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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024_10_24 Town Board Minutes o _ ��9_1_ Town of Mamaroneck // Town Board Minutes m Thursday, October 24, 2024, Conference Room C, First Floor n of Town Center 6:00 PM FOUNDED 1661 PRESENT: Jaine Elkind Eney, Town Supervisor Sabrina Fiddelman, Councilmember Jeffery L. King, Councilmember Robin Nichinsky, Councilmember Anant Nambiar, Councilmember ABSENT: ALSO PRESENT: Allison May, Town Clerk Meredith S. Robson, Town Administrator Tracy Yogman, Town Comptroller Shyam Pandya, IT Director Marc Romero, Assistant to the Town Administrator Christine Canavan, Assistant to the Town Administrator 5:00 PM THE TOWN BOARD WORK SESSION CALL TO ORDER The Work Session of the Town Board was called to order by Town Supervisor Elkind Eney. Moved by Councilmember Nambiar, seconded by Councilmember Fiddelman, the Work Session unanimously opened at 6:01 p.m. WORK SESSION ITEMS 1. Budget - Police Chief Creazzo and Captain Maher reviewed the Town Police Department's items included in the 2025 capital plan: Rifle-Rated Response Shields - The Police Department has been considering different shields and proposed purchasing 15 rifle-rated response shields for active shooter responses. These shields are lighter, feature weapon stabilization points, and have a seven-year warranty. They would be distributed among eleven marked cars, one youth officer car, and two Lieutenant cars. The consequence of inaction would be exposing officers to greater risk during an active shooter response. Alternatives include acquiring bulkier, more expensive shields or doing nothing. Portable Radio Upgrades - This project aims to replace 25 portable radios with modern multi-band radios to facilitate communication during emergencies with officers from other jurisdictions throughout the County. This is vital for mutual aid events and major emergencies. Without these upgrades, Town officers will be unable to communicate with officers from many outside jurisdictions during an emergency. Radio Motor Patrol Cars - This includes acquiring two hybrid Ford Explorers with outfitting. Comptroller Yogman explained that any remaining funds for vehicles in 2024 will be transferred to the vehicle budget for 2025. Town Board October 24, 2024 Councilmember Nichinsky joined the Work Session at 6:08 pm. Operating Budget Review - The Board reviewed the operating budget for the Police Department. Councilmember Nichinsky appreciated the addition of wellness officers. She inquired about the doubling of ice rink security costs and the rise in special duty expenses. Chief Creazzo explained that special duty is offset by revenue from work such as ConEd projects, and the rink security is for Friday Night Skate. Councilmember Nambiar asked about the income from parking enforcement/tickets and its annual amount. Comptroller Yogman responded that this revenue sits in Justice Court and is estimated to total $250,000 for 2025, with $60,000 going back to NYS and $20,000 paid for the collection fee. Councilmember Nambiar also raised concerns about cybersecurity, particularly its impact on seniors. Chief Creazzo acknowledged that cybersecurity is an evolving issue that is difficult to keep up with and expressed hope that future Federal and State legislation will address these challenges. 2. Budget - Recreation Jill Fisher, Superintendent of Recreation, and Vicky Laoutaris, Assistant Superintendent of Recreation, reviewed the Town Recreation Department's items included in the 2025 capital plan: Pool Improvements - Planning to use $1 million in cash and grant funds for this project. Councilmember Nambiar asked about community research, which will now most likely be conducted in house. Locker room renovations are planned by the Mamaroneck Unified School District for February, which will impact the Town's ability to use the pool. Honeywell BMS - This system monitors temperature in the rink and other areas and sends an alarm. It will connect the current system and alarm to a remote notification, allowing the team to maintain better ice conditions and more quickly address any issues that arise. Ice Rink Cameras/Access Controls - This includes access controls at three doors in the ice rink and additional cameras within the rink. Access passes will replace physical rink keys, allowing the Town to simply turn off access when appropriate. This item is included in the Information Technology 2025 capital budget, estimated to cost $30,500 and funded using revenue from Icebreaker tournaments. Memorial Park Shade - A request for proposal has gone out for an evaluation of the best shade options for Memorial Park. The Board hoped that it will involve some combination of trees and shade screens. Recreation is hopeful it will be ready for summer of 2025. The $100,000 in the capital budget plan is for both the design as well as purchase and installation of solution This amount is only a placeholder until the proposal is reviewed. The tennis courts will not be resurfaced next year, they will be patched. Councilmember King joined the meeting at 6:42 pm. Senior Center - Town Engineer Robert Wasp discussed the Senior Center Generator with the Board. Councilmember Nichinsky inquired about the four additional programs for the Senior Center listed in Recreation's successes for the year. Recreation Superintendent Fisher explained that the Town hired two new people for the Senior Center a year ago, and it is now fully staffed. The program is back to its pre-COVID state, including transportation, medical visits, events, exercise classes, Jeopardy, and more. Meals on Wheels is successful. The new Tech Time program is thriving, now scheduling one-on-one appointments, and trips have resumed. Upon completing the yellow room renovation with a new divider, two programs can run simultaneously, expanding options further. The parking lot has been redone, significantly improving Town Board October 24, 2024 safety. The Senior Center Renovation project, which will include siding, windows, insulation, and yellow room renovation, will soon be rebid. Operating Budget Review - The Board discussed Recreation's goals. They liked the addition of annual tree lighting and a six-foot menorah lighting event. The Food Truck Festival cost $19,000, but revenue generally offset expenses. The Board suggested increasing publicity to boost attendance at Town events. Councilmember King suggested signage at Myrtle and Chatsworth as an opportunity. Pickleball Courts - The Board discussed installing pickleball courts in the area across from Memorial Park, potentially including sport courts for pickleball and basketball. The Town Board requested the Town Attorney and Town Administrator research the history, or the original agreement or donation, of that property between the ramp and Vine, Councilmember Fiddelman recalled some concern about property lines in that area. Swim Program Instructors - Councilmember Nichinsky asked why Recreation was adding instructors and their costs to the swim program. The Recreation Superintendent explained that more instructors allow more children to take swimming lessons, raising revenue more than costs. The pool's locker room renovations will impact revenue and staffing when the pool is forced to close. Summer Programs - Due to construction, the cafeteria in the Hommocks Middle School and the elementary schools will not be available this summer. Programs will relocate to Sheldrake. Councilmember Nambiar asked how program options are evaluated. The Superintendent of Recreation explained that Recreation tracks the return on investment of all programs as well as the use of all facilities. There is an assessment of every program to ensure there is something offered for everyone, with a focus on the rink and pool (like Learn to Skate and Learn to Swim). New Chiller - Leaks identified in the tube need fixing, costing $30,000 to 40,000. The undersized compressor has been an issue since it was a seasonal rink in the 80s, now operating year-round. Addressing this will require another study and an engineer. Supervisor Elkind Eney reported that she received complaints about the ice being of poor quality. The Superintendent of Recreation explained that six slots are used on Wednesday nights, each with a 10-minute ice resurfacing before they start. It is not enough time. If they were to wait 30 minutes to redo the ice, it's better; otherwise, it's beaten up. The Superintendent then mentioned Recreation's interest in renovating the many layers of the ice next year. Grass Fields - Administrator Robson stated that renovating the grass fields behind the Hommocks would cost $700,000 to $800,000. We are awaiting the results of the Geotech analysis. The Board discussed that current field usage is split one-third each among the school, the Town, and soccer/lacrosse leagues. The Board discussed that renting hourly would ensure everyone pays their fair share, with the Recreation Commission setting the fee structure. Additionally, a lighted turf field would generate revenue, although the expense is currently unknown. 3. Budget - IT Domain Controller - The IT Director Shyam Pandya informed the Board that the Town needs software and infrastructure upgrades, particularly for the switches in the server room. Some switches are ten years old and require warranty upgrades, especially those meant for communications or servers. Server Upgrade - Currently, the Town is running off of a 2019 server, which is approaching its end of life. Server 2022 will soon be taking over. This upgrade will bring us up to current security. The system will be a hybrid, with some cloud-based elements. Data storage, KVS, and user storage will still run via local hardware on the Town Board October 24, 2024 premises. The Town aims to avoid cloud services for user data, such as Laserfiche, which contains hundreds of terabytes of data. UPS Replacement - The Town needs to replace UPSs from 2017/18. Since 2022, two have been replaced in a pinch. Recently, power hits, especially to servers, have become problematic. The current UPSs cannot support servers for more than a split second and are now past their life expectancy. IT proposed a full sweep and upgrade for the next 6 to 7 years across three different locations, involving 7 to 10 UPSs, ensuring uninterrupted power supply before the generator kicks in. Wi-Fi Access Points and Switches - Cisco access points and switches throughout the Town Center, Rink, and Fire Department are losing ports. IT proposed creating unified switches that combine Wi-Fi and switches. IT has postponed the Unifi Enterprise Cloud Controller project, which would unify updates from the Town Center. Cameras and Access Controls at Ice Rink - The Town will be installing additional cameras where needed throughout the rink, as well as access controls at three doors for increased security. Consultant Services - (See the services line on page 146 of Operating Budget.) IT is increasing hours slightly and the amount of time for services such as PC OS upgrades, live auditing, and server updates. Mr. Pandya explained that hiring a CCIE and Cisco-certified consultant for these tasks is more cost-effective than employing additional staff. 4. Updates Mini Excavator - Councilmember Fiddelman requested Town Engineer Wasp to advise the Board on the anticipated frequency of use as well as the variety of use for the mini excavator proposed for purchase in 2025. Councilmember Fiddelman believed the mini excavator could be used more frequently, particularly in rivers and streams to keep them clear. Highway Foreman Barreto shared additional ideas on how the Highway Department could utilize it because of its small size and maneuverability. The potential rental cost is $27,500 for one year, whereas the purchase cost is $100,000, with an estimated useful life of 20 years, making leasing not a sensible option. Streetlights - Comptroller Yogman discussed the Boston Post Road streetlights. It was suggested that a temporary solution for two years is acceptable to see what happens, in light of the NYS DOT plans to resurface and make various other improvements to the Boston Post Road. Two pole replacements would cost around $9,000. Comptroller Yogman worked the numbers: two light poles with the excavator purchase result in a 9.92% tax levy, a 2.27% tax rate, and an increase of $831 .50 on a $1 .6 million home (down from $849 yesterday). There is $60,000 in the Rink Trust fund The Recreation Superintendent mentioned there is nothing else. The Town Board discussed their intention to discuss the use of Icebreaker tournament funding for 2025 capital projects with Dan Demasi and the Recreation Commission. ADJOURNMENT On motion of Councilmember King, seconded by Councilmember Nichinsky, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Carried Town Board October 24, 2024 REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING - (November 6, 2024) Submitted by Allison May, Town Clerk