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AYE.[ 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]
HISPANIC, UM, HERITAGE MONTH.MARIA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCUSS IT? MY APOLOGIES.
THAT WAS YOUR END ENTREE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
UH, MARIA PORTILLA, OFFICE OF HISPANIC AFFAIRS.
THE REASON WHY I AM HERE WITH ALL OF YOU IS, UH, BECAUSE I WANNA, UM, BRING TO THE TABLE THE CELEBRATION THAT IS AROUND THE CORNER OF HISPANIC AFFAIRS MONTH.
HERITAGE? HERITAGE, I'M SORRY, HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH.
UM, IT IS OUR GOAL TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE IN THIS CELEBRATION OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH.
AND WE WANT TO ROTATE THROUGH DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND SELECT TWO EVERY YEAR.
UM, I DUNNO IF ALL OF YOU ARE AGREE OR HAVE ANY OTHER SUGGESTION, WE WANNA THAT THIS BE CLEAR FOR THE REST OF THE YEARS NOT HAVING THIS MEETING EVERY YEAR.
I HAD A QUESTION BECAUSE I KNOW THE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY, THEY REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE FLAG RAISING IF COULD WE LIKE, HIGHLIGHT, SAY, ONE OR TWO COUNTRIES, BUT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, RECOGNIZE, UM, YOU KNOW, PUERTO RICO AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, DO SOMETHING SHORTER, BUT AT THIS WAY IT WOULD BE INCLUSIVE AND WE COULD, YOU KNOW, WE COULD RECOGNIZE THOSE, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THOSE COMMUNITIES.
I, THE FLAG RAISING, DISCUSS THIS LAST YEAR IS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF HISPANIC HERITAGE PEOPLE WITH AN HISPANIC HERITAGE.
AND THEN WE WOULD JUST HIGHLIGHT EVERY YEAR A DIFFERENT COUNTRY SO THAT THAT'S MORE INCLUSIVE OR DIFFERENT TWO COUNTRIES.
BUT WE CAN'T ALSO DO, ALWAYS DO PUERTO RICO, THAT THAT WOULD BE AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE.
UM, AS MUCH AS WE ALL LOVE PUERTO RICO, THAT, AND, AND THEIR COMMITTEE, THAT WOULD BE AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE IN THE WAY WE DO THINGS EQUITABLY HERE.
WE WOULD BE DOING, AS MARIA SUGGESTING.
THE ONLY THING THAT I'M SUGGESTING, AND YOU KNOW WHAT, WHATEVER THE BOARD WANTS IS, YOU KNOW, IS FINE.
WELL, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST YEAR.
WELL, LEMME DO, LEMME JUST MM-HMM
UH, YOU KNOW, THE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY, THEY REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO DOING THIS, YOU KNOW, ANNUALLY BECAUSE I KNOW BECAUSE THEY, THEY ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, CALL ME AND THEY APPRECIATED IT.
UM, AND I'M, AND I SORT OF FEEL, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, UM, IN ADDITION TO THE FLAG RAISING, WE HAD A CEREMONY HERE, YOU KNOW, AND WE HAD DIFFERENT DANCING AND, UM, I THINK, UM, THE PER, WE HAD THE DANCING FROM THE PERUVIAN COMMUNITY.
SO WHAT I'M SORT OF WONDERING IS IF THEY WANT, IF SAY THE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE TO DO A FLAG RAISING, IF, IF WE, YOU KNOW, THE THING IS WE COULD ALWAYS RAISE A FLAG ANYTIME DURING THE MONTH.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE AT A, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WANT TO, IF THEY WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SHOW UP, YOU KNOW, AT, YOU KNOW, ON A FLAG RAISING DAY, YOU KNOW, WE COULD DO THAT.
AND THEN AT A TOWN BOARD MEETING, WE COULD DO WHAT YOU'RE RECOMMENDING IN EVERY YEAR.
UM, HIGHLIGHT, SO YOU D YOU KNOW, A DIFFERENT CULTURE.
I WILL, LIKE, FIRST YOU FOLLOW WHAT I'M SAYING? I JUST DON'T WANNA, I JUST, I JUST DON'T WANNA SAY NO TO THEM BECAUSE I KNOW WE KNOW.
YOU DON'T WANNA SAY NO, I DON'T SEE WHERE THE NO IS IN THAT.
I THINK, AND I DON'T WANT TO, I DON'T, IF YOU ALLOW ME THESE NAMES, I DON'T.
WHY CAN'T WE DO SOMETHING AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, TO BE INCLUSIVE? WHY CAN'T WE HIGHLIGHT EVERYONE? WHY, WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE BROKEN UP? I JUST FEEL LIKE I, I GET NERVOUS OF THAT BECAUSE WHAT IF SOMEONE GOT HIGHLIGHTED, UM, TWICE AND SOMEONE DIDN'T GET HIGHLIGHTED OR SOMEONE GOT MISSED OR ANYTHING.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IF WE'RE GONNA REMAIN INCLUSIVE, THAT WE ARE INCLUSIVE AND THAT WE DON'T LEAVE ANYONE OUT.
FOR YOUR INTERVENTION AND AS WELL.
BUT, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO FINISH WITH MY PRESENTATION.
SO THE PROGRAM THAT I'M, YOU DIDN'T ASK A QUESTION HUH? YOU ASKED A QUESTION.
DO YOU SUPPORT THIS? IF YOU AGREE.
SO THE, THE, THE PROGRAM THAT I'M PLANNING TO PRESENT IS, UH, THE FLAT RACING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH FLAG RACING.
UM, THEN, UM, PRESENT, UH, INTRODUCE A GUEST SPEAKER, UH, THEN, UM,
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INTRODUCE TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, UH, WITH A GUEST SPEAKER ABOUT THE COUNTRY TOO, UH, TO, UM, INFORM OR TO EDUCATE ALL THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS COUNTRY.IF I DON'T KNOW HOW, HOW LONG I'M GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO, TO HAVE THAT, TO PRESENT THAT, UH, CELEBRATION.
10 MINUTES, 15 MINUTES, 70 MINUTES, 17 MINUTES, 20 MINUTES.
THAT'S ANOTHER REASON WHY I AM HERE.
SO, SO I CAN SCHEDULE, YOU KNOW, ON TIME, EVERYTHING.
UM, WHAT ELSE? OH, AND ALSO I'M LOOKING TO AWARD, UH, A SPECIFIC CITIZEN FROM THAT PARTICULAR COUNTRIES THAT, UH, UH, ARE GOING TO BE CELEBRATED THAT DAY.
UM, PEOPLE THAT HAVE, MAKE AN IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THEIR WORK.
SO THAT'S VERY MUCH WHAT I'M JUST GONNA WEIGH IN.
'CAUSE I RAN THE HERITAGE PROGRAM FOR THE COUNTY.
BUT I DIDN'T, I WASN'T THE ONE WHO SELECTED, THE LEGISLATORS SELECTED WHO THEY WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT.
I JUST IMPLEMENTED WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO.
BUT WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING IS A LOT FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
I THINK IT'S REALLY NICE TO HONOR AN INDIVIDUAL FROM A PARTICULAR COUNTRY AND HIGHLIGHT THAT IN THAT WAY.
BUT THEN TO GO ALSO TO TALK ABOUT THE COUNTRY AND TALK.
YOU'RE NOT, WE'RE GONNA RUN OUTTA TIME, I WOULD IMAGINE.
MAY I, SO I, I, I THOUGHT WHEN WE TALKED, I THOUGHT WE WERE TALKING, UM, A WHILE BACK, WAS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION TO DO A HISPANIC CELEBRATION WHERE YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE, WE HAVE, SORRY, JOE, WE HAVE OUTSIDE HERE, WE HAVE THE PARKING LOT, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID TO JUNETEENTH.
SO THEN YOU'RE ABLE TO HAVE THE TIME.
YOU CAN DO, YOU, YOU CAN HIGHLIGHT OR YOU CAN AWARD OR CELEBRATE THE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
IS THERE ANY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT? BUT, UH, UH, I GOT AN EMAIL BACK FROM ONE OF YOU WHICH STATED THAT, AND I, AND I INITIALLY WROTE THE EMAIL AND ALL OF YOU WERE CC YEAH.
SO, BUT, UH, THE EMAIL, THE RESPONSE THAT I GOT WAS THAT, UH, ABOUT FUNDS, ABOUT MONEY, BUDGET, THE SPECIAL BUDGET AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO, UH, THAT'S IS BECAUSE YOU MORE INCLUSIVE, I FEEL LIKE OF COURSE YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY COURSE.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE CANNOT CONTINUE DISCUSSING ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THERE IS A NO FOR, IT WAS A NO FOR AN ANSWER AND THERE IS NO BUDGET AT ALL.
BUT IT IS FOR THIS BUDGET YEAR.
BUT MAYBE IT IS SOMETHING WE CAN CONSIDER FOR FUTURE YEARS.
I WOULD LOVE TO DO, HAVE TO DO LITTLE BIT.
PREPARE MYSELF AND THANKS, GINA.
THAT'S AN EXCELLENT, UH, SUGGESTION.
UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ON YOU GUYS.
WELL, THE NOTE CAME BECAUSE PAUL SUGGESTED DOING IT ON HARTSDALE AVENUE, WHICH WE, I SAID WE COULDN'T CLOSE THAT DOWN FOR THIS.
I THINK, AS I MENTIONED, I'VE SAID THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES THIS YEAR.
THIS ISN'T, WE HAVE A, THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE, SO WHY NOT UTILIZE THE PEOPLE'S BACKYARD? SO WHY WOULD WE HAVE EVENTS LIKE THIS HERE? WHY DO WE HAVE TO HAVE IT IN DIFFERENT AREAS? THIS IS WHAT THE TOWN HALL IS STOOD BEFORE MAYBE, UM, WHEN THE CAMP TIMES, UH, WHEN THE, WHEN THE, THE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION CAMPS, I, I, I, IT WILL BE OKAY TO DO NOT UTILIZE THE STAGE IF IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE, YOU KNOW, TO, TO GET ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, UH, IN CHARGE OF.
SO DOING THE WORK, MAYBE I CAN DO IT ONLY ON USING THE, I MEAN, I HAVE SPONSORS PARKING LOT, I HAVE SPONSORS, SO I GO AND I TALK TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
SO I TRY TO PUT LITTLE TO NO MONEY ON THE TAXPAYERS FOR JUNE TEAM.
SO MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING I'M SORRY, I JUST WAS SAYING IT'S, I THINK YOUR IDEA IS, UH, FANTASTIC BECAUSE I, I THINK THAT, SO I, I JUST WANNA FINISH REALLY QUICKLY.
SO I THINK THAT IF, IF YOU, IF YOU START LOOKING NOW AND LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT SPONSORSHIPS AND MAYBE WHO WANTS TO COME THE DIFFERENT AND MAYBE THINK ABOUT THAT.
SO NO, FOR THIS YEAR, DEFINITELY, BECAUSE I USUALLY PREPARE MYSELF AHEAD OF TIME.
BUT LET'S, WITH THAT, UNDERSTOOD THAT IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND YOU CAN CHECK, CHECK ON THAT FOR NEXT YEAR, FROM NEXT YEAR, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS YEAR.
SO, UM, FIRST OF ALL, WHEN IS HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH? JUST SO FOR PEOPLE LISTENING, WHEN DOES IT? SEPTEMBER 15TH TO OCTOBER 15TH.
THAT'S THE MONTH OF CELEBRATION.
SO NOW THAT, THAT SAID YOUR, UH, YOUR PROPOSAL, I THINK OF IF WE SELECT SOMEONE, THEY CAN GIVE A BRIEF AND I SAY BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEIR COUNTRY AS PART OF THEIR RESPONSE.
SO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF COMBINING YES.
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AT OUR MEETING.I WOULD IMAGINE WE WOULD DO THAT.
THAT'S OUR NEXT, THAT'S OUR SECOND MEETING IN SEPTEMBER.
SO WHAT'S IN OCTOBER? BEEN OCTOBER, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER 8TH AS WELL? OR OCTOBER? EIGHTH.
SO WE HAVE THE 24TH OF SEPTEMBER, AND THEN WE HAVE THE 8TH OF OCTOBER, CORRECT.
THE 8TH OF OCTOBER THAT IT WAS FROM THE 20 MM-HMM
THERE'S TWO DATES TO, UM, YEAH.
AND WHEN IS, WHEN'S THE SEPTEMBER ONE? NO, SEP IS WHAT? SEPTEMBER 24TH IS A POTENTIAL DATE.
OCTOBER 8TH IS THE OTHER POTENTIAL DATE.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, COME BACK WITH THE, WITH YOUR PLAN OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO TALK TO US ABOUT IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE IN TERMS, WOULD YOU WANT THAT EXTRA TWO WEEKS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, OR, I DON'T HAVE ANY PREFERENCE RIGHT NOW.
AND I'M HERE BECAUSE I WANNA HEAR FROM YOU AND START WORKING FROM THAT.
I DON'T WANNA DELAY THIS MORE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO, I THINK MARIA WANTS SOME INPUT ON THE SCOPE OF WHAT WE'RE, WE WOULD DO.
I THINK SHE SHOULD PRESENT THAT TO US.
WHAT DO YOU, WHAT ARE LOOKING SHE TO? WELL, SHE DID, NO, I'M, SO WE LOOKING, ARE WE LOOKING, ARE WE TRYING TO SAY WE WANNA DO SOMETHING OUT HERE OR ARE WE JUST GONNA, I'M SORRY, I TAKE THAT BACK.
SO WE WANNA DO SOMETHING HERE.
WE WANNA HIGHLIGHT, I THINK YOU JUST SAID THAT WE'RE JUST, OR ELLEN, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT ONE PERSON IS EASIER.
ONE PERSON PER COUNTRY, TWO COUNTRIES, ONE PERSON PER COUNTRY.
SO THE PRESENTATION, SO YOUR CELEBRATION'S GONNA BE 20 MINUTES AND THAT 20 MINUTES.
I'M JUST TRYING TO, I'M FOR THE CELEBRATION.
I JUST WANNA, I DON'T KNOW IF WE, I DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE PLANNING THIS NOW.
THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT MARIA ASKING.
OH, I DIDN'T REALIZE THIS IS THE PLANNING SESSION.
THE, THE ONLY THING THAT I FEEL IS, AGAIN, I KNOW BECAUSE WHEN I SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE FROM THE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY, THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ORGANIZED.
THEY'VE SAID FOR YEARS THAT THIS, THAT THIS IS GONNA BE ANNUAL.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I SORT OF FEEL THAT IF THEY WANT TO, ANYTIME DURING THE MONTH, JUST PUT UP THE FLAG, YOU KNOW, ONE DAY, YOU KNOW, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ONE EVENING AND I SAY, OKAY, YOU COULD DO IT.
UH, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO, THERE IS A PUERTO RICAN DOESN'T BE PART OF YOUR PROGRAM, BUT THIS WAY THEY COULD, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT GONNA FEEL, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT GONNA FEEL SLIGHTED.
YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'RE VERY WELL, YOU'RE TO FEEL, THERE'S NO REASON FOR THEM TO FEEL SLIGHTED AND, YOU KNOW, KUDOS TO THE COMMUNITY FOR, FOR TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO, TO PLAN IT.
SO NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY, BUT WE, BUT WE REPRESENT PEOPLE FROM MANY OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL.
AND IF WE JUST CONTINUALLY FEATURE PUERTO RICO, I THINK THAT'S MORE, THAT CAN BE PERCEIVED AS A SLIGHT TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
SO ANY, WE CAN'T HAVE A FLAG RAISING EVERY, LEMME SAY, LET JUST SAY WHY I ONE, LEMME SAY WHY I DISAGREE.
WE'VE, IN THE PAST, YOU KNOW, WE'VE PUT UP THE UKRAINIAN FLAG, WE'VE PUT UP THE ISRAELI FLAG, YOU KNOW, A TOWN HALL, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE A VERY ACTIVE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY.
WE'VE PUT UP AN, THE JAMAICAN FLAG AT, YOU KNOW, AT AT TIMES WHEN, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE ASKED.
AND I SORT OF FEEL THAT IT'S NOT GONNA, IF, IF, YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH, LIKE, IF YOU WANT TO ORGANIZE LIKE A PROGRAM AND FO THE PROGRAM WOULD BE EXCLUSIVE TO, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD PUT, YOU COULD FOCUS ON THE TWO, UM, HISPANIC, YOU KNOW, COMM, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITIES.
WE COULD GIVE ATTENTION TO ANYBODY.
I'M JUST SAYING IN ADDITION, IF I GET A CALL FROM, UM, THE PUERTO RICAN ASSOCIATION AND THEY SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, IT REALLY WOULD MEAN A LOT TO US IF WE COULD JUST RAISE A FLAG.
I'M NO, THEY DO THAT IN WHITE PLAINS.
THEY WANNA DO IT IN THIS IS OUR, BUT YES.
AND THEY HAD, THEY WERE, THEY WERE VERY LUCKY.
I THINK IT WAS GREAT THAT THEY GOT TO BE THE ONLY ONES FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT IT A BIT DIFFERENTLY NOW.
NO, BUT I'M JUST SAYING SUGGEST, CAN I MAKE A, WHY CAN'T I SAY TO THEM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GONNA BE DOING IT, SAY OCTOBER 7TH, AND I SAY, OKAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH, UH, YOU COULD DO IT AND YOU COULD HAVE ENOUGH FIVE O THEN EVERY OTHER COUNTRY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT AND COME ON, DIFFERENT DAYS OF THE MONTH.
I MEAN, THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
WE HAVE, THERE ARE HERITAGE DAYS THAT ARE RECOGNIZED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
IF YOU, IF, IF KRISTA FOR INSTANCE, PUT TOGE PUTS TOGETHER A LIST OF ALL THOSE COUNTRIES THAT ARE RECOGNIZED, LET'S SEE WHAT THAT MEANS AND HOW, IF IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN ACCOMMODATE AND HAVE THAT AS A DISCUSSION WHEN SHE'S GOT THAT DONE.
AND THAT WOULD CERTAINLY INCLUDE PUERTO RICO.
I FINISHED, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HEARD ME
I SUGGESTED, I JUST WANNA KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO HISPANICS, WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE DIVISIVE? WE DON'T SAY, OKAY, LET'S HAVE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH.
LET'S DO THE, THOSE THAT ARE 20 YEARS OLD TO 30 YEARS OLD ONE YEAR, AND LET'S DO 30 TO 40 YEARS THE NEXT YEAR WHEN IT COMES TO HISPANICS, ALL OF A SUDDEN, HEY, YOU KNOW, WHY CAN'T WE JUST HAVE EVERYBODY? AND IF
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SOMEBODY WANTS TO BE INCLUDED, THEY'D BE INCLUDED.AS OPPOSED TO SAYING WHEN IT COMES TO HISPANICS.
'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF US DOING THAT FOR ANYBODY OTHER GROUP WHEN IT COMES TO HISPANICS.
OKAY, YOU GET TWO THIS YEAR, WHO KNOWS? YOU KNOW, WHEN WILL IT GET AROUND TO IT AGAIN? YOU KNOW? I THINK WE'RE BETTER THAN THAT.
AND THE FACT THAT WHITE PLAINS DOES IT, THEY DO A LOT.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CAN'T DO IT.
I JUST, I JUST, WHAT, AND WHAT, WHAT I WAS SUGGESTING, I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING, IF I MAY, CAN I GET BACK TO, TO MY SUGGESTION THAT I WAS MAKING EARLIER.
MY SUGGESTION IS THAT, UM, KRISTA PUT TOGETHER ARE CERTAIN RECOGNIZED DAYS, PUERTO RICAN DAY BEING ONE OF THEM.
BUT THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF THEM.
IF SHE PUTS TOGETHER A LIST OF WHAT THOSE CON WHAT THOSE DAYS ARE AND WHEN, LET'S LOOK AT IT TO SEE, BECAUSE LET'S BE FAIR, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE CAN OR MAYBE NOT ACCOMMODATE THEM.
WELL, THE, BUT I, I, YOU KNOW, I I, I THINK THAT FRANCIS' POINT IS A, IS A VERY GOOD ONE.
THIS IS, I THINK WE'VE BEEN WORKING THIS HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REMAIN INCLUSIVE.
I DON'T THINK SO THE WAY WE COULD DO IT IS BY CHOOSING TWO HONOREES AND BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE, THEN THEIR COUNTRY IS HIGHLIGHTED, YOU KNOW? SO YOU DO IT BY HONOREE RATHER THAN BY COUNTRY.
WHAT, WHAT DATE? EITHER SEPTEMBER 24TH OR OCTOBER 8TH.
WELL, MARIE, I THINK YOU SHOULD, YOU'RE GONNA DO THE PLANNING.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME YOU WOULD NEED TO PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
I DON'T WANNA PUT A DATE OF 20.
I THINK YOU SHOULD PROBABLY TELL US WHAT WORKS FOR YOU IF YOU'RE PLANNING IT.
UH, I WILL SAY LIKE, UH, IF I GET 15 MINUTES, I'M GOING TO WORK UNDER THAT TIME.
SO WHICH DATE DID YOU LIKE TO USE? WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THE SEPTEMBER DATE OR THE OCTOBER DATE? TO ME, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
AS I SAY BEFORE, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
WHICH DO YOU THINK IS MORE MEANINGFUL? HOW'S THAT? IS THERE ANY WELL DIFFERENCE OCTOBER 8TH, SOONER THAN OCTOBER 8TH.
OCTOBER 8TH FOR THE, THE PROGRAM THAT I PRESENTED.
I HAVE JUST ONE OTHER ONE FINAL SUGGESTION.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THOUGHTS, YOU KNOW, THAT I HAD THAT COULD MAKE IT VERY INCLUSIVE AND SORT OF FOLLOW UP ON, YOU KNOW, FRANCIS', YOU KNOW, POINT IS, LET'S SAY, UH, WE HAD, UM, A PARADE OF, WITH D DIFFERENT HISPANIC, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTATIVES FROM DIFFERENT HISPANIC, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITIES.
AND THEY COULD WALK UP HERE WITH THE FLAGS OF THEIR, UM, COUNTRIES OR PUERTO RICO.
LEMME JUST SAY, AND THIS WAY, THIS WAY, THIS WAY, THIS WAY, WHAT YOU COULD DO IS WE WERE INCLUDING ANY, ANY HISPANIC, YOU KNOW, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, UH, THAT WANTS TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, UH, THE IMPORTANCE OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH OF THE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY.
THEY COULD WALK, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD HAVE A DELEGATION WALK WITH A, WITH A FLAG THEN THAT YOU COULD HAVE FROM OTHER HISPANIC, YOU KNOW, COUNTRIES MARCHING, YOU KNOW, MARCHING INTO HERE WITH THEIR FLAGS.
AND THEN YOU COULD HIGHLIGHT AT THE, AT THE EVENT, YOU COULD HIGHLIGHT BASICALLY ONE OR TWO OF THE COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTRIES OR NATIONALITIES EVERY YEAR.
BUT BASICALLY WE'RE, WE'RE ENVI.
WE'RE NOT KEEPING ANYBODY OUT, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST SAYING, IT'S JUST MARIE, WE GOT ALL THE FLAGS LAST YEAR, DIDN'T WE? WE HAVE ALL THE FLAGS FROM ALL THE COUNTRIES TO PUT THEM UP, REPRESENT WHERE TO REPRESENT THEIR COUNTRY.
YOU'RE GONNA DO THE PRESENTATION, A 20 MINUTE PRESENTATION.
HONOR TWO PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, EXPLAIN TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CELEBRATING HISPANIC MONTH.
YOU SAID THAT'S GONNA BE OCTOBER 8TH? ALRIGHT.
SO IF PLAN SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, MID SEPTEMBER, SAY WE, LET'S DISCUSS THE HONOREES, WHO THE HONOREES ARE, AND THEN WE HAVE TO GET THE INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN PREPARE PROCLAMATIONS OR YOU COULD DRAFT UP THE PROS AND THEN, YOU KNOW, INFORMATION AND STUFF AND THEN WE CAN TAKE A LOOK.
AND SO I'M GOING TO BE IN CHARGE ON OCTOBER 8TH FOR THAT CELEBRATION THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED, RIGHT? YES.
AND THAT'S THE CELEBRATION THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND WE, THAT'S, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
NO, THANKS YOU ALL APPRECIATE YOU.
AND DEPUTY ENGINEER, YOU WANTED TO MAKE A BIG ENTRANCE.
SO YOU SAT OUT THERE, RIGHT? IS THAT THE
WHAT WAS THE, UH, SO WE MET, YOU WANNA INTRODUCE AND THESE CHART TELL, I APOLOGIZE.
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FROM YOU.WHAT'S THAT? I DIDN'T GET THAT CALL FROM YOU.
AND RICHARD FA AND WORKS NAME.
CJ GERARDO, DEPUTY TOWN ENGINEER.
SO, UM, WE JUST WANT TO SEE, GET SORT OF AN UPDATE OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT THE GOAL, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ANTICIPATE THE WORK WOULD BE COMPLETED.
SO I SAW YOUR EMAIL THIS MORNING TO ONE RESIDENT, WHICH I THINK WAS KIND OF SPOT ON.
SO WE WERE MOVING FORWARD AS AN EMERGENCY PROJECT, BUT WE ALSO AT THE SAME TIME HAD PUT PUMPS IN THAT WERE SUSTAINING THE SITUATION.
SO IT BECAME WHAT WAS DUBBED A NON-EMERGENCY.
SO AT THE CURRENT TIME, WE HAVE A PUMPING SITUATION THAT'S TAKING THE SEWAGE AND TEMPORARILY DIVERTING IT AROUND.
WE'RE ON TWO TRACKS RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE AN RFP OUT FOR, AND I'LL LET CJ SPEAK TO THIS FOR EXPLORATORY WORK.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE A PARALLEL TRACK WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BID WITH THE, UH, COLLIERS ENGINEERING, WHICH DID THE ORIGINAL WAS WORKING ON THE ORIGINAL PLAN.
SO WE HAVE AN EIGHT AND A HALF STORY BUILDING WITH, UH, WHICH HAS BEEN THERE FOR 60 YEARS WITH A 90-YEAR-OLD SEWER LINE UNDER IT THAT IS BROKEN UNDER THE BUILDING.
UM, TO THAT, I'LL LET CJ TALK ABOUT THE TWO DIFFERENT TRACKS WE'RE TAKING.
SO WE, UM, WE ARE HAVING COLLIERS WHO'S BEEN THE, THE ENGINEER THAT OUR EMERGENCY CONTRACTOR ORIGINALLY, UM, BROUGHT ON TO THIS PROJECT TO, TO HELP, UM, CONTINUE WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING FROM THE BEGINNING TO DESIGN, UH, A PLAN TO REROUTE THE TOWN SEWER MAIN AROUND THE BUILDING AS OPPOSED TO GOING DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THROUGH THE BUILDING.
AND, UH, IN ORDER TO SAVE TIME AND, UH, WE'RE, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE THAT PATH AND HAVE THAT DESIGN BE COMPLETE WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, LIKE WE SAID, A PARALLEL PATH, UH, WE WERE ASKED TO PUT TOGETHER AN RFP TO LOOK AT, TO DO A, A QUICK STUDY OF ALTERNATIVES.
IF, IF THERE'S, UM, OTHER OPTIONS THAT MAYBE MIGHT BE A MORE BENEFICIAL, SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T THINK OF.
UM, SO THAT RFP IS OUT RIGHT NOW.
UM, IT'S, IT'S DUE IN A, IN A, A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
UM, AND, UM, THE, THE, THE, UH, THE DESIGN, UH, IS, IS PROGRESSING, LIKE I SAID ON THE COLLIER SIDE.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS IS, UH, FOCUSING ON, UM, A GRANT.
WE, WE APPLIED TO, UH, A GRANT THAT WAS DUE AT THE END OF JULY.
THERE'S ANOTHER ONE DUE IN SEPTEMBER.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THOSE APPLICATIONS, UH, WHILE DOING, UM, THE AGREEMENTS WITH THE ART, WRITING OUT THE RFP DOING, DOING THE, UH, THE AGREEMENT FOR THE COLLIERS TO FINISH THE DESIGN.
UM, EASEMENT AGREEMENTS AND LICENSE AGREEMENTS WITH THE BUILDING, THE BUILDING AND THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS FOR THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO GET DONE IN THOSE, IN, IN, UH, IN, IN THOSE BUILDINGS.
SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF KIND OF THINGS BEHIND THE SCENES THAT HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN HAPPENING.
THE DESIGNER WAS HELPING US A BIT WITH THE, WITH PUTTING AN ENGINEERING REPORT TOGETHER FOR THE GRANT APPLICATION.
SO THEY'VE BEEN BUSY WORKING ON THAT.
NOW THEY'RE PUTTING THEIR ATTENTION BACK TO FINISHING THE DESIGN.
THE DESIGN FOR THE TRUNK, THE TRUNK MAIN ITSELF, THE TOWN OWNED TRUNK MAIN TO GO AROUND IS, IS PROBABLY 70%, 80% DESIGN RIGHT NOW.
UH, THE, THE WORK INSIDE THE BUILDING, UM, IT'S A LITTLE BIT FURTHER BEHIND THE, THERE'S, THERE'S MULTIPLE CONNECTIONS FROM THE BUILDING TO THE, TO THE CURRENT, UH, TRUNK MAIN INSIDE THE BUILDING.
UM, THOSE ALL HAVE TO GET REROUTED TO THE, WHERE THE NEW, WHERE THE, THE TRUNK MAIN WILL BE RE UM, RELOCATED.
UM, THAT REQUIRED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SURVEY WORK INSIDE THE BUILDING AROUND THE, UH, OUTSIDE, UH, AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING.
UM, SO THAT'S ALL, UH, THE SURVEY WORK HAS BEEN COMPLETE, BUT NOW THE DESIGN DESIGN HAS TO BE, UH, COMPLETE, IMPLEMENTED.
AND WE'RE, YOU TALKED ABOUT, YOU TALKED, YOU MENTIONED TWICE GRANTS.
SO WHY DON'T WE GIVE SOME INSIGHT OF, GIVE A LITTLE GRANT THAT YOU WERE APPLYING FOR PLEASE.
UH, UH, SO THEY'RE BOTH, UM, FROM THROUGH NEW YORK STATE.
UH, ONE IS CALLED THE WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GRANT.
UH, THAT'S, THAT WAS THE ONE THAT WAS DUE AT THE END OF JULY.
UM, HOW MUCH IT, IT WAS, WE REQUESTED $9 MILLION.
UM, I THINK WE SHOULD PREFACE IT BY SAYING THAT THE
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COST OF THE WORK TO DO THIS REPAIR IS QUITE SUBSTANTIAL.AND SO THEREFORE WE'RE APPLYING FOR GRANTS TO DEFRAY THE COSTS AND TO MAKE SURE TO, UM, NOT BURDEN THE TAXPAYERS AND THE TOWN, AT LEAST IN PART, IN PART AT LEAST.
AND IF I COULD ALSO ADD, WE'VE HAD MEETINGS WITH THE BUILDING OWNER, THEIR ATTORNEYS, THEIR STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, UH, OUR TOWN ATTORNEY, JOE DANKO, OUR ENGINEERS, UH, AND THE BUILDING MANAGERS.
SO EVERYBODY, I BELIEVE IS TRULY ON THE SAME PAGE WITH THIS.
UH, THE OTHER QUESTION IS, UM, WHEN I SPOKE TO YOU, I THINK, YOU KNOW, A WEEK AGO OR SO, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT WE NEED APPROVALS FROM THE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, UH, THAT THAT IS CORRECT.
SO WHEN, WHEN, SO WHEN THE DESIGN IS FULLY COMPLETE, WE'LL HAVE TO SUBMIT IT TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR APPROVAL.
UH, THAT'S STANDARD FOR HOW COME FOR THAT? UH, THAT, THAT'S THEIR ROLE TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THEY HAVE TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THE DESIGN, UM, TO THEIR, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS THEIR CONCERNED WORKS, AND THAT IT WON'T BACK UP INTO THE, ANY OF THE, ANY OF THE HOW, YOU KNOW, UNITS OR, OR DISCHARGE THE ENVIRONMENT.
SO THEY JUST KIND OF DOUBLE CHECK THAT, YOU KNOW, ON THERE, ALL SEWER WORK AND SEWER CONNECTIONS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE COUNTY.
IS THERE ANY STATE, STATE APPROVALS THAT WE NEED OR JUST THE COUNTY? IT'S JUST THE COUNTY.
IT'S THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE STATE, THE, THE STATE DEFERS, UH, TO THE, TO THE, TO THE, TO THE COUNTY.
SOME PEOPLE, LIKE TODAY, I GOT AN EMAIL AND PEOPLE SAYING, OH, THIS IS TAKING SUCH A LONG TIME.
UM, WHAT'S THE BEST WAY OF RESPONDING WHEN, BECAUSE PEOPLE SAY IT'S MAY OF 2024, IT'S ALREADY 2025 AND IT'S NOT GONNA BE DONE UNTIL TWO TH 26.
YOU KNOW? HOW WOULD, UH, YOU RESPOND TO THAT? YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PROJECT IN FRONT OF 100 EAST DALE? YEAH, AND I'M NOT COMPLAINING.
I'M, BECAUSE I, I'VE RESPONDED.
I JUST SAID THAT WE HAVE TO DO IT CORRECTLY, GET MYSELF IN TROUBLE.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS A 90-YEAR-OLD SEWER MAN UNDER A 60-YEAR-OLD BUILDING.
THE BREAK IS UNDER THE FOUNDATION.
WE HAVE TO WORK VERY GINGERLY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T CAUSE ANY FURTHER DAMAGE.
UM, AND AGAIN, OUR ENGINEERS, OUR CONSULTING ENGINEERS, THE TOWN, THE BUILDING OWNERS, STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE WORKING TOWARDS THAT SAME GOAL.
AND ALSO THE STREET, THERE WAS ISSUES WITH MAYBE THE STREET HAVING BEEN CLOSED, THE SIDEWALK WAS CLOSED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
I HAVE TO GIVE THEM A LOT OF CREDIT FOR GOING OUT THERE AND, AND MAKING THE CONDITIONS NOT ONLY SAFE, BUT AS CONVENIENT AS WE POSSIBLY CAN IN THE MEANTIME, WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE WORK TO BE DONE.
AND YOU ALSO DID SOME DEPUTY MURPHY RAISING UP OF, UH, THE PIPES, UH, TO PROTECT IT.
IF THERE'S A MAJOR STORM, THE PUMPS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT OUT OF THE FLOOD AREA.
SO IF WE GET ANOTHER STORM LIKE WE DID ON JULY 14TH, WE'RE THE CLEAR, ARE WE SURE I SAW YOU SET AN EXPECTATION.
SO WE'VE A STORM, LIKE THE 14TH WAS ONE OF THOSE 500 YEAR OLD SEVEN, ALL WE BROUGHT IT UP AND ABOVE THAT.
'CAUSE I DON'T, I DON'T WANNA SET THE EXPECTATION THAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS, YOU SAID THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE, OH NO.
IF WE GET THROWN LIKE THAT, THAT AREA WILL FLOOD.
SO I JUST WANT US TO BE CLEAR.
EVERYTHING'S ADDED IN, IN ANY, ANY, NO ONE FORESAW THE FACT THAT WE WOULD BE HAVING A HUNDRED YEAR STORMS YEARLY AND 500 YEAR STORMS. SO FREQUENTLY SO, AND, AND OUR SYSTEM AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST GREENBERG, BUT THE SYSTEM FOR THE WHOLE STATE AND THE COUNTRY IS VERY MUCH UNDERSIZED.
SO LITTLE BY LITTLE, I THINK EVERY MUNICIPALITY IS, HAS OR SHOULD BE TAKING IT UPON THEMSELVES TO SLOWLY BUT SURELY REPAIR AND CHANGE THAT.
BUT IT IS QUITE A COST TO DO THAT.
AND OF COURSE WE, THE TAXPAYERS DO PAY FOR THAT.
BUT ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, WE, IT, IT FOR SO MANY YEARS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T SEE THE SEWERS
SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REALLY BEHIND, WE'RE BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL ON THIS.
RIGHT? AND YOU, WE GREENBERG, BUT EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY, THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
AND YOU MENTIONED THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE COULD DO IS, UM, PUT IN UPCOMING CAPITAL BUDGETS LINING, UH, YOU KNOW, THE PIPES.
UM, AND IF WE DID THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, GRADUALLY, UM, WE COULD AVOID, WE COULD REDUCE THE, THESE TYPE OF INCIDENCES.
SO WE DO HAVE A BEST APPROACH.
THEN COUNCILMAN MAGINA JACKSON DPW LIAISON HAS BEEN PUSHING, AND WE'RE JUST IN RECEIPT OF OUR FIRST REPORT FROM OUR CONSULTANT ABOUT JUST THAT
[00:30:01]
KIND OF A, A LARGER CAPITAL PLAN.UM, SO WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS THAT.
I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO BE SHOCKED, BUT YOU CAN SEE A VERY HEAVY CAPITAL PLANS HERE.
UM, AGAIN, WE NOT JUST GREENBURG NOT JUST THE COUNTY, NOT JUST THE STATE, BUT THE COUNTRY AS A, AN AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT FAIRVIEW PARK BRIDGE UNDER SOME KIND OF RECONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW TRYING TO MAKE IT WHOLE.
WE'VE GOT PUMP STATIONS FROM THE FIFTIES.
WE'VE GOT ALL THIS WORK WE'RE DOING, UM, AND TO THE DRAINAGE WE HAVE REALLY, AND YOU'VE BEEN WITH US OUT, UH, LOOKING AT AREAS TO RETAIN WATER.
'CAUSE THE LAST STORM WAS A 550 YEAR STORM.
THEY'RE CALCULATING, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S BAD.
THESE, THE, THE WARMING AND THE, THE STORMS WE'RE HAVING, IT'S JUST BEEN, IT'S UNMANAGEABLE.
AND ULTIMATELY, EVEN IF WE WERE TO UPGRADE THE SEWER SYSTEM, IT CAN ONLY PARTIALLY DEFRAY THAT BECAUSE THERE'S JUST SO MUCH WATER THAT THE, THE LAND AROUND CAN ABSORB OR TREES ABSORB OR ANY OF THE OTHER REMEDIATION, EVEN PONDS.
SO WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO TRY TO DEFRAY SOME OF THAT FLOODING, IT WILL NEVER STOP FLOODING, BUT WILL MITIGATE FLOODING.
AND I DIDN'T MEAN TO CUT YOU OFF, WE ALSO CAN'T TAKE A PROBLEM IN ONE AREA AND SEND IT TO SONO.
SO, YOU KNOW, EAST IRVINGTON CAME UP AT THE LAST MEETING WHERE THEY FLOOD AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, AND WE'RE GONNA START TALKING MORE WITH IRVINGTON ABOUT ME GETTING AN AREA TO RETAIN SOME OF THIS WATER BECAUSE WE TAKE THAT WATER AND SEND IT DOWNSTREAM.
P**S PROB SOMEWHERE ELSE, YOU KNOW, AND YOU JUST CAN'T DO THAT.
SO ALL THESE THINGS AREN'T BEING LOOKED AT.
UH, WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH THE CONTROLLER AND IT'S COMPLICATED BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE INTERM MUNICIPAL, UM, WORK THAT HAS TO BE DONE.
AND THAT HAS TO BE PARSED REALLY CAREFULLY.
WE'VE GOT RIGHT NOW BABBITT COURT, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT FULTON PARK.
WE'VE GOT THE TROUBLESOME BROOK STUDY, MANHATTAN BROOK STUDY.
HARSDALE BROOK, SHELDON SHELDON HARTSDALE BROOK.
YOU KNOW, YOU GOT MOST OF THE TOWN, YOU KNOW, INVOLVED IN SOME SORT OF A STUDY OR SELMA RIVER.
THE STATE D DC CAME OUT WITH A GOOD REPORT TODAY.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU SAW CJ WAS ON.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY CAME UP WITH RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE SUGGESTIONS, I SENT A LETTER TO, UH, EMAIL TO LEGISLATOR IMMEMORIAL.
AND I THOUGHT THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS WE COULD HAVE, UM, A JOINT MEETING WITH, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY, UH, THE VILLAGE OF ELMSFORD AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND YOU KNOW, PERHAPS THE STATE AND BASICALLY COME UP WITH, UM, LIKE USING THE TIFF MONEY, COME UP WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, SHORT TERM, UM, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO SHORT TERM INITIATIVES TO FOLLOW, BECAUSE THEY CAME UP WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
I THINK ONE, ONE WAS REMOVING A BRIDGE.
UM, UH, BUT YOU KNOW, I'M SAYING WE COULD, WE DEFINITELY NOW HAVE A ROADMAP THAT WE COULD FOLLOW.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO JUST ASK IS, UM, UM, I HAD SUGGESTED THAT WE HAVE, UM, A WALK, A SITE VISIT ON FULTON PARK, YOU KNOW, WITH, UM, WITH THE COUNTY, UH, WITH LEGISLATOR, UH, WILLIAMS, UM, WITH, UH, LOU SANCHEZ, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH TOM B YOU KNOW, WITH SOME OF THE RESIDENTS OF FULTON PARK.
WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK, REALLY, LET'S FINISH, LET'S FINISH EAST AVENUE.
AND THEN AFTER THAT, I'LL, I'LL ASK, BECAUSE WE, I'D LIKE TO REALIZE SCHEDULE SOMETHING, UH, YEAH, WE'VE, WE'VE, WE'VE HAD TALK TO THEM BEFORE.
TODAY'S, UH, THAT WAS LIKE A COUNTYWIDE MEETING.
AND WE CAN CERTAINLY HAVE MORE.
BUT, UM, TO JUST, I TRY TO, UH, ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ASKED.
UH, UH, PART PART OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE QUESTION THAT WE'VE BEEN GETTING FROM RESIDENTS AND EVERYONE ELSE, WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG? IS THIS IS, THIS IS, THIS IS A VERY ATYPICAL, THIS IS NOT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT EAST HEART STEEL, I'M SORRY, I'M ABOUT THE EAST HORSE STEEL SEWER BREAK BACK TO EAST TAR STILL UP.
THE, UM, A TYPICAL SEWER BREAK YOU THAT YOU MAY SEE IN THE STREET IS FIVE TO EIGHT FEET DEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF A ROAD, IN THE STREET, AN EIGHT INCH PIPE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A 35 FOOT DEEP MANHOLE THAT BROKE WITHIN AND, AND THE, AND THE PIPE UNDER OR DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF A DIRECTLY RIGHT AT THE, AT A, AT A BUILDING.
AND IT'S TWICE THE SIZE OF 16 INCH PIPE.
THAT'S, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU COULD JUST GO AND FIX RIGHT AWAY.
AND IF, IF YOU WERE PLANNING THIS, LIKE IN A FIVE YEAR CAPITAL PLAN, YOU WOULD BE PREPARING FOR IT.
YOU WOULD BE GEARING UP FOR IT, AND IT STILL WOULD TAKE A YEAR OF DESIGN IT.
THAT'S, THAT IS, THAT IS NOT A, THAT IS NOT A, A UNREASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO, TO DESIGN SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE.
AND WE, WE, AT ONE POINT, WE WERE GONNA TRY TO FIX IT IN PLACE.
WE PIVOTED ONCE WE REALIZED THAT WE DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS, UM, THE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT.
[00:35:01]
MAYBE TOO DANGEROUS.UM, YOU CAN'T REALLY ACCESS, YOU CAN'T DIG, YOU CAN'T DIG A DEEP HOLE INSIDE OF THE BUILDING PARKING LOT.
THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO OVERHEAD CLEARANCE.
THERE'S, WE, WE LOOKED AT SOME OF THESE THINGS AND WE'LL HAVE THIS, THIS STUDY WILL, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL ALSO LOOK AT THAT AND TELL US, YOU KNOW, IF WE MISSED SOMETHING OR NOT, OR IF THEY HAVE A BETTER IDEA OR NOT.
SO I THINK THAT'S A, SOMETHING THAT I REALLY WANT TO EMPHASIZE IS IT'S 35 FEET DEEP, 16 INCH SEWER MAIN, WHICH IS A VERY LARGE MAIN UNDER A BUILDING.
UM, AND TO GET BACK TO THE QUESTION YOU HAD ABOUT THE GRANTS.
SO THE FIRST GRANT THAT WE ALREADY APPLIED TO IS, UM, IT FOCUSES ON WATER QUALITY.
BUT THIS, THIS SEWER LINE IS IN A FLOODPLAIN.
IT HAS HAD ISSUES IN THE PAST.
IT'S, IT, IT RUNS, IT CROSSES A, THE HARTSDALE BROOK.
SO, UM, LINING, LINING A SECTION OF THIS PIPE FROM, UH, JUST UPSTREAM OF WHERE THE BREAK IS, BASICALLY FROM 100 EAST HARSDALE TO, UH, TO CENTRAL AVENUE, FOUR CORNERS, THAT IS ALL ON THE FLOODPLAIN.
AND THAT'S PART OF THIS PROJECT TO, UM, TO HELP PREVENT, UH, WATER QUALITY ISSUES.
AND I THINK THAT'LL HELP THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THIS GRANT.
UM, 'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S A LOT.
THE, THE, THE, THE PIPE ALREADY EXPERIENCES WHAT THEY CALL INFLOW AND INFILTRATION WATER.
WATER GETS INTO IT, AND THAT CAUSES PROBLEMS. AND WATER GETS OUT OF SEWER, SEWAGE GETS OUT OF IT, AND THAT CAUSES PROBLEMS. THE SECOND GRANT THAT WE'RE APPLYING TO RIGHT NOW IS MORE FOCUSED ON INFRASTRUCTURE.
THAT IS A, UM, IT'S, IT'S UP TO A 25%, UM, MATCH.
SO IF THIS PROJECT IS GONNA COST SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 10 AND $12 MILLION, SAY, THEN YOU WOULD HAVE UP TO MAYBE A $4 MILLION GRANT.
UM, UH, BUT I THINK WE'LL ALSO BE VERY COMPETITIVE WITH THAT BECAUSE IT'S FOUR AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO LET ME JUST ASK A, A FOLLOW UP WITH THE FULTON PARK.
I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE A SITE VISIT BECAUSE WE'RE DOING A LOT OF, UH, WE WE'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK.
YOU KNOW, WE, YOU ORDERED THE PUMPS THAT COULD DIVERT, UH, WATER, UM, AWAY FROM RESIDENTIAL AREAS.
UH, WE'VE DONE SOME OBSTRUCTION REMOVAL, AND I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE INTERESTING FOR THE TOWN BOARD AND FOR, UM, OUR COUNTY LEGISLATOR, UH, WILLIAMS, UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE, UH, THE COUNTY OFFICIALS TO, UM, TO OBSERVE FIRSTHAND WHAT'S BEEN DONE AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAS TO BE DONE.
AND I JUST SORT OF FEEL IF WE, UH, WOULD SCHEDULE A DATE AND TIME DO IT AT A WORK SESSION, SAY THE SECOND WEEK OR THIRD WEEK IN SEPTEMBER, UM, YOU KNOW, WE COULD INVITE EVERYBODY.
AND I THINK PE YOU KNOW, LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID TO A WORK SESSION PEOPLE, WE'RE NOT GONNA SOLVE THE PROBLEMS, BUT WE, WE COULD SHOW PEOPLE THAT WE'RE MINIMIZING IT AND WE COULD SHOW PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE A PLAN, A ROADMAP, AND A PLAN, UM, TO, UM, YOU KNOW, GOING FORWARD TO REDUCE THE IMPACTS.
AND I JUST THINK THAT IT'S REALLY CRUCIAL THAT WE HAVE A, A SITE VISIT.
AND THAT, LET ME ASK A QUESTION.
THAT'S ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONER.
NO, IT, I'M WONDERING IF THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD DO IN A PRESENTATION SINCE WE HAD, WE COULD FLY OVER AND WE CAN PUT TOGETHER ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE AND JUST DO THAT.
SO JUST A FEW QUICK THINGS FIRST, WE'VE HAD SIDEWALKS WITH, UH, JEWEL WILLIAMS AND MARY JANE CHOMSKY.
I THINK OTHERS HAVE BEEN HERE THERE TOO.
I KNOW EVERYBODY'S BEEN OUT THERE AT ONE POINT.
WE WERE WALKING LAST WEEK WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN SHE AND COUNCILWOMAN JACKSON.
WE ARE PUTTING TOGETHER A WHOLE PRESENTATION AT THEIR DIRECTION OF WHAT WE'VE DONE AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
WE'RE NOT READY TO PRESENT YET.
YOU SEE, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT.
GINA'S A REGULAR SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING.
I'M, ANYWAY, WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER A PRESENTATION
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT AREAS WHERE WE COULD POSSIBLY, YOU KNOW, RETAIN WATER.
I THINK IT'S PREMATURE TO INVITE OUR NEIGHBORS OR OUR FRIENDS WITH THE COUNTY AND EVERYBODY OUT JUST YET.
BUT WE WILL AT SOME POINT BE READY FOR THAT.
I JUST WANNA THANK GARRETT, DUANE TO ME.
ONLY BECAUSE YOU SAW THAT HE WAS HERE.
IS WINSOME COMING? I'M NOT SURE.
SHE WAS PLANNING ON, WE ARE A LITTLE EARLY.
'CAUSE A LOT OF MY INFORMATION IS THERE.
WE'RE A LITTLE EARLY FOR A CHANGE.
WE WON'T HAVE YOU TALK, TALK TODAY.
I GUESS, UM, I WA I WAS ASKED TO COME TO THE MEETING,
[00:40:01]
BUT I WASN'T ASKED TO PREPARE ANYTHING, SO, UM, UM, ONE MORE GARRETT.ENOUGH? MAY I HAVE ONE HERE? DO YOU HAVE AN EXTRA? THANK YOU, JOE, I APPRECIATE.
DO YOU HAVE A COPY FROM ME? WE'LL SHARE, WE'LL SHARE, WE'LL SHARE.
IF YOU CAN EMAIL IT TO ME PLEASE.
OKAY, WE READY? COME ON, GARY.
SO I WAS ASKED TO BE HERE AND WOULD YOU INTRODUCE WHO YOU ARE, PLEASE? GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
I'M GARY DUANE, COMMISSIONER OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CONSERVATION, AND JOINED BY WINSOME.
DO YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF, WINSOME, OR DO YOU WANT GARRETT TO INTRODUCE YOU BECAUSE YOU JUST HAD SOME DENTAL WORK? HE, UH, YES, HE CAN.
UH, WE WERE ASKED TO SLOT IN HERE WITH YOU ALL, AND I KNEW THE TOPIC WAS GRANTS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A GRANT WRITER.
UM, I DIDN'T KNOW MUCH BEYOND THAT, BUT I DO HAVE SOME INFORMATION I CAN GIVE YOU THAT I THINK WILL, YOU KNOW, MAYBE FRAME THE DISCUSSION AND MAYBE WE'LL USE IT MORE AS A Q AND A FROM YOUR END.
IN THE YEAR 2025, UH, AND I'M JUST, AND I'M SPEAKING FOR MYSELF ON THIS, AND ENGINEERING, THE TOWN OF GREENBERG HAS SUBMITTED EIGHT INDIVIDUAL GRANT REQUESTS.
SO THOSE ARE LIVE OUT THERE REQUESTS THAT WE DON'T KNOW THE RESULT YET.
THOSE NINE INDIVIDUAL GRANTS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED THIS YEAR, TOTAL 16 MILLION, UH, ALMOST 100,000.
UH, THEY SPAN HAVE EIGHT HERE.
BUT YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S NINE, OH, DID I SAY NINE? EIGHT.
EIGHT INDIVIDUAL FOR A TOTAL OF 16, JUST OVER 16 MILLION.
THEY SPAN, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE REQUESTS, PARK RELATED REQUESTS, UM, STORM WATER RELATED REQUESTS, UM, HISTORIC PRESERVATION RELATED REQUESTS.
UM, I THINK I MENTIONED PARKS.
SO OF THOSE EIGHT SUBMITTED GRANTS, TWO OF THOSE EIGHT HAVE BEEN DONE.
IN TWO OF THOSE EIGHT, WE ACTUALLY UTILIZED AN INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT TO ASSIST ON SOME TECHNICAL LEVEL.
THE EXAMPLES ARE FOR THE, UH, EAST HARTSDALE AVENUE SEWER PROJECT THAT CJ AND, AND COMMISSIONER FA JUST WALKED YOU THROUGH.
THERE WAS SOME TECHNICAL INFORMATION THAT WAS NEEDED THAT WAS BEYOND THE, THE GRASP OF IN-HOUSE WORK.
SO THAT WAS AN ENGINEERING REPORT.
I THINK IT WAS ON THE ORDER OF $30,000.
SO THAT WAS, UM, EXPENDITURE OF THE TOWN, AND THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT THERE, WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY LEAD TO A $9 MILLION GRANT.
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE WORK NEEDS TO LEAVE WAS DONE BY THAT PERSON ON THAT GRANT? UH, THAT'S A DIFFICULT QUESTION TO ANSWER, FRANCIS.
UH, WHAT, UH, PERCENTAGE OF THAT PARTICULAR GRANT WAS DONE BY AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT? IT'S A TOUGH, THE RESPONSE WAS THAT WAS A TOUGH, IT'S A TOUGH QUESTION.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT, LET'S SAY ON THE ORDER OF MAGNITUDE, $30,000 OF CONSULTANT TIME, UH, NO DOUBT THAT THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE WEEKS OF A LOT OF THEIR EFFORT AND, AND WORKING ON THAT ON A DAILY BASIS.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S A HEAVY LIFT.
UM, BUT THAT WAS VERY SPECIFIC TO DELIVER ONE, YOU KNOW, FAIRLY THICK REPORT.
THAT WAS AN ABSOLUTE, UH, PREREQUISITE TO EVEN SUBMITTING A GRANT.
ASIDE FROM THAT, UH, KUDOS TO CJ.
HE DID PROBABLY 80 TO 90% DEPUTY TOWN ENGINEER, DEPUTY TOWN ENGINEER, UH, DID ROUGHLY 80 TO 90% OF THE, UH, GRANT WORK IN-HOUSE.
I DID A LOT OF THE HOUSEKEEPING, MAKING SURE EVERYTHING WAS LIKE SUBMITTED IN THE PORTAL AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
UM, BUT WE JUST SUFFICE IT TO SAY THE TAKEAWAY IS WITHOUT SPENDING THAT MONEY FOR THE INDEPENDENT REPORT, UH, WE DON'T HAVE A GRANT.
THE REASON I KIND OF ALSO MENTIONED THAT JUST BEYOND INFORMATIONAL IS THAT, UH, I KNOW THAT THE DISCUSSION IS, WELL, SHOULD THE TOWN PURSUE INDEPENDENT GRANT WRITING SERVICES AND WE'LL GET THERE.
YOU KNOW, AND THERE'S PROS AND CONS TO THAT, I BELIEVE.
UM, BUT THE REASON I MENTION THAT IS IF THE TOWN HAD THAT SERVICE, WE WOULD STILL BE SPENDING THAT 30,000 FOR THAT ENGINEERING REPORT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA, YOU'RE NOT EXPECTING SOMEBODY TO COME IN WHO HAS EXPERTISE IN ENGINEERING AND ALL THE OTHER DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE TOWN.
THE SECOND ONE, UH, WAS SO, OH, SORRY.
SO GRANT WRITERS DON'T SPECIALIZE IN, THEY, THEY SPECIALIZE IN PARTICULAR, THEY DON'T.
THEY, THEY MAY SPECIALIZE IN, THEY, THEY HAVE ENGINEERING INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE.
[00:45:01]
PLANNING, UH, PARKS RELATED KNOWLEDGE.BUT TO DO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE OUT OF MAGNITUDE REPORT THAT I JUST DESCRIBED MM-HMM
DESCRIBED, THAT'S WE'RE GOING OUT AND GETTING SOMEONE THAT WE REALLY FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH AS A TOWN TO WORK WITH MM-HMM
BEFORE WE, INSTEAD OF HAVING TO GO THROUGH THEM.
BUT NOT THAT YOU SHOULDN'T IF YOU DON'T WANT TO.
UM, BUT I THINK YOU'RE KIND OF GETTING AT THE FACT THAT WE DON'T NEED A TECHNICAL GRANT WRITER FOR ALL THE GRANTS, JUST A FEW ISOLATED GRANTS.
IS THAT WHAT I'M HEARING? NOT NECESSARILY.
CAN I INTERJECT FOR A SECOND? UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, UM, 2016, I APPLIED FOR SOLAR HOT WATER SYSTEM AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER.
I HAD NO ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE, NOTHING AT ALL.
AND WHAT I DID IS THAT I REACHED OUT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND THEY WROTE THE SPECS FOR ME BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ONE HERE TO DO THE SPECS FOR THAT SOLAR HOT WATER SYSTEM.
AND I WAS SUCCESSFUL WITH THE GRANT.
IN FACT, WE HAD MONEY LEFT OVER THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PUT $79,000 WORTH OF SOLAR PALS ON THE ROOF HERE.
SO WHAT I HAVE TO DO WITH MY GRANTS IS I HAVE TO RESEARCH IT.
I USED TO DO SIDEWALKS BEFORE GARRETT CAME WITH AL REGULAR, BUT AL WAS AN ENGINEER A P HE HAD THE, THE CREDENTIALS, AND AL WAS ABLE TO GIVE ME ALL THE SPECS AND THE MEASUREMENTS AND WORK WITH ME TO DO IT.
BUT I'M SO HAPPY THAT GARRETT IS HERE BECAUSE HE'S A PLANNER SO HE CAN TAKE CARE OF ALL THE SIDEWALKS AND DO THEM.
HE LEAVES THE OTHER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS TO ME, AND HE HAS GIVEN ME THE PERMISSION AND THE AUTHORITY TO EVEN SET THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND YOU'VE SEEN ME AT THE PUBLIC HEARING.
SO HE HAS REALLY ENTRUSTED ME WITH THE OTHER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS.
AND WE ARE ON A WHOLE, WE ARE VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH THESE GRANTS.
I I THINK YOU BOTH ARE DOING LIKE A FANTASTIC JOB.
AND I HAVE LIKE ZERO COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WORK THAT EITHER OF YOU ARE DOING BECAUSE YOU, YOU'RE REALLY WORKING REALLY HARD AND YOU'RE GETTING, YOU'RE GETTING RESULTS AND YOU'RE GETTING GRANTS FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE TOWN.
UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT SINCE 2019 YOU RECEIVED OVER 20, 20 MILLION, $500,000 IN GRANTS, WHICH IS, WHICH IS A LOT.
THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS LIKE TODAY, WE, UH, WE GOT A REPORT FROM THE STATE RELATING TO THE SAW MO RIVER AND, UM, AND THERE'S LOTS OF MONEY THAT THE STATE HAS FOR, YOU KNOW, FLOOD INITIATIVES.
UM, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE SUGGESTIONS WAS REMOVING A BRIDGE.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST AN, AN EXAMPLE, BUT THERE'S OTHER, THEY MADE A WHOLE BUNCH OF SUGGESTIONS.
UM, I'M SORT OF WONDERING, UM, SINCE WE HAVE SO MANY FLOODING PROBLEMS, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE TOWN, UM, AND IT'S HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU, FOR BOTH OF YOU TO DO, FOR APPLY FOR EVERY SINGLE GRANT, IF, YOU KNOW, IF WE WOULD, IF IT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR US TO, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH THE MORE TECHNICAL, YOU KNOW, FLOOD RELIEF, YOU KNOW, GRANTS, WELL, IN ADDITION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING, UH, TO COME SUPPLEMENT IT WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH A, WITH A GRANTS WRITER WHO COULD HELP US GET, YOU KNOW, MORE OF THE STATE FUNDS FOR, UH, FOR THE FLOODING.
BECAUSE I, I JUST THINK, I THINK THE COMMISSIONER WANTS TO PRESENT HIS PRESENT PRESENTATION, SO WHY DON'T WE LET HIM DO THAT? YES.
I BASICALLY, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S ULTIMATELY THE QUESTION AT HAND.
AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, I'LL BE MORE, I'LL BE CONCISE.
I DON'T HAVE MUCH MORE, MAYBE THREE MORE MINUTES AND WE CAN DIVE RIGHT INTO THAT QUESTION.
UH, JUST, SO WE TALKED ABOUT THE, ONE OF THE EIGHT, WE HIRED AN INDEPENDENT ENGINEER NECESSARY.
THE, THE SECOND OF THE EIGHT WAS THE, UH, EAST BROOK PARKS PROJECT.
UM, WE ABSOLUTELY NEEDED AN INDEPENDENT PARKS PLANNER, UH, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND PLANNER MM-HMM
TO DEVELOP A MASTER PLAN FOR THAT PARK AND PROVIDE A BUDGET FOR THE PARK.
THE COST THERE WASN'T AS SIGNIFICANT.
IT WAS PROBABLY ON THE ORDER OF $10,000, BUT, UM, THAT SERVICE WAS NEEDED TO SUPPLEMENT THE IN-HOUSE WORK THAT WE DID TO SUBMIT A $675,000 GRANT.
THAT'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE WHERE, UH, WITH THE SERVICES OF AN INDEPENDENT GRANT WRITER, I STILL THINK WE WOULD'VE WENT OUT AND GOT THAT SAME LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE SLASH SLASH PLANNER ENGINEER TO WORK WITH JOE LA CASEY PARKS COMMISSIONER AND, AND, AND THE PARKS AND REC ADVISORY BOARD TO DEVELOP A MASTER PLAN AND TO DELIVER A, A BUDGET SO THAT I COULD PUT TOGETHER A VIABLE GRANT APPLICATION.
SO THAT'S NOT TO SAY THE SERVICE, YOU KNOW, IS NOT NECESSARY, BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT AT LEAST FOR THE TWO OF THE EIGHT GRANTS SUBMITTED THIS YEAR, YOU STILL NEED THAT SORT OF OVERLAP AND EXPERTISE.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S ALSO HELPFUL TO KNOW THAT YES, THAT WE, 16 MILLION IS SIGNIFICANT OUTPUT IN JUST ONE YEAR, UH, WITH THE IN-HOUSE AND THAT LIMITED, UH, EXPERTISE ELSEWHERE TO GIVE YOU THE SIMILAR PICTURE IN THE LAST SIX YEARS.
UM, AND THIS ONE, UH, IS, IS ALL CD AND C AND, AND, AND WINSTON'S DONE
[00:50:01]
A TON OF OTHER STUFF, WHICH WE'LL HEAR ABOUT IN A MOMENT.BUT, UH, THERE WERE FROM 2019 TO PRESENT, UH, 17 INDIVIDUAL GRANTS RECEIVED, AND THOSE TOTAL JUST OVER 20 MILLION, 20 MILLION, 500,000 FOR THE, THE STATISTICS ON THAT ARE FIVE OF THE 19.
YOU GAVE MY DEPARTMENT THE SUPPORT TO GO OUT AND SPEND DOLLARS AND HIRE A CONSULTANT.
AND THAT PROVED TO BE MONEY WELL SPENT BECAUSE IT GOT THOSE GRANTS AND EXAMPLE SPECIFIC EXPERTISE.
EXAMPLES ARE THIS, UM, HARTSDALE, UH, FLOOD MITIGATION STUDY, HARTSDALE BROOK FOUR CORNERS, UH, HIRED A KRF TO, UH, HELP PUT TOGETHER THE, THE ENGINEERING BASIS FOR THAT GRANT.
I THINK 24,000, UH, RESULTED IN, UH, 900,000, UH, SUCCESSFUL GRANT.
UH, OTHER EXAMPLES ARE SMALLER.
I THINK 5,000 FOR A TAP GRANT GETTING, UH, $1 MILLION, 5,000 FOR A TAP GRANT.
UM, GETTING 3.9 MILLION, 5,000 FOR A TAP GRANT GETTING 2.7, THAT TYPE OF, UH, SO SOMETIMES IT'S A SMALL EXPENDITURE ON THE ENGINEERING TECHNICAL SIDE OF THINGS.
AND THOSE WERE ALL TRANSPORTATION RELATED.
THOSE ARE, SO THOSE FIVE OF THOSE 19, EVEN IF AT THE TIME THE TOWN HAD A GRANTS WRITER WE'RE STILL GOING OUT AND GETTING THOSE ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS TO GET THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THOSE APPLICATIONS.
UM, JUST, JUST FRAME OF REFERENCE FOR YOU THERE.
SO, UM, THAT'S ALL ASIDE FROM WHAT WINSOME DOES ON MANY LEVELS, WHICH IS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT IN, IN SOME INSTANCES, AND ALSO GRANT ADMINISTRATION.
I MAINTAINED THE GRANT SYSTEM.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT BART ALINI TRAINED ME WHEN WHILE HE WAS HERE.
AND THEN ROBERTA ALLOWED ME TO CONTINUE.
I MAINTAIN EVERYONE IN THE GRANT SYSTEM, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
I MAINTAIN GARRETT, ANYONE WHO WANTS TO GO INTO THE SYSTEM, I MAINTAIN THEM AND I REPORT TO THE CONTROLLER AND LET, I KNOW, LET HER KNOW WHAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, I PUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE COPS GRANT SYSTEM.
THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE COULD TECHNICALLY DO IT FROM UPSTAIRS, BUT IT FREES UP HER TIME IF I'M ABLE TO DO IT.
I ALSO MAINTAIN THE SAMS THAT CONTROLS ALL THE GRANTS FOR THE TOWN OF GREENBURG.
IF WE'RE NOT REGISTERED TO MAINTAIN, WE CANNOT APPLY.
ONE YEAR THERE WAS A PROBLEM, THEY MADE A CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WERE, WAS NOT ABLE TO GET ANY FUNDING FOR LIKE SIX MONTHS BECAUSE THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SYSTEM.
AND WITH THE CONTROLLER, MYSELF, WE DO A VERY GOOD JOB OF MAINTAINING THE SYSTEM.
UM, I HANDLE THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS, EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR SIDEWALKS.
UH, WE ARE GETTING FUNDING FOR POCAN HILLS UPGRADE.
WE'RE GETTING OVER 308,000 BUCKS.
WE ARE GETTING THE HYBRID BUS.
I'M GONNA REACH OUT TO THE PURCHASING DIRECTOR BECAUSE KIMBERLY TOLD ME TO CALL POUGHKEEPSIE.
THEY PURCHASED A BUS UP THERE AND I'VE BEEN SPEAKING TO THEIR PURCHASING DIRECTOR.
SO I'M GONNA SEE IF I CAN TRANSFER EVERYTHING OVER TO OUR DIRECTOR AND THE PERSON WHO DOES, WHO ORDERS THE BUS, IT USED TO BE MR. TENURE, BUT HE RETIRED.
THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE WHO DOES THE BUS ORDERING.
UM, SO I'M GONNA TURN OVER THE INFORMATION TO THEM SO THAT THEY CAN GO ONTO THE STATE CONTRACT AND SEE WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND THEN COME BACK TO THE BOARD SO YOU CAN DECIDE.
YES, WE CAN GET A BUS FOR $400,000 OR LESS.
IT'S NOT GONNA BE A COACH LINE, IT'S GONNA BE A PASSENGER BUS, LIKE A SCHOOL BUS.
BUT THEN THE ELECTRIC BUS IS MORE COMFORTABLE THAN A REGULAR SCHOOL BUS.
BUT I'M GONNA LEAVE THAT UP TO, IT IS A HYBRID WE'RE GETTING, BUT, UM, I'M GONNA LEAVE IT UP TO THE BOARD TO DECIDE WHAT YOU WANNA DO BECAUSE THE MONEY'S READY.
IT'S AVAILABLE AT THE COUNTY LEVEL.
IT'S JUST THAT WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT WE WANNA DO.
AND IF WE NEED TO MAKE CHANGES, LET'S SAY YOU DON'T WANNA HAVE THE ELECTRIC OR HYBRID BUS ANYMORE.
THE COUNTY WILL WORK WITH US AND THEY COULD MAKE CHANGES THERE.
SO WITH THAT BACKGROUND, NO, BUT ALSO OLD TARRYTOWN ROAD PARK THAT I'M TELLING YOU, THESE ARE SOME OF THE PROJECTS I'M WORKING ON.
UM, THE COUNTY HAD SAID THAT, UM, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH FUNDING, BUT I DID A REAPPLICATION LAST WEEK AND THEY'RE GONNA CONSIDER US IN 2026 AND 27.
LAST YEAR I APPLIED FOR A $2,399,000 GRANT WITH PARKS AND RECREATION.
I WORKED WITH BOBBY BREEN, UM, JOELLA, CASEY, AND, UM, THE ARBORIST OVER THERE.
AND THE GRANT WAS WELL DONE, THE DEPARTMENT.
AND HE SAID AT THIS TIME THEY COULDN'T FUND IT BECAUSE WE NEED TO INCLUDE THE PUBLIC, HAVE PUBLIC OPINION.
SO WE HAD A SCOPING MEETING ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO WITH THEM AND THEY SAID, I CAN REAPPLY FOR THE FUNDING, AND THIS IS FOR TAX RIDGE PART.
I CAN APPLY FOR THE FUNDING, JUST THAT WE NEED TO HAVE, UM, MORE COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
SO I'M GONNA TALK TO GARRETT AND WE CAN SET UP SOME PUBLIC MEETINGS SO
[00:55:01]
THAT WE CAN HAVE THAT OUTREACH.I'VE GOT THE GENERATOR FOR THE COMMUNITY CENTER, THE GENERATOR BY THE, BUT WHEN, SO I UNDERSTAND BECAUSE THE WAY THIS THING IS WRITTEN, YOU THINK IT'S ABOUT WHO, YOU KNOW, WHAT GRANTS ARE BEING WRITTEN, RIGHT? MM-HMM
I'M NOW LEARNING THAT SOMEBODY HAS A PROPOSAL TO ACTUALLY HIRE A GRANT WRITER.
SO WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO? JUST A BIG PROJECT.
SO WITH THAT BACKGROUND, RIGHT? HERE'S, HERE'S HOW I, I WANT TO, ULTIMATELY, I WANNA BE VERY HELPFUL TO YOU.
SO THE QUE SO WHEN YOU, THE EXACT QUESTION YOU POSES IS, IS THE QUESTION, RIGHT? IS THERE VALUE TO THE TOWN OF GREENBURG TO HIRE INDEPENDENT GRANT WRITING, UM, SPECIALIST? YEAH.
SO WHEN I WAS PUTTING TOGETHER THIS LIST, I'VE SAID TO MYSELF, LET'S SAY WE WENT BACK IN TIME, UH, AND IN 2019 DID JUST THAT AND HIRED THAT PERSON.
I'VE GIVEN YOU A SNAPSHOT TO SAY, WELL, GREAT, YOU KNOW, OVER $20 MILLION, IT'S A LARGE NUMBER, IT'S GREAT.
BRINGING TREMENDOUS VALUE TO THE TOWN.
THE QUESTION IS, WOULD THAT NUMBER HAVE BEEN MORE IF WE WENT BACK IN TIME AND HAD THAT PROFESSIONAL ON FOR WHATEVER THE NUMBER IS PER YEAR? OR, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY, THERE'S SOME DEAL WHERE THEY GET PERCENTAGE OF, WELL ACTUALLY IT DOESN'T REALLY, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT.
BUT LET'S JUST SAY FOR WHATEVER, IT'S, WE HAD THEM ON BOARD.
WOULD WE HAVE GOTTEN, WOULD THIS NUMBER BE 30 MILLION? WOULD IT BE 40 MILLION? WOULD IT BE 50 MILLION? WOULD IT BE THE SAME OR LESS OR LESS? I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE LESS.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, I WOULD NOT BE HANDS OFF AND, YOU KNOW, NOT DOING ALL THE WORK THAT I DID FOR THESE GRANTS.
UM, WOULD IT TAKE A LITTLE PRESSURE OFF OF ME ON THESE SPECIFIC PARTICULAR ONES? MAYBE JUST A TINY BIT.
'CAUSE TO ME, EVERY ONE OF THESE WERE SO IMPORTANT THAT LIKE, I NEED TO KNOW EVERY ASPECT OF EVERYTHING WRITE DOWN TO LIKE WRITING SUPPORT LETTERS.
AND I WANNA KNOW EVERY WORD IN THAT SUPPORT LETTER.
SO I'M NOT GONNA, LIKE, YOU KNOW, I MIGHT BE SPENDING MORE TIME READING THEIR DRAFT SUPPORT LETTER, THEN I WOULD ACTUALLY WRITE IT MYSELF.
UM, AND I DON'T USE AI FOR ANYTHING.
BUT HOW IS THAT BENEFICIAL TO YOU THOUGH? SO THERE, NOW HERE'S WHERE THERE COULD BE VALUE AND THE NUMBER MAY VERY WELL BE MORE THAN 20 MILLION, RIGHT? 'CAUSE THEY MAY HAVE PUSHED THE ENVELOPE AND SAID, YOU, YOU'RE REALLY NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS GRANT.
SO THERE CERTAINLY COULD HAVE BEEN GRANTS THAT, THAT HAVE, AND I BET YOU THERE, THERE HAVE BEEN, THAT HAVE SLIPPED THROUGH THE CRACKS WHERE MM-HMM
SOMEBODY WOULD'VE BEEN IN MY EAR, IN CJ'S EAR, IN RICH'S EAR TO SAY, YOU KNOW, GUYS, DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS ONE.
YOU'VE BEEN TELLING ME THAT YOU HAVE X PROBLEM IN THIS AREA OF TOWN, AND THAT VERY WELL MAY HAVE OCCURRED.
UM, THERE'S A CHANCE IT OCCURRED.
SO IT'S, I DON'T THINK THAT'S REALLY THE CRUX OF WHAT ACTUALLY THIS SUPERVISOR WAS BRINGING IT UP FOR.
I THINK HE'S SAYING THAT WE MAY NOT, THAT YOU'RE NOT, UH, MAXIMIZING EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING, BUT IF WE HAD AN ADDITIONAL PERSON DOING GRANT WRITING, WOULD WE JUST HAVE A WIDER THAT'S BASICALLY, BUT FOR, FOR, FOR GRANTS THAT YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL SIMPLY DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO, TO DO, TO, TO WRITE ALL THOSE GRANTS.
I CAN'T SIT HERE AND TELL YOU THAT.
NOT THAT YOU WOULDN'T STILL NEED THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT, WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THE GRANT.
BUT JUST ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL WHO'S ACTUALLY LOOKING AT, LIKE, WE GET GRANT RECOMMENDATIONS, YOU KNOW, FROM THE LOBBYIST OR, WELL, THAT, THAT I WAS ABOUT TO SAY THAT NOW IN THIS, SINCE MOST OF THESE, THESE $20 MILLION GRANTS WERE OBTAINED, UH, WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT LOBBYIST WHO BRINGS TO OUR ATTENTION GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH, AND, AND I ASKED GARRETT IF, UH, THE COMMISSIONER, IF HE HAD DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH ME, HE SAID, YES, THEY LIAISE A LOT SO THAT THE, WE DO HAVE THAT ADDED, UM, PERSON.
THE, THE OTHER THING THAT I'M GATHERING, BUT I HAVE A BUT IT'S REALLY A QUESTION, IS IN THE TYPES OF GRANTS WE'VE GOTTEN, SOME, YOU, YOU HAD AN ENGINEERING SPECIALIST SPECIFIC TO ROADWAYS MM-HMM
AND AN ENGINEERING SPECIALIST SPECIFIC TO PARKS.
SO WOULD THIS ONE PERSON REALLY BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THAT? OR AS BOTH GARRETT AND WINSOME POINTED OUT, THEY'VE REACHED OUT TO THE, THE SPECIALISTS IN EACH OF THESE AREAS.
UM, YOU KNOW, INVARIABLY WE MIGHT MISS A, A FEW GRANTS, BUT AS A, BUT THE, THE LOBBYIST IS VERY ADEPT AT INFORMING US.
SO, BUT HE CAN'T WRITE THE GRANTS.
BUT, UM, THE QUESTION REALLY IS WHETHER GARRETT AND WINSOME FEEL THAT THAT'S THE JUDGMENT.
THEY CAN WRITE ALL THE GRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE,
[01:00:01]
AND IF NOT, IF THERE'S A GRANT THAT'S PARTICULARLY, UM, INTERESTING THAT WE CAN ACCOMMODATE, CAN WE HIRE SOMEONE ON A PER, PER DIEM OR PER PROJECT BASIS.YOU KNOW, THE THING IS, I, WHAT I SORT OF WAS THINKING IS EVERYTHING YOU'VE APPLIED FOR, I WOULD RATHER YOU DO IT BECAUSE YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB AND EVERY, EVERY YEAR THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF GRANTS THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE YOURSELF JUST LIKE YOU'VE DONE.
BUT THERE'S OTHER GRANT, THERE'S THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING FOR THAT WE KNOW WE HAVE TO DO.
WE TALKED TO RICH BEFORE ABOUT LINING OF THE SEWERS THAT COULD BE MIL MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
I'M TALKING ABOUT IF WE, UH, UH, PUT LINING, WE COULD BASICALLY AVOID THE TYPES OF PROBLEMS WE'VE HAD ON EAST HARSDALE AVENUE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WAS TALKING, I EMAILED ONCE THIS MORNING.
I SAID, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF WE COULD GET, UM, A GRANT SO WE COULD RESUME THE SIXTH NIGHT EVERY THURSDAY JAZZ CONCERTS AT THE THEATER YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, IF WE, UM, IF, IF YOU WORKED ON THAT, IT WOULD FOR, YOU KNOW, WE COULD USE A GRANTS WRITER TO DO SOMETHING ELSE, BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE REALLY, UH, WOULD REALLY WANT.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WERE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A UNIVERSAL, UH, PLAYGROUND FOR THE DISABLED.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S CERTAINLY A GRANT THAT WE COULD PROBABLY GET, YOU KNOW, GET, YOU KNOW, GET, GET FUNDING FOR.
THERE'S LIKE A MILLION DIFFERENT, THERE'S A, THERE'S LIKE A MILLION DIFFERENT, UM, YOU KNOW, GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.
SO MUCH FLOODING, YOU KNOW, THE STATE HAS TONS AND TONS OF MONEY.
I DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THE EXAMPLES OF THE KIND OF GRANTS WE NEED.
I JUST THINK WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH HELP YOU FEEL YOU COULD USE IF YOU FELT THAT YOU WOULD HAVE BROADER OUTREACH IN WRITING IN WITH HAVING AN ADDITIONAL GRANT WRITER.
I, I THINK I, I YOU WANT TO, CHRIS IS WAY IN
WELL, YOU KNOW, WE KEEP HEARING, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T APPLY, APPLY FOR ALL THE GRANTS.
NO GRANT WRITER'S GONNA APPLY FOR ALL THE GRANTS.
THERE'S JUST SO MANY GRANTS OUT THERE.
MY CONCERN, AND IT'S GONNA FALL ON WINSOME AND IT'S GONNA FALL ON GARRETT, IS WE KNOW HOW WHEN THEY ARE ON A GRANT, THEY ARE, THEY ARE SPENDING NIGHTS, WEEKENDS TO GET THOSE GRANTS DONE.
RIGHT? YOU NOW HAVE A GRANT WRITER THAT GRANT WRITER NEEDS INFORMATION FROM OUR STAFF WHO TAKES PRIORITY, THE ONES THAT THEY FEEL THAT THEY NEED TO DO, UH, RIGHT AWAY AND FOR WHATEVER PROJECTS THEY'RE WORKING ON.
OR, HEY, WE HIRED THIS GRANT WRITER THAT GRANT WRITER'S NOT GONNA SIT DOWN AND SAY, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA COME UP WITH FOR PARKS GRANT.
THEY NEED INFORMATION FROM OUR STAFF.
THEY NEED INFORMATION FROM OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY'RE GONNA ACTUALLY MAKE THAT WORK.
AND SO MY CONCERN IS WE MAY ACTUALLY TAKE THEM AWAY FROM WHAT THEY'RE DOING NOW BECAUSE, AND RANSOM COMES UP TO ME ALL THE TIME.
I NEED SOMETHING FROM DPW, I NEED SOMETHING FROM HERE.
THAT GRANT WRITER'S GONNA COME UP AND SAY THE SAME THING.
AND MEANWHILE, THEY'RE ALREADY WORKING ON GRANTS.
I MEAN, THERE'S ONLY SO MANY THINGS THAT THEY CAN GET DONE.
AND I'M CONCERNED THAT WE MIGHT TAKE AWAY FROM THAT.
THAT'S DO YOU WANT REASONABLE? WELL, LET, I'LL LET AN UNFAIR ANALYSIS.
UM, BUT I, I DEFINITELY THINK IT'S THE EXPLORATION OF THE QUESTION IS GOOD.
UM, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, OH, THERE'S NO DOUBT.
UM, JUST A COUPLE OTHER THINGS.
LIKE CJ IT IS SO ENCOURAGING TO ME THAT, UM, HE'S, HE'S NOW APPLYING FOR THIS WEA GRANT.
WE TALKED ABOUT A $9 MILLION GRANT FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, EAST HARSDALE AVENUE.
THERE'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY THAT WE, A GRANT MM-HMM
HE, HE WILL APPLY FOR THAT MM-HMM
AND, AND HE'S USING A LOT OF THE BASELINE INFO WE DID FOR THE OTHER ONE.
UM, BUT HE'S GONNA GO FOR $8 MILLION.
LIKE WITHOUT SOMEONE LIKE THAT IN-HOUSE, UM, I, I, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT ON.
SO, BUT THAT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT GRANT THAT IF, LIKE, IF CJ SAID I CAN'T DO IT, THEN IT MIGHT EVEN BE THAT, UM, WE SHOULD HIRE A CONSULTANT TO HELP WITH THIS WEA GRANT.
SO I, I NEED MORE INTEL FROM ENGINEERING ACTUALLY, TO SEE HOW LIKE, YOU KNOW, STRESSED THEY ARE FROM RIGHT.
HOW WELL STRESSED YOU ALL ARE REALLY.
AND I GUESS IT, IT, IT'S, NOW WE'RE, THIS IS OUR FIRST DISCUSSION ABOUT IT MM-HMM
AND IT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, UM, TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, IS, IS IS HAVING SOMEONE PERMANENTLY ON BOARD WHO REALLY AT THIS POINT DOESN'T KNOW THE TOWN AND THE NEEDS OF THE TOWN.
WHO DOESN'T KNOW THE NEEDS, SORRY, DOESN'T KNOW THE NEEDS OF THE TOWN.
UM, THEN, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU HIRE A PER JOB BASIS, MAYBE THAT IS, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN ASSESS THAT AND LET US KNOW.
I'M SORRY, DID YOU WANNA SPEAK TO NO,
[01:05:01]
UH, BUT I JUST HAVE 1, 1, 1 OR TWO OTHER POINTS MM-HMMGENERALLY IT'S A, IT'S A FIRM THAT YOU HIRE NOT, RIGHT? SO NOT AS LIKE A, JUST A STRAIGHT GRANT WRITER THAT WOULD BE STAFFED IN, IN THE BUILDING.
SO IT'D BE YOU LIKE AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACT.
I, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THEY ARE, BUT, UM, I DID WANT TO JUST RAISE THIS 1.1 AREA WHERE I DO SEE A LOT OF LIKE GRANT ACTIVITY AND MAYBE IT'S NOT THE EIGHT, NINE, $10 MILLION GRANTS, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF OUT THERE AND LIKE STRIPS AND DRABS, UM, VEHICLES HERE, YOU KNOW, 300,000 HERE, 400 IS ON THE SUSTAINABILITY FRONT.
AND I DO SOMETIMES SAY TO MYSELF, IF THERE WAS SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE IN THIS BUILDING THAT HAD A TITLE ALONG THE LINES OF LIKE SUSTAINABILITY COORDINATOR AND THAT ALSO HAD, UH, SOME GRANT WRITING EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE.
THERE ARE THINGS THAT, AND YOU KNOW, THAT PROBABLY WOULD BE A STAFF PERSON.
AND I DID SOME RESEARCH TO SEE LIKE WHAT, YOU KNOW, SO THERE IS THAT TITLE IN THE COUNTY, BUT JUST AS LIKE, ONE QUICK EXAMPLE.
NEW YORK STATE, DEC HAS SOMETHING CALLED CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITIES.
AND MUNICIPALITIES IN NEW YORK STATE CAN BECOME CERTIFIED.
AND LIKE BRONZE LEVEL CERTIFICATION IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD, I THINK BE A GOOD ASPIRATION FOR THE TOWN OF GREENBURG.
I CAN TELL YOU MY DEPARTMENT, NOT STRESS, WE'RE NOT STRESSED, BUT LIKE WE HAVE
I REALLY DON'T THINK WE DO WITH OUR WORKLOAD.
UM, AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE THERE ARE GRANTS LIKE THE WEA GRANT, LIKE THE WQIP GRANT THAT CHECK THIS BOX, IF YOU'RE BRONZE CERTIFIED, YOU WILL GET FIVE ADDITIONAL POINTS.
I THOROUGHLY HOPE THAT WE'RE NOT FIVE POINTS SHY ON THE W QUIP $9 MILLION GRANT THAT CJ DESCRIBED TO YOU.
BUT, UM, IF WE ARE, AND THAT TRULY WAS TO REASON, UM, CONCEIVABLY HAVING SOMEBODY THAT COULD HELP EXECUTE A BRONZE LEVEL CERTIFICATION.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, IT'S A STAFF PERSON.
THEY HAVE TO HAVE, THE TOWN BOARD WOULD APPOINT A TASK FORCE AND THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF THEY HAVE TO DO.
UM, BUT THEN THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE.
BUT THERE IS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN LUCKY.
WE GOT A COUPLE EV VEHICLES, UH, NO MATCH FOR THE TOWN, TWO FORD LIGHTNINGS AND, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS ARE USING THEM.
THERE'S MORE VEHICLES OUT THERE LIKE THAT.
YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE, MAYBE THE KEY, UH, AND I THINK YOU JUST HIT ON IT, IS INSTEAD OF, UH, HIRING AN OUTSIDE GRANT PERSON, MAYBE EITHER TO BEEF UP EITHER THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT OR YOUR DEPARTMENT AND HAVE A STAFF PERSON WHO COULD DO IT, BECAUSE I'M JUST LOOKING, I THINK I SENT YOU OVER THE WEEKEND, UH, THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE RIVER TOWNS DISPATCH, SIX PROJECTS PROPOSED FOR $4.5 MILLION GRANT IN DOPPS FERRY.
UM, SO A LOT OF THE VILLAGES THERE, THERE WAS FUNDING FOR ADU, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, GRANTS.
SO, SO MY FAILING IS IF WE HAD MAYBE ONE PERSON WHO'S AN IN-HOUSE EMPLOYEE, THEY COULD BASICALLY, UH, WE WON'T THEN HAVE THE PROBLEM THAT FRANCIS, YOU KNOW, MENTIONED BECAUSE THAT PERSON'S GONNA BE WORKING ALREADY IN-HOUSE AND IT'S GONNA BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE TOWN.
UM, AND THEN COULD BASICALLY BE, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT ON INITIATIVES.
BUT IF, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S SAY WE DO A SEWER LINING INITIATIVE, THEY COULD BE IN CHARGE OF THAT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UM, UM, BE APPLYING FOR GRANTS AS WELL AND THEY'LL BE FAMILIAR WITH IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND THIS WAY IT WON'T TAX THE DEPARTMENT.
SO MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD LOOK AT, OR IS IT A FIRM? I THINK IN THAT EXAMPLE, IT WOULD MORE THAN LIKELY BE A STAFF PERSON, A STAFF PERSON, A TOG TITLE.
I THINK THAT'S THE WAY OF DOING IT.
AND GOING OUT, LIKE, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, THEY WOULD ALSO LIKE THE SOLAR PROJECT OUT HERE.
IT'S GREAT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PULL THE ONE OFF HERE, WHICH WE'RE ABOUT A MONTH AWAY FROM BREAKING GROUND.
UM, BUT THAT TYPE OF, THAT PERSON WOULD'VE PROBABLY, UM, SPEARHEADED THAT RFP PROCESS MM-HMM
AND THAT THAT WOULD'VE TAKEN A LOT OF TIME THAT I COULD BE WORKING ON OTHER THINGS SURE.
SO WHEN, YOU KNOW, JUST ANOTHER TYPE OF CONSIDERATION.
AND, AND I HAVE TO REMEMBER, WE HAD NIKKI COTON HERE.
SHE'S THE ONE WHO DID THE LIGHTS FOR US, AND SHE DID SOME WORK WITH THE SOLAR PANELS ALSO.
SO HAVING SOMEBODY, SUSTAINABILITY, I AGREE WITH GARDEN IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE COULD GET A LOT OF FUNDING IN THERE.
WELL, THERE THERE ARE TWO THINGS.
NUMBER ONE, UM, THE VILLAGES, HASTINGS, DOB, SORRY, THEY, THEY ARE, HAVE ACHIEVED, UH, I KNOW SILVER STATUS HAS AND LEY FIRST.
SO, SO, UM, THIS IS, THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WE CAN FIND OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM THEM AND KIND OF EXTRAPOLATE, DO THEY HAVE A GRANT WRITER ON STAFF COUNTY? I'M SORRY? DID THEY HAVE A GRANT WRITER ON STAFF? UH, I, I THINK, I KNOW THAT HASTINGS DOES FARM IT OUT PER, THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ON STAFF.
BUT, UM, CONVERSATION I DO WANNA MENTION HAVE, THAT'S A CONVERSATION TO HAVE.
WE CAN HAVE, THERE'S ANOTHER BOARD MEETING THAT'S GONNA START AT SEVEN, AND TERRANCE CAN'T DO TWO THINGS AT ONE TIME.
SO HE USUALLY DOES THREE THINGS AT ONE TIME.
THAT LAST THING I THREW AT YOU, IT COULD START AS A PART-TIME TOO.
I THINK, I THINK THAT, I THINK WE'RE GONNA START THE BUDGET NE UH, DISCUSSIONS, UH, NEXT MONTH.
[01:10:01]
THAT WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, WE ASK RICH OR YOURSELF TO CONSIDER ADDING SOMEBODY WHO COULD WORK ON, YOU KNOW, GRANTS.WELL, WE CAN, WE CAN HAVE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HAVE MORE DISCUSSION ON IT BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE HEADING UP DOWN A GOOD TRACK.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE REALLY GOOD, IM GLAD YOU PUT IT ON THE AGENDA.
OKAY WITH THE SIX YOU A MOTION YOU WANNA CALL WHERE? YEAH.
WE NEED A MOTION, A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE PURPOSES OF DISCUSSING PERSONAL MATTERS, LEADING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF PARTICULAR PERSONS TO THE PARKS AND REC ADVISORY BOARD, HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE, AND FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.
AND TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE REGARDING PENDING AND CURRENT LITIGATION.