Tarrytown’s Trustees Mull Lengthy List of Topics

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July 30, 2017

by Robert Kimmel

In addition, the regular meeting was preceded by a briefing on the status of the village’s Comprehensive Plan by David Aukland, chair of the project’s steering committee, and William Brady, project manager.

A contingent from the Tarrytown Fire Department, led by Fire Chief David Goldstein, appealed to the board to initiate bids for dredging a channel in the Hudson to allow the department’s boat, Marine Five, to respond quickly to river emergencies. The build-up of silt in its dock area obstructs the boat’s movement.

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While the village has received a grant from the New NY Bridge builders for approximately $300,000, for dredging, doing so for the entire marina is estimated to cost from $2.5 million to $3 million. However, the Fire Department reportedly received a cost estimate to dredge just its channel for only $285,000. The firemen want the village to move ahead by securing public bids for the job. So far, the board has not decided to do so, with some board members suggesting the boat’s location be moved. The firemen contended that would not be practical.

Another matter the trustees discussed was an appeal by the Board of Fire Wardens to consider setting up affordable housing for the department’s volunteers, many of whom “…work in low to moderate income jobs.” A message from Village Administrator Richard Slingerland to the board indicated that there already was “a pool of 60 applicants and growing” for the 12 available units being completed at 21 Wildey Street, the single, new construction of affordable housing in the village.

That could perhaps change within the next few years were the Trustee Board to give its approval to another request brought up at the work session. A national real estate developer wants to construct a building with 200 high-end residential rental units at 200 White Plains Road. It would purchase one of two office buildings in the area whose occupancy in each is only at 50%. The current owner of the buildings would transfer all office occupants to one structure. The company notes that 10% of the residential units would meet affordable housing requirements. However, the mixed-use zoning rules in that location would have to be changed, starting with an initial agreement by the trustees for the construction to take place.

The board also pondered a request by Tesla to build a solar panel field within Tarrytown. While it originally sought an approximate 15 acres of land for the panels, Tesla also indicated that as little as five acres of panels would develop one megawatt of solar energy to wire back into the local electric grid. However, the area Tesla thought might be appropriate, off Neperan Road, near the pumping station, didn’t appear to work out for the village.

A company that restores weather-beaten plaques on monuments, historic markers and the like presented a price to the trustees to refurbish dozens of such village items with worn out inscriptions on them. And also during the session, an appeal was made by former Trustee and Deputy Mayor, Tom Basher, for the board to have restored a now barely distinguishable, but significant quote from George Washington inscribed on the John Paulding monument at Patriot’s Park.

Then there was the subject of changed boating rules for the Tarrytown Lakes to be discussed, and an appeal by taxi companies operating in the village for a price increase, an offering by a company to take over the fitness operation at the village’s new recreation center, an urgent call for better watering facilities for the plantings along the RiverWalk, as well as other subjects, such as tree work permits, water rate increases, Wilson Park pathways, and more – just some of the topics within the open session.

The following executive session’s agenda included a discussion of the law of Eminent Domain, the Eastview Pump Station, and a Recreation Department personnel matter, along with tax certioraris.

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