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[ TOWN OF GREENBURGH OFFICE OF THE TOWN BOARD 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607 Tel: 914-989-1525 Fax: 914-993-1541 Email: HCancro@GreenburghNY.com https://greenburghny.com/485/Watch-Live-Board-Meetings]
WELCOME TO OUR TOWN BOARD WORK SESSION.IT'S, UH, 5:50 PM AND WE HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF ITEMS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DISCUSSING.
THE FIRST, UM, ITEM IS A SIDEWALK, UH, DISTRICT, UH, DISCUSSION, UM, UH, LAST WEEK, UM, AS A RESULT OF SIDEWALKS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED, YOU KNOW, AROUND TOWN.
UM, SOME SENIORS, UM, YOU KNOW, COMPLAINED ABOUT, UM, HAVING TO SHOVEL THE SNOW.
AND, UM, FRANCIS, UH, MENTIONED, AND I, WE BUILD A SIDEWALK.
SENIORS SHOULD NOT BE, UM, THIS, YOU KNOW, SHOULD NOT BE FORCED TO SHOVEL IN FRONT OF THEIR, THEIR HOMES ON, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE OPTIONS THAT WE COULD CONSIDER IS CREATING A SIDEWALK DISTRICT, UM, THE SIDEWALK DISTRICTS, YOU KNOW, ALL OVER, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL OVER THE STATE.
AND THEN THE SIDE DISTRICT WOULD BASICALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UH, DECIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY WOULD TREAT SIDEWALKS.
WOULD THE, WOULD THE DISTRICT MAINTAIN IT? WOULD THEY CLEAR, UH, UH, SIDEWALKS OF SNOW? OR, YOU KNOW, WOULD THE HOMEOWNERS BE RESPONSIBLE? AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST THINK THE TIME HAS COME TO, YOU KNOW, ADDRESS THIS.
WE DID TALK ABOUT THIS LAST YEAR, AS I RECALL, AND I THINK THAT, UM, WHAT WE DISCUSSED, I MENTIONED THIS IN AN EMAIL, THAT WE WERE GONNA PULL TOGETHER SOME CONCEPTS, WHAT DIS HOW WE WOULD DETERMINE THE DISTRICTS FOR ONE THING.
SO I THINK WE'RE KIND OF STARTING THE SAME CONVERSATION OVER.
IT'S A GOOD IDEA, BUT WITHOUT HAVING ANYTHING TO SPECIFIC TO DISCUSS, UM, I THINK THAT WE CAN MAKE IT RELATIVELY QUICK AND TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA.
I, I, I SHOULDN'T SPEAK FOR ANYONE ELSE.
I THINK THERE'S MORE WE CAN, AND THEN, AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT THINGS NEED TO BE RESEARCH.
WE CAN GO OVER THAT AGAIN, WHAT KIND OF DATA WE WOULD NEED TO HELP MAKE THAT DECISION.
SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT OUR, UH, WHAT OR THE PROS AND CONS OF, OF A SIDEWALK DISTRICT, BUT I THINK THERE'S SOMEONE WE HAVE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS.
YOU'VE GOT SOME GOOD IDEAS AND YOU SHOULD COME FORWARD AND TALK.
IF YOUR IDEAS ARE REALLY GOOD, I KNOW AHEAD OF THE COMMITTEE.
I KNOW YOU GET VERY UPSET WHEN WE DON'T INVITE YOU UP EACH MEETING, EACH MEETING.
WELL, YOU'VE, YOU'VE COME A FEW TIMES TO OUR WORK SESSIONS TO DISCUSS SIDEWALK DISTRICT, SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO SURE.
IF YOU COULD JUST TURN YOUR MIC ON AND IF YOU WOULD INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
HI, I AM, UH, DYLAN PINE, AND I AM PRESIDENT OF THE EDGEMONT COMMUNITY COUNCIL.
AND SO YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SIDEWALK DISTRICT WOULD BE YEAH.
WELL, I MEAN, I, I I THINK THERE'S A NUMBER OF, UM, A A NUMBER OF LONGSTANDING CONVERSATIONS THAT SIDEWALK DISTRICTS COULD BE A POTENTIAL SOLUTION TO.
UM, I DON'T PRETEND TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS, BUT YOU KNOW, JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, THERE'S LONG BEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTENANCE OF SIDEWALKS.
UM, AND THEN EVEN WITHIN MAINTENANCE, WHETHER THAT'S CLEARING OF SNOW AND LEAVES, OR WHETHER THAT'S THE, THE BROADER DEFINITION OF MAINTENANCE, WHICH INCLUDES, YOU KNOW, REPAIRING POTHOLES AND, AND FIXING MCADAM.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE IS THE QUESTION FOR COMMUNITIES THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE VOCAL IN TERMS OF WANTING MORE SIDEWALKS.
YOU KNOW, IF A COMMUNITY SOMEHOW DEMONSTRATED THE WILLINGNESS TO, UH, PAY IN, YOU KNOW, ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THEIR NORMAL TAX ASSESSMENT WOULD BE INTO A SIDEWALK DISTRICT TO ACCELERATE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN IN INSTALLING SIDEWALKS IN, WITHIN A DISTRICT, WITHIN A NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, I THINK THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE WORTH EXPLORING.
UM, AND THEN THERE ARE OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT LIABILITY.
YOU KNOW, WHETHER A SIDEWALK DISTRICT COULD POTENTIALLY SELF-INSURE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, I THINK WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IS TO HAVE A BRIEF CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY DIRECT THE, THE TOWN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THESE ISSUES WITH SOME TIMELINE ON, ON FOLLOW UP.
THERE ARE SOME SIDEWALKS WHERE THE TOWN DOES TAKE CARE OF THEM, AND THEN THERE'S OTHER SIDEWALKS THAT THE TOWN DOESN'T, EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR THEM.
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, AND I, I KEEP USING THIS TERM HEAVILY, UM, USED ROADS BECAUSE THAT'S A DEFINED TERM IN OUR ZONING ORDINANCE.
UH, THOSE ARE THE ROADS WHERE THEY'RE STRIPED TWO LANES IN EACH ONE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION, AND THE PLOWS REALLY GO UP TO SPEED.
AND THEY CAN THROW THAT SNOW PRETTY FAR, BUT THEY ALSO CAN COME BACK OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
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FRANKLY, AN ABLE-BODIED PERSON HAS A REALLY HARD TIME.ONCE THE PLOWS HAVE COME BY TWO OR THREE TIMES, IT GETS SO COMPRESSED FROM THAT, AND IT HAS THE SALT TO THE SAND ALL PUT UP ON THE SIDEWALK.
UM, AND AT THE LAST MEETING WE HAD AN ELDERLY COUPLE SAYING, I DIDN'T ASK FOR A SIDEWALK.
YOU'RE GOING TO PUT IN A SIDEWALK.
AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYBODY WHO FALLS ON THAT SIDEWALK.
AND FRANKLY, THERE'S MERIT TO WHAT THEY SAY.
AND, AND SOMETIMES THERE'S JOCKEYING, YOU KNOW, ON WHAT SIDE OF THE STREET, UH, THE SIDEWALK IS INSTALLED.
YOU KNOW, EVERYONE WANTS A SIDEWALK.
THEY JUST WANT IT ON, ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE STREET.
AND SO IF A SIDEWALK DISTRICT COULD BE A WAY TO, TO MITIGATE THAT JOCKEYING AND CREATE A MORE SUGGEST, CREATE A MORE THE CASE, CREATE A MORE EQUITABLE WAY WHERE EVERYONE WITHIN A NEIGHBORHOOD WHO'S BE BENEFITING FROM THE SIDEWALK CAN PAY IN, UM, AGAIN, FOR MAINTENANCE.
WHETHER THAT'S SNOW SHOVELING, WHETHER THAT'S, UH, MAINTENANCE BY A, BY A BROADER DEFINITION, UM, THAT COULD POTENTIALLY GET NEIGHBORS, UH, REDUCE SOME OF THE FRICTION BETWEEN A, A SIDEWALK BEING PROPOSED AND THE COMMUNITY GETTING BEHIND A SIDEWALK PROJECT.
'CAUSE THE SIDEWALK THAT'S ON A PARTICULAR PERSON'S PROPERTY ACTUALLY BENEFITS THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IF IT'S ON A WALKWAY TO SCHOOL OR WHATEVER.
I HAD A CORNER LOT IN MY HOME, YOU KNOW, I, I LOVED IT.
EXCEPT WHEN IT SNOWED, BECAUSE WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR SHOVELING THAT IT WAS A LOT TO SHOVEL.
AND THEN IT WAS ALSO PRETTY DAMAGED.
AND BEFORE WE EVEN BOUGHT THE, THE HOME, AND THEN WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT TOO.
YET THE WHOLE COMMUNITY WAS, YOU KNOW, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS ALL, THEY WERE ALL USING THAT SIDEWALK TO GET TO SCHOOL.
SO I THINK IT SORT OF EVENS THE PLAYING FIELD OUT.
WE JUST, WE'D HAVE TO ESTABLISH THE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING WHAT THE SIDEWALK DISTRICTS ARE, HOW MANY AND ALL THOSE, THE VARIOUS IN SUNDRY MM-HMM
AND ALSO WE HAVE TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT, UM, I THINK IN TERMS OF CLEARING THE SIDEWALKS, AND, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR ESTEEMED, UH, COMMISSIONERS UP HERE AND TO TALK ABOUT IT.
BUT I THINK IT NEEDS, THERE'S A SPECIAL, A SPECIAL EQUIPMENT TO CLEAR SIDEWALKS AND WHO PAYS FOR THAT AND ENSURES FOR THAT.
AND SO EVEN IF WE CREATE SIDEWALK DISTRICTS AND WE ESTABLISH A CERTAIN TAXATION SURCHARGE OR HOWEVER WE, WE, UM, HAVE THAT, DO WE ADMINISTER IT AND CREATE THAT SURCHARGE AND DO WE DO THE WORK? AND THEN WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE ON OUR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS IN TERMS OF HAVING THE PERSONNEL? SO THERE ARE A LOT OF ISSUES THAT WE'VE GOTTA THINK ABOUT.
LET ME ASK ANOTHER QUESTION THAT I JUST THOUGHT OF.
UM, WHAT IF, UM, WE DID A RFP FOR PRIVATE, YOU KNOW, CONTRACT FOR PRIVATE CONTRACTORS AND SAY, LISTEN, THERE'S A BUNCH OF SIDEWALKS THAT BASICALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LIKE TO CLEAR OF SNOW AND, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE SIDEWALKS THAT ARE ON MM-HMM
YOU KNOW, BUSY ROADS AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT COULD IDENTIFY IT.
WE COULD, YOU KNOW, WE COULD ISSUE THE RFP.
AND THEN BASICALLY WE COULD INCLUDE THAT IN, UH, THE FUNDS, YOU KNOW, IN THE BUDGET.
YOU KNOW, AND WE COULD, THEY MAY SAY, BUT THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S NOT A DISTRICT PER SE, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE ALL OVER THE TOWN.
THE ONLY REASON I'M SUGGESTING THAT IS, BUT THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT HAVING DISTRICTS FOR PROBABLY FIVE YEARS OR SOMETHING.
BUT IT'S TOO SOON TO PUT OUT AN RFP, I MEAN, YEAH, NO, NO, BUT I'M SAYING IT'S BEFORE, IT'S LIKE CHRISTMAS IN JULY, UM, AND WE HAVE TO START THINKING OF CHRISTMAS NOW.
UH, UM, AND SO THE THING IS, I SORT OF FEEL THAT IF WE BASICALLY DID AN RFP AND WE JUST FIGURED OUT HOW MUCH, YOU KNOW, IF WE SAID THESE ARE, THERE'S A SIDEWALK ROAD, WE CAN'T, THAT UNTIL WE ESTABLISH THE DISTRICTS, I MEAN NO, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
NO, WITHOUT A DIS I'M SAYING WHILE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DISTRICTS, IF WE, BUT YOU HAVE TO BUILD, BUT WHEN YOU DO AN RFP PAUL, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SCOPE OF WORK.
THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THAT A PERSON CAN BID ON AN OPPORTUNITY.
SO YOU STILL HAVE TO PUT THE INFORMATION THAT COMES FROM NO, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
SO I'M JUST SAYING, YOU HAVE TO UNDER, THEY HAVE TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE BIDDING ON.
I'M SUGGEST THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAID.
I'M SUGGESTING THAT THE TOWN BOARD, YOU KNOW, TO ME, THE SIMPLEST THING THAT WOULD BASICALLY NOT REQUIRE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS REFERENDUM WITH SIDEWALK DISTRICTS AND ALL THAT WOULD BE BASICALLY FOR THE TOWN TO, TO IDENTIFY SIDEWALKS THAT WE FEEL ARE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ARE REALLY CRITICAL.
IT'S NOT FEEL TO BE BY THE CODE, WHAT'S OUTLINED IN OUR, NO, WE'RE MAKING EXCEPTIONS.
LIKE ARDSLEY ROAD IS, THERE'S A BIG, UH, STEEP HILL GOING TO THE TRAIN STATION IF, UM, IF WE
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DIDN'T HAVE, IF WE DIDN'T CLEAR THE SNOW.SO FORGIVE THE ANALOGY, BUT THAT'S A SLIPPERY SLOPE.
NO, BECAUSE, BECAUSE YOU WOULD DETERMINE SOME SIDEWALKS AND NOT OTHERS THEN.
THAT'S WHAT WE WERE, WE WERE SAYING THAT THERE'S, YEAH.
I MEAN, I, I GUESS TO TAKE THE HEAVILY TRAVELED HEAVY TRAFFICKED SIDEWALKS IS DIFFERENT THAN SIDEWALKS THAT ARE, OKAY.
SO, BUT WE'RE GETTING TO A D DIFFERENT CONVERSATION NOW.
'CAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MAINTENANCE OF EXISTING SIDEWALKS.
AND NOT DISTRICTS, ANYTHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
AND THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE.
NO, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT MY, MY FAILING IS WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO.
IF WE COULD GET A SIDEWALK DISTRICT BY THE FALL, BUT YOU KNOW, BY NOVEMBER I'D BE THRILLED.
BUT, YOU KNOW, MY FAILING IS, YOU KNOW, SINCE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT AND WE'VE GOTTEN DISTRACTED, YOU KNOW, THE ODDS ARE THAT WE, THAT IT MAY NOT, IT MAY NOT HAPPEN.
SO I'M SAYING FOR THIS YEAR, WHILE WE'RE EXPLORING SIDEWALK DISTRICTS, WHAT IF WE DID, WE, WE DID AN RFP AND WE SAID, LET'S SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, WE IDENTIFIED SOME SIDEWALKS THAT WE BASICALLY WANT TO HAVE CLEARED THAT WE ALL AGREE SHOULD BE CLEARED.
WE, IT COULD INCLUDE THE TAXI ROAD, YOU KNOW, COLUMBIA, PAYNE STREET, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A WHOLE BUNCH OF 'EM.
ALL OF THOSE ARE HEAVILY USED DRUGS, MR. ROAD.
NO, I'M SAYING THESE ARE THE ONES.
AND THEN WE AS A, BUT, SO WE, SO I GUESS YOU'RE GONNA, I THINK, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE, BUT THE ROADS THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED ARE HEAVILY USED ROADS HERE, WHICH WE ALREADY HANDLE.
NO, BUT, SO YOUR RFP YOUR SCOPE OF WORK, YOU HAVE TO DECIDE WHICH STREETS YOU'RE GONNA, THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DETERMINE.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE US A LIST NOW, BUT THAT'S WHAT NEEDS TO BE DETERMINED.
WHICH OF THOSE ROADS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS, THAT'S WHAT HAS TO GO INTO THE RFP.
THAT'S WHAT HAS TO GO INTO THE
BUT NOT PLOWING THE ROAD, CLEARING THE SIDEWALK.
BUT THE OTHER THING IS, WE COULD BASICALLY SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, RIGHT NOW OUR STAFF IS UNABLE, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT SAY AS A POLICY, WE'RE UNABLE TO DO, WE DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD LIKE TO, BEFORE WE DO AN RFP TO DO PRIVATE PEOPLE DOING WHAT OUR WORKERS DO.
WE HAVE SO MANY HEAVILY USED ROADS IN OUR CODE.
NOT ALL OF THEM HAVE SIDEWALKS.
SO WE COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT THE LINEAR FEET IS OF THE SIDEWALKS THAT ARE ON THE HEAVILY USED ROADS MM-HMM
AND FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT OUR STAFF CAN TASK IT.
MATTER OF FACT, I THINK IT'S BETTER 'CAUSE THEY'LL KNOW WHEN THE PLOWS ARE COMING DOWN AND WHEN THEY'RE NOT GOING TO KEEP COMING DOWN.
YOU, YOU HAVE A PRIVATE PERSON AND PRIVATE COMPANY COMING IN, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE AS, AS GOOD A COORDINATION.
SO I WOULD RATHER HAVE IT IF OUR, OUR STAFF CAN DO IT.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THAT COULD HAPPEN.
SO LET'S, WE HAVE, SO WE'RE TRYING TO, WE HAVE THE, THE THREE PEOPLE THAT MAKE ALL THINGS HAPPEN.
I'M JUST WONDERING, THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON.
YOU GONNA TRY TO DO IT FOR THIS YEAR? MY, THE STAFF IS D DROWNING.
ALL I'M ASKING IS, I THINK THAT THEY COULD TELL US, FIGURE OUT WHAT THE NOBLE IS.
'CAUSE BUT AGAIN, MY IDEA IS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE TOWN STAFF.
UNDERSTAND BECAUSE, SO THE THING IS, BECAUSE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN, WE ADDED LIKE 12 MILES OF SIDEWALKS.
SO THE THING IS, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE ONE OVER HERE ON HILLSIDE THAT'S RELATIVELY NEW.
WE'RE GONNA BE DOING DOPPS FERRY ROAD, THAT'S GONNA BE, UH, UNIT, UH, NEW.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN TWO YEARS WE'LL HAVE WEST
SO I SORT OF FEEL THAT INSTEAD OF SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE WANT TO KEEP BURDENING THE DEPARTMENT, WE COULD SAY TO RICH AND FRANK, WE COULD SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE KNOW YOU'RE DOING A REALLY GREAT JOB, BUT WE WANT TO HELP AND WE WANT TO TEST OUT.
IF YOU WANT A PRIVATE, LET'S STOP.
CAN YOU PLEASE RESPOND? ALRIGHT.
SO FIRST LET ME JUST CLEAR UP ONE THING HERE.
RIGHT NOW WE DO, IS THIS ON? YES.
WE TAKE CARE OF SOME SIDEWALKS, BUT NOT ALL.
AND BUILDING MAINTENANCE AT THE TOWN FACILITIES.
IF WE CAME UP WITH CRITERIA, WHICH I'M SURE WE COULD MM-HMM
WITH GARRETT AND THE, AND THE CODE MM-HMM
UM, TO SPELL OUT WHICH AREAS WE COULD DO, I'M SURE WE COULD GET STAFF THAT WOULD WANT TO HANDLE THAT.
I THINK IF YOU DID, OTHERWISE, YOU'RE GONNA END UP WITH UNION ISSUES, WHICH WE DON'T NEED.
SO WE WILL ABSOLUTELY ANALYZE THAT.
OUR SITUATION NOW, AND I THINK AS EVERYBODY'S BEEN MADE AWARE, IS OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THE RESIDENTS OR THE ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COMPLETE MAINTENANCE OF THE SIDEWALK.
SO WE'VE BEEN ISSUED ACCORDING TO OUR CODE, ACCORDING TO OUR CODE.
SO WE'VE BEEN ISSUING NOTICES OF VIOLATION TO BOTH COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES NOW TO FIX THE SIDEWALKS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE VERY UPSET ABOUT THAT AS BEEN, YOU KNOW, VERY CLEARLY SPELLED OUT HERE TODAY, PARTICULARLY PEOPLE THAT DID NOT ASK FOR THE SIDEWALK TO BE
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PUT IN IN THE FIRST PLACE.LISTEN, WE'RE GOING THROUGH IT NOW AT EAST IRVINGTON.
THERE'S BEEN A SIDEWALK THAT'S BEEN DESIGNED MM-HMM
UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WANTED SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO NOW THEY ASKED FOR A SPECIFIC ASSOCIATION, BUT NOW THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING THE SIDEWALKS IN FRONT OF THEIR RESIDENTS ARE COMING IN, IN MASS, VERY UPSET.
I MEAN, JUST REALLY DISGUSTED THAT ANYTHING'S GOING IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE, WHICH HAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THEM ONE AT A TIME TO EDUCATE THEM ON WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHAT WOULD TAKE PLACE OUT THERE.
WE USE EXAMPLES LIKE JUNIOR HILL ROAD OR COLUMBIA THAT WE'VE DONE, AND IT HAD WORKED OUT VERY WELL MM-HMM
BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT JUST DON'T WANT IT.
UM, BUT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT.
HOWEVER THE BOARD DECIDES TO HANDLE THIS, ALL I COULD SAY IS RIGHT NOW WE ARE APPLYING THE CODE AS WRITTEN MM-HMM
AND AS THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT HAS DIRECTED US TO DO.
AND, AND, AND SO, NOT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, AMANDA, BUT I GUESS HOW HAVE, HAVE YOU SEEN, OR, OR DO, IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, HOW SIDEWALK DISTRICTS COULD POTENTIALLY MITIGATE SOME OF THESE ISSUES, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF SNOW REMOVAL? SO A SIDEWALK DISTRICT CAN ACCOUNT FOR MAINTENANCE ON SNOW REMOVAL.
AND, AND HOW WOULD THAT WORK? UM, SO A SIMILAR EXAMPLE FOR A SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT WAS THE, UH, DRAINAGE DISTRICT THAT WAS SHARED WITH TERRYTOWN, I BELIEVE.
UM, AND SO THAT THERE'S A PROCESS INVOLVED.
YOU'D HAVE A GROUP, UH, CALCULATE LIKE A COST BENEFIT RATIO PER PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN A DISTRICT WITHIN THE AREA THAT ARE BENEFITED EITHER ON A ONE-TO-ONE RATIO OR MAYBE HALF A ONE TO RATIO.
AND THEY WOULD PAY INTO THAT DISTRICT AND PAY FOR THE COSTS.
WELL, WHAT ABOUT ANOTHER OPTION WOULD BE WHAT IF WE BASICALLY, UH, INVITED PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE INTERESTED IN, YOU KNOW, SIDEWALKS TO, UM, UH, TO, WE CREATED LIKE A TASK FORCE.
AND THEN BASICALLY THE TASK FORCE, UH, LOOKED AT THE SIDEWALK DISTRICT AND ALSO THE RFP OPTIONS, AND THEN CAME UP, UH, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE TOWN BOARD, SAY, BY THE BEGINNING OF THE, BY THE, BY THE END OF OCTOBER, BECAUSE I SORT OF FAILED THIS WAY AT LEAST.
WE'RE, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, MANY TIMES, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE A MEETING TODAY AND THEN WE WILL FORGET ABOUT IT, AND THEN IN SIX MONTHS WE'LL BRING IT UP AGAIN.
AND THIS WAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE CREATING A STRUCTURE.
SO WE HAVE THAT'S TRUE EXPERTISE.
BUT I THINK THAT YOU'VE, AND, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BECAUSE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD THIS VERY SIMILAR DISCUSSION, AND THEN IT, NOTHING EVER HAPPENED BECAUSE, AND I THINK, I BELIEVE YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT A TASK FORCE AT THAT TIME TOO.
UM, BUT WE HAVE TO ESTABLISH THE BROADER CRITERIA.
PEOPLE HAVE TO BE FAMILIAR AND BE ABLE TO DIG DEEP INTO CODES.
WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE COST, BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY IN MIDWAY THROUGH A BUDGET SEASON, AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING WITHIN THIS BUDGET.
WE HAVE TO SPEAK TO KIMBERLY ABOUT THAT.
AND WE'D HAVE TO ALSO LOOK AT OUR INSURANCES BECAUSE THERE'S, THERE'S GOING TO BE LIABILITY INVOLVED.
AND WHO ASSUMES THAT LIABILITY? THE SIDEWALK DISTRICTS OR THE TOWN, OR BOTH? I MEAN, THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF PIECES TO THIS THAT I DON'T SEE IT HAPPENING THIS WINTER AS MUCH AS WE'D LIKE IT TO HAPPEN.
BUT, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SIDEWALK DISTRICTS AS A WAY OF SOLVING THINGS GOING FORWARD.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW TO ADDRESS THE SIDEWALK ISSUES, CLEARING THEM RIGHT NOW.
SEE THE PROBLEMATIC, WELL, IT MUST NOT CLEAR.
I KNOW THE ATTORNEY WANTED TO HAVE NO, I JUST MAKE A COMMENT, UM, MAKE YOU AWARE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT THAT YOU CAN'T SELECTIVELY CHOOSE CERTAIN SIDEWALKS OVER OTHERS.
AND YOU NEED TO HAVE CRITERIA DEFINING, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DIFFERENTIATES THEM FROM OTHERS.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY EITHER TOWN WIDE COVERAGE OF EVERYTHING, WHICH IS TYPICALLY NOT DONE IN MOST MUNICIPALITIES, WHICH IS WHY IT'S THE ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNER'S RESPONSIBILITY.
OR YOU CREATE SIDEWALK DISTRICTS WHERE THERE'S SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS WHERE A CERTAIN SUBSET OF PEOPLE PAY FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE SIDEWALKS.
OR GO, MIKE, THE WORRY THAT I HAVE IS REMARK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE BASICALLY, OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, WE'VE DONE LIKE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF MAKING THE TOWN MORE PEDESTRIAN SAFE.
AND I THINK EVERYBODY ON THE BOARD BASICALLY WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REDUCE THE CHANCES OF PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES OR INJURIES.
SO WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME, YOU KNOW, ON THE SAME SIDE, I'M WORRIED THAT, YOU KNOW, ONCE A NEIGHBORHOOD STARTS FIGHTING THIS, THEN IT'S GOING TO HAVE MOMENTUM, YOU KNOW, TOWN WIDE.
SO WE'RE WORKING RIGHT NOW, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE FORT HILL SIDEWALK.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S A, THAT'S, THAT'S A CONTROVERSIAL SIDEWALK, BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT IF WE COULD MAKE IT HAPPEN, IT WOULD BE A GAME CHANGER FOR THAT EDGEMONT, YOU KNOW, THE EDGE, YOU KNOW, EDGEMONT.
SO I SORT OF FEEL IF WE COULD SAY, LISTEN,
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WE HEAR YOUR CONCERNS, LIKE THE WOMAN WHO'S A SENIOR CITIZEN, THAT THAT'S VERY LEGITIMATE.IF WE COULD SAY, WE HEAR YOUR CONCERNS AND WE WANT TO BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, WE NEED THE SIDEWALK BECAUSE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IS, IS A CONCERN.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE DON'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, GIVE YOU A HEART ATTACK JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE SO STRESSED OUT THAT WE'RE PUTTING A SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF YOUR HOUSE.
YOU KNOW, WE BASICALLY WANNA WORK WITH YOU AND FIGURE OUT SOME WAYS THAT EVERYBODY, THAT IT COULD BE A WIN-WIN FOR, FOR EVERYBODY.
BUT WE, WE HAVE SOME WORK TO DO, AND WE ALSO HAVE AN AGENDA THAT WE'RE A LITTLE BIT LATE ON.
SO IF WE, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD DEVELOP THAT AND DEVELOP A PLAN, DEVELOP HOW WE SHOULD GO ABOUT IT.
AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.
MAYBE YOU CAN HAVE THAT FOR, YOU KNOW, NEXT MEETING OR COUPLE OF MEETINGS IN TERMS OF LAYING OUT WHAT IT IS WE'RE GOING TO DO, AND THEN WE CAN DETERMINE WHEN THEY CAN BE DONE.
AND I GUESS IF, IF THERE I, I'LL JUST SAY ONE THING.
YOU KNOW, WHILE, WHILE I THINK SIDEWALK DISTRICTS WOULD, WOULD BE GREAT FOR EDGEMONT, I THINK SIDEWALK DISTRICTS WOULD BE, UH, A SOLUTION.
THE PROBLEMS ALL ACROSS THE TOWN, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SENIOR CITIZENS EVERYWHERE.
AND SO I, I WOULDN'T WANNA FRAME THIS SPECIFICALLY AS, AS AN EDGEMONT PROJECT.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING TOWN WIDE THAT COULD HAVE BENEFIT.
NOBODY WAS UNTIL YOU MENTIONED IT.
WELL,
THEY WERE, THEY WERE FROM TEXT ROAD.
UM, I GUESS TO MOVE THIS CONVERSATION ALONG, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OR SPECIFIC CONCEPTS THAT THE TOWN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CAN BEGIN TO RESEARCH TO, TO PROVIDE SOME CLARITY? I WOULD A NOBLE NUMBER OF HOW MANY SIDE, WHAT'S THE LINEAR FOOTAGE ON SIDEWALKS? ON HEAVILY USED ROADS.
AND WE ALSO HAVE TO BE MINDFUL, YOU KNOW, IT'S EASY FOR US TO PUT IN SIDEWALKS.
WE GET GRANTS AND THEN WE PUT IN SIDEWALKS.
BUT WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF THE GREATER COST, WHICH IS THAT TO THE HOMEOWNERS.
AND NOW WHO, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO DON'T WANT THE SIDEWALKS, BUT WE WANT TO POST THAT.
WE ARE PUTTING SIDEWALKS EVERYWHERE THAT, YOU KNOW, LIKE THIS COUPLE WHO COULD NOT HAVE SPOKEN MORE ELOQUENTLY ABOUT, THEY'RE NEVER GONNA USE THAT SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF THEIR HOME.
AND THEY DON'T THINK MANY OTHER PEOPLE ARE EITHER.
AND WE, THE TOWN COULD NOT PRODUCE DATA TO SAY YES.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF TRAFFIC THERE.
UH, AND YET THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO PICK UP THE COST.
UH, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AGING IN PLACE AND ADUS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND NOW YOU'RE PUTTING A SIGNIFICANT BURDEN ON THEM, INCLUDING THE LIABILITY.
SHOULD SOMEBODY FALL ON A SIDEWALK THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT, BUT NOW IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT.
BUT I SHOULD ALSO MENTION, WELL, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SIDEWALK DISTRICT.
BUT I SHOULD ALSO MENTION LIKE, WE HAVE A SIDEWALK DISTRICT, SO IT'S NOT THE BIRDS ON NOW.
AND THE QUESTION IS, SHOULD THERE BE ONE SIDEWALK DISTRICT? SHOULD THERE IN BE INDIVIDUAL SIDEWALK DISTRICTS? WE WOULD NEED MUL MULTIPLE.
AND IT'D BE INTERESTING TO KNOW WHAT, WHAT OTHER TOWNS WHO UTILIZE SIDEWALK DISTRICTS, HOW THEY ORGAN, HOW THEY CONFIGURE THEM, YOU, WHAT THE ASSESSMENTS LOOK LIKE.
ACTUALLY WE HAVE ONE, IF YOU DATE BACK TO THE 1920S, UM, WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE, THERE IS A HARTSDALE HAD A SIDEWALK DISTRICT IN THE 1920S.
REALLY? WAS IT ABANDONED? IT DIDN'T GET THAT FAR.
AND I WAS, WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE.
AND THAT, AND, AND WE HAVE TO DETERMINE WHAT DEFINES A SIDEWALK.
I MEAN, I, I THINK THE, IN, IN MY MIND, THE FIRST QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, ARE SIDEWALK DISTRICTS ACTUALLY SOLUTIONS TO SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS? AND THEN IF THE ANSWER'S YES, THEN DISCUSSING HOW ARE THEY DEFINED? HOW ARE THEY ASSESSED? UH, WHAT, WHAT THE PROCESS IS FROM THERE.
IF IT HAR SURVEY PROBABLY WAS NEVER APPEALED, WHO WANTS THEM? RIGHT.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING.
'CAUSE WE, WE, WE WERE TALKING FOR THE COMMUNITY.
IF HARSDALE HAD, WAS IT REPEALED? THAT'S WHY I'M HERE.
I BET YOU IT WASN'T, AND IF IT, IF IT WASN'T REPEALED, THEN YOU COULD, YOU COULD EVEN HAVE A TEST OF THE HARSDALE, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE DOING WEST HARSDALE AVENUE, COLUMBIA AVENUE.
THEY, THEY MAY ALREADY BE COVERED BY, UH, BY THE, YOU KNOW, BY, YOU KNOW, BY THE LAW.
BUT THE, YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT I JUST REALLY, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HE, CAN YOU REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID? I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAID.
I SAID HE IS SUGGESTING THAT WE RESURRECT THAT ARCHAIC LAW.
IT'D BE A DISTRICT THAT WAS CREATED.
BUT IF THEY'RE NOT COLLECTING TAXES ON IT, THEN IT HASN'T BEEN ACTIVE FOR A HUNDRED YEARS OR MAYBE EIGHT YEARS.
IF IT, IF, IF THERE WAS A STATUTE AND THE LAW BASICALLY CREATED A DISTRICT, UNLESS THE TOWN TOWN BOARD REPEALED THE LAW, UH, IT'S STILL, IT'S STILL, UH, A DISTRICT.
BUT I WOULD NOT YOU SAYING RELY ON AN OLD STATUTE FOR THE REASONS THAT OUR ATTORNEY SUGGESTED, YOU KNOW? NO.
WELL, OH, DID YOU VOTE FOR THAT DISTRICT?
WERE YOU IN OFFICE? YEAH, I WAS IN, I WAS IN OFFICE.
BUT WE CAN ASSESS IT, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND SOME OTHER QUESTIONS I, I THOUGHT OF BEFORE THAT, YOU KNOW, DYLAN AND I HAD DISCUSSED AS WELL, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS WITH A DA COMPLIANCE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE THE BRICK SIDEWALKS, ARE THEY REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH EDA IF
[00:25:01]
THEY'RE REPAIRED OR, OR REPLACED MM-HMMUM, OR DO YOU NEED TO POTENTIALLY CREATE AN OVERLAY DISTRICT? LIKE A HISTORIC DISTRICT? YEAH.
AND YOU COULD ONLY DO THAT WITH A SIDEWALK DISTRICT.
LIKE WELL, YOU CAN CREATE A HISTORIC DISTRICT FOR, FOR MANY ITEMS, BUT, UM, NO, NO.
I'M SAYING YOU WOULD ONLY BE ABLE TO SPECIFY THAT SIDEWALK DISTRICT AS BEING HISTORICALLY LANDMARKED.
IT WAS PART OF ADJUSTING, ESPECIALLY THAT WE WOULD HAVE IT SPECIFIC TO SIDEWALK DISTRICTS, ESPECIALLY IF THERE WAS AN INCREASED COST IN, IN MAINTAINING A SIDEWALK PURELY FOR AESTHETIC REASONS.
THAT WOULD BE A WAY FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD, ASSUMING THERE WERE, THEY WERE BOUGHT IN, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, PAY IN EXTRA TO A SIDEWALK DISTRICT MM-HMM
TO MAINTAIN THEIR, UH, SIDEWALK AESTHETICALLY BEYOND WHAT THE, THE TOWN STANDARD WOULD BE.
SO THERE'S A LOT TO, THERE'S A LOT TO CONSIDER AND A LOT TO BE.
DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING MORE TO SAY, COMMISSIONER? ALL I WILL SAY IS WE HAVE TO BE FAIR MM-HMM
AND WE HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE, THE CODE AS WRITTEN.
SO ONE AREA THAT WE STRUGGLE WITH IS THE REMOVAL OF THE SNOW.
RIGHT? AND I KNOW THERE, IT'S, IT'S NOT ALL, IT'S NOT BALANCED.
AND THAT'S GOTTA BE DONE QUICKLY.
SO WHAT, SO WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP? ARE WE GONNA HAVE A FOLLOW UP MEETING? FOR WHAT? FOR, FOR WHAT? FOR THIS DECISION NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR.
SO WE WILL GET YOU THE, THE, THE MILEAGE OF THE SIDEWALKS WHERE THEY ARE.
I KNOW GARRETT HAS MOST OF THAT DONE.
WE'LL MEET WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER LUCCHESE WITH PARKS AND REC, AND WE'LL GO OVER WHAT THE PLAN WOULD BE TO ADDRESS THEM IF WE'RE DOING THE MAJOR ROADWAYS.
I'LL GIVE YOU FOR INSTANCE, PAIN STREET IS NOT, IS NOT DONE BY THE TOWN.
RIGHT? WHO'S IT DONE BY? IT'S ALL PRIVATELY.
SO THAT IS AN AREA THAT'S VERY HEAVILY TRAVELED.
A LOT OF, A LOT OF PEOPLE WALK THERE AND WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING THAT.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER AREAS OF TOWN WHERE WE DO, THAT'S WHAT WE CAN HAVE THE INCONSISTENCY.
BECAUSE I REMEMBER WHEN WE DID THE ROAD, WE SAID WE WERE GONNA DO PAIN.
SO LET'S, WE HAVE, REMEMBER THIS IS SOMETHING WHERE, YOU KNOW, AND I, I I, I, WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THE WHOLE FOR, WE HAVE TO DO THE RIGHT THING HERE.
SO WHEN SHOULD WE HAVE A FOLLOW UP MEETING ON THIS? YOU KNOW, I'M JUST, AFTER YOU HAVE THE RESEARCH, I THINK GIVE THEM SOME TIME TO GET THE RESEARCH.
AND SO YOU SAY THE END OF AUGUST? YEAH, THAT'S FINE.
SO WHY DON'T WE SAY WE COULD, WOULD EVERYBODY AGREE TO SAY, AND ALSO MAYBE, SORRY, TO IDENTIFY ANY SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD, LIKE WHAT DYLAN MENTIONED WITH LIKE THE RED BRICK AS SOMETHING TO ADDRESS WITHIN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE DIFFERENT ISSUES.
SO WE HAVE THREE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHO WOULD AGREE THAT WE COULD PUT THIS ON THE AGENDA FOR SAY THE LAST MEETING IN ORDER.
AS SOON AS WE HAVE INFORMATION FROM THE COMMISSIONER, WE DON'T WANT, WE'LL THE INFORMATION.
AND YOU GOT LIKE ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO, WE REPLACED RESET.
WHEN HE INFORMATION TO GET THE INFORMATION, I WANT HIM HAVE DEF INFORMATION, RIGHT? I MEAN, I DON'T, WE FORCED A DATE ON HIM.
I MEAN, THERE'S SO MUCH ELSE GOING ON.
THE ONLY REASON I'M SAYING FORCE A DATE, WE DON'T WANNA, THE REASON I'M SAYING FORCE A DATE IS BECAUSE I FEEL IF WE DON'T, I'M JUST GIVING YOU A PREDICTION, I FEEL IF WE DON'T FORCE A DATE, THEN IT'S GONNA, WE DON'T HAVE TO, WE DON'T HAVE TO FORCE IT.
WE CAN CONTINUE TO BE ANNOYING UNTIL I CAN ASSURE YOU THIS, ITS TWO DIFFERENT ISSUES.
UH, DO WE WANT WANT SINCE, UH, FRANK AND YOU? NOPE.
NOPE, DON'T STAY ON THE AGENDA.
I JUST WANTED THEM TO HAVE THE ABILITY.
DO YOU WANT TALK ABOUT WESTCHESTER POWER MEDICAL? I AM VERY GOOD.
UH, THE, UH, CONED RATES ARE LOWER, HAVE BEEN LOWER THAN THE WESTCHESTER POWER RATES FOR THREE MONTHS.
AND, UH, DAN WALSH, UH, SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER SAID THAT, UH, THEY MADE A COMMITMENT TO SEND OUT A ANOTHER CARD.
UM, AND, UM, I'M WONDER, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IT SHOULD SHOULDN'T BE LIKE AN ENVELOPE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING SEALED.
I THINK IT SHOULD BE, UM, A SIMPLE CARD.
WHAT A POSTCARD, WHATEVER IT WAS, RIGHT? THEY DID ONE ALREADY? NO, THE LAST ONE WAS A LETTER.
SO THIS COULD JUST BE A CARD, A POSTCARD SO EVERYBODY COULD SAY THE CARD THAT WENT OUT THE OTHER TIME.
AND I SORT OF WONDER LAST WE ANOTHER ONE THAT WENT OUT.
WASN'T THERE A POSTCARD BEFORE THAT WAS SUPPOSED GONE OUT? NO, THIS THE, SO WE, SO WE AGREED TO A POSTCARD.
YEAH, THAT'S MUCH, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT LIKE, SO YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW WHAT THAT POSTCARD LOOKS LIKE.
I'M NOT, WHAT AM I MISSING? NO, I'M JUST, THAT DIDN'T GO OUT LIKE THAT.
NO, BUT IF IT AL IF WE ALREADY AGREED THAT A POST POSTCARD HAD TO MM-HMM.
BUT I THOUGHT THAT ALWAYS DONE BECAUSE WHEN WE SIGN AND SAY, WELL, WELL, LET'S LOOK AT IT, VOTED ON IT, LET'S LOOK AT IT.
SO IT'S A DECIDE WHETHER IF IT NEEDS A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, EDITING.
I THINK I SENT EVERYBODY LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF A DRAFT THAT I WROTE, BUT IT'S, UH, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE OVER THE WEEKEND.
I THINK I, I'LL HAVE TO LOOK BACK AT THAT IN THE PAST WEEK OR SOMETHING.
LET, LET'S, LET'S LOOK AT THE POSTCARD THAT WAS GENERATED ALREADY.
[00:30:01]
GET YOUR POSTCARD, DID YOU SEND IT TO AMANDA TO REVIEW? UH, NO.SO SHE NEEDS TO REVIEW IT TOO.
IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE THE SAME LANGUAGE.
IT ALWAYS SHOULD BE THE SAME STANDARD LANGUAGE.
BE A TEMPLATE, SAME STANDARD LANGUAGE.
THE ONLY THING YOU'RE UPDATING IS THE DATES AND THE RATES.
IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO CREATE A WHOLE NEW, UM, POSTCARD.
NO, IT SHOULD BE JUST A STANDARD ONE.
THIS IS, I THOUGHT WAS ALREADY AGREED IT WAS A LETTER BEFORE.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET ALL OF THAT ON INTO A POSTCARD.
OH, WELL, WELL THEN WE JUST NEED TO STANDARD, IF THE RATE JUST SHOW THE RATES.
JUST SHOW THE RATES AND JUST REMIND THEM THAT THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPT OUT.
AS WE HAVE SHOWN THAT CON EDISON HAS BEEN HIGH, HAS BEEN LOWER THAN WESTCHESTER BY ONE BY 1 CENT.
JUST TO BE CLEAR BY 1 CENT PER KILOWATT HOUR.
BUT, BUT ALSO, I MEAN, YOU DO SEND OUT THE, THE MONTHLY UPDATE RIGHT THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE LIST.
SO THIS IS JUST GOING TO EVERYBODY, A MAILING, GOING TO EVERYONE, LIKE WE SAID.
EVERYONE WHO'S, WHO'S ON, WHO'S ENROLLED.
SO DO YOU WANT ME TO, UH, REVISE WHAT I WROTE AND THEN, UM, I, I HAVEN'T SEEN IT.
SO, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, AMANDA SHOULD SEE IT IN THE PAST WEEK WHEN I'M PRETTY SURE.
WOULD YOU SEND THAT TO AMANDA? SEND IT? CAN YOU SEND YOU, WHEN DO YOU EXPECT TO HAVE IT SENT OUT? IS THE OTHER THING, THE DEADLINE FOR SOLUTION? UH, YESTERDAY
THE PAST MINUTES REPORT EVERY THREE MONTHS.
SO IT SHOULD BE THE FOLLOWING.
THE FIRST OF THE FOLLOWING MONTH, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS.
BECAUSE IF THE BOARD WEEKS, IF THE BOARD LOOKS AT IT, BY THE TIME THE BOARD LOOKS AT IT, IT'S GONNA, IT'S NOT GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, ONE DAY IT'S GONNA BE TWO WEEKS BEFORE WE, THREE WEEKS.
IT HAS, AS LONG AS IT DEMARCATES THE PERIOD THAT IT'S ADDRESSING.
IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT SHOULD BE VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD SECONDS.
YOU WHAT? I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA, UH, WORK ON IT.
UH, JUST SEND US THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY.
NO, HE SAID HE, NO, LISTEN, HE DIDN'T DO A POSTCARD.
HE SAID HE SENT US SOMETHING A COUPLE LAST WEEK.
SEND US THAT AND WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
THAT'S, I'M JUST REPEATING WHAT HE SAID.
AND ALSO THE LETTER THAT WE SENT OUT THE LAST TIME, JUST TO COMPARE, THAT WAS LIKE WAY TOO, THAT'S MUCH LONGER.
JOYCE SAID IT WAS ONLY BY A CENT.
YOU WHAT? BUT WHERE DO YOU GET 1 CENT OUTTA IT? WELL, IT'S 11 AND 12.
HOW MANY KILOWATTS TO SEE THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD? IT'S AN INCREASE OF 1 CENT.
WELL, IF YOU DO IT PROPORTIONATELY, BUT IF YOU JUST DO IT AS A BILL, IT'S, IT'S ACTUALLY NOT A LOT.
I MEAN, I, I DID A WHOLE, I DIDN'T VOTE FOR THIS.
AND WE DID A WHOLE BREAKDOWN OF LIKE A BASIC, BASING IT ON A CERTAIN NUMBER OF KILOWATT HOURS, WHICH IS PART OF THE LETTER, WHICH IS MORE AT, YOU KNOW, INVOLVED.
AND WE DON'T WANNA SEND THAT OUT.
WE WANNA JUST SEND OUT THE LITTLE, WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WHATEVER WE SEND OUT IS TRUTHFUL FOR THE RESIDENTS TO MAKE A DECISION WHETHER THEY WANT TO CONTINUE ON WITH WESTCHESTER POWER OR NOT.
IT'S VERY S SO IT JUST NEEDS TO JUST BE CLEAR.
NO, IT JUST NEED JUST TO THOSE WORDS TO JUST SHOW WHAT DOES MAKE A DECISION.
WHAT'S NOT BEING SHOWN HERE, THOUGH, IT'S REALLY NOT A FAIR COMPARISON BECAUSE WHAT'S NOT BEING SHOWN HERE IS CON ED IS WHAT THEY CALL DIRTY POWER.
AND WHAT, UH, WESTCHESTER POWER IS DOING IS 50% RENEWABLE.
AND IF PEOPLE DON'T THINK 50% CLEAN, PEOPLE DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE.
YOU KNOW, LET'S REVISIT LAST NIGHT MM-HMM
YOU KNOW, SO I THINK WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
WHICH, AND WE ALSO HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT CONED IS, UH, IS FIGHTING TO RAISE ITS RATES.
AND ALSO IS INCONSISTENT AND WILL GO UP AND DOWN.
AND OUR CONTRACT THAT WE'RE GOING FORWARD WITH SHOWS A LOWER RATE.
SO LET'S MOVE ON AND LET'S TALK ABOUT LAST NIGHT.
YOU WANNA COME ONTO THE TABLE? ABOUT LAST NIGHT? ABOUT LAST NIGHT.
I ALSO, I WANNA TALK ABOUT, UH, BRIGHTVIEW AND THE SOIL THAT CAME OFF OF THEIR PROPERTY AND WENT DOWN AND WENT INTO PON SIDE AND THEN WENT INTO THE SHOPPING CENTER.
IT WAS, IT WAS JUST, IT WAS JUST ALL DIRT.
SO WHATEVER RETENTION THEY HAD, IT WASN'T WORKING.
NOW, UNDERSTANDABLY, THAT WAS AN UNBELIEVABLE STORM, BUT I STILL THINK THAT THEY SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEANING UP PON SIDE AND THE STREET TODAY LOOKS GOOD.
THEY WERE OUT FIRST THING THIS MORNING.
BECAUSE OF DID THEY ALSO DO, UH, PON SITE? THEY DID.
UM, AND THE, THE SUPERMARKET COMMISSIONER
[00:35:01]
PUT YOUR YEAH, THEY'VE ALSO, DID THEY DO THE SUPERMARKET? THEY HIT EVERYTHING.UM, AND I KNOW FRANK WAS AT THE FIRST THING THIS MORNING, AS WITH GINA, FRANK GINA, THEY'VE BEEN VERY RESPONSIVE, UM, TO THE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON.
WE'VE HAD THE, OUR ENGINEERS, THEIR DESIGN ENGINEERS AND PO SIDE'S GOT ENGINEERS LOOKING AT IT.
SO YOU'VE HAD VARIOUS GROUPS LOOKING AT, IN FACT, THE DEC WENT OUT THERE TO LOOK AT IT.
UM, CAN I, CAN I ASK A QUESTION FIRST? UM, I'M JUST GO OVER HOW MUCH RAINFALL WE HAD IN THE SHORT TIME.
SO, AND ALSO ALSO BECAUSE THIS IS, THIS HAS OCCURRED A COUPLE OF TIMES NOW.
WE'VE HAD HORRIFIC STORMS LAST NIGHT.
WE CLOCKED BETWEEN SEVEN AND A HALF AND EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN WITHIN A THREE OR FOUR HOUR PERIOD IN GREENBURG.
AND MOST OF THAT CAME AT A VERY HIGH INTENSITY.
THESE STORMS HAVE BECOME UNMANAGEABLE.
THERE IS NOTHING ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH THAT WE COULD DO TO PREVENT WHAT HAPPENS.
WE EVERY DAY, AND FRANK COULD TELL YOU, WE'RE OUT CLEANING BASINS, CLEANING PIPES, PIPES.
WE'VE ISSUED VIOLATIONS TO PROPERTIES THAT HAVEN'T.
AND I THINK IT'S MADE A LOT OF HEADWAY DURING THE SMALLER EVENTS.
WHEN YOU GET SOMETHING LIKE WE DID LAST NIGHT MM-HMM
YOU KNOW, AND THANK GOD FOR THE POLICEMEN, THE FIREMEN, OUR MAINTENANCE TEAMS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE BUILDINGS TODAY, CLEANING EVERYTHING UP.
UM, 'CAUSE THE TOWN IS NOT IMMUNE TO THIS EITHER.
THE THEODORE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER WAS FLOODED AGAIN LAST NIGHT, WHICH IS NOW CLEAN CHILDREN'S.
WHICH IS FOUND, INCLUDING THE COURT, INCLUDING THE BASKETBALL EVERYWHERE.
UNDERWATER INSIDE WATER SHOP HAD TWO AND A HALF FEET OF WATER.
WAS THERE AN AMBULANCE UNDER WATER? THERE WAS.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? OH, IT WAS IN THE SHOP.
YOU GO IN LAST NIGHT THEY OPENED IT UP.
IT WAS IN THE GARAGE DRYING OUT AND IT WAS WORKED ON TODAY.
I WILL TELL YOU, I'VE SEEN, UH, PICTURES THIS AFTERNOON OF HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO CLEAN THE CENTER.
THEY DID THERE JUST, YOU KNOW, AND THE WATER SHOP, I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT IT'S KIND OF BECOME OLD HAT, YOU KNOW, YOU GET THAT MUCH WATER AND YOU SEE THE VIDEO THE NIGHT BEFORE AND YOU CAN'T BELIEVE THE NEXT DAY THEY'RE UP AND RUNNING.
SO WE'VE HAD, AGAIN, ANOTHER HORRIFIC STORM IN GREENBURG.
UM, WE HAVE DAMAGE EVERYWHERE.
THE ENGINEERS WERE OUT ALL DAY TODAY, UH, TAKING PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION, WRITING REPORTS, UM, AND THEY'RE NOT DONE YET.
THEY, IT'S BEEN, IT WAS A HELL OF A NIGHT AND IT'S BEEN A HELL OF A DAY.
AND THIS WASN'T A HURRICANE, OR THIS IS JUST LIKE A RANDOM PREDICTIVE THUNDERSTORM, SCARIEST THING TO KNEW THIS AMOUNT OF RAIN WASN'T PREDICTED.
THIS FEMA GONNA BE PROVIDING REIMBURSEMENT.
IT'S PRESIDENT OR GOVERNOR DECLAR.
I, I'M NOT GONNA TAKE ANY GUESSES WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S GONNA DO AT THIS POINT, BUT WE ARE ACTING AS IF SOMETHING WOULD BE DECLARED.
SO WE'RE DOING ALL THE REPORTING AND TAKING PICTURES.
THEY DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY.
I THINK AT FIVE O'CLOCK TODAY NEW JERSEY DID, SHOULD HAVE WE DECLARED IT.
DOES THAT WOULD'VE THAT HELPED US GET, I THINK ULTIMATELY THE SUPERVISOR'S THE ONE THAT DECLARES THE, THE STATE OF AFFAIRS.
BUT MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE DECLARED UNDER ADVISE IN ORDER TO GET FEDERAL FUNDS.
SO I, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT DECISION.
SO WHAT'S THAT PROCESS FOR? I THINK THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN, IT'S BETWEEN THE CHIEF OF POLICE AND, AND THE SUPERVISOR.
SO, SO WE GOTTA MAYBE, MAYBE CON MAYBE NEXT TIME HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE CHIEF OF POLICE MM-HMM
I BELIEVE THAT'S THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN.
ALSO, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY YOUR ADVICE IN THAT REGARD, UH, YOU KNOW, TO THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, ON THE BLUE SKY DAYS, WE'RE OUT PREPARING FOR EVENTS.
YOU CAN'T OH NO, I DON'T MEAN PREPARE, BUT EVEN WHEN, IF YOU SEE IT, WELL, EVEN THE WEATHER REPORTS.
SO WE HAVE A SERVICE CALLED WEATHER WORKS.
WHICH HAS BEEN AN EXCELLENT SERVICE.
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TALKING TWO INCHES OF RAIN.
OH MY GOD, THAT'S NOT NO, BUT WHEN YOU GET SEVEN AND A HALF TO EIGHT MM-HMM
THEY CALLED US TODAY TO SEE HOW HE MADE OUT.
THAT'S, HOW DID THEY SAY? OOPS,
NO, I MEAN, IT'S JUST, IT'S, BUT THEY DID, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THEY, YOU COULD SEE IT ACTING UP AND, YOU KNOW, UH, DETECTIVE MORENO IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UH, JUST AWESOME, YOU KNOW, AND HE'S GOT ALL THE GAUGES ALL OVER THE PLACE AND HE'S TRACKING IT.
HE WAS WITH US, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST GOT GOOD, GOOD PEOPLE WORKING FOR THE TOWN THAT JUST WANNA DO THE RIGHT THING.
[00:40:01]
THE CALLS WE'RE GETTING TODAY AND THE PEOPLE CRYING AND IT'S, IT'S HEARTBREAKING.IT'S, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S JUST, THERE'S NOTHING WE COULD PROMISE.
YOU KNOW, EVEN THE BROOKS AND BASINS ALL OVER TOWN AS MUCH AS WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM CLEANED UP MM-HMM
WE, WE, SOMEBODY EMAILED ME TODAY OR YESTERDAY, UH, WE, THEY SAID THAT WE USED TO GIVE OUT SANDBAGS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE SANDBAG POLICY FOR PEOPLE WHO, SO WE CAN GIVE OUT SANDBAGS.
WE HAVE SANDBAGS AGAIN WHEN WE KNOW A HURRICANE'S COMING OR SOMETHING THAT'S OF THIS IS KIND, THERE'S NO WAY TO PREPARE FOR THIS, THIS.
SO WE COULDN'T PREPARED FOR THIS WAY.
WE HAD, UH, SANDBAGS LAST, LAST YEAR.
WE WERE GIVING OUT WHEN WE KNEW THERE WAS A HURRICANE.
IF YOU COULDN'T EVEN HAVE PEOPLE COME TO GET THEM, IT WAS O DANGEROUS.
I WAS, I WAS ACTUALLY ON THE ROAD.
I WAS ACTUALLY, AND, AND THEN, UH, TALKING ABOUT, UM, MARINO, UH, SERGEANT, UM, I CALLED HIM BECAUSE, AND THIS IS JUST THE WAY THINGS WORK.
SOMEBODY
WHO THAT SHE THEN TEXTED ME SO THAT I COULD THEN CALL THE POLICE, POLICE ON THE, ON THE ROAD.
UH, BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ELDERLY WOMAN TRAPPED BY LAWRENCE DRIVE ON HILLSIDE AVENUE RIGHT UP THE STREET, TRAPPED WITH TWO YOUNG CHILDREN.
AND THEN I RELAYED THAT AND THEY WERE GOING TO GET THE PERSON.
AND THEN WE GOT MORE INFORMATION BACK THROUGH THIS VERY CIRCUITOUS METHOD THAT THERE WAS A CAR BEHIND HER WITH AN ELDERLY PERSON IN, WITH A YOUNG PERSON IN, IN THE CAR.
AND THEY, THE CAR WAS JUST DEAD IN THE WATER.
IT'S ONE OF THESE THINGS WHERE THEY JUST WENT UNDER.
AND, YOU KNOW, SO THERE WERE SO MANY DIFFERENT STORIES LIKE THAT.
BUT THIS ALL HAPPENED WITH WITHIN MINUTES, WITHIN MINUTES, FURIOUS.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO WAY THAT YOU COULD SAY, OKAY, NOW COME AND GET SANDBAGS.
THEY'RE JUST NO, BUT QUESTION.
JUST, JUST FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT AMOUNT OF RAIN IN SUCH A SHORT TIME, THERE'S NO WAY THE GROUND CAN ABSORB IT.
SO THERE'S NO WAY THAT FLOODING CAN BE AVOIDED NO MATTER HOW HARD OUR GREAT WORKING TEAM IN THE DPW AND POLICE.
AND THE QUESTION, AND I'M NOT FINISHED THE, THE OTHER, THE OTHER THING THAT IS IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT A SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE WERE STUCK IN THEIR CAR.
IF THAT EVER HAPPENS TO YOU, STAY IN THE CAR, STAY IN THE CAR, DON'T GET OUT.
BECAUSE RUSHING WATER COULD BE AS DANGEROUS AS ANYTHING ELSE.
I MEAN, IF IT'S
I JUST, IIII LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT.
THE QUESTION I HAVE IS, IF WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS GOT FLOODED, SO IF WE WOULD BASICALLY, AND YOU KNOW, YESTERDAY'S STORM, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT BECAUSE IT CAME SUDDENLY.
NOBODY THOUGHT OF THIS WOULD HAPPEN.
WHY CAN'T WE GIVE OUT SAND? YOU KNOW, LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT IF THEIR HOME USUALLY GETS FLOODED AND THEY WANT TO BA THEY WANT SOME SANDBAGS, THEY COULD GET IT NOW BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE'S GONNA BE ANOTHER STORM IN THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO.
WE CERTAINLY CAN GIVE UP MORE SANDBAGS.
I DON'T THINK PEOPLE ARE DISCARDING THEM.
I THINK MOST PEOPLE DO SAVE THEM SO THEY CAN HAVE LIKE A NEW RESIDENT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
YEAH, WE COULD CERTAINLY, WE, WE'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST.
NO, BUT I'M SAYING SHOULD, COULD WE BASICALLY, WE COULD DO THAT, PUBLICIZE IT AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, EVERY RESIDENT WHO GENERALLY GETS FLOODED, YOU COULD PICK UP 10 SANDBAGS PER PERSON.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE COULD KEEP LIKE A, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD KEEP A LIST LIKE WE USED TO DO WITH THE LEAF BAGS.
WE, WE WILL FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.
COULD YOU ALSO MENTION THE ATTORNEY? THE, THE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE? I WAS JUST GONNA ASK RICH.
I HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT SOME OF THE STATE ROADS BEING WASHED OUT AND UM, I THINK THERE WAS LIKE A, THERE USED TO BE A ROCK COLLECTOR THAT WAS REMOVED AND NEVER REPLACED TRASH RACK.
AND, UM, I THINK THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN TOWN STAFF AND THE STATE AND YES, OUR, OUR TOWN ENGINEER JASON OLA HAS BEEN BACK AND FORTH.
THIS IS ON LAWRENCE DRIVE OFF OF HILLSIDE AVENUE.
JASON'S BEEN ADAMANT THAT WE GET A TRASH RACK ON THIS ONE STRUCTURE.
AND THE STATE DID A GREAT JOB DOING SOME REPAIRS THERE.
LAST YEAR THEY DID NOT PUT THE TRASH RACK ON.
AND NOW SOME OF THE PIPES THAT WE HAD CLEANED AND WE DID AT A GREAT EXPENSE.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT A TRASH RACK IS? WHAT IS A IS A TRASH RACK IS A, A STRUCTURE THAT PREVENTS LARGE DEBRIS, STONES, OTHER MATERIAL, NOT SILT
[00:45:01]
FROM GETTING IN THE PIPES.SO FROM HILLSIDE AVENUE, WHICH IS, IS IT LIKE A NET OF SOME KIND? IT'S KIND OF A METAL NET STILL.
AND YOU HAVE TO GO IN THERE AND MAINTAIN IT.
SO YOU, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING YOU GOTTA, DURING THE STORM, YOU GOTTA GO PICK IT OFF.
AND THERE'S TEAMS OUT THERE DOING THAT.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS NOT PLACED THERE.
AND NOW SOME OF THE WORK WE DID HAS TO BE REDONE.
AND THAT'S NOT JUST US, THAT WAS PRIVATE WORK THAT WAS DONE, CLEANED UP.
WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO TRY TO GET THEM TO CLEAN THEIR AREA.
THEY'VE BEEN, THEY'VE SHOWED A WILLINGNESS TO DO IT, BUT NOW IS THE TIME IT'S GOTTA GET DONE.
'CAUSE YOU CAN'T DO IT WHILE SCHOOL'S ON.
SO WE'RE GONNA MEET WITH THEM AGAIN.
THERE ARE PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT THE TOWN.
AND AGAIN, IT'S A PROBLEM THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
NO, IT'S NOT A TOWN THING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
THE NORTHEAST ACTUALLY WAS VERY, THE NORTHEAST NEW YORK CITY AS WELL WAS TEXAS SUBWAYS WERE HIT.
GREENBERG WAS UNIQUE THIS TIME WHERE IT REALLY DID HIT US HARD.
LET'S TALK ABOUT OUR PARTNERSHIPS, YOU KNOW, THAT WE ARE INVOLVED WITH, ESPECIALLY ON THE CLEANUP.
WHAT IS, WHAT IS THAT? LIKE HOW WOULD, SO OUR, OUR, I KNOW ELMSFORD, UH, MAYOR WILLIAMS ALWAYS, HE'S BEEN POUNDING THE, THE DRUM TO GET US TO GO INTO THE SAWMILL RIVER AGAIN.
UH, WE HAVE BEEN TO, YOU KNOW, PETER ASKED OUR MIS DIRECTOR DID A UNBELIEVABLE VIDEO LAST YEAR WITH TERRENCE.
UM, WHERE THEY DOCUMENTED EVERYTHING IN THE SAW MILL RIVER.
UH, I KNOW THE STATE DID GO TO THE DEC.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING YET BACK FROM THEM.
I DO KNOW, UH, LANCE MCGILLION DID RETIRE.
HE WAS THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF OH, WHEN DID I, I DIDN'T KNOW.
UM, I'VE HEARD THEY'VE GOT SOMEONE TO REPLACE HIM.
I'M NOT SURE WHO THE PERSON IS.
I HEARD THEY'RE COMING FROM ALBANY.
UM, BUT THAT'S KIND OF TAKEN A STALL AND THAT DOESN'T GET BETTER EACH YEAR.
SO WE USED TO REGULARLY GO INTO THE SOMA RIVER.
MOST OF IT IS NEW YORK STATE, DOT.
BUT IT'S TIME TO DO THAT AGAIN.
UM, ALSO WESTCHESTER COUNTY WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH ON THE BRONX RIVER, UH, LEGISLATOR, JEWEL WILLIAMS. MM-HMM
UH, WE SPOKE TO HER EARLIER TODAY MM-HMM
UM, BECAUSE NOW THAT WE HAD THE STORM LAST NIGHT, OLD KENKO GOT HIT.
AND NOW THEY'VE GOTTA CLEAN THAT AREA AGAIN.
SO SHE WAS GOING TO CALL UP AND HAVE THEIR AREA DONE.
WE'RE HITTING OUR AREA TOMORROW.
AND EVERYBODY'S BEEN RESPONSIVE.
HAVE WE HAD CHALLENGES OR WE'RE WORKING WITH EVERYBODY.
AGAIN, EVERYBODY IN THE AREA GOT HIT WITH THIS, SO EVERYBODY'S DEALING WITH THE SAME KIND OF STUFF.
I JUST DON'T WANT, I JUST DON'T WANT EVERYONE TO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE HAVE GREAT RELATIONSHIPS WITH, YOU KNOW, THE STATE AND THE COUNTY.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE THAT YES.
PARTNERSHIP, BECAUSE I KNOW, WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, HOW WE ARE TRIANGLE, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR, THIS YEAR, NO.
WE WANNA MAINTAIN OUR, OUR VERY WORKABLE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR, UH, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.
UM, BUT IT'S, AGAIN, THIS IS, LAST NIGHT IS UNMANAGEABLE.
IT JUST, YOU'RE GONNA BE CLEANING UP FOR A MONTH EASY.
I ALWAYS LIKE TO TELL LIKE IT IS, I SAW OUR EMAILS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.
AND TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, OUR, SO OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN THE TOWN, WHICH IS EXTREMELY COMMON ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IS DESIGNED FOR WHAT'S KNOWN AS A 25 YEAR STORM.
IF WE GET A HUNDRED YEAR STORM, WE CAN SOMEWHAT MANAGE THAT.
AND YOU CAN DO THAT WITH SANDBAGS.
WELL, WE HAD LAST NIGHT OFF THE CHARTS, WHETHER 500, 700 YEAR STORM.
CERTAINLY OUR SYSTEM CAN'T HANDLE IT.
YOU COULD SEE WHEN I WAS OUT, I COULD SEE THE WATER ACTUALLY COMING OUT OF THE CATCH BASINS EVERYWHERE.
UM, AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S GONNA GONNA STOP WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT.
WE CAN TRY TO MINIMIZE DAMAGE, YOU KNOW, TO BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES.
UH, BUT FRANKLY WE WEREN'T ABLE TO MINIMIZE WHAT HAPPENED AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER WHEN IT WENT IN AND FLOODED THE, UH, THE BASKETBALL COURTS INDOORS, RIGHT? MM-HMM
IT'S JUST BECAUSE OF THE ELEVATION THAT THEY HAPPEN TO BE AT AND THE INTENSITY OF THE STORM SANDBAGS THERE WORK FINE.
YOU KNOW, ING WHAT, A HUNDRED YEAR STORM EVEN, YOU KNOW, OUR SYSTEM'S DESIGNED FOR 25 AND THAT'S NOT UNUSUAL.
WHY DIDN'T YOU DESIGN IT DIFFERENTLY? FIRST OF ALL, IT WAS DESIGNED EVEN BEFORE I WAS BORN.
YOU SURE ABOUT THAT? EVEN BEFORE? OH, THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.
THEY WERE CHISELING THE ROCK, RIGHT.
WE HAVE TO TRY IN AS BEST WE CAN TO, UH, TAKE EFFORTS.
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SOMEBODY'S RECOMMENDED IS MAYBE WE COULD HAVE LIKE AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM AND WE COULD DO THAT BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY PAY A WEATHER FORECASTER TO HELP US FORECAST.AND IT, AND IT'S ACTUALLY PAID FOR ITSELF QUITE A BIT BECAUSE THE WEATHER FORECASTER WHEN THE SNOW IS COMING, UH, WILL TELL US BASICALLY WHAT THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SURFACE IS, AS WELL AS HOW MUCH SNOW IS COMING.
AND IT GIVES OUR COMMISSIONER OF, UH, OF UH, DPW YOU KNOW, A HEADS UP AS TO, OKAY, NOW THIS IS WHEN WE CALL IN THE CREW.
THERE'S NO SENSE CALLING IN CREW AND HAVING 'EM SIT AROUND FOR FOUR HOURS.
WELL, BUT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY GOT THIS THING RIGHT.
NO, I MEAN LAST NIGHT IT WAS JUST, IT'S JUST ONE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THESE THINGS OF NATURE AND HORRENDOUS.
AND THEN FORTUNATELY THOSE FREAKS OF NATURE ARE BECOMING SO MUCH MORE COMMONPLACE.
BUT THAT BEING SAID, WE STILL HAVE TO DO IT ALL WE CAN REGARDING MAINTENANCE, CLEAN THE CUL, IT'S ALL THAT STUFF WE ALWAYS HAVE TO DO FOR THE SMALLER STORMS, YOU KNOW, SO THAT PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THOSE, YOU KNOW, VULNERABLE AREAS ARE NOT DEALING WITH IT AT EVERY STORM.
AND THE BOARD HAS GIVEN US FUNDING EACH YEAR FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS TO DO THAT.
AND WE HAVE SPENT THAT MONEY AND YOU COULD SEE IT.
I WAS, AND I WAS SO HEARTBROKEN AT THE CENTER LAST NIGHT.
'CAUSE WE DID SO MUCH WORK ON THE MANHATTAN BROOK, AND I GOTTA BE HONEST WITH YOU, I, I THOUGHT WE KIND OF HAD THAT UNDER, AND FRANKLY THERE WAS A LOT OF WATER WAS ONLY PART OF IT.
IT WAS COMING UP FROM UNDER THE GROUND, RIGHT.
I MEAN, IT WAS COMING AT IT, IT WAS JUST HYDROSTATIC.
THERE WERE MANHOLES, SEWER, MANHOLES.
I WAS JUST AT T-D-Y-C-C THIS WEEKEND, PA WALKING OVER MANHATTAN BROOK INTO THE, THE PARK.
AND I SAW ALL THE RIP ROCK, HOW, HOW GREAT ALL THE, ALL THE STONE WORK IS TO, THAT WAS REALLY RIGHT.
GINA AND I WERE TOGETHER AND IT WAS REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
AND EVEN WITH ALL THAT AND WITH ALL THAT STONE THAT WASN'T EVEN THERE, A STORM LIKE THIS, ALL THAT SILT WOULD'VE BEEN BLOCKING EVERYTHING UP.
WE WOULD'VE GOT MORE INTO THE CENTER.
SO THAT STONE MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE AND IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
BUT AGAIN, WITH THIS, WITH THIS AMOUNT OF RAINFALL IN SUCH SHORT TIME, THERE'S JUST SO MUCH YOU CAN DO.
THE LAST TIME THERE WAS FOUR INCHES OF SILT IN THE BUILDING.
THIS TIME ESPECIALLY, WE WENT WITH THE CENTER, WENT WITH A DIFFERENT FLOOR THIS TIME.
SO NOW THEY JUST SQUEEGEE IT OFF, CLEAN IT UP, SANITIZE IT.
WE GOT A COMPANY, I THINK COMING IN TOMORROW TO DO SOME MORE SANITATION AND SOME DEHUMIDIFICATION.
BUT EVERY DAY, THAT MONEY THAT, THAT THE BOARD HAS GIVEN US, WE'VE BEEN WORKING MM-HMM
WE'VE GOT, IT'S, IT'S GOING TO GOOD USE.
BUT AGAIN, YOU GET THAT AND LIKE YOU SAID, THESE STORMS ARE MORE AND MORE FREQUENT.
IT JUST, IT'S, IT'S HEARTBREAKING TO SEE.
I JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE IT'S NOT OUR MONEY WE'RE GIVING YOU, WE'RE GIVING YOU TAXPAYERS MONEY.
SO WHAT YOUR TAXPAYERS ARE LISTENING TO IS THEIR, THEIR MONEY AT WORK HELPING YOUR NEIGHBORS.
WHEN THEY PAY THEIR TAX BILL, IT GOES TO ADDRESS THINGS LIKE THIS.
SO I JUST WANT TO, UM, DID YOU TALK TO THE COMMISSIONER? DID YOU TALK TO THE COMMISSIONER JACKSON? YEAH.
SO JUST REALLY QUICKLY, I JUST, I I DIDN'T WANNA 'CAUSE THAT'S YOUR AGENCY.
SO YOUR LIAISON, I'M JUST TRYING TO BE RESPECTFUL.
UM, SO JUST, UH, BEFORE COMING TO THIS MEETING, I WENT BACK OVER TO LOOK AT THE WORK THAT WAS DONE AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER AND TO COMMISSIONER F'S POINT.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SEEN IT THIS MORNING, IT WAS, IT WAS DEFINITELY HEARTBREAKING.
YOU KNOW, I WAS WITH, UM, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER MOBI, YOU SAY YOUR LAST NAME.
BUT ANYHOW, UM, FOR TOMORROW, WE WILL NOT HAVE CAMP FOR THE CHILDREN TOMORROW.
'CAUSE THERE'S STILL SOME, UM, WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
HOWEVER, THEY WILL HAVE THE NUTRITION PROGRAM.
PEOPLE SHOULD REALLY STAY AWAY FROM THAT BUILDING.
YOU WANNA HAVE THAT BUILDING REALLY AIR OUT BECAUSE THERE ARE SEWAGE AND STUFF THAT WAS THROUGHOUT THAT BUILDING.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT BUILDING IS SAFE BEFORE EVERYONE RETURNS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE WAS AWARE OF THAT.
WHEN YOU SEE AN AREA'S FLOODED, BUT YOU DON'T THINK IT'S THAT DEEP AND YOU START GOING OUT THERE, IT'S NOT JUST STORM WATER THAT'S THERE.
THAT IS FLOODED AND BACKING UP.
DON'T THAT UNFORTUNATELY, EAST
IT JUST, IT WAS MORE A NORTHERN STORM.
SO BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THAT AREA WAS, IT WAS HIT.
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IT WASN'T, IT WAS UP TO, I THINK TO DOORS IN THE BACK.
CERTAIN MY BROTHER'S IN DOBS AND YEAH.
BUT THE, AGAIN, TROUBLESOME BROOKE GOT FLOODED, BUT NOT LIKE IT USED TO, YOU KNOW, BUT AGAIN, THEY DIDN'T GET THAT SAME AMOUNT OF RAIN, SO IT DIDN'T AFFECT ANYTHING WITH THE REPAIRS THAT ARE BEING MADE ON EAST DALE AVENUE, I THINK IS WHAT NO, NO, NO, NO.
OUR CONTRACTOR WAS OUT THERE, SO, AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF RAISING THOSE PUMPS UP.
YOU KNOW HOW YOU, YOU CAN TELL HOW BAD A STORM IS WHEN NEWS 12 AND OTHER MEDIA, THEY DON'T HAVE MANY PICTURES OF THE ACTUAL STORM BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET OUT EITHER.
I HAVE SOME HOW BAD IT WAS, IT WAS, YOU HAVE TO MAP THE WARNINGS.
I HAVE THE SOIL COMING OFF OF BRIGHTVIEW.
I'M VERY, I'M VERY GLAD THAT THEY ACTUALLY CLEANED IT UP.
I WAS ON, I WAS ON DOBS BURY ROAD AND JUST WATCHING IT, THANK GOD AGAIN TO DEPUTY COMMISSIONER MODO GOT YOUR NAME RIGHT.
UM, BECAUSE I REALLY WAS SO AFRAID BECAUSE I SAID, WELL, LET ME TURN AROUND ON STADIUM ROAD, SINCE I COULDN'T GET HOME ON THAT WAY.
AND THEN WHEN I WENT THE OTHER WAY ON IN FRONT OF NORWOOD ROAD, THE, UM, I, IF YOU GO PAST STADIUM ROAD, YOU SAW THE CAR UNDERNEATH.
IT WAS, IT WAS JUST, IT WAS JUST LIKE, OH MY GOD, GOD, LET'S GIVE CREDIT WHAT CREDIT IS DUE.
APPARENTLY HE, FRANK RESCUED YOU,
HE WAS DRIVING AROUND TOWN JUMPSTART IN HIS CAR.
I HELPED A WOMAN WHO WAS STRANDED HERE IN FRONT OF TOWN HALL WHO HAD, WHO WALKED HERE.
AND UH, I SAID, I SAID TO HER, DO YOU HAVE YOUR CAR HERE? I SAID, NO.
I SAID, IS SOMEBODY COMING TO PICK YOU UP? SHE SAID, NO.
UH, AND IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS THE, THE HEART OF THE STORM.
AND SO I, I DROVE HER TO HER HOUSE.
UH, VERY THANKFUL AND NOT REALIZING THAT IT WAS JUST GONNA CONTINUE MORE AND MORE JUST WALKING FROM THE, THE OVERHANG OVER HERE TO MY CAR.
SO, AND I HAD ONE OF THOSE PONCHO THINGS.
I DO, I I, I DO WANNA SAY THAT WE, WE DID MENTION HOW ALL THE DEPARTMENTS REALLY CAME TOGETHER.
I DID GET A TEXT FROM, UM, THE FAIRVIEW FIRE CHIEF, UH, HOWIE REESE.
AND JUST TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE DISPATCH FOR REALLY KEEPING THE WHEELS ON THE GROUND.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE JUST, THAT IS ACKNOWLEDGED.
BUT AGAIN, EVERYONE FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC WORKS, BUILDINGS, UM, WHAT AM WHO AM I? YOU GOTTA LEAVE
AND I DON'T WANNA LEAVE EVERYONE OUT, BUT EVERYONE REALLY CAME TOGETHER LAST NIGHT AND REALLY WORKED.
AND EVEN THIS MORNING FOR THE CLEANUP, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO THE, TALKING TO THE GUYS DOWN AT THE GARAGE AND STUFF, AND YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY HAD TO FACE WITH THIS MORNING.
AND EVEN AT THE WATER SHOP AGAIN.
CENA WATER SHOP AGAIN THIS MORNING WAS REALLY, YOU KNOW, UPSETTING.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS ALL DAY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA SAY ONE MORE TIME.
IF YOU'RE TOLD TO EVACUATE, PLEASE EVACUATE.
THERE WERE PEOPLE IN FULTON PARK WHO DID NOT EVACUATE, WHO WERE TOLD TO, AND THEY WERE IN A BAD SITUATION.
AND THERE, SO PLEASE, IF YOU, IF YOU GET THAT MESSAGE, JUST, JUST EVACUATE.
HE THE WARNING, HE THE HE THE WARNING.
THEY DON'T, THE PEOPLE, WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN THAT PROFESSION TELLING YOU TO GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT.
YOU'RE PUTTING EVERYBODY HARM'S WAY.
HOW MANY CALLS DID WE GET? THE COP OR THE FIREMEN HAD JET SKIS OUT YESTERDAY.
YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS TELLING.
I MEAN, IT WAS INCREDIBLE WHAT THEY WERE WORKING WITH.
IT JUST, IT'S, BUT YOU HAD SOME, THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT IS IF THEY TELL YOU TO STAY HOME AND STAY OFF THE ROADS, STAY IN SNOW, AND AGAIN, TO THAT BAR, I THINK YOU AND I WERE TOGETHER, UM, PEOPLE WERE MOVING BARRICADES TO GO THROUGH THE CONES, WHICH WAS UNTIL THEY REALIZED THEY HAD TO TURN AROUND AND SAY, OKAY, I CAN'T.
SO THAT IS THE REASON WHY THE CONES AND THE BARRICADES, AGAIN, EVERYONE, THIS IS JUST FOR YOUR SAFETY.
THIS IS NOT EVERYONE JUST US PICKING OUT, PICKING ON YOU OR ANYTHING.
WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE SAFE.
NO, FRANKLY, I THINK IN THAT SITUATION, WHEN YOU ARE MOVING CONES, YOU'RE BEING EXTREMELY SELFISH BECAUSE THE PERSON WHO'S GONNA COME AND GET YOU IS GOING TO BE A FIRST RESPONDER.
THEY COULD BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE, HELPING PEOPLE THAT HAVE A REAL NEED AS OPPOSED TO THE THE NEED THAT YOU JUST CREATED.
BY FRANKLY BEING SILLY AND, AND SELFISH.
WHEN WE LEFT THE COMMUNITY CENTER LAST NIGHT, ABOUT 10 30, THERE WERE FLATBED TRUCKS AND TOW TRUCKS ALL, ALL OVER THE PLACE.
IT WAS, IT WAS THOSE TWO CARS THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WITH THE LADY, TWO LADIES AND THEM WITH CHILDREN.
IT'S JUST, AND JUST TO PUT SOME, ALL OF THIS IN CONTEXT, UM, THERE WERE 30 PEOPLE THAT WAS, THAT WAS RESCUED FROM CARS AND STRUCTURES.
SO JUST TO GET A CONTEXT OF HOW, YOU
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KNOW, HOW BIG THIS STORM IS.SORRY, THIS IS FROM THE, UM, CHIEF OF POLICE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HARD WORK.
SO NOW A MOTION FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE PURPOSES OF DISCUSSING PERSONAL MATTERS INVOLVING SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS AND TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE ON VARIOUS MATTERS.
AND WE WON'T BE COMING BACK THIS EVENING.