUR COMMENTS? OKAY.
AND THEN YOU'LL TAKE, FIRST OF ALL, UM, I DO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, UM, UH, BEING EXTENDING THE TIME AS YOU DID.
UM, I'M STARTING THE, AND ALSO THANK YOU FOR THIS DIRECTORY FOR THAT CAME WITH THE, UH, VERSION NINE OF THE PLAN.
IT REALLY DID HELP, UH, I'M ASSUMING YOU ALL KNOW WHAT THIS IS AND YOU SAW IT.
UM, IT ALLOWED ME TO GO THROUGH EACH ONE OF THE CHANGES AND I DID IN FACT LOOK AT EACH ONE.
UH, EITHER A COUPLE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA SPECIFICALLY THAT I'M HOPING EITHER WILL BE COVERED OR THAT NO, ACTUALLY I'M GOING BACK.
ONE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I ASKED AND I ASKED IT TWO YEARS AGO AND I, I RAISED IT TONIGHT OR AS WELL,
[00:35:01]
I WOULD LIKE AN ANSWER, UH, SOMETIME.NO, I LIKE IT AS TO WHY, WHAT THE NATURE OF THE DEADLINE IS FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
NO, WE, I I THINK THERE IS NO DEADLINE.
I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE FEEL HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND WE'RE TRYING TO WRAP IT UP.
THERE'S NO, IT'S NOT ARBITRARY.
IT'S THAT IT'S RUN IT COURSE THE PROCESS HAS HAPPENED.
WHETHER YOU THINK THE PROCESS SHOULD CARRY ON GOING FURTHER.
WE THINK THE PROCESS HAS BEEN COMPLET COMPLETED.
I THINK THE PROCESS SHOULD START OVER, BUT THAT'S JUST THE FOUR OF US, US.
SO I MEAN, WE'VE TRIED TO SHOW YOU, WE'VE TRIED TO SHOW YOU WHAT THE RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE
UM, OKAY, WELL LEAVE IT FOR THERE FOR THE MOMENT.
UH, THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA THAT ARE, I, I AM HOPING THAT THERE'S MORE DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE ON THE RESOLUTIONS THAT YOU HAVE SPECI SPECIFICALLY ON 42 OF 25, UH, THE ROSEDALE TAP PROJECT.
UM, THE I'D LIKE, IS THERE ANY DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE ON THAT BEYOND, I MEAN, IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT DID DO, WHAT IT ACTUALLY, WHAT SAID ABOUT, UH, IN THE, UM, THE, THE, THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION, WHAT IS IT? I'M LOOKING FOR SOME DOCUMENTATION AS TO WHAT IT IS THAT'S BEING PROPOSED IN THIS PROJECT.
SO IF IT'S NOT IN THERE, THEN I'LL KEEP ASKING AS IT COMES UP.
UH, THE SECOND IS, UH, I'M WONDERING IF THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FOR THE PARKS, UH, HAS ANY INCLUSION FOR THE SKATE PARK.
UH, I'VE BEEN FOLLOW, TRYING TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE SKATE PARK AND IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT IF I HEAR OR AT THE, UM, UH, PARKS DEPARTMENT, BUT I KNOW THINGS ARE GOING ON.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW MOSTLY THOUGH 49 OR 25 ELECTRONIC RECORDS RESOLUTION.
UM, I REALLY WANNA UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IS SAYING.
UH, I'M INTERESTED, I'M CONCERNED BECAUSE I TEND TO ACCESS DOCUMENTS ON THE WEBSITE A GREAT DEAL.
AND SOMETIMES I HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF PROBLEMS ACCESSING THEM.
SO I, I WOULD LIKE CLARIFICATION ON WHAT THE, ON, ON WHAT THAT ACTUALLY SAYS.
UM, THAT'S REALLY FOR NOW THAT'S, UH, I RESERVE THE BALANCE OF MY TIME.
SO, UM, IN A SIMILAR WAY TO THE WAY IN WHICH THE BROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS ARE LISTED UNDER CURRENT ISSUES, THE ROSEDALE PROJECT WILL ALSO BE LISTED THERE, CORRECT? VILLAGE MANAGER WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT? YEAH, I MEAN, WE ARE JUST IN THE INFANCY OF THIS PROJECT.
UM, IT, THE WAY THE TAP, UH, PROJECTS WORK BEST IS IF YOU, UM, YOU DO A, A, A REQUEST FOR INTEREST BY, UH, FROM ENGINEERING FIRMS WHO ARE ALREADY PRE-APPROVED BY THE STATE.
SO YOU SEND OUT, UH, BASICALLY KIND OF A, A FORM LETTER THAT THE STATE PROVIDES.
UH, WE DO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DID GET A GRANT AND THE GRANT OF COURSE LAYS OUT WHAT THE PROJECT IS, WHICH IN THIS CASE, IN THE CASE OF ROSEDALE, IS TO, UH, COMPLETE THE SIDEWALKS ON BOTH SIDES OF ROSEDALE FROM RAVENSDALE TO MOUNT HOPE.
'CAUSE THERE'S SIDEWALKS ARE, THERE ARE PLACES WHERE THERE ARE, THEY ARE, AND THERE ARE PLACES WHERE THEY'RE, WHERE THEY ARE NOT.
AND ALSO TO DO SOME DRAINAGE WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THAT.
BUT THE ACTUAL PROJECT NEEDS TO BE DESIGNED BY AN ENGINEER.
WE HAVE TO RETAIN AN ENGINEER IN THE FIRST INSTANCE TO DESIGN THE, THE PROJECT FOR US.
BUT I THINK THAT WHAT MR. SKOLNIK IS ASKING FOR IS, IS THERE A PLACE HE CAN GO TO ON THE WEBSITE WHERE HE CAN SEE THE COLLECTED DOCUMENTS? AND I THINK THE ANSWER IS WE'LL SET.
AT THE MOMENT I'M NOT SEEING IT IN A WAY THAT'S CLEAR, LIKE THE TAP GRANT AND ROUTE NINE AND SOME OF THE OTHER PROJECTS.
SO I THINK, WELL, THOSE ARE A LITTLE FURTHER ALONG.
BUT WE JUST, WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN THE ENGINEER ON BOARD YET, SO.
BUT I THINK IF WE'VE GOT AN RFP THAT WE ARE PROPOSING, THAT WILL BE THE FIRST DOCUMENT THAT WOULD GO IN THAT WE RE WE CERTAINLY, SO I THINK WE CAN ACCOMMODATE HIM IN THAT WAY.
AND THE SKATE PLAN IS IN THE CAPITAL PLAN.
SO SKATE PARK, THE SKATE PARK, SORRY, IS IN THE CAPITAL PLAN.
SO WE'LL DEAL WITH THE OTHER ISSUES WHEN WE GET TO THOSE, THAT POINT IN THE AGENDA.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? NO.
[VIII. RESOLUTIONS ]
ON TO RESOLUTIONS.42 OF 25, AUTHORIZATION TO PUBLISH REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR ROSEDALE TAP PROJECT.
RESOLVED THAT THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES AUTHORIZE THE VILLAGE MANAGER TO PUBLISH A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS, THE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR THE ROSEDALE TAP PROJECT.
I THINK EVERYONE'S CLEAR WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED.
[00:40:01]
OF 25.AUTHORIZATION TO EXECUTE AGREEMENT WITH ENGINEER WITH AI ENG, AI ENGINEERS FOR MS FOUR, UPDATE ASSISTANCE AND ANNUAL REPORTS THROUGH ONE YEAR AND TWO YEAR MILESTONES.
RESOLVED THAT THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES AUTHORIZES THE VILLAGE MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH A IT'S AI OR A ONE ENGINEERS AI.
IT DOES LOOK LIKE AI, DOESN'T IT? UM, UH, FOR CONTINUED ASSISTANCE WITH THE MS FOUR PROGRAM UPDATE AS ATTACHED.
UM, VILLAGE MANAGER, DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS? THIS IS THE STORM WATER.
UM, YES, VERY, VERY SIMPLY, UH, THE DEC HAS CREATED A NEW PERMIT, A NEW MS FOUR PERMIT, AND IT'S GOT HEIGHTENED REQUIREMENTS MAPPING AS WELL AS, UH, IT STILL HAS THE SIX MINIMUM MEASURES THAT, YOU KNOW, HAS, HAVE ALWAYS EXISTED.
EDUCATION, OUTREACH, UM, ILLICIT, YOU KNOW, UM, ILLICIT DISCHARGE DETECTION, UH, SWS FOR CONSTRUCTION SITES, THAT, THAT SORT OF THING.
UH, BUT THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES THAT WE'LL HAVE TO IMPLEMENT OVER.
SOME HAVE A TWO YEAR TIMEFRAME, SOME A THREE YEAR TIMEFRAME.
AND WE HAVE THE, THE VILLAGE HAS USED THE DOT ROTFELD FIRM FOR MANY YEARS TO ASSIST THEM WITH, UH, THEIR MS FOUR REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
AND THIS IS REALLY A CONTINUATION OF THAT RELATIONSHIP.
IS THERE, UH, ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED.
44 OF 25 ADOPTION OF CAPITAL PLAN FINANCIAL YEAR 24, 24 25 TO FINANCIAL YEAR 29 30.
RESOLVE THAT THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES ADOPT THE CAPITAL PLAN FINANCIAL YEAR 24 25 TO FINANCIAL YEAR 29 TO 30 AS ATTACHED.
AND WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS TOGETHER AS A GROUP ONE YEAR.
WE'RE ONE YEAR INTO THE PLAN, WHICH IS WHY IT'S 24 TO 25.
I HAD TO CATCH MYSELF AS I SAW THAT ACTUALLY 24 20 THERE.
THERE'S FIVE YEARS AFTER 24, 25.
I JUST LEFT 24, 25 IN THERE BECAUSE IT'S THE YEAR WE'RE IN NOW AND A LOT, MANY OF THE PROJECTS ARE ONGOING FROM ONE YEAR INTO ANOTHER.
SO, UM, ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED.
45 OF 25 ASSIGNED FUND BALANCES.
RESOLVED THAT THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES AUTHORIZED VILLAGE MANAGER MURPHY TO ASSIGN FUNDS FROM AA 9 0 9 FUND BALANCE, WHICH IS THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE TO THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNTS IN THE FOLLOWING AMOUNTS.
AA 8 8 0 ASSIGNED FUND BALANCE CAPITAL PROJECTS FOR PARKS 325,000 AND AA 8 8 1 ASSIGNED FUND BALANCE FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS 900,000 FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF 1,225,000.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE DISCUSSED DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS AND WE'RE TOPPING UP THOSE ASSIGNED ACCOUNTS SO THAT THEY'RE REPLENISHED SUCH THAT WE NEED THEM.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? IS THERE A MOTION? IT'S SO MOVED.
46 OF 25 NEGATIVE DECLARATION.
PLLD OF PUBLIC LOCAL LAW, RIGHT? PLLD OF PROPOSED LOCAL, A PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 2025 ZONING CODE AMENDMENT TO NUMBER OF EXTENSIONS OF CONDITIONAL APPROVALS OF FINAL SUBDIVISION PLATS.
UM, RESOLVED THAT PURSUANT TO PART 6 1 7 OF THE IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO ARTICLE EIGHT STATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY REVIEW ACT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW.
THE VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AS LEAD AGENCY HEREBY ADOPTS THE EAF PART TWO ATTACHED AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AS LEAD AGENCY HAS DETERMINED THAT THE PROPOSED UNLISTED ACTION WILL NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE REASONS ENUMERATED IN THE ATTACHED NEGATIVE DECLARATION FORM.
SO THIS RELATES TO THE NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS THE ACTUAL LOCAL LAW.
UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE FORMER? IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED.
47 OF 25 ADOPTION OF PROPOSED LOCAL LAW D OF 2025 LOCAL LAW AMENDING CHAPTER 2 95, ZONING OF THE CODE OF THE VILLAGE OF HASTINGS AND HUDSON TO ELIMINATE THE LIMITATION ON THE NUMBER OF EXTENSIONS OF CONDITIONAL APPROVALS OF FINAL SUBDIVISION
[00:45:02]
PLAT AS DISCUSSED BEFORE, MULTIPLE TIMES.THIS IS TO, UH, MAKE SURE WE'RE ALIGNED WITH NEW YORK STATE.
UM, AND UM, IT'S BASICALLY EXTENDING THE ABILITY TO MAKE EXTENSIONS
NEW YORK STATE LAW USED TO SAY THAT CONDITIONAL FINAL SUBDIVISION APPROVAL WAS GOOD FOR 180 DAYS AND YOU WOULD GET TWO 90 DAY EXTENSIONS ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO THAT WAS REVISED TO ELIMINATE THE LIMITATION TO TWO 90 DAY EXTENSIONS.
UM, YOUR CODE WAS NEVER REVISED AFTER THE STATE LAW CHANGED.
SO NOW WE'RE MAKING THIS CHANGE TO REALLY ALIGN WITH AND BE CONSISTENT WITH, UM, STATE LAW.
AND YOU ALSO GOT MEMOS FROM BOTH THE PLANNING BOARD AND THE ZONING BOARD IN SUPPORT.
UM, ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? UH, I'M NOT GONNA READ THE WHOLE THING.
IS THAT OKAY? NO, I MEAN, JUST FOR PERIODS OF 90 DAYS EACH.
SO, UM, THAT'S THE ONLY CHANGE.
IT'S JUST REMOVING THE SENTENCE.
THE PLANNING BOARD MAY NOT EXTEND THE TIME FOR MORE THAN TWO ADDITIONAL PERIODS OF 90 DAYS EACH.
SO WE'RE ALLOWING THAT PROCESS TO CONTINUE IF NECESSARY.
UM, AND THEN 48 OF 25 APPOINTMENT OF REGISTRARS RESOLVED THAT MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPOINT ANTHONY P COSTANTINI AS REGISTRAR AND HANNAH, AM I SAYING IT RIGHT? UM, AS DEPUTY REGISTRAR TO A TERM EXPIRING ON DECEMBER 31ST, 2025, WE NEGLECTED TO DO THIS AT THE OPERATIONAL MEETING.
SO, OR I GUESS WE WERE, WE WERE IN A SCHEDULE WHERE THIS WOULD'VE BEEN THE NORMAL TIME TO DO IT.
SO WE'RE HAVING TO DO IT NOW IN ORDER TO BE TRUE TO THE TIME PERIOD AND MOVING FORWARD.
THIS WILL GO INTO THE OPERATIONAL MEETING TIME PERIOD.
SO IS THAT CLEAR TO EVERYONE? IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED.
49 OF 25 ELECTRONIC RECORDS RESOLUTION RESOLVED THAT THE BOARD, THE VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF HASTINGS ON HUDSON, RESOLVED BY THE VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF HASTINGS ON HUDSON, THAT THE VILLAGE OF HASTINGS ON HUDSON SHOULD MAINTAIN ALL DIGITALLY CREATED RECORDS IN THEIR NATIVE DIGITAL FORMAT FOR THE LEGALLY PRESCRIBED RETENTION PERIOD OF THE RECORD.
THE VILLAGE OF HASTINGS ON HUDSON SHALL MAINTAIN ALL DIGITAL RECORDS ADHERING TO THE GUIDANCE SET FORTH, FORTH IN THE REGISTRA REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION PART 1, 85 0.8, AND B, IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT COPIES OF RECORDS IN OTHER FORMATS INCLUDING PAPER, SHALL BE CONSIDERED CONVENIENCE COPIES AND DISPOSED OF WHEN NO LONGER NEEDED FOR REFERENCE OR OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSE PURPOSES.
DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THIS? WHY IS IT THE REGULATION OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION? BECAUSE THAT'S WHO, UM, THAT'S WHERE THE, THE REGULATIONS REGARDING RECORDS RETENTION COME FROM.
I, THIS JUST, UM, ALLOWS THE VILLAGE TO MAINTAIN REQUIRED RECORDS ELECTRONICALLY RATHER THAN IN PAPER FORMAT.
AND IT MEANS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP VOLUMES AND VOLUMES OF DOCUMENTS.
SO, UH, THAT MAKES, MAKES STORAGE STEM AND THEN THIS CAME FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
THIS CAME FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
IT'S, BUT IT'S WITH, YOU NEED TO HAVE THE RESOLUTION TO ALLOW FOR, FOR THE YEAH.
TO BE MAINTAINED ELECTRONICALLY.
IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVE.
[IX. VILLAGE MANAGER’S REPORT ]
ON TO THE VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT.UM, THE FIRST IS GRANT UPDATES, CDBG AND FENWICK FLOODING.
UM, SO I JUST AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT UH, WE HAD SUBMITTED FOUR DIFFERENT C-D-B-G-B-D-C-D-B-G, UH, GRANT APPLICATIONS, UH, EACH IN APPROXIMATELY $200,000.
AND WE RECEIVED TWO OF THE FOUR, UM, WHICH IS, UH, THE SAME, UH, THAT WE HAD GOTTEN AT IN THE LAST GO ROUND.
UH, ONE IS FOR THE SOUTH SOUTHERN SIDE OF MAIN STREET FROM 64 MAIN STREET, UH, 2 22 24 MAIN STREET.
AND THAT, UH, IS IN THE YEAR 2025.
BUT I'M SURE THAT WON'T GET DONE UNTIL NEXT SUMMER BECAUSE, UH, WE'RE DOING SPRING STREET, THIS, THIS, THIS SUMMER.
WE'LL DO SPRING STREET AND THAT'S THERE.
THE, UH, COUNTY IS A LITTLE BIT IN TERMS OF GETTING THE MONEY
[00:50:01]
FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A LAG THERE.
UH, WE ALSO RECEIVED THE NORTHERN SIDE OF MAIN STREET, AND THAT'S FROM THE FOOD TOWN DRIVEWAY TO BOLLINGER PLAZA.
UH, AND THAT'S IN THE AMOUNT OF 182,724.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET WAS 200,000.
WE WILL BE RESUBMITTING, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESUBMIT, UH, FOR ONE MORE YEAR.
SO WE WILL BE RESUBMITTING, UM, UH, OUR OTHER, OUR GRANT, UH, FOR THE TOP OF MAIN STREET, UM, TO SEE IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S, SOMETIMES IF THERE, IF PEOPLE DON'T USE THEIR MONEY OR THERE'S EXTRA FUNDS AVAILABLE, WE'RE ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH THAT.
SO I HAVE ASKED OUR GRANTS, OUR GRANT CONSULTANT TO DO THAT.
BUT, UM, IT'S JUST NICE TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DO THIS SIDEWALK WORK IN THE DOWNTOWN.
UM, I THINK FINISHING OFF, YOU KNOW, MOVING UP MAIN STREET IS GONNA MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
AND THERE IS A, I JUST WALKED IT TODAY, I COULD SEE THAT IT, IT, UM, CAN'T COME TOO SOON.
UM, SO YEAH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S GREAT.
UH, AND ALSO I JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT, UM, WE HAD APP WE HAVE APPLIED WITH SENATORS GILLIBRAND AND SCHUMER FOR, UM, UH, SIMILAR TO FUNDING APPLICATIONS THAT WE'VE MADE IN THE PAST FOR, UM, COMMUNITY FUNDS.
UH, FROM, FROM THE SENATORS WILL ALSO BE, UH, APPLYING THROUGH CONGRESSMAN LATIMER.
UH, HIS, HIS IS NOT QUITE DUE YET, BUT, UH, WE'LL BE DOING THE SAME.
AND THAT'S FOR THE, UH,
WE DO HAVE A PARTIAL GRANT FOR DOING OUR WET DETENTION POND ON THE, I GUESS THAT'S THE SOUTH SIDE OF, OF, UM, UH, FARGATE PARKWAY.
BUT WE'LL BE, THIS IS, THIS IS ADDRESSES THE LARGER WATERSHED AREA, WHICH, UH, GOES, YOU KNOW, FURTHER, UM, I GUESS TO THE, UH, PROBABLY THAT'S CONSIDERED TO THE, EACH OF THE NORTH OR TO, YEAH, TO THE NORTH.
SO, UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE HOPE WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT SINCE WE HAVE THE, WE HAVE THE APPLICATION, WE'LL HAVE THE APPLICATION INTO ALL OF OUR FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES, UH, THAT MAY, THAT WILL, UM, HOPEFULLY, UH, YOU KNOW, SHED SOME, SOME POSITIVE LIGHT ON THAT.
IF I MIGHT JUST ADD SOMETHING TO THAT.
THESE ARE EXACTLY THE SAME GRANTS THAT WE SUBMITTED LAST YEAR TO CONGRESSMAN BOWMAN AND TO SENATOR GILLIBRAND.
AND NO FUNDING FOR ANY CONGRESS PERSON OR SENATOR WAS, WAS ALLOWED THIS YEAR.
SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN ADVISED TO DO IS TO RESUBMIT, AND WE'VE ADDED SENATOR SCHUMER.
SO WE'VE NOW GOT ALL THREE OF THEM, AND THEY'RE ALL AWARE OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE APPLYING TO ALL THREE.
AND THAT'S CONSIDERED TO BE ADVANTAGEOUS AS A WAY OF APPLYING, BUT IT'S FOR, UH, 2.7 MILLION I THINK.
SO IT'S FOR A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY IF WE WERE TO GET IT, WE GOT RIGHT UP TO THE END WITH CONGRESSMAN BOWMAN LAST YEAR, AND THEN NO FUNDING WAS ALLOCATED.
SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN THIS YEAR.
BUT, YOU KNOW,
UM, THE NEXT THING I JUST WANTED TO ALERT EVERYBODY, THAT THE COUNTY HAS RECEIVED HEALTH DEPARTMENT APPROVAL FOR THE SANITARY SEWER PUMP, PUMP STATION REHABILITATION.
UH, THERE'S ONE IN HASTINGS, WHICH IS ON, ACTUALLY ON THE WATERFRONT ON, UM, UH, ARCO PROPERTY, ATLANTIC RIDGEFIELD PROPERTY.
AND, UM, UH, IT'S, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECT.
UM, IT DOES SAY THAT THERE, THEIR, THE, THE, UH, PERMIT FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS FOR ONE YEAR.
SO I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THE COUNTY YET EXACTLY WHEN THIS IS GONNA BE STARTING, BUT, UH, I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT THEY ARE, NOW THAT THEY'VE GOTTEN THEIR PERMIT FROM, FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THEY'LL BE LOOKING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT, UH, EXPEDITIOUSLY.
UM, SO, AND THAT, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU, YOU THINK ABOUT OR SEE EVERY DAY, BUT OF COURSE, SANITARY SEWERS ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO, UH, EVERYBODY'S, UH, HEALTH AND WELLBEING.
UM, I WANTED TO ALSO NOTE TO YOU THAT COR UH, WE SENT OUT A NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC, BUT IN QUARRY PARK, WE ARE ESTABLISHING NEW NATIVE GRASS MEADOWS AND FLOWER MEADOWS.
UH, THE FIRST STEP IS TO REMOVE THE INVASIVES.
AND IF YOU WALK THROUGH QUARRY PARK NOW, YOU WILL SEE THAT THERE'S BEEN A YELLOW TAPE PUT UP AROUND THE MEADOWS.
WE DON'T WANT ANYBODY, UH, WALKING REALLY ON THE MEADOWS, UH, WHILE THE INVASIVE REMOVAL IS GOING ON.
AND THEN COME JUNE, THEY WILL BE RECEDING.
EVEN MORE IMPORTANT NOT TO WALK ON THE MEADOWS BECAUSE THOSE TINY LITTLE SEEDLINGS, IF YOU STEP ON THEM, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN EASILY KILL THEM.
SO, UM, THEY DO TAKE ABOUT SIX WEEKS TO SPROUT, BUT, UH,
[00:55:01]
CERTAINLY BY MIDSUMMER WE SHOULD BE ENJOYING, UM, THE REBIRTH OF A, A BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE IN, IN THE PARK.THEY'VE ALSO REMOVED, UM, SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE FENCING FROM THE ROSE BUSHES.
I, I ACTUALLY ASKED THEM NOT TO REMOVE ALL OF IT BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID THEY WERE GOING TO EAT ALL THE ROSES
UM, AND PART THE THEORY BEHIND IT IS THAT THE ROSE BUSHES GET BIG ENOUGH THAT THE DEER DON'T EAT THEM.
I DON'T FIND THAT IN MY OWN PERSONAL, YOU KNOW, ENVIRONMENT.
SO, UM, BUT WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THESE TWO SEGMENTS THAT, THAT THE FENCING HAS BEEN REMOVED.
AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, EVEN IF THEY DO EAT THE ONES THAT ARE RIGHT IN THE FRONT, THEY CAN'T GET IN.
SO THERE'S STILL MORE ROSES THAT WILL BLOOM THEN, AND THAT WILL BE, UH, VISIBLE.
SO, UH, THAT'S KIND OF A LITTLE EXPERIMENT THAT I'M EXCITED TO, TO SEE THE RESULT OF.
BUT, UM, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE AND DOGS AND PETS DON'T REALLY WALK OR RUN IN THE MEADOWS WHILE WE'RE TRYING TO RECEDE THEM AND, AND REGROW THEM.
BECAUSE YOU, YOU WILL, YOU KNOW, YOU WILL KILL THE, THE, THE, THE BABY PLANTS AND VILLAGE.
THIS WAS THE WORK OF THE VENDOR THAT WE APPROVED BEFORE.
HAS BEEN RETAINED TO, UH, DO THE WORK.
HE SAYS, WE DON'T NEED ANY WATER.
I HAD THEM, UH, TURN THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM ON ANYWAY, JUST IN CASE HE CHANGES HIS MIND LATER,
'CAUSE YOU, WE NEVER KNOW WHAT THE SUMMER IS GONNA BRING, YOU KNOW,
UM, HE'S, HE'S VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
AND WE'VE ASKED HIM TO EVEN PUT LIKE, KIND OF MORE FLOWERS IN THE FLOWERING MEADOW AREA.
SO HOPEFULLY, UH, IT'LL, IT'LL BE BEAUTIFUL AND, YOU KNOW, COME, COME JULY, AUGUST.
UM, I DID WANNA JUST LET YOU KNOW ALSO I GOT A REPORT ON THE ECOSPHERE PROJECT FROM, UH, BP RCO.
UH, THEY HAD DONE AN INSPECTION OF ALL OF THE ECHO SPHERES IN THE PILOT TEST.
UM, AND, UH, 12 OF THEM THAT, OF THE 82 THAT HAD BEEN DEPLOYED WERE DAMAGED.
THEY WERE REMOVED, 14 WERE DAMAGED, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO REPAIR THEM IN SITU.
SO THERE'S STILL 70 ECOSPHERES REMAINING IN THE STUDY, WHICH THEY THINK IS, UH, MORE THAN ADEQUATE FOR PURPOSES OF THE STUDY.
UH, IT, IT, IT, IT, IT SEEMS THAT THE WINTER CONDITIONS WITH THE ICE FLOW, UM, IS WHAT DAMAGED THE ECHO SPHERES.
BUT THAT WON'T HAPPEN NEXT YEAR.
'CAUSE THE STUDY WILL BE COMPLETED.
IT WAS A ONE, IT'S A ONE YEAR STUDY, SO, WE'LL, UH, WE'LL SEE WHAT THE, WHAT THE RESULTS BRING THERE.
AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, UM, THEY HAVE MOUNTED A, UH, A GAME CAMERA, UH, ON A TREE DOWN IN THE AREA OF CANALI COVE, JUST TO OBSERVE WHAT'S HAPPENING.
YOU KNOW, WITH THE, WITH WITH IN AND AROUND WHERE THE SPEARS ARE, ARE DISPERSED.
I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE LITTLE FLOATS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO DOWN THERE YOU CAN SEE LITTLE FLOATS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND, UH, THE OTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU WAS THAT I HAVE HEARD FROM METRO NORTH WHO HAS TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE A CONTRACTOR ON BOARD TO FIX OUR SIDEWALK.
THEY DO NOT HAVE A START DATE.
HOWEVER, THEY'RE GONNA NOTIFY ME THE MINUTE THEY HAVE A START DATE.
AND INTERESTINGLY, THIS COINCIDES WITH THEIR, UH, COMING TO THE VILLAGE.
THEY'RE DOING THEIR FIRST SORT OF, UM, PRESENTATION OF THE, UH, FIVE YEAR CAPITAL PLAN TO, UH, COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND IT'S GONNA BE ON APRIL 23RD FROM FIVE 30 TO SEVEN 30 IN OUR LIBRARY.
AND, UH, THAT SHOULD BE, UM, SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THAT I'M SURE THEY'LL, IT'LL, UH, IT'LL, THERE'LL BE A LOT OF INTEREST.
IT'S, THEY'RE CALLING IT THE METRO NORTH HUDSON LINE CLIMATE RESILIENCE BLUEPRINT.
AND IT'S TO REBUILD CRITICAL IN INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING CULVERTS, DRAINAGE, RETAINING WALLS, SLOPES, SHORELINES, AND SOME OF THE TRACK IS GOING TO BE ELEVATED.
SO IT'S, IT'S QUITE AN, UH, LARGE UNDERTAKING, UH, THAT THEY'RE EMBARKING ON.
IT'S, UH, $68.4 BILLION, UH, INVESTMENTS.
AND IT'S, IT'S MAINLY, UH, BASICALLY FROM, UM, YONKERS TO, I THINK IT WAS CROTON.
SO, UM, WE'LL HAVE TO ASK THEM ABOUT THE BRIDGES, IF THEY'RE RAISING THE TRACKS, WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO ABOUT THE BRIDGES, IF THAT ADDS ANOTHER MULTIPLE.
WELL, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT RAISING THEM EVERYWHERE.
THEY'RE RAISING THEM IN SELECT, SELECT LOCATIONS.
AND I HAVEN'T DUG DEEPLY ENOUGH TO SEE EXACTLY WHERE, BUT MAYBE IF WE WE DIG A LITTLE DEEPER INTO IT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE WE HAVE A BRIDGE THAT NEEDS SOME ATTENTION.
ANYTHING ELSE? SO THOSE WERE THE MAIN THINGS I WANTED TO FOCUS ON, UNLESS THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYBODY.
[01:00:01]
GOVERNOR TO, UH, TO THINGS MORE OFTEN.[X. BOARD DISCUSSION AND COMMENTS ]
ON TO BOARD DISCUSSION AND COMMENTS.UM, UH, I THOUGHT I WOULD TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DO A STATE OF THE VILLAGE, SINCE THIS IS NORMALLY THE TIME WHEN WE HEAR THE STATE OF THE STATE, UH, THE STATE OF THE, OF THE UNION.
AND WE HEAR THE STATE OF THE COUNTY, THE STATE OF THE UNION ISN'T HAPPENING.
SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
THE STATE OF THE COUNTY, I THINK IS HAPPENING NEXT WEEK.
A NUMBER OF OTHER MUNICIPALITIES ARE DOING THE STATE OF THE TOWN AND THE STATE OF THE CITY.
SO THIS IS GONNA BE THE STATE OF THE VILLAGE.
UM, AND WE WILL SEND IT OUT TO EVERYONE SO YOU CAN HAVE A CHANCE TO READ IT.
AND I'M SURE I HAVE FORGOTTEN THINGS, SO YOU'LL ALL HAVE TO PROMPT ME ON THINGS THAT I, I'VE MANAGED TO, TO FORGET.
SO THE FIRST THING IS THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE.
UM, IN 2024, TRUSTEE LOPEZ STEPPED DOWN AS TRUSTEE.
SHE DESERVES OUR THANKS FOR HER MANY YEARS OF SERVICE, ESPECIALLY ON ALL THINGS TRAFFIC RELATED AND FOR HER VIGILANCE ON ISSUES RELATED TO EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND AFFORDABILITY.
AND ALSO THANKS TO TRUSTEE MERTON FOR CHOOSING TO STEP UP AND RUN FOR ELECTED OFFICE.
IT'S WONDERFUL TO HAVE YOU, UM, A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS FROM THE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT TO EACH MEMBER OF OUR BOARD AND COMMISSIONS FOR THEIR DEDICATION AND, UH, SERVICE.
AND WE ALSO HAVE AN INCREDIBLY COMPETENT AND DEVOTED STAFF.
UM, THIS YEAR WE BAED FAREWELL TO SERGEANT SAM BRECKER.
UM, THIS YEAR, IT'S LIKE A WEIRD YEAR.
SO IT'S, IT KIND OF ENDS IN APRIL SINCE I'M, I'M KIND OF TRYING TO TAKE IT UP TO THIS MOMENT IN TIME.
SO IT'S KIND OF 2024 AND THEN UP TO APRIL.
SO WE MADE FAREWELL TO SERGEANT SAM BRECKER, CHRISTINE CANAVAN, UM, OUR VILLAGE MANAGER'S ASSISTANT, AND WILLIAM OSBORNE, WHO WAS OUR MECHANIC AT THE DPW.
AND WE HIRED ERIN FARZANA FNO, OUR NEWEST POLICE OFFICER, AS WELL AS JOE MANGO, WHO'S AN ACCOUNTANT.
MARCUS RA IAN, AM I SAYING HIS NAME RIGHT? UH, VILLAGE MANAGER'S ASSISTANT DOMINIC LANCO AND SEAN GUNTHER IN THE DEPART DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, AS WELL AS AN, UH, A FEW PART-TIME POSITIONS IN PARKS, PARKING ENFORCEMENT, AND CROSSING GUARDS.
WE INVITED DAVID BARONA TO BE OUR L-G-B-T-Q LIAISON AND WERE EXCITED TO LEARN THAT AFTER SELF SUBMITTING FOR THE MUS MUNICIPAL EQUALITY INDEX, WE RECEIVED A RATING OF A HUNDRED OUT OF A HUNDRED.
ACTUALLY, OUR RANKING IS HIGHER, BUT THEY ONLY GIVE YOU A HUNDRED POINTS, SO YOU CAN, YOU CAN GAIN A FEW MORE POINTS.
WE WERE THRILLED TO LEARN THAT AFTER A BRIEF HIATUS, THE RIVER TOWNS DISPATCH TOOK OVER LOCAL REPORTING WHEN THE RIVERTOWN ENTERPRISE SUSPENDED OPERATIONS EARLY IN 2024.
AND JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THESE KINDS OF LOCAL PAPERS ARE SUSTAINED THROUGH SUBSCRIPTIONS, SO EVERYONE SHOULD SIGN UP TO SUPPORT THAT IMPORTANT LOCAL BUSINESS AND ENTERPRISE.
IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE, 2024 WAS EXTREMELY BUSY AND PRODUCTIVE.
UM, PARTLY DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF GRANT FUNDING WE WERE ABLE TO ACCESS AND PROJECTS INCLUDED THE GRAND OPENING OF QUARRY PARK.
FINALLY, I THINK WE TRIED TO DO THAT OVER TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS MAYBE.
UM, UH, THE MUCH NEEDED REPAVING OF PARTS OF RAVENSDALE AS WELL AS GREEN PRINCES, RUNNY CARRIE, AND MOST OF SOUTHGATE, AS WELL AS SOME ROADS THAT, UH, THAT CONOR EDISON AND VIOLA DUG UP AND THEN REPAVED.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS CURBING THAT WAS DONE ON A NUMBER OF STREETS.
GREEN STREET, FAIRMONT, UM, UH, GLEN PLACE, CLINTON, HORNER, LINCOLN, AND OVERLOOK SO LITTLE AND EUCLID, I THINK, UH, AND FLOWER
SO LITTLE STRIPS OF, OF CURBING WERE DONE IN A BUNCH OF THOSE PLACES TO HELP WITH, UM, WITH STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN, IN, IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.
UM, IN 2024, WE COMMISSIONED A TRAFFIC STUDY TO EVALUATE OUR PLAN TO INSTALL CROSSWALKS ON WARBURTON AT PINECREST AND ON WARBURTON AT DIVISION IN FRONT OF ANTOINETTE'S.
AND WE ARE VERY MUCH HOPING FOR COUNTY SUPPORT IN IMPLEMENTING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THIS YEAR IN 2023, WE COMMISSIONED A, UM, FLOOD STUDY AND ALREADY THE STUDIES BEING YIELDED GRANT FUNDING, WHICH WILL HELP US EASE THE NORTH BROADWAY ZZA DRAINAGE AND THE BUTI BROOK FLOODING ISSUES.
AND SO THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
UM, AND AS YOU JUST HEARD, APPARENTLY WE MAY ACTUALLY GET A SIDEWALK IN
[01:05:01]
FRONT OF THE METRO NORTH STATION.WE, UH, CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OTHER IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDING FOR ONGOING WORK AT VILLAGE HALL AND THE LIBRARY.
AND, UH, WE SAW THE INSTALLATION OF MORE SIDEWALKS IN THE DOWNTOWN IN 2024.
AND AS YOU HEARD, WE JUST LEARNED WE WERE AWARDED TWO CDBG GRANTS.
MM-HMM
UM, THIS YEAR WE'LL ALSO BE INSTALLING NEW SIDEWALK ALONG BROADWAY, ADJACENT TO THE BURKE ESTATE ON, ON ROSEVILLE AVENUE.
AND WE ARE PARTICIPATING WITH SYSTEM MUNICIPALITIES IN AN ONGOING EFFORT TO REIMAGINE ROUTE NINE.
UM, ALSO INSTALLATION OF WIFI IN THE DOWNTOWN IS COMPLETE AND NOW AVAILABLE, AND OUR IT DEPARTMENT IS WORKING ON SOME ISSUES THAT HAVE ARISEN IN SPECIFIC ISOLATED AREAS.
SO, VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO TRUSTEE FLEISIG FOR SERVING ON THE ROUTE NINE COMMITTEE TO FORMER TRUSTEE LOPEZ FOR HER WORK ON SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY HER FOCUS ON IMPROVING SIDEWALKS.
AND TRUSTEE MERTON HAS AGREED TO TAKE ON THIS WORK MOVING FORWARD.
SHE MIGHT LIVE TO REGRET THAT, BUT FOR NOW SHE'S ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IT.
UM, IN THE DOWNTOWN THIS PAST YEAR, SEVERAL NEW BUS BUSINESSES OPENED IN THE VILLAGE, INCLUDING ARO CAFE IN PATIE, RIVERTOWN PLANTS AND GIFTS, DEMAR FINE ART, FEATURING THE ART OF STEPHEN STOLLER LEAVES IN A BOWL, WHICH IS A TEA SHOP FOUND HASTINGS AUSTIN BOLAND, INTERIOR POPUP, AND, UM, AINE POPUP.
THEY'VE ALL BEEN REALLY WONDERFUL ADDITIONS AND WE ARE WAITING WITH BATED BREATH FOR THE GRAND OPENINGS OF VANISHING INC.
BOOKSTORE, WHICH IS TO BE RUN BY ALISON MCCABE AND PIONEER MARKET TO BE RUN BY OUR FRIENDS, GERMANY AND ALEX OF BREAD AND BRINE FAME.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE VERY EXCITING.
OUR DOWNTOWN ADVOCATE AND THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT ORGANIZED MANY AMAZING EVENTS TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO VISIT THE DOWNTOWN, INCLUDING THE FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE EVENTS AND THE MEMORIAL DAY PARADE.
AND THEY ALSO COLLABORATED WITH THE RIVER TOWNS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ON VARIOUS EVENTS, INCLUDING AN ANNUAL TROLLEY, WHICH I THINK EVERYONE LOVES.
I REMEMBER MEETING YOUR SON, TRUSTEE DRAKE ON THE TROLLEY ON ONE OCCASION, AND THERE WAS A STRANGE LOOKING SNOWMAN, I THINK, ON THE TROLLEY AT THE SAME TIME,
UM, UH, AND THOSE, THOSE EVENTS BRING THE RIVER TOWNS COMMUNITIES TOGETHER.
UM, THE DESTINATION HASTING SITE IS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO TO LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING.
IN ADDITION TO OUR UPCOMING EVENTS PAGE.
AND SPECIAL THANKS GOES TO OUR MERCHANT, OUR DOWNTOWN ADVOCATE, THE RIVER TOWNS CHAMBER, AND EVERYONE IN THE VILLAGE WITH OUR EFFORTS TO KEEP THE DOWNTOWN VIBRANT AND TO SHOP LOCAL.
UM, AND ALSO THANKS TO OUR DPW AND PARKS AND RECREATION TEAM FOR THE LOVELY DECORATIONS AT VARIOUS POINTS IN THE YEAR, BUT ESPECIALLY DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
UM, I THINK LOTS OF OF PEOPLE WHO DRIVE DOWN THE SAWMILL ATTACHED BY THE GORGEOUS BRIDGE DISPLAY, AND I THINK WE THANK TRUSTEE FLEISIG FOR THE ACTUAL POLES, BUT THE, HE WAS THE ONE WHO FOUGHT FOR THOSE, THOSE PARTICULAR, UM, LIGHTS, STREET LIGHTS TO BE PUT THERE, THE OLD STYLE LIGHTS, BUT IT'S THE DPW THAT ACTUALLY WRAPS THEM.
I DON'T THINK YOU CAN BE ATTRIBUTED, UH, UH, ANY, ANY PRAISE FOR THAT PARTICULAR PART.
UM, IN TERMS OF PLANNING AND LAND USE, LAST YEAR WE CAME VERY CLOSE TO CONCLUDING AN IMPORTANT PLANNING PERIOD FOR THE VILLAGE.
BOTH OUR COMP PLAN AND LOCAL WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION PROGRAM ARE VERY CLOSE TO BEING FINALIZED, AND THEY WILL OUTLINE OUR COMMUNITY VISION FOR THE NEXT DECADE.
UM, IN 2024, THE GRAHAM WYNDHAM PROPERTY RECEIVED SITE PLAN APPROVAL FROM THE PLANNING BOARD AND SOME SMALL STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN, UH, RELATED TO THE WATERFRONT.
AFTER WE CAME UP IN WITH AN AGREEMENT, UM, WITH ATLANTIC RICHFIELD IN LATE 2023 THAT INCLUDED FUNDING FOR THE RENOVATION OF ACKRAN PARK AND AGREEMENT TO CO-DESIGN A WATERFRONT FRONT PARK ON THE SITE.
AND YOU ALSO HEARD EARLIER TODAY THAT THE ECOSPHERES PROJECT WAS LAUNCHED AND MOST OF THE SPHERES SEEM TO BE DOING THEIR THING.
UH, WE'LL HEAR MORE RESULTS ABOUT THAT.
SO VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO THE C-P-U-C-P-U-L-W-R-P COMMITTEE.
TRUSTEE MERTON, TRUSTEE DRAKE TRUSTEE FLEISIG, UM, FOR THEIR WORK ON THE COMMITTEE AND TO TRUSTEE FLEISIG FOR HIS HELP WITH BOTH THE LAND USE AND WATERFRONT INITIATIVES.
UH, IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY ON CLIMATE CHANGE, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WE'RE RECOGNIZED STATEWIDE FOR OUR LEADERSHIP.
[01:10:01]
WE CONTINUE TO BE THE HIGHEST RANKING CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITY IN NEW YORK STATE AND OTHER MUNICIPALITIES SEEK US OUT FOR ADVICE AND SUPPORT.OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE ADOPTED A GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER IMPORTANT SUSTAINABILITY RELATED ACHIEVEMENTS, INCLUDING THE ADOPTION OF A ZONING AMENDMENT TO PRESERVE PARK LAND, CREATING AN INCENTIVE PROGRAM FOR OUR LANDSCAPERS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO SWITCH TO ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT RECOMMITTING TO COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATION, USING LOW EMBODIED CARBON CONCRETE FOR SIDEWALKS, AND PRODUCING A WONDERFUL SET OF ACTIVITIES FOR EARTH MONTH.
WE ALSO CONTINUE OUR COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNS ON CLEAN HEATING AND COOLING, UM, GRID REWARDS.
THERE ARE NOW 450 PARTICIPATING, UM, HOUSEHOLDS FOR THAT.
YOU CAN STILL SIGN UP, I THINK TILL THE END OF APRIL.
YOU CAN STILL SIGN UP ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
WE HAVE 526 ELECTRIC AND PLUGIN ELECTRIC VEHICLES OPERATING IN OUR ZIP CODE, AND WE HELD THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR OUR HYPER-LOCAL COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL.
AND 180 PLUS HOUSEHOLDS HAVE SIGNED UP, SO THAT'S REALLY MARVELOUS.
UM, IN 2024 AND 2025 WITH VILLAGE SUPPORT, A DEDICATED CADRE OF VOLUNTEERS CONTINUE TO RUN OUR TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT GARAGE AT ANDRUS, WHICH HAS BEEN A HUGE HIT WITH THE COMMUNITY.
WE HELD REPAIR CAFE EVENTS ONE JUST RECENTLY AND ONE IN OCTOBER WE PROMOTED FOOD SCRAP RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING AND CONTINUED OUR TEXTILE BOOK AND TENNIS BALL RECYCLING EFFORTS.
YOU KNOW, I REALIZED THERE WAS NOTHING ON THE VILLAGE WEBSITE ABOUT THE TENNIS BALL RECYCLING, BUT I THINK WE RECYCLED A HUNDRED.
I GOT THE FINAL COUNT THE OTHER DAY.
IT WAS, BUT WE DON'T SAY IT ANYWHERE ON THE WEBSITE, SO WE, MAYBE WE SHOULD PUT THAT SOMEWHERE 'CAUSE THAT'S A NICE THING TO BE ABLE TO SAY.
WE ARE, WE ARE RECYCLING TENNIS BALLS.
UM, UH, OTHER CONSERVATION ORIENTED VOLUNTEERS HAVE KEPT UP THEIR GREAT WORK ON PLANTING TREES, VINE LOPPING, PLANTING POLLINATOR GARDENS AROUND THE VILLAGE.
AND AT THE URGING OF OUR POLLINATOR PATHWAYS TEAM, WE ADOPTED SEVERAL RESOLUTIONS SUPPORTING NATIVE PLANTS AND ENDANGERED BUTTERFLIES.
WE ALSO URGED THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN THE CLIMATE SUPERFUND ACT, WHICH SHE DID RIGHT AT THE LAST MINUTE, THE VERY LAST THING I THINK SHE SIGNED LAST YEAR.
UM, AND IN 2024, FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, I SIGNED UP FOR THE MAYOR'S MONARCH PLEDGE.
AND BY YEAR'S END, WE COMPLETED ENOUGH ACTIONS AS A COMMUNITY TO BE RECOGNIZED AS PART OF THE LEADERSHIP CIRCLE ONCE MORE.
AND WE'VE RECOMMITTED THIS YEAR TOO.
AND THAT'S LARGELY DUE TO THE WORK OF THE BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE, THE POLLINATOR PATHWAY GROUP, AND THE PARKS AND REC TEAM.
UM, ALSO IN 2024, THE VILLAGE WAS AWARDED A $50,000 YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION FUND GRANT BY BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPY.
AND WE USED IT TO PROVIDE 22 MICRO GRANTS TO DESERVING CLIMATE RELATED PROJECTS, CONCEIVED OF AND IMPLEMENTED BY VILLAGE YOUTH.
UM, WE RECENTLY LEARNED THAT WE WERE AWARDED ANOTHER A HUNDRED THOUSAND FOR NEW PROJECTS THIS YEAR, UH, TO INSPIRE YOUTH TO HAVE MORE IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WORK TO INSTALL A GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN VILLAGE HALL.
AND THE LIBRARY HAS CONTINUED AND WE WERE THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE ADOPTION OF OUR UPDATED GREEN BUILDING CODE IN SEPTEMBER, 2024.
SO SPECIAL THANKS TO TRUSTEES, FLEISIG AND ALLGOOD FOR THEIR WORK ON THE GREEN BUILDING CODE AND TO THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION AND CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITIES TASK FORCE FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES AND TO TRUSTEE DRAKE FOR WORKING WITH ME ON THE LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPE INCENTIVE PROGRAM, WHICH I THINK IS ACTUALLY VERY INNOVATIVE.
OTHER MUNICIPALITIES FIND IT QUITE INTERESTING THAT WE'VE EASED THE WAY IN, IN SUCH A HUMANE WAY FOR, FOR OUR, UM, LANDSCAPERS.
WE'VE CONTINUED EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE FISCAL FISCAL HEALTH OF THE VILLAGE, RESULTING IN A LEAN BUDGET AND MORE TRANSPARENT BUDGETING PROCESS.
A RAINY DAY FUND OF OVER 6.7 MILLION, AS PER OUR LATEST, LATEST AUDIT MADE UP OF AN UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE OF 5 MILLION AND $90,920.
AND A ASSIGNED FUND FUNDS DEDICATED TO SPECIFIC PURPOSES OF $1,648,644.
SO THAT'S REALLY A, A, A GOOD CHUNK OF MONEY THAT WE'VE MANAGED TO, UM, RAISE.
AND THESE NEW, THIS NEW INCOME STREAM WITH MORE OF AN EMPHASIS ON GRANTS REDUCES THE BURDEN ON TAXPAYERS.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TRIED QUITE SERIOUSLY TO FOCUS ON OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
WE HAVE THE LOWEST TAX RATE IN THE RIVER TOWNS WHILE STAYING UNDER THE
[01:15:01]
GOVERNOR'S 2% CAP.UM, IN LATE 2021, OUR RATINGS WITH MOZY WAS UPGRADED FROM AA THREE TO AA TWO, AND THIS ALLOWED US TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOW RATES TO MAKE INVESTMENTS IN NEEDED CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE THAT BEGAN IN 2022 AND HAVE BEEN CONTINUED SINCE THEN.
GRANT FUNDING HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF CAPITAL FOR RESILIENCY INFRASTRUCTURE AND PARTS PROJECTS WITH THE EXPLICIT INTENT OF REDUCING THE BURDEN ON TAXPAYERS IN 20 20 20.
IN 2024 AND 2025, OVER 5.1 MILLION IN NEW GRANT FUNDING WAS COMMITTED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.
SO FOR 2024, IT INCLUDED 2.5 MILLION FOR FLOOD MITIGATION ALONG BROOK.
THAT'S THE MONEY WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED, NOT THE MONEY WE'RE ASKING FOR.
UM, 2.2 MILLION TO CONSTRUCT NEW SIDEWALKS ALONG ROSEDALE AVENUE, 400,000 FOR A NEW AMBULANCE.
THANKS TO SENATE MAJORITY LEADER ANDREW STEWART COUSINS 200,000 TO REVITALIZE THE PARKING LOT NEAR AQUEDUCT LANE, THANKS TO ASSEMBLY WOMAN CHINKY 226,000 TO IMPROVE POLICE RECORDS AND ACQUIRE A NEW PATROL VEHICLE.
50,000 TO PROVIDE MICROGRANTS TO YOUTH FOR CLIMATE PROJECTS THANKS TO BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES AND 25,000 FOR TO CONDUCT A MI A MULTI VILLAGE FOOD SCRAP STUDY.
SO THE RIVER TOWNS VILLAGES TOGETHER HAVE BEEN DOING THAT STUDY.
AND I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THE, DO WE HAVE THE REPORT YET? NOT YET, BUT IT SHOULD BE COMING OUT VERY SHORTLY.
UM, AND THEN SO FAR IN 2025, NEW GRANT FUNDING INCLUDES 382,724 FOR THE SIDEWALKS, WHICH WE HEARD ABOUT EARLIER, AND A HUNDRED THOUSAND TO PROVIDE MICROGRANTS FOR YOUTH FOR CLIMATE PROJECTS.
AGAIN, THANKS TO BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPY.
SO SOME OF THESE GRANTS WERE SECURED DUE TO EFFORTS OF STAFF, AS WELL AS THE EFFORTS OF FIONA, OUR AMAZING GRANT CONSULTANT.
AND SO THEY ALL DESERVE OUR GRATITUDE.
UM, MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE CONTRIBUTIONS THIS YEAR, ESPECIALLY TO OUR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS.
YOU ARE ALL AMAZING AND SPECIAL THANKS TO THE VILLAGE MANAGER, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THEIR DEVOTED STEWARDSHIP OF OUR LOVELY VILLAGE.
AND IN SUMMARY, THANKS TO EVERYONE, THE STATE OF THE VILLAGE IS STRONG, EVEN STRONGER THAN LAST YEAR, AND WE HAVE LOTS OF IMPRE INTERESTING PROJECTS IN MOTION FOR 2025 AND LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH ALL OF YOU TO MAKE THIS A SPECTACULAR THAT YEAR.
CAN YOU THINK OF ANYTHING? I FORGOT.
I'LL SEND THIS TO YOU 'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA FORGET ANYONE.
WE WANNA RECOGNIZE EVERYONE FOR ALL THE GREAT WORK THEY'VE DONE.
IT REALLY, IT REALLY IS A, A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS AND, UM, IT, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY AMAZING WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE ALTOGETHER.
IT'S BEEN A REALLY SUCCESSFUL, UM, YEAR.
[XI. ANNOUNCEMENTS ]
TO ANNOUNCEMENTS.SO THE UPCOMING EVENTS WE HAVE APRIL 15TH, SENIOR MAN MINDFULNESS DROP-IN SESSION, UH, AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER AT 12:30 PM UH, SENIOR TRIP TO ARTHUR AVENUE ON APRIL 17TH, UM, UH, AT STARTING AT 10:00 AM AND GOING UNTIL TWO 30.
THE FARMER'S MARKET IS IN OPERATION, UH, IN THE ZZA LOT ON APRIL 19TH, STARTING AT 9:30 AM EXTRAVAGANZA IS ON APRIL THE 19TH AT 10:00 AM IT GOT POSTPONED, I THINK BECAUSE OF THE BAD WEATHER LAST WEEK.
UM, AND THE LITTLE SAGES CHILDREN COOKING CLASS IS ON APRIL THE 21ST AT 3:30 PM UH, AT WILD CULTURE.
UM, APRIL 22ND IS EARTH DAY, SO HAPPY EARTH DAY TO EVERYONE.
UH, THERE'S THE SENIOR TRIP TO THE BOTANICAL GARDENS TO CELEBRATE STARTING AT 9:30 AM AND THEN TO CELEBRATE AOR DAY, THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
UH, ON APRIL 25TH AT 3 45 WE'LL BE PLANTING SOME TREES IN ZA IN ZA GARDENS.
AND THEN, UM, ALSO ON APRIL 25TH, STEVENS STO HAS AN ARC EXHIBIT, WHICH IS CALLED A WINTER ROMANCE, AND THERE'S AN OPENING RECEPTION IN HIS GALLERY AT 5:00 PM UM, AND THEN ON APRIL THE 26TH IS THE LITTLE LEAGUE PARADE ALSO RESCHEDULED.
UH, SO EVERYONE HAS IT ON YOUR CALENDAR NOW.
THERE'S, UM, IT'S ALSO THE CLEANUP WEEKEND MOVED FROM ANOTHER DATE.
[01:20:01]
SO, UM, IT'S STARTING AT 9:00 AM AND IT'S FOR BOTH THE SATURDAY AND THE SUNDAY.AND WHAT YOU CAN DO IS GO TO HOOK UP, UH, KIND OF SIGN UP, UH, WITH THE REC DEPARTMENT AND THEY WILL GIVE YOU BAGS.
DO THEY STILL GIVE PIZZA? UH, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT PIZZA AS A REWARD FOR PEOPLE WHO HAD SIGNED UP.
MAYBE I'M MISREPRESENTING WHAT THEY'RE OFFERING, BUT THEY CERTAINLY OFFER YOU PLASTIC BAGS TO COLLECT THE GARBAGE IN.
UM, THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY MILITARY FAMILY COLLECTION DRIVE IS ALSO ON APRIL 26TH AT THE AMERICAN LEGION, STARTING AT 9:00 AM AND THE GREAT SAWMILL RIVER CLEANUP IS, UH, AT FARGATE AVENUE ON APRIL 26TH, UH, AT 10:00 AM SO IT'S REALLY STARTING AT THE FARGATE, UH, THE, THE SOUTH COUNTY TRAILWAY, FARGATE AVENUE PARKING.
SO ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE, AND THE, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SAWMILL RIVER.
AND NORMALLY THAT THAT'S SORT OF A, AN AN EFFORT TO CLEAN UP GARBAGE THAT'S KIND OF COLLECTED ALONG THE SAWMILL RIVER.
UM, ALSO ON APRIL 26TH IS NATIONAL DRUG TAKE BACK DAY FROM 10:00 AM TO 2:00 PM WHERE YOU CAN EMPTY OUT YOUR, UM, YOUR MEDICINE CABINETS FOR ANYTHING THAT'S, UH, REALLY SHOULD BE GOT RID OF IN A CAREFUL WAY.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO THAT AT THE POLICE STATION, I THINK ALL YEAR ROUND.
BUT THIS IS A DAY WHERE WE PARTICULARLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME OUT.
AND ALSO ON APRIL THE 26TH IS SAKURA MATSUI, WHICH IS THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL FROM 12 TO 3:00 PM AND ON, UH, APRIL THE 28TH, THE LITTLE SAGE'S CHILDREN COOKING CLASSES ARE FROM THREE 30 TO 5:00 PM AGAIN AT WEILL CULTURE.
AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE WILL BE MEETING.
SO ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE VILLAGE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16TH, CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITIES TASK FORCE AT 6:00 PM HOSTED VIA ZOOM, THURSDAY, APRIL 17TH, SAFETY COUNCIL MEETING, 7:00 PM VILLAGE CONFERENCE ROOM, FRIDAY, APRIL 18TH.
THURSDAY RECYCLING PICKUP IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16TH AND FRIDAY.
RECYCLING IS, UM, THUR IS THURSDAY, APRIL 17TH.
THE VILLAGE, HASTINGS VILLAGE ARTS COMMISSION MEETING IS AT 7:30 PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL CONFERENCE ROOM THURSDAY, APRIL 24TH IS THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS REGULAR MEETING AT 7:00 PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL MEETING ROOM.
MONDAY, APRIL THE 28TH IS THE SENIOR COUNCIL MEETING AT 3:15 PM IN THE JAMES HARMON COMMUNITY CENTER.
MONDAY MAY 5TH IS THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD MEETING AT 7:00 PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL CONFERENCE ROOM.
AND TUESDAY MAY 6TH IS THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING AT 7:00 PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL MEETING ROOM.
UH, WE WILL NOW ADJOURN INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS MATTERS OF REAL ESTATE AND WE WILL NOT RETURN TO THIS MEETING.
IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I HAVE TO REPEAT THE WHOLE THING.
I'M JUST WISHING EVERYONE, UM, A HAPPY EASTER FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO CELEBRATE.