Village of Pelham June Board of Trustees Meetings
By Joyce Farrell
At the June 11 Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Meeting, Mayor Chance Mullen mentioned that the Village has been busy working on a Westchester County grant application. The County will contribute 80% for any major project, up to a maximum of $250,000 from the County, and the Village has been putting together a package of items the grant could cover. Mayor Mullen also thanked the seniors for inviting him to their annual luncheon at The Rail House.
During public comment, a mother of a high school athlete requested that a crossing guard be posted at Colonial and Wolf as it is a known-to-be dangerous intersection, and there is none there when athletes are walking to and from practices. Trustee Theresa Mohan suggested that she speak with the Pedestrian Safety Committee at the school, which is advocating across the village and town for better safety. Mayor Mullen pointed out that a crossing guard wouldn’t solve the whole problem at that intersection and felt that it was something that the villages and the school district should work on together. He asked her to email him so that he could put her in contact with Trustee Russell Solomon, who was absent that night from the meeting but has been trying to find a solution to the problem.
Michael Mastrogiacomo of Mastrogiacomo Engineering PC, spoke to the Board regarding a site plan application for a lot bought by Clive Anderson, Director of Pelham Funeral Home, for a lot line change between two lots at 216 Third Avenue to create off-street parking for the funeral home. Mayor Mullen pointed out that the site needs to be rezoned to be a commercial site and suggested a separate meeting with himself and other Board members to initiate the statutory process to accomplish this. Once the proposal for the rezoning is complete, it has to be referred to the Village and the Westchester County Planning Boards. If it’s approved by both, it comes back to the Village Board for a public hearing.
The Board then approved several resolutions, including a resolution authorizing the renewal of a grant consulting agreement with Millennium Strategies, LLC, which has been helping the Village to obtain funding for various needs.
The Board also approved a resolution rejecting the contract bid regarding alteration to the existing parking garage at Sixth Avenue and Third and approved a resolution authorizing the appointment of a seasonal laborer in the Village of Pelham Department of Public Works.
Another resolution approved was the authorizing of payment to the City of Mount Vernon for training expenses for a police officer’s resignation/reinstatement under New York State General Municipal Law § 72-c because a new officer, who had been hired and trained by Mount Vernon, was hired by Pelham less than three years later.
The Pelham Police Department applied for and received a 2024 Law Enforcement Technology Grant for $681,700 to purchase a host of new technology, including new body cameras, new license plate readers, and a village-wide security camera system. The Board approved a resolution accepting the grant and establishing a capital project.
Finally, the Board approved two resolutions calling for public hearings for two different zoning issues, both concerning amending Chapter 98 of the Pelham Village Code Entitled “Zoning,” The first is regarding Indoor Recreation Facility and the second is regarding Restaurant Definition.
At the Board’s Regular Meeting on June 25, the Mayor congratulated the local businesses that won “Best of Westchester” awards. Mayor Mullen also thanked the Pelham Recreation Department and the Town of Pelham for organizing the Pelham Summer Concert in Gazebo Park that he attended on June 24. He also thanked those who organized the Juneteenth celebration.
Mayor Mullen then mentioned to the Board that the Westchester Municipal Officials Association (WMOA) is planning out its member meetings and the topics it would like to cover at the meetings. Additionally, he is one of the people involved in putting together a learning series for municipal officials and invited topic suggestions from his colleagues.
Having worked on the matter between the June 11 and June 25 meetings, the Board voted to refer the site plan application for the lot line move and the zoning map change between two lots at 216 Third Avenue to the Village and County Planning Boards, as well as to declare itself the agency in terms for the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR).
The Board then opened a public hearing on the matter of amending the Pelham Village Code Entitled “Zoning” regarding “Indoor Recreation Facility” and is keeping the public hearing open until the next meeting. It voted, however, to adopt the amendment to Chapter 98 of the Pelham Village Code Entitled “Zoning” regarding Restaurant Definition.
Finally, the Board authorized the appointment of a part-time secretary to the Village Administrator.