Sleepy Hollow Board of Trustees Roundup - 8/24/2010

Here's a recap of what happened at Tuesday's Sleepy Hollow Board of Trustees meeting:

Junior Firefighters Sworn In

Before the start of the regular meeting, Mayor Ken Wray swore in nine new members of the Sleepy Hollow Fire Department's Junior Corps. The department has had about 15 new junior recruits join the ranks recently. 

Wray also swore in one regular member, Mayron Vazques, who will be working with Union Hose Engine Co. No. 2. 

Absent Trustees

Trustees Barbara Carr, Karin Wompa and Tom Capossela were all on vacation, so those trustees in attendance barely had a quorum to continue business. 

Trustees Set Hearing on Water Rates

Water rates are expected to rise this year. New York City, which supplies the village with its water, recently approved significant rate increases – almost 25 percent – for municipalities that purchase water directly and pass it off to their residents. You can read the full story here. 

"The city has been hammering us with tremendous increases in water rates," Mayor Ken Wray said. 

Trustees set a public hearing for September 14, 2010 to hear concerns from the public regarding the increase in water rates. 

Trustees noted they were still looking at how to adjust water rate structures to absorb the increased costs. Trustee David Schroedel said that increases for homeowners would likely be under one percent. 

New Tech Support for the Village

Trustees agreed to contract with Applied Office Solutions to support the village's information systems. 

The Connecticut-based firm is replacing the village's Albany-based IT support provider, WSG. Trustees took WSG to task back in April for poor response time and poor customer service. 

Applied Office Solutions will run support for all village systems as well as the police department. They will charge the village $49,500 annually. 

Block Party on Harwood Avenue

Harwood Avenue will be closed on Sunday, September 12, from 4-8 p.m. for a block party. Trustees approved the request for the event which is expected to be attended by 30 residents. 

Trustees Declare Emergency Over Recently-Discovered Oil Tank

The village's Route 9 culvert repair project was delayed for months before officially beginning in August. Now it seems the project will be delayed again due to the discovery of a fuel storage tank that is in the right of way. 

The project involves repairing the Route 9 culvert that rushes stormwater down to the Preservation Property overseen by Historic Hudson Valley. The 36-inch pipe conveying the water under Route 9's sidewalks  is collapsing and had caused portions of the sidewalk north of Beekman Avenue along North Broadway to crumble.

Work began, but crews quickly discovered an old fuel receptacle that was directly under the sidewalk, in the way of the new pipe. The culvert can't be completed without removing the tank. 

Removing the tank will be a costly process. Yesterday, the village approved a $20,416 change order which will cover removing the existing tank without disturbing other pipes; checking for contamination, removing any contaminated soils and back-filling.

The change order noted that the costs may increase or decrease based on the extent of the contamination, if any. The estimated cost was for a day's worth of work. Village Attorney Janet Gandolfo said the project could cost more if there is more than a day's work to complete. The tank is not on village property, and Gandolfo said they would seek some kind of recourse from the adjacent property owner. 

Trustees declared an emergency on the matter, meaning they would not have to go out for bid on the removal project, and that the removal of the tank could begin immediately. 

Looking for Follow Up on Haunted Halloween

Ken Torosian of Philipse Manor spoke to trustees again about the proposed Haunted Hollow attraction at Philipsburg Manor. 

Torosian is concerned that the attraction, meant for teenagers and young adults, would attract the wrong crowd, and could cause noise and traffic in the neighborhood. 

"I was looking to see if there was any update from the village's standpoint," Torosian said.

Giaccio noted that he is meeting with HHV on Friday, and that the village couldn't dictate what the private entity did on its property. He did say that the village will look into parking, traffic and noise problems, which the village can control. We'll have a full story on this issue later in the week. 

Firefighters Praised for Rescue

Trustees took a moment to praise members of the Sleepy Hollow Fire Department who were the first to contact a man who survived a jump from the Tappan Zee Bridge. We have the full story here. 

Rock the Block This Friday

Expect large crowds at Reverend Sykes Park on Friday. Rock the Block, put on by the Rock of Salvation Church, will be taking place from 3-8 p.m. The event is a large gathering with music, games and food available. 

Arborist Recommends Trimming at Douglas Park

Based on some concerns brought to the village by Webber Park residents, the village hired an arborist to assess trees that are near the site of a new natural playground in Douglas Park. 

The arborist's report came back calling for five trees in the vicinity to have their crowns trimmed. One tree was also recommended for removal, while another tree may have to have some cabling to keep it secure.