Link to Town Bd discussion: 2024 parks and rec capital budget

The 2024 capital budget process has begun! Within a month I will propose the 2024 capital budget to the Greenburgh Town Board. The Board will schedule public hearings on the proposed budget and then will approve a final budget.

This year the process will be a little different than past years. Before the budget is submitted I have invited all the department heads to appear before the Town Board in open session to discuss their wish lists for 2024. .

Last Tuesday the Board met with the Commissioner of Parks, Joe Lucasey who shared the following wishes that he hopes will be included in the proposed and adopted budget. Feel free to share questions or comments with townboard@greenburghny.com.

DISCUSSION LINK TOWN BD WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2024
https://greenburghny.new.swagi...

On May 14th, the Town Board will meet with the library, MIS, police departments to discuss their wish list. Work sessions begin at 5:15 PM

On 5/21 the Board will meet with Community Development, Department of Public Works.

I expect to follow the same process before I submit the proposed 2025 operating budget to the Town Board in October. Please be advised that the department wish lists may or may not be included in the proposed budget or in the final budget that the Board approves.

PARKS AND RECREATION CAPITAL BUDGET REQUESTS TOTAL $3.3M

Newly appointed Parks and Rec Commissioner Joe Lucasey met with the Board this week to review his department's proposed capital plan requests for this year, amounting to $3.3M total.

Items of top priority include:

• A new class 4 truck with snowplow and spreader to replace a ten-year model that has been breaking down. A new truck costs $135K and comes at the recommendation of the DPW Repair Shop for the Parks department to continue maintaining their 600 acres across 30 parks, and assisting the Highway Department regularly.

• Replacement of the Pocantico Park playground and fence in Elmsford, at a cost of $250K, a portion of which might be a good candidate for support from the Community Development Block Grant program. The request has been in the hopper for two years to update an outdated playground dating back to 1999.

Second, third and fourth priority items include, in that order:

• A $175K request for AF Veteran Park pool decking and stairway work, to replace weathered, cracked and unlevel concrete that dates back to the original country club. This is phase 2 of a longer term plan requiring County Board of Health approval.

• Improved AF Veteran Park parking lots (East and West), not repaved since the 1970s, have been proposed for 20 years. This plan is pricey at over $2.5M but is complicated with adding handicapped spaces, EV charging, changing the flow of the traffic, and adding barriers. Finally, the plan will include solar parking canopies. Solar parking canopies exist at parking areas around the nation- they shield vehicles from the sun and from storms and also harness solar power to reduce energy costs. The town anticipates annual revenue from the solar canopies. The parking lot at AF Veteran park is in bad shape and is in need of repaving.

• Lastly, a request has been made for lights for West Rumbrook Park Little League Field in Elmsford. This request was initiated by the Little League. The field has no lights currently which limits the ability of the teams to play as much as they’d like when it gets dark earlier. Technology for field lights has improved –the lights should not rile neighbors. Little League Board members will reach out to neighbors who live near the field and discuss with them the new technology for lighting fields and agreeing to a requirement that no games be played after 9 PM.
The League met with companies a few years back and estimated that the cost would be $250,000. They have agreed that if the cost exceeds that amount that they will cover the difference through fundraising.

https://greenburghny.new.swagi...
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor