Village of Pelham Manor Board of Trustees Meeting – June 10
By Joyce Farrell
At the Board of Trustees meeting on June 10 for the Village of Pelham Manor, Mayor Jennifer Monachino Lapey noted that June was Pride Month and mentioned that they’re “grateful to live in a community that is incredibly accepting and that people have the support to lead authentic lives.”
Mayor Lapey then stated that there was construction being done at Four Corners, which will improve the brickwork that is adjacent to the small parking lot near Four Corners Pizza. It will result in an extra parking spot and more space for the existing parking spots.
The mayor also acknowledged the graduation from Pelham High School of Phoebe Schwartz, a young reporter who had covered the board for many years and wished Phoebe and the other graduates much success in the future.
Fire Commissioner Timothy Case and Fire Chief Michael Greco discussed the department’s participation in two county-wide hazmat drills, as well as a live drill in which Pelham achieved faster-than-average times. Additionally, the current trainees in the academy are doing well and are scheduled to graduate on July 19.
The Village Manager, Lindsay Luft reported that the DPW had repaired four streetlights, cemented eight sidewalks, did park cleanup and maintenance, mulched around Shore Park Playground, as well as planted native species there with a cadet troop, and renovated the plantings around the Four Corners Police Booth. Also, Foreman Michael DiBenedetto attended a training session at Westchester County Emergency Management, which was for Con Ed 101 for Public Works and Highway Personnel.
Additionally, Manager Luft met with contractual engineers on the stormwater design phase, continued to collaborate with the utility companies to ensure their work is done on time ahead of stormwater projects and road paving, and met with the Westchester County Planning Department to review Glover Field, including the problem of the sanitary interference with the stormwater pipe there, and other stormwater mitigation efforts.
Finally, Luft reported that the Village is back to its regular schedule with street sweeping, the last Thursday and Friday of each month, as noted on the calendar on the Village’s website, residents will begin to receive sanitary sewer smoke testing door hangers, which will aid in analyzing what’s going into the sewer system, and Luft reported that approximately 77% of all material collected in the Village in fiscal year 23-24 was recycled material, one of the highest recycling rates in New York.
Discussing proposed capital budget amendments, Luft requested an authorization to reallocate $300,000 of the Village’s capital funds to purchase a catch basin cleaner, which would assist in the Village’s efforts to remove debris from catch basins. Because the Village will receive a $150,000 grant through Assemblymember Amy Paulin’s office specifically towards such a purchase, half of the money requested will be reimbursed. Luft also requested that the name of a currently authorized project for the building of a handicapped restroom be changed so that the project can be more flexible as other projects need to be done in tandem with it to make it feasible. The Board approved both requests.