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Parks and Recreation Department
See also:
Downing Park Parking
lot expansion
Sparkle Lake
Skate Board Park
Shallow Creek Golf Course
Dog Park
Asbestos and lead removal from former Sparkle Lake office
building
11/13/2007
Parks & Rec Dept Supt Jen Fava reported on plans to remove asbestos and lead from
both buildings before they can be demolished.
Initial survey for Sparkle
Lake building (all
agreed this was a priority that had to be done, regardless of cost) shows
asbestos which could cost $25,000 or more to remove. Cost isn't actually
known until work is done and volume to be removed is determined. Money will
be found in an already approved $5M bond (for road, drainage and YCC improvements),
of which only $1M has actually been tapped so far.(Comptroller
Joan Goldberg reminded board that bonding has an implication on adding costs
to 2008 budget. Possibly the $1M already borrowed will have a $1.08 addition
to tax rate. There is less certainty about lead level; it could be minor and
not present a problem. More study needed.
DiBartolo expressed concern that any lead
contaminated material, e.g., window trimmings, not be mixed with other debris
which would then contaminate the entire load and be costly to remove because
it would all need special treatment.
A board member asked, almost half jokingly, if Highway Department could do
the job. DiBartolo responded that they would have
to follow all established procedures. He didn't seem to jump at idea of doing
the job.
Holland Park buildings in Mohegan. Question
is: should Rec Department do an initial survey
($12,000) just to find out how extensive the problem is, even if town has to
postpone doing the actual removal work. Given the fact that there is
continued vandalism in the buildings and this presents a liability to the
town, it was decided to at least proceed with the survey (cost can be covered
in parks dept budget) so at least town would know what the potential removal
costs might be and could then plan for them.
Discussion ended with Fava to continue to get bids
on projected costs
1/8/2008 (work session)
Not on the agenda, but Roker showed picture of the
old Rec Department office at Sparkle Lake and
called it an unsafe structure and that something should be done about it.
They haven't heard yet about the bids for the asbestos removal (the initial
study cost $8,000.) DiBartolo asked if the board
wanted him to look into an asbestos company but Roker
said she would call Jen Fava to check the status of
the job.
April 8, 2008 (work
session)
Mr. DiBartolo reported to the board that the old
office building had been torn down. Details were not provided.
Parks
& Recreation Department Trailers
Background: A few years after the department's former office space became
uninhabitable (see above discussion of asbestos issue), the town rented
trailers, at an estimated cost of $38,000 a year, to house the Parks &
Recreation Department offices. In late 2007, the Board decided to purchase
the trailers, at an estimated cost of $156,000. However, before the contract
was signed, Supervisor Peters asked the Board to reconsider the purchase and
look at other options for locating the offices. He asked Director of Labor Operations,
DiBartolo to see if the offices could be accommodated in
other town facilities.
1/15/2008
The board approved a resolution authorizing the supervisor to purchase
trailer that houses the Recreation Department. During the final Courtesy of
Floor segment, a resident asked that at the next board meeting, information
be provided about the cost of the trailers (current purchase price but any
earlier rental costs) and whether town had a plan to maintain its building so
that what happened to the former office building (now in need of demolition)
would not happen again.
February 12, 2008,
Work Session
DiBartolo reported that one option would be to
relocate the offices to the Services
Building at Sparkle Lake
with possibly additional space available at the YCC. Recreation
Superintendent Jen Fava advised the board, however,
that the Services
Building was used for
programs that generated revenue for the town. She had not been consulted
about the possible alternative use of the building.
No decision was reached and the issue will be studied further.
May 20, 2008
In response to a question about the cost of the trailers asked during
Courtesy of the Floor by Susan Siegel (the person who writes these board
summaries) Supervisor Peters provided the following information:
· Set up for the trailers in 2006: $10,878
· Rent for trailers for 2006 and 2007:
$45,994
· Purchase of trailers in 2008: $150,000
· Total funds expended to date: $213,392
NYS
Office of Parks, Recreation, Historic Preservation Grants (Railroad
Station and Handicapped Playground)
June 10, 2008, work session
Two applications were discussed. (Note. The following summary is based on the
board's discussion with additional information provided by Assistant Planner
Lorraine DeSisto in a telephone conversation the
following day.)
1) Restoration of Railroad Park, construction of a new bathroom and
installation of a bike rack.
In 2006, the town was awarded a $295.000 Transportation Enhancement Grant
that had an estimated total cost of $443,000. The remaining $148,000 was the
town's matching share that could be in the form of cash, donations or in-kind
services. Assistant Planner Lorraine DeSisto is
recommending that the town apply for a second grant to cover a portion of the
town's $148,000 matching requirement which would reduce to match requirement
to $74,000.
Because the Railroad Station building is on the National Register, any
renovation work must meet standards set by the U.S. Department of the
Interior.
(The following description of the
project was provided by Ms. DeSisto: After
renovations and rehabilitation, the station will service as an educational
display area highlighting the importance of the railroad to Yorktown and the Hudson Valley region. As the Railroad station
is adjacent to the North County Trailway, the Town
is considering using the ticket booth as a "cold café" (no cooking)
that will be inviting to residents and visitors as well. Additionally, there
will be a "Your Are Here" map, which will indicate where local
businesses are throughout the area.
2. Handicapped playground at Downing Park.
This would be a resubmission of a grant application that was turned down last
year but which the Rec Commission suggested that
the town try for again.
Total cost of the project is estimated
at $310,000 and would require a $155,000 town match in cash, donations or in
kind services.
After a brief discussion, the board
seemed inclined to pursue the Railroad Park grant application as it would
reduce the town's already existing matching obligation, but it seemed hesitant
to incur a new matching grant obligation.
Any further action will be taken at the
board's next meeting.
June 17, 2008
The board approved resolutions authorizing the Planning Department to apply
for these grants. There was no discussion about them. (For details, see the
June 10, 2008 work session.)
July 8, 2008 work
session
The board briefly discussed a resolution to be voted on at next week's
meeting authorizing the supervisor to sign an agreement with the DOT to begin
the preliminary engineering work for the restoration plan.
Councilman Bianco expressed some frustration over
the length of time the project has taken, saying that he hoped to see it
completed in his lifetime.
July 15, 2008
The board authorized the supervisor to sign the agreement.
October 14, 2008, work session
Assistant Planner Lorraine DeSisto
reminded the board of the upcoming October 26th celebration of the train
station's 130th anniversary.
Councilman Jim Martorano asked about the status of
$295,000 grant for the rehabilitation of the station. Under the terms of the
initial grant, the town was required to make a $148,000 match but Ms. DeSisto is applying for a $74,000 grant to cover half of
the town's required match. She added that she was looking for additional
grants to further reduce the town's share. David Rocco of Friends of the
Depot told the board that his group was asking for funds that could be
applied to the town's matching requirement.
Councilman Lou Campisi noted that at a recent
Sustainable Development Study meeting local officials had been informed that
the NYS DOT was cutting back on funding that it had previously committed to
localities such as Cortlandt and he wondered if the
depot grant might also be cut back. (The DOT money comes from federal funds
that are passed through to the state.) Ms. DeSisto
said she would check into the issue.
Trails
Grant
October 14, 2008, work session
In a preliminary discussion, Assistant Planner Lorraine DeSisto requested the board's approval for her to apply
for a Trails Grant from the NYS Parks Department. The trail, which was talked
about 10 years ago, would extend from the railroad station to FDR Park.
The proposed project would cost $750,000, although this initial grant request
would be for $200,000, the maximum permitted. She explained that she is
currently researching other possible grants that could be applied to the
project and which could be used to reduce any town matching fund requirement.
In response to questions from the board, Planning Director John Tegeder said that he did not anticipate the town having
to lay out money for the project and that any town matching requirement could
be met by labor, donations or volunteer work.
October 21, 2008
The board authorized the planning department to apply for the grant.
Financial
support for athletic clubs
July 8, 2008 work session
Town Comptroller Joan Goldberg and Parks & Recreation Superintendent
Jennifer Fava discussed revising the way the town provides
annual financial support to the Shrub Oak Athletic Club ($41,000), Mohansic Basketball ($10,900) and the Yorktown Athletic
Club ($26,000).
The funds cover balls and other equipment, umpires and custodial overtime for
the school district. The funds are currently disbursed as vouchers come in
for each item which Ms. Goldberg described as an accounting nightmare. Ms.
Goldberg and Ms. Fava suggested that it would be
more practical and more cost efficient for the town to give a lump sum
payment to each club, in the same amount that they are currently receiving,
and let them pay the expenses are they are incurred. They told the board that
they had discussed this new arrangement with the clubs and that the clubs had
no problem with it.
In response to the board's concern that some of the money might be benefiting
non-Yorktown residents, Ms. Fava advised the board
that she had looked into the issue and that the money was being used for Yorktown residents.
The board approved the new payment plan and directed Ms. Fava
to work with the town attorney to draft an appropriate agreement. Highway
Superintendent Eric DiBartolo suggested that the
agreement specify how the money was to be used, e.g., balls, umpire salaries,
etc. to avoid any possible future misunderstanding or program changes at the
club level.
The discussion did not cover the pending plan from the Yorktown School District
to increase the fees it charges the athletic clubs.
June 2, 2009
During Courtesy of the Floor, Ed Ciffone asked why
the town was giving $80,000-$90,000 to some of the sports clubs in town. He
called the expense “outrageous.” In response, board members explained that
the town was giving the clubs the same amount of money it had always given
them, but that at the suggestion of the town's auditors, a new budget
procedure for transferring and accounting for the funds had been adopted.
They pointed out that the sports clubs provided a valuable service to the
community in a cost efficient way.
March 24, 2009, work session
Following up on discussions dating back to July, 2008, the board approved the
agreements with the sports clubs. The clubs haven't seen the agreement yet,
but Recreation Superintendent Jen Fava
told the board that they were in favor the new policy. The money for the new
contracts has been included in the 2009 budget.
Parks
& Recreation Master Plan
October 28, 2008, work session
Recreation Superintendent Jennifer Fava
discussed the need for an updated professionally prepared Parks &
Recreation Master Plan as a component to the town's soon-to-be adopted new
Comprehensive Plan. She explained that since the town's current Parks &
Recreation Plan was prepared in 1978 and updated in 1983, the town has
acquired additional parcels. The Plan would survey resident needs and wants
and also look at what to do or not to do with the many additional parcels that
the town has acquired. She said she was aware of the town's tight financial
situation and was not looking for immediate funding but rather wanted to
plant the seed for future consideration.
Board members appeared reluctant to spend money on an outside consultant and
asked if the Recreation Commission would do the plan.
Ms. Fava will provide the board with examples of
what other town's have done and the board will revisit the issue at a latter
date.
Miscellaneous
Park Issues
March 24, 2009, work session
Bathroom maintenance at swimming pools
Director of Labor Operations Eric DiBartolo said that the bids to clean the bathrooms, showers and outside
grounds at the town's two pools ranged from roughly $29,523 to $33,000. He
asked why the lifeguards couldn't clean the bathrooms, an issue he has
brought up at earlier meetings but which was rejected by the board. In the
past, he said that the Parks Department had been responsible for the
clean-up. (It wasn't clear why the department staff was no longer available
to do this job.) Town Clerk Alice
Roker and Councilman Metz said that if life guards
or part time teen age help were used to for the bathrooms, the work would not
be done properly and there would be complaints from the public. They had no
problem, though, with expecting the life guards to police the outside areas.
Mr. DiBartolo will get back to the companies that
submitted the bids to see if they can adjust their hours and cost.
March 24, 2009, work
session
Community gardens on town property
In response to a request from Dan Thaler, a
resident in the Shrub Oak Park District, the town will draft an agreement
that will permit area residents to use a two acre town owned parcel
designated parkland for a community garden. The board was receptive to the
idea which it felt would be appropriate for other town owned parcels. The
town attorney will draw up a licensing agreement that among other things will
hold the town harmless.
April 14, 2009, work session
Possible garden on town owned land on Dorchester Rd.
The board advised resident John Kincart that it
could not act on his request to create a community garden on the cul-de-sac
on Dorchester Rd
because the town did yet not own the property. It was also pointed out that
the owner (the original developer of the subdivision) owes taxes on the parcel
for several back years.
Swimming
Pools
April 7, 2009
Director of Labor Operations Eric DiBartolo explained that the slide pool at Junior Lake and the interactive pool
at Shrub Oak may not be ready for use when the pools are opened for the
season because work has to be done on both pools to bring them into
compliance with the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Act, a law designed to
enhance pool safety.
In a separate resolution, at the request of the town engineer, the board
approved hiring a professional engineer or registered architect to prepare
the necessary plans for the modifications that need to be made to the pools.
The work involves replacing pool grates.
April 21, 2009
The board took no action on the bid to install new covers on all the pools,
except the slide pool and interactive pool, as it was not ready to award the
bid this evening. No explanation was given.
April 29, 2009
Without any discussion, the board awarded the bid for the project. Neither the contractor or the amount of the bid were not
identified.
June 16, 2009
The town awarded the bid for the installation of new pool outlet covers at
the Junior lake slide pool and the Shrub Oak interactive pool to Camelot Pool
& Spa.
Miscellaneous Community Recreation Issues
July 7, 2009
Osceola Beach/Teen Nights
During Courtesy of the Floor, the owner of Osceola Beach asked the town for
assistance in helping to attract teenagers to the special Teen Night that he
has set up. In previous years, the night was promoted by the Alliance for Safe Kids and attracted 200-300 teens. More
recently, attendance was been very poor.
Plan to
Honor former Planning Board Chairman Jerry Dineen
September 8, 2009, work session
Led by Planning Director John Tegeder, a group of residents
raised the issue of naming a town facility after former Planning Board
Chairman Jerry Dineen who died this past spring.
The residents explained that they wanted to get the board's sense and general
consent before proceeding any further. The board was in general agreement
that Mr. Dineen be so honored and agreed with the
group's suggestion that the most suitable place would be the Hunterbrook
Linear Park
that Mr. Dineen had been instrumental in creating.
Signs would be placed at two entrances to the park. The park is co-owned by
the town and the Westchester Land Trust. Mr. Tegeder
said that the request would be referred to the Recreation Commission for its
review and approval.
Grant resolutions for various
park and energy projects
September 8, 2009, work session
The board approved a request from the Planning Department to apply for the
following grants:
a) Restoration of the Yorktown Railroad Station (this would cover one half of
the town's required 50% match on a previously awarded grant).
b) the barrier free playground (a resubmission of
an application previously not funded).
c) acquisition and planning of parkland off Stony St (A
potential $600,000 grant for the Granite Knolls property currently up for
sale at an appraised price of $3.2 million. Note: a discussion of the
acquisition was discussed at a closed session at the end of the meeting.)
d) energy grants from NYSERDA.
(for background information about the 2008 parks
grants, see June 10, 2008 above.)
January 5, 2010
Tennis Courts
Larry Killiam asked that the Recreation Commission look at
tennis court conditions. He said a
number are not in service, and hopes the Town can find the resources to fix
them. Supervisor Siegel said she has
asked for a list of critical needs form Department heads, and that they will
put together a capital needs list to bring to the public to prioritize.
January 26, 2010
Tennis Courts
The Town currently has three areas of tennis courts,
two were discussed, Downing Park courts and Shrub Oak. (The third location,
Blackberry Woods has 3 courts).
Six Downing courts are in disrepair. The 3 lower courts can be repaired with an armour prep repair system that will use fabric to cover
the cracks and coat and paint, which will last a few years. This type of fix will cost approximately
$31 - 32,000. The upper courts must be
milled and totally redone (est cost $116,000). The upper courts are currently closed
because of their condition.
The Shrub Oak courts must be completely redone. A new system has been proposed since
conventional methods of repairing these courts would require a new access
road to the site, which involves a bridge crossing. Jen Fava
discussed the alternate method, using synthetic tiles that would be laid over
the existing surface. All three courts
would be repaired using the new system, then Jen Fava
suggested making one a basketball court and leaving 2 tennis courts using
this new method. These courts would be
surfaced with the new tile that lets the water percolate through, reducing
the drying time needed after storms.
It was pointed out by two members of the public who have played on
similar courts in other locales that it also lets leaf and other tree debris
into those same holes. There are three
companies offering this tile system.
The cost would be $70,000 to $140,000 depending on access road
costs. Jen will provide cost to repair
conventionally as well. The young man
who proposed this new system also proposed to do some fundraising to offset
some of the costs.
Board members asked Jen Fava
to come up with her dream list of projects/necessary projects.
The most necessary items on Jen Fava's
list of items are:
1) Get rid of the Holland Sport Club buildings
because of the constant vandalism and danger there.
2) Ball
Fields
The current budget availability is $20,000.
Susan Siegel asked for a list of all necessary
projects and their costs by the end of February. The list must be prioritized and give time
frame. The tennis courts costs must be with both asphalt and with the plastic
tiles.
A discussion of fees for use of the courts followed,
and it was agreed that the fees would be waived this year due to the
condition of the courts and projected construction to repair them. The fees will restart once the repair work
is complete.
Pool
Schedule
Jen Fava asked for the
Board’s input into if and which pools should open
early and which should stay open later in the season. This staggered opening and closing are for budget
reasons. The budget is based on pools
closing at 7PM and one pool closing 2 weeks early. The pool schedule will be
the same as last year: Junior Lake
will open early in season, then Shrub Oak Pool will
be open late in the season.
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