Recap of January 24 Clarkstown Board Meeting

BY MARIA MIRAKAJ BROWNSELL

January 24 marked the second town board meeting of the new year for the Town of Clarkstown.

The Valley Cottage Junior Midgets were in attendance during the meeting. The girls won first place at the National Championship and were awarded certificates for their dedication and hard work. The girls also performed a routine for the audience and members of the board.

There was a public hearing on the 2012 Community Development Block Grant Funds program, discussing how funds might best be spent. The board said a notice of the meeting was published for the public. The audience was asked to speak, but nobody chose to.

Next the floor was open for public comments about agenda items.

Stephen Levine from Congers questioned the board about the Amending of Resolution Nos. 337-2009, 584-2009 and 534-2011 – Authorizing Agreement with H2M Group for Engineering Services concerning Site Improvements/Communication Shelter at the Police Communications Tower Site, Mountainview Avenue, Nyack. He asked why this is being amended and what the original contract was.

Town attorney Amy Mele explained that the cost is being shared by the Town of Clarkstown, the County of Rockland and Orange and Rockland Utilities. H2M has been hired by the three with an additional cost of the redesigns which is not to exceed $17,800.

Levine also questioned the tentative resolution of authorizing settlement of Tax Certiorari Matters – URAN Associates, 616 Corporate Way, Valley Cottage, and URAN Associates, 618 Corporate Way, Valley Cottage. He asked how much money the town is going to be funding, why the town is funding it, and why is it being challenged.

Mele said that URAN settled for tax years ’08, ’09, ’10 on one parcel looks like we agreed to reduce the assessment at a cost to the town because it ends up costing less to settle than to continue battling with the appraisers.

Including those above, all resolution were agreed upon by the town board. Other resolutions that were voted on include the following:

They authorized the supervisor to enter into agreements with Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., with Thomas J. Maglaras, Wildlife Control Specialist, with   NYS Thruway Authority about Emergency Police Access to Tappan Zee Bridge Cameras, with Christopher J. Downes and Brigit W. Downes in a License Agreement about Town Conservation and Drainage Easements, with Hudson Microimaging, Inc. about a Records Digitization Project in the Personnel Department.

They granted Certificates of Registration to Kevin Stokes Excavating, Inc., McGannon Excavating, LLC, Victor P. Zugibe, Inc., Cal-Mart Enterprises, JD Backhoe Service, Inc, and W. Harris & Son, Inc.

They authorized domain registration renewal of Town of Clarkstown website.

They authorized the installation of street lighting at the intersection of Arcadia Drive and Laurel Road in New City, and at Patterson Avenue in West Nyack.

They authorized fire land designations at Banchetto Restaurant on Middletown Road in Nanuet.

They amended Resolution No. 499-2000, regarding parking restrictions on Samantha Way in West Nyack.

They authorized sick leave of absence for John F. Kolka, II laborer, of the Sewer Department. They authorized the resignation (Retirement) of Laurence Rudden, police officer, of the Clarkstown Police Department. They authorized the appointment of Laura A. Ryder as a Crossing Guard for the Clarkstown Police Department. They authorized the promotional appointment of Raymond J. Bonelli to HMS I of the Clarkstown Highway Department.

They amending Resolution Nos. 337-2009, 584-2009 and 534-2011 which authorized agreement with H2M Group for Engineering Services concerning Site Improvements and Communication Shelter at the Police Communications Tower Site on Mountainview Avenue in Nyack.

They authorized the Supervisor to enter into an “Adopt-a-Road” Agreement with New City Volunteer Ambulance Youth Corps. on Goebel Road from Congers Road to Route 304.

They authorized the implementation and funding of a transportation federal-aid project on South Main Street in New City.

Certificates of Registration were granted to Coppola Services, Inc., Dutra Excavating & Sewer, Inc., Monsey Excavating, Inc., Raines & Welsh & Sons Contractors, Inc., and Danny Clapp Landscaping, Inc.

They authorized the supervisor to enter into an agreement with Partners in Safety, Inc. to perform police department physical exams for police offices for the year 2012.

They approved requesting the Rockland County Consortium to consider several projects for the Community Development Block Grant Funding.

After the resolutions were complete, Stephen Levine raised a few questions to the board. He asked about the capture of natural gas from the landfill to convert into power. He asked about putting in solar panels to generate electricity, as it is done in California. He asked Borelli and Lasker about term limits and he asked about getting Cablevision to televise board meetings. He also asked about two different properties that need to be cleaned up.

Supervisor Gromack explained that after seven years, the amount of gas that escapes is less and less. It would cost more money than would be saved. They are looking into solar panels with town staff and there will be a meeting coming up about that. Councilman Borelli said that meetings with Cablevision and Verizon are anticipated.

Mele said that the two properties in question are still under litigation and she would rather talk to Levine in private over the matters. As far as term limits are concerned, Lasker said that term limits are decided by the voters at every election. Borelli said he would definitely move the resolution if he was to get a third voter in the future.

  Clarkstown, rockland county, town meeting