Village Board of Trustees Meeting November 12, 2008


The Village of Tuxedo Park Board of Trustees met on November 12 at 7:30 PM. All Trustees were present.

The Mayor’s Report
Mayor Houston Stebbins began his remarks with the sad news of the accidental death of Laurie Beard’s father Terry Allen. Chief Ken Sanford reported that the car accident was still under investigation.
Mayor Stebbins reported that a commercial landscaper was blowing leaves onto another person’s private property to avoid the cost of bringing leaves to the mulch site on Long Meadow Road. Residents are asked to talk with their landscapers about proper disposal of leaves. He recommended mulching leaves on residents’ property.
Although signs were posted to let residents know about the painting of road traffic lines, and cones were placed, drivers still crossed the lines while the paint was wet, and some drivers complained about this to the police department.
A committee of residents is planning a dear drive over the weekend of November 15-16, during which they will drive deer to waiting hunters. This is not a Village committee and the drive is not sanctioned by the Village.
Finally, the Mayor noted that speeding and driving over the center line continues and he asked Chief Sanford for a plan to confront this issue.

The Deputy Mayor’s Report
Deputy Mayor Jim Hays reported that ongoing efforts to share equipment and storage with the Town of Tuxedo were increasing shared services and reducing costs for both the Town and Village. Mr. Hays is concerned about the wear and tear on roads by people who don’t pay for tags and by commercial vehicles. He would like to explore a proration of fees to reduce expenses and increase income.
The Deputy Mayor noted that the Town Planning Board would meet on Thursday, November 13 from 12 -2 PM to discuss Tuxedo Reserve’s application for waivers to their Special Permit. He urges new residents of the Village to attend Town Planning Board meeting in order to learn about the impact of Tuxedo Reserve on the Town and Village.

Trustees’ Reports
Trustee Tinka Shaw reported that the Village received a $16,000 grant from Orange County for the lake study and she thanked Susan Goodfellow and Village Planner Bonnie Franson for their work, which resulted in this grant.

Police Report
Chief Sanford reported the following statistics:
51 non-criminal complaints
0 criminal complaints
3 property damage complaints
4 speeding tickets
12 false burglar alarms
3 assists for the Town Police
12,699 non-tagged vehicles entered the Park

DPW Report
DPW Superintendent Jeff Voss requested approval from the BOT to sell an old unused backhoe and approval was given. He asked for approval of funds up to $14,000 for needed maintenance at the wastewater treatment plant.

Engineer Report
Village Engineer Richard Messer gave a status report on various Village projects and work with the BAR and the PB.
Soil borings were completed for the Sewer Plant foundation repair and three proposals for the corrective work were received based on those borings and the request for proposal. The bids ranged from $20,000 to $32,000. Richard stated he would evaluate the proposals and give his recommendation.

Advisory Committee Reports
The Infrastructure Advisory Committee requested an approval not to exceed $10,000 to replace the roof on the Village owned apartment by the Water Treatment Plant. The apartment incurred extensive damage in the last few heavy rainstorms. The low bid in the amount of $7,675 was submitted by Groesbeck & Groesbeck. Four bids were submitted. An additional amount for work to be completed was included for gutters and possible plywood replacement.

The Precipice Advisory Committee Chair Chiu-Yin Hempel reported that the Committee members were Susan Boyle, William Russell, Ann Zgonena, Village Attorney Golden and Village Planner Franson. Ms. Hempel outlined the timeline that the Committee proposes to follow to present their findings, hold a public hearing and then present their final report by the end of February.

Building Permits
John Ledwith presented the Bartlett poolhouse renovation for approval and the 197 Wee Wah Road demolition permit. Both were approved. The building permit for Don Hanson is due to expire. Mr. Hanson’s neighbor, Ken Stewart, requested that an extension not be granted until drainage issues are mitigated. The Board requested Mr. Hanson to present a construction timeline at the December meeting that will outline plans to complete his construction and landscaping.

LLI#6
Local Law #6 regarding noise was passed with restrictions on leaf blowers and disturbances.

New Business

  • A guide rail along the Yanuzzi property was discussed.
  • The Board discussed ways to come to a final resolution of a fence law.
  • The Village will levy unpaid taxes in the amount of $156,580 to Orange County which will collect these delinquent taxes.
  • The Board discussed an administrative policy for settling unpaid water and professional fee obligations. The accounts will be divided into three categories: 24 accounts owing less than $1000; 14 accounts owing between $1000 and $5000; and 8 accounts owing more than $5000.
  • The Board approved Ken Magar as Nominee of the Sterling Forest Volunteer Fire Company for Board of Fire Commissioners of the Tuxedo Joint Fire District.
  • The Board discussed the Fire Departments request access to the Wee Wah standpipe from Warwick Brook Road. Access through the sewerage treatment plant and other options were discussed.

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